First Thoughts: Stanford's 5k Sweep, Gregory's Excellent 10k Debut, Cook & Nichols Go Sub-15:30

At this point, you know the drill. Here are some of the NCAA's top distance performances from this past weekend...

Florida Relays Produces Top-Five 800 Meter Marks

We knew that the women's 800 meters at the Florid Relays was going to be deep and fast, but wow, I'm not sure I was expecting it to be this fast.

Florida's Imogen Barrett emerged as the top collegiate in the field with a blistering mark of 2:02 while Villanova's McKenna Keegan once again posted another solid result, this time with a mark of 2:03.

Neither of those results are super surprising, although Barrett's win was very impressive. She has really found her niche within the half-mile distance and seems to be utilizing her mile strength in the shorter middle distance race.

Not only that, but a substantial 2:02 personal best makes it feel like Barrett is carrying over her momentum from the indoor track season with ease. If she's able to continue to get better throughout this outdoor track season, then she could be an issue for her competition in the postseason.

There were two groups of athletes who I was high on coming into this meet: Youngsters and women from Penn State. For the most part, I think my instincts worked out when making predictions for this meet.

The third-best collegiate was Georgetown rookie Melissa Riggins who ran 2:03 while Penn State veteran Victoria Tachinski placed 4th in a time of 2:04. And the 5th place finisher? That would be Kentucky's Jenna Schwinghamer, an underclassman who also ran 2:04.

The youngsters really stepped up in this race. Riggins and Schwinghamer showed so many signs that they were going to be nationally competitive during the winter once they were put in the right setting. Sure enough, I highlighted them in our meet preview and they delivered.

Now, admittedly, not all of my predictions were great. The other portion of this Penn State contingent and the other half of this underclassmen core didn't fare as well as I thought they would.

However, Villanova's Madison Martinez and North Carolina A&T's Ayoola Gbolade each had big-time performances, recording a pair of 2:05 marks.

For Martinez, we maybe should've seen this coming. She already held a 2:05 PR before this weekend and has been hovering well under the 2:10 mark for a while now. Now it's just a matter or whether or not she can build upon this result and make herself a factor in the postseason.

As for Gbolade, this result was a little bit out of nowhere...sorta.

She ran 2:06 for 800 meters this past winter, but never ran under 2:10 in her three other attempts at the same distance that season. She also ran 2:07 last spring, but again, the consistency wasn't always there.

Even so, this 2:05 mark feels different. It was a solid time that led to a solid finish in a very solid field. Gbolade may be starting to build consistency in this event and if she is, then watch out, because we've seen what happens when certain woman catch fire in this event (i.e. 2021 version of Shafiqua Maloney).

Menegatti & Thornton-Bott Each Run 2:04 For 800 Meters

Boise State's MaLeigha Menegatti was a name on the rise, specifically in the 800 meters, during the winter months. She was consistently running in the 2:06 to 2:07 range, but clearly began to take her fitness to a new level at the Mountain West Indoor Championships, running 2:06 at altitude.

After hovering around her personal best for months, Menegatti made a statement in her outdoor 800 meter opener with a time of 2:04 at the Stanford Invitational. She emerged as the top collegiate in this field and took down some sneaky-good names, including Christina Aragon who ran 2:05.

When it comes to breakout performances like these, I always want to see consistency and validation. However, after seeing her winter resume over the last few months, I'm not worried about Menegatti in the slightest.

As for Oregon's Izzy Thornton-Bott, she was excellent this past weekend, putting together a 2:04/4:16 double in the 800/1500 meters at the Hayward Premiere meet. Those two marks are super impressive and they essentially give this Oregon roster a bit of a much-needed, especially with Keely Small now gone.

Keep an eye on Thornton-Bott. She has been quietly strong over the last few months...

Stanford Men Sweep 5k, NAU's Young & Bosley Absent

Not seeing either Nico Young or Drew Bosley in the men's 5k at the Stanford Invite was a little bit of a bummer. The matchup that we would've seen between those two and the Stanford trio would have resulted in some major fireworks and (maybe) a sub-13:20 mark.

Either way, this was just another day at the office for the Stanford men. Without Young and Bosley in this field, the trio of Ky Robinson, Charles Hicks and Cole Sprout essentially dominated, running 13:23, 13:24 and 13:27, respectively, and they took home the top-three spots.

Is anyone surprised by these results? Like at all? On paper, you probably shouldn't be, especially given what this trio did on the indoor oval, especially at the end of the winter season.

I do think that this is an encouraging performance for Hicks. He had a pretty underwhelming indoor track season up until his last two races. For him to throw down a mark like this is encouraging, even if it was well within his wheelhouse. Hicks clearly has promising momentum right now and is starting to shake off whatever that rough start was during January and parts of February.

Let's talk about the rest of this field. Colorado's Andrew Kent had a huge breakout race and I couldn't be more pumped for him. Prior to joining Colorado as a graduate transfer, Kent was a rising star at Georgia Tech. He had a few respectable seasons as the clear leader of the Yellow Jackets, but then he rose to national prominence by throwing down some very impressive 3k and 5k marks.

Kent's move to Colorado has worked out incredibly well so far, placing 45th at the NCAA XC Championships and later running 13:39 for 5000 meters at the Husky Classic. He was clearly getting better, but his development wasn't necessarily outpacing the growth of the NCAA as a whole.

Well, not until this past weekend it wasn't.

Running a time of 13:28 for 5000 meters at the Stanford Invite is massive validation for Kent. That's an elite-level mark that pairs well with his versatility, range, experience and semi-decent positioning / tactical prowess.

Kent has always had a resume that was well-rounded and offered a lot of value, but now he has a milestone PR that makes him extremely dangerous, especially if he's able to replicate that mark in the future.

Speaking of breakout performers, let's talk about Tulsa's Michael Power. The 23-year old from Ireland has been a very solid and promising distance talent since joining the Golden Hurricanes. He ran 7:51 for 3000 meters during the indoor track season and was the 51st place finisher at the NCAA XC Championships.

However, there wasn't a ton on his resume which suggested that he would be running quite as fast as 13:29 for 5000 meters. This was a fairly substantial breakout performance for the Tulsa standout who now has a mark that turns heads and demands attention.

At the same time, there's also enough history of success on his resume to signal that this recent 5k wasn't just a fluke performance. While this was certainly Power's best performance of his career, it also wasn't so incredible that it was out of the realm of possibility.

As for the rest of this field, there were some surprises and some predictable results. Arkansas' Amon Kemboi ran 13:30 which had us shrugging our shoulders and saying, "Yeah, that seems about right."

Tulsa's Isaac Aker ran 13:32 for 5000 meters and while that was certainly much faster than anything he had previously posted in his career, there was also enough success on his resume to suggest that he could maybe run this fast.

No, I don't know if I would've said low 13:30s fast, but I do think a time in the 13:30s was plenty realistic. In a lot of ways, his performance mirrors his teammate, Michael Power, quite a bit.

The last few men of Cathal Doyle (Portland), Jonathan Shields (Boise State) and Evan Burke (Stanford) all ran under 13:40, each running a 13:38.

For Shields, this is pretty unsurprising. He was great during the indoor season and despite not previously having a 5k PR under 13:50 coming into this weekend, he was still talented enough to run something this quick.

As for Burke, I'm pretty pumped for him. Stanford had someone on their roster not named Hicks, Robinson or Sprout who was due for a sub-13:40 performance and a breakout race. I wasn't sure who that was going to be, but it makes sense that it was Burke.

Finally, we have Doyle. Apparently, according to a tweet from former teammate Evert Silva, Doyle has been rebounding from an injury and has only been training on land for the last few weeks. If that's true, then you could make the argument that Doyle had, relatively speaking, one of the most impressive performances of the weekend.

Also, NAU's George Kusche had a nice race in the second-fastest 5k heat. He took home the win in that heat and ran 13:39. While I think most people would wonder why a guy who has a 13:28 personal best would not be in the invite heat, I think this was actually a good call.

Kusche had been struggling ever since the Millrose Games, so not overwhelming him in an elite field and still allowing him to gain momentum feels like a smart choice.

Future Oklahoma State Runner Natalie Cook Runs 15:25 to Earn High School 5k National Record, Colorado's Abby Nichols Runs 15:27

The Oklahoma State women are about to get SO much better. That's pretty crazy to think about when you consider that they already have numerous scoring weapons, specifically the recent indoor 3k national champion in Taylor Roe.

However, Texas native Natalie Cook, who is only a high schooler, has signed to run for Oklahoma State starting next fall. Her recent 15:25 mark for 5000 meters at the Stanford Invite not only beat all of the collegiates in the field, but it also set the high school national record in the process.

Cook is emerging as an all-time high school great. One could argue that she is entering (or has entered) the same tier as women Mary Cain, Katelyn Tuohy, Jenna Hutchins, etc...maybe some more than others.

Regardless, the Cowgirls are getting a massive boost in scoring firepower with Cook. She could make this Oklahoma State team very dangerous, specifically in cross country, in the future.

As for the actual collegiates, Colorado's Abby Nichols had a phenomenal race, running 15:27 for 5000 meters in what felt like a massive statement to the rest of the NCAA.

Nichols has been a national-caliber runner for quite some time now, but running 15:27 puts her over the top and into a new tier. This is an elite result, one that suddenly forces to ask if Nichols can be an All-American in June.

And of course she can! If you run 15:27, then you're almost always good enough to be an All-American. Of course, actually delivering on that potential in that postseason is a different story, and that goes for pretty much everyone in the NCAA.

Nichols is typically at her best in the 10k, but does this 15:27 mark put her in a position where she'll scratch out of the 10k in the postseason in order to go all-in for a race that is half the distance? It's possible, but with a 10k personal best 32:49 and a national 10k field that is arguably not as deep, it's hard to see Nichols forgoing the 10k.

As for the rest of the field, no collegiates were really all that close to Nichols or Cook. However, Stanford's Lucy Jenks had an excellent race, posting a time of 15:41 which feels like massive validation following an indoor track season where she was constantly on the verge of a breakout race.

In my opinion, the emergence of Jenks couldn't have come at a better time. Stanford has been slowly losing key veterans to expired eligibility and will soon lose Heymach and Aragon. That's why it's been important that the next generation of distance talents on this Cardinal roster begin to develop, sooner rather than later.

Jenks has been a solid up-and-coming talent for a few seasons now, but this feels like her true emergence into the next tier of national-level competitiveness. You could argue that her 9:04 (3k) mark from this past winter was that initial spark, but at the very least, this 5k performance feels like validation from what we saw in the winter.

The last two women under the 15:50 barrier at the Stanford Invite were the Utah duo of Cara Woolnough (15:44) and Emily Venters (15:47)...and I don't have much to say here. This was a fast race, but not overly so, and I think if you look at their past resumes, you could see that these marks were fairly reasonable for both Woolnough and Venters.

Alabama's Victor Kiprop (28:15) Emerges as Top 10k Collegiate at Stanford Invite, BYU's Casey Clinger (28:16) & NAU's Abdi Nur (28:17) Round-Out Top-Three Collegiates

Coming into this 10k race, we posed a question to our writers asking if Abdi Nur was untouchable in this race. The answers from all three of our TSR writers was a resounding "yes, he is untouchable".

And it made sense when you think about it.

Nur is clearly at his best when he's contesting the longer distances. He is coming off of an amazing indoor track season where he thrived at the indoor national meet. Prior to this winter, Nur had most of his success in the 10k.

That's why Nur seemed almost unstoppable coming into this 10k race. He seemed like the going away favorite and frankly, I think most people would have agreed with us.

That, however, is not what happened.

Instead, it was Alabama's Victor Kiprop emerging as the top collegiate in this 10k field with a blistering fast time of 28:15.

After Kiprop, you'd think it would be Nur, but no, it was actually BYU's Casey Clinger (28:16). He was followed by Nur (28:17), Oklahoma State's Alex Maier (28:18), BYU's Brandon Garnica (28:19) and Tulsa's Scott Beattie (28:19).

There is so much to takeaway from this race, especially since a total of 29 men ran under 29 minutes just at Stanford alone. However, let's focus on the top portion of these results for a moment.

Kiprop is a stud and has had long distance success before, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he had so much success in the 10k this weekend. Even his winning time of 28:15 seems plenty reasonable, especially given how much faster the NCAA as a whole has become.

Did I suspect Kiprop to be the top collegiate in this field? Or even in the top-two? No, I didn't, and honestly, if you had asked me before the race, I probably would have said it was more likely than not that he would fall out of that top-three conversation.

And, of course, I was wrong.

Now, admittedly, it's still super early in the season and I think we still need to see how Kiprop handles races that are a bit more tactical. Regardless, this was a very encouraging step in the right direction for Kiprop's postseason hopes. Consistency and in-race adjustments will be key, but if Kiprop has more in the tank for June, then an All-American honor seems like a lock...for now.

As for Nur, I'm not really going to look too heavily into this result. It's still early in the season and he was too good during the winter to not be a title contender in this race. It wasn't ideal that he lost, but it was still a quick time and I'm not stressing too much if I'm Coach Mike Smith.

I think we've got to give Clinger and Garnica some love. On paper, these two men were built for the 10k and it's actually pretty surprising that Clinger had never contested this event before this weekend.

But am I surprised by their times? Honestly, not really.

Garnica is clearly better than he was last year and that was when he ran 28:40 for 10,000 meters. Clinger, meanwhile, is a runner who gets better the longer the distance becomes. A 28:16 personal best seems to be on par with our expectations, although that doesn't make his performance any less impressive.

And frankly, I gotta say that's pretty much the same mentality for having Oklahoma State's Alex Maier. His 28:18 mark aligned fairly well for a Cowboy star who had an electric indoor track season.

I want to say more, but what else is there to say? He's a great 10k runner and we know how good he is, but is anyone really shocked by his performance? I don't think so, but like I've said before, just because something isn't surprising doesn't mean it's not impressive.

Tulsa's Scott Beattie ran 28:19 and that could be classified as a somewhat surprising performance, but it also wasn't entirely shocking. Was this the best result of Beattie's career? Yes, I would say so, but this 10k result wasn't dramatically better than his 7:49 (3k) and 13:40 (5k) marks from the indoor season.

Alright, let's go down the rest of these results. Here are five sub-29 results that really struck me as crucial and important...

• Arkansas' Patrick Kiprop ran an outstanding race, posting a time of 28:21 for 10,000 meters. After transferring from Fresno Pacific, I felt confident that Kiprop would be undervalued and underrated in terms of his firepower and what he can bring to the table. However, even I didn't expect to see him run 28:21. That was a terrific performance and it validates suspicions that he's an all-out aerobic beast who thrives in fast settings. He's going to be much better in the fall than some people realize. I'm taking top-20 in the NCAA by November.

• Iowa State's Thomas Pollard is beginning to build some sneaky-good momentum. Ever since dealing with some health issues a few years ago, he has slowly built up his fitness over the years. Now, the veteran has run 28:23 for 10,000 meters and seems to be at the peak of his powers. Pollard is building up a ton of confidence right now and I actually like him to eventually be a sleeper All-American pick at this distance two months from now.

• If you're not an Iowa State fan, then you're not going to like my next pick, either. Iowa State's Ryan Ford, who formerly went to Tennessee Martin, has been excellent since joining the Cyclones. He's gotten better with each passing season and the outdoor track season allows him to compete at his ideal distance (the 10k). His time of 28:34 is an excellent mark and much like Pollard, he has a lot of momentum from the indoor track season which is encouraging to see.

• How about Air Force's Ryan Ioanidis? This guy had never broken 14:00 for 5000 meters before and had never run under 8:00 for 3000 meters (all according to TFRRS). Now, admittedly, he was close to breaking both of those milestone barrier this past winter. However, given his current resume, I didn't expect him to run 28:44 this past weekend. That is super impressive and a massive breakout performance for someone who had never contested the 10k on the track before. Ioanidis showed flashes of promise during the fall, but even then, a result like this wasn't expected.

• Speaking of unexpected results, how about BYU's Joey Nokes? The Brigham Young men seem to produce national-caliber names out of nowhere. Last year, it was Lucas Bons. This year, it's Nokes, who just ran 28:37 for 10,000 meters. Now, truthfully, Nokes showed some promise during the winter, running 13:53 for 5000 meters. However, that was easily the best mark on his resume prior to this season and his cross country results were also far from exciting. I still need to see Nokes validate his result from this weekend, but knowing BYU's history of success, Nokes is more likely the real deal than not.

Arkansas' Lauren Gregory Runs 32:34 in 10k Debut to Earn Big Win at Stanford Invite, New Mexico's Amelia Mazza-Downie Runs 32:55 for 2nd Place

First off, I have to give massive props to fellow TSR contributor Ben Weisel. He predicted that Arkansas' Lauren Gregory would be the top woman in this Stanford Invite 10k, despite this being her event debut, and that she would run 32:35 for the win.

Well, it's a good day to be Ben after Gregory ran 32:34 and got the victory.

I'll admit, I was a bit more cautious when making predictions with Gregory in her 10k debut. The 10k is a race where a lot of things can go right or a lot of things can go wrong. Despite Lauren Gregory being one of the most elite distance talents in the country, I wasn't totally convinced that she would get the win in her first go at the event.

However, the Razorback star was outstanding in her event debut and cruised to a fairly comfortable win. The fact that she took down a true longer distance standout in New Mexico's Amelia Mazza-Downie is super impressive.

I can't help but wonder if Gregory will pursue the 10k in the postseason. This was a monster performance and she won convincingly. Depending on how you feel about certain women in the 10k field nationally, Gregory could be viewed as a potential title contender in this event. This race is wide-open and it could be Gregory's best chance at a national title.

As for Mazza-Downie, I'm a big fan of hers, specifically in the 10k, but her 32:55 was somewhat expected, especially since her previous PR was 33:05. Her being an All-American in the 5k this past winter also suggests that she was due for a result like this.

I want to say more about Mazza-Downie, but I'm sure there is a lot more to discuss. I think her chances of being an All-American rise when she's choosing the 10k over the 5k, but I don't know if that's necessarily new information or a hot take.

It's a somewhat similar story of Loras' Kassie Parker. She just ran the 10k record for Division Three by posting a blistering time of 33:03...but is anyone really surprised? Parker destroyed records left and right during the winter months and she clearly gets better the longer the distance becomes.

I can't say much more than I already have, but I just think that's important to recognize the historical greatness that we are seeing from Parker, regardless of what division you are a fan of.

After Parker was New Mexico's Emma Heckel, yet another Lobo standout who, much like her teammate Mazza-Downie, gets better the longer the distance becomes. Heckel ran 33:05 in her 10k debut which is super encouraging to see, although it's hardly a surprise. New Mexico women have historically thrived in the 10k and this current UNM roster was already having major success on the indoor oval, specifically in the 5k.

So while I want to say more about Heckel, I can't say that we learned anything new about her after this weekend, either.

As for Northern Arizona's Jessa Hanson, she has been an absolute star in the 10k. There is something about this distance that really clicks for her. She ran 32:47 for this distance back in December of 2020 at the SoundRunning Track Meet. Hanson also ran 32:55 at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships which, surprisingly, only got her 11th place in that race.

A 33:13 mark at the Stanford Invite isn't Earth-shattering, not by Hanson's standards, but it is a really solid result and one of the better early-season results that we've seen from Hanson throughout her career. She seems to be trending towards the best fitness of her career, but she'll need to time her aerobic peak so that she emerges as a contender in the postseason.

Alright, let's offer five more bullet points and move on...

• New Mexico's Aliandrea Upshaw continued the trend of Lobo runners emerging as national-caliber runners in the longer distances. She had a solid indoor track season, running 15:54 for 5000 meters on Washington's 307 meter indoor track, but her recent 33:18 mark is arguably just as good. She's gaining a good bit of momentum right now and frankly, it's hard to dislike anyone from Albuquerque at the moment.

• Colorado State had a tremendous weekend. Annabel Stafford came out of nowhere to run 33:25 in what was a clear breakout race for her. She had shown promise in cross country and in the 5k this past winter, but this 10k performance makes it feel like Stafford has truly broken through to the next level.

• Gonzaga's Kristen Garcia has been a solid talent for a while now, but seeing her 33:27 is super encouraging. That is arguably the best performance of her career. She wasn't finding much success at Wisconsin, but ever since joining the Zags, this long distance specialist has slowly gotten better and better. If she maintains this hot streak heading into the postseason, then she could be a deep sleeper who isn't on some people's radars.

• Wisconsin's Shea Ruhly and Miami (OH)'s Ava Nurtall are two other names who I wasn't expecting to run so well, posting times of 33:30 and 33:38, respectively. Both women had been decent runners coming into this race, but those times should be considered massive breakout performances. Now we have to see how they build up throughout the rest of this season...

• Colorado's India Johnson and Emily Covert were in the non-invite 10k heat which was...odd. Both women were certainly talented enough to be in the fastest heat, especially Covert. However, given the way that they finished the race (stride for stride), it almost seems like racing in the non-invite heat was intentional. That, of course, is just speculation.

Smeeton (8:34) and Kandie (8:37) Emerge as Top-Two Collegiates in Stanford Invite Steeplechase. Ruiz, Litoff and Mitchem All Run 8:37

Oklahoma State's Ryan Smeeton took down, what turned out to be, a really impressive steeplechase field at the Stanford Invite. His time of 8:34 gave him the win.

For the most part, I don't really have a whole lot to say about him. Seeing him run this fast and earn this kind of win is more or less what I expected. That time, however, was a bit faster than I was expecting for a season opener from him. I also loved how strong and controlled he looked over the last lap. That was a master class performance.

The real story should be the slew of men behind him who all ran in the 8:37 range. Felix Kandie (Liberty), Estanis Ruiz (Loyola Marymount), Zach Litoff (Santa Clara) and Jake Mitchem (Colorado Mines) all ran 8:37 marks in the steeplechase.

For Kandie, Litoff and Mitchem, their new personal bests are super encouraging and a great step in the right direction. Yes, these are probably the best performances they've ever had, but there were also plenty of subtle signs that made an 8:37 mark, while certainly a stretch, feasible.

The real breakout star, however, is Ruiz. The Loyola Marymount ace finished 115th at the West Regional XC Championships this past fall, has never run faster 15:00 for 5000 meters according to TFRRS, and prior to mid-March, had never run the steeplechase before.

Breakout performances, specifically in the steeplechase, happen all the time. However, to see results of this magnitude is boarderline unbelievable. Ruiz has gone from a collegiate afterthought to now a national qualifying contender.

There is still so much unknown about Ruiz and we can't make any massive predictions about him right now, mainly because none of his past results give us much to look at when it comes to analysis.

As for the rest of this field, I can't say there are too many surprises, although seeing the BYU men (Marsing and Rooks) struggle was a little bit of a surprise. They just did not look good for the entire race, hanging in the pack and just struggling to move up.

That, however, isn't too much of a concern. The fact that they still ran in the low 8:50s is encouraging. When they're actually at 100%, they can be a problem for most of their competition.

Wayment Emerges as Top Collegiate in 1500 Meters at Stanford Invite, Gear Goes 4:14 For Next-Best Collegiate

We didn't see Rachel McArthur in this field, but my prediction that Courtney Wayment would still emerge as the top collegiate did turn out to be accurate. The BYU star let a fast and deep field carry her to a 1500 meter PR of 4:12 which is probably the least surprising news of the day. It's an encouraging result, but I don't think we need to touch on that time too much.

However, seeing Arkansas' Krissy Gear emerge as the next-best collegiate, running a time of 4:14, was awesome. She clearly wasn't at 100% during the indoor track season, but she was also far from bad. Gear held her own during the winter and ran 4:36 in the mile during February. She was also excellent on the Razorbacks' DMR at the indoor national meet.

In our meet preview, I compared Gear to the 2021 version of Whittni Orton. The former BYU runner was clearly not at 100% during the NCA Winter XC Championships, but was still one of the better distance talents in the nation.

Then, during the 2021 outdoor season, Orton slowly rallied and became one of the most dominant distance runners in the NCAA (before having a slightly underwhelming weekend at the outdoor national meet).

Gear is very much trending in the same encouraging direction that Orton was. Sure, she may not have been at her best a few months ago, but Gear is clearly stacking fitness and gaining serious momentum.

At this rate, I could see her dropping a time of 4:09 by late May, making her the last woman anyone in the NCAA who you would want to face in the postseason. Her prowess in the steeplechase also needs to be considered.

As for the rest of this field, I loved what we saw from Stanford's Christina Aragon. A 4:15 mark for 1500 meters is yet another step in the right direction. However, Aragon has been very up and (occasionally) down throughout her career. Some weekends she's incredible and other times she's been a bit quieter.

But don't mistake "quieter" with "bad". Aragon doesn't have too many awful results, at least not as of late. Plus, we have to remind everyone that Aragon was an All-American in the 1500 meters as recently as last spring. She was great in the postseason in 2021 and based off of her latest result, there's no reason to doubt her in 2022.

Oh, and if you skipped down to this part, let's not forget that she also ran 2:05 for 800 meters this weekend as well.

Abbe Goldstein (New Mexico) and Kate Hunter (BYU) also ran 4:15 marks, but I don't know if there's a whole lot to take away from those results. We knew going into this race that both Goldstein and Hunter were national-caliber milers and for the most part, running 4:15 seems to be on par with expectations.

Let's also be sure to mention the BYU duo of Lauren Ellsworth and Carmen Alder. They were excellent in the second-fastest heat, running 4:15 and 4:16, respectively. Both women have had past success in the mile and 1500 meter distances, so this shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

Even so, these two results are very encouraging for very different reasons.

Ellsworth has had past success as an 800 meter runner, but her win in the second-best 1500 meter heat feels like a potential signal that she should pursue the metric mile in the postseason. She has past success in this event, so it's not like she's brand new to racing the 1500 meters.

Similarly, Alder is maintaining her momentum from the indoor track season which is great to see. The BYU youngster ran 4:36 in the mile this past winter and showed a lot of encouraging signs of being a national-caliber threat. For her to run 4:16 in he first collegiate 1500 meter race ever is super encouraging.

All in all, I think the biggest (and most unsurprising) takeaway from this past weekend is that Coach Diljeet Taylor is so. darn. good. at her job.

Miami (OH)'s Carmen Riano Goes 9:57 in Steeplechase at Stanford Invite, Windemuller & Halladay Go Sub-10:10

The women's steeplechase has been somewhat quiet so far this season, even after this weekend. However, Miami (OH)'s Carme Riano did have a breakout performance, running 9:57.

Riano has been a fine distance runner, but she's been far from nationally competitive...well, not until this past weekend. Her previous steeplechase PR was 10:19 and generally speaking, there wasn't a ton on her resume which suggested that she was going to run anywhere close to this fast.

Much like Ruiz from Loyola Marymount, I don't know if I can say much more. Riano's performance was impressive, but this result was such a massive breakout result that it's hard to properly gauge what we should really expect from her in the future.

I think it's fair to say that we need to see more from Riano to properly gauge where she fits into the national tier of steeplechasers.

As Michigan's Kayla Windemuller (10:02) and BYU's Lexy Halladay (10:06), they posted some really solid and promising results. The same can be said for Syracuse's Annie Boos who ran 10:10.

While those women may not be the most established distance runners in the NCAA, they also had plenty of past results which suggested that these times were within their realm of capability.

Windemuller ran 9:04 for 3000 meters this past winter while Halladay ran 9:02. With a handful of decent mile performances, it is far from crazy to say that these two women were going to run under 10:10 in the steeplechase this weekend. Plus, they both had steeplechase marks that were previously under 10:10, they just weren't as fast as what they ran this weekend.

As for Boos, this mark was almost identical to her 10:10 PR that she owned while racing at California. In other words, Boos is now ahead of schedule in terms of in-season steeplechase progression.

MacQuiddy & Schreml Run Pair of 3:41 For 1500 Meters to Emerge as Top Collegiates at Stanford Invite

I'm not going to lie, the men's 1500 meters was a little disappointing, mainly time-wise.

I thought this race was going to be much faster and that we were going to see numerous sub-3:40 performances. After seeing so many sub-3:40s during the spring of 2021 and seeing how fast most of the other distance races have become, I made sure my predictions were pretty aggressive.

However, that speed and firepower wasn't quite to the same extent that I was expecting.

Despite that, I think we still have to give kudos to California's Garrett MacQuiddy who has been an up-and-coming name for a few seasons now. He just ran 3:41 to emerge as the top collegiate in this field at the Stanford Invite.

MacQuiddy has been a lot better in the past than a lot of people think, specifically on the grass. He ran 1:49 for 800 meters last spring and ran back-to-back 4:01 mile times during the winter months.

A 3:41 mark for 1500 meters is simply an extension of the momentum that he has built up in the middle distances over the last few seasons. I could very easily see MacQuiddy going 3:39 later this season and being a major sleeper pick to make it to the national meet. He is developing a lot of tactical tools that could lead to great success, and this past weekend is just one example of that.

As for Arkansas' Elias Schreml, he maybe didn't run the fastest race ever or place the highest, but I still think this was a really solid result for him. The Razorback rookie was so good and so consistent during the indoor season and for the most part, I think his latest result is very on-par with some of his performances from January and February.

California Baptist's Greta Karinauskaite Solos 9:51 Steeplechase Mark at West Coast Relays

The Lancers at California Baptist have been adding numerous international standouts to their roster for the last few years. While some have been better than others, it's safe to say that Greta Karinauskaite has now emerged as one of their greatest recruiting wins in a long time.

The Lithuanian steeplechaser was outstanding this past weekend, running a time of 9:51 in what felt like a major statement to the rest of the NCAA. The 21-year old has been a solid and respectable distance talent, but this is far and away the best time that she has ever posted for any distance.

Karinauskaite now sits atop of the national leaderboard in the women's steeplechase. For perspective, her mark of 9:51 would have put her at NCAA #17 heading into the outdoor regional meets during the 2021 season.

This CBU star is undoubtedly at her best in the steeplechase, but how much further can she go? Where will her personal best plateau? Without any other equivalent marks on her resume to measure against, it's hard to say.

However, if Karinauskaite is running this fast now, then I'll be curious to see what else she can do in the month of May.

Quick reminder: California Baptist is still undergoing the transition process from Division Two to Division One. This process began when they joined the D1 ranks in 2018. This means that the Lancers are not yet eligible for NCAA-sponsored postseason competition until after the completion of their transition process. That finalization will be at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 academic calendar.

Essayi Cruises to 1500 Meter Win in 3:40 at Florida Relays, Hontz Scores Breakout 3:41 Result

There was no question that the men's 1500 meters at the Florida Relays was going to be won by Anass Essayi from South Carolina. The only uncertainty I had was how fast he would run.

A time of 3:40 is a little slower than I was expecting, but it's hard to really read too much into an overall win and a fairly quick time. I'm confident that this Moroccan middle distance ace will run something faster in the near future.

One name who I was super high on coming into this race was Penn State's Brandon Hontz. He has been on the verge of a breakout performance for a while now and after seeing him posting a few solid mile efforts this past winter, I figured this race could be his breakout moment.

It ultimately depends on what you define as a "breakout" moment, but running 3:41, which comfortably converts to a sub-four mile, probably meets that criteria. Hontz now joins LSU's Davis Bove as triathletes who have had national-caliber success in the mile.

This is an extremely encouraging result for Hontz. However, the rest of this spring season is all about a) staying healthy and b) building upon this performance for the entirety of the season.

Neither are givens, but his recent results give us very little reason to doubt him right now.

Gonzaga's James Mwaura Solos 28:29 (10k) at Hayward Priemere to Win By Almost a Minute

James Mwaura is an aerobic beast. He thrives in the longest possible races and he can go out and time-trial upper-echelon distance marks. He's going to be an outstanding marathoner one day.

Mwaura went to the Eugene, Oregon this past weekend and eviscerated a 10k field that stood no chance against him. He cruised to an easy win in a time of 28:29, a mark that is nearly 40-seconds slower than his PR.

I don't have much to say here, but it's nice to see that Mwaura is fit this early in the season.

Quick Notes

• Florida's Sam Austin took home the win in the 800 meters at the Florida Relays with a time of 1:48. That's a solid and encouraging win, but I'll admit, this race was a little bit lighter than I expected it to be. A few key names didn't toe the line or didn't run well. Plus, the race is general was slower than I thought it was going to be. Regardless, this is a nice momentum-boosting race for Austin who has a lot to be proud of right now.

• Indiana's Bailey Hertenstein edged Auburn's Joyce Kimeli at the Florida Relays in the 1500 meters, each running a pair of 4:15 marks. I admittedly had Kentucky's Tori Herman pulling off an upset, but this result was still fairly predictable. Hertenstein is an established mile runner who barely took down Kimeli, someone who is much better in the 1500 meters than some may realize.

• Idaho's Loren Herrmann came out of nowhere. What a race by him in the 800 meters at the Hayward Premiere meet. This guy ran 1:47 after having a PR of 1:49. That personal best is the only time that he's run under 1:50. Hermann just beat a very solid talent in Oregon's Elliott Cook who ran 1:48 this past weekend. But, just like I say with all breakout performers, let's see if he can replicate that mark again later in the season.

• Speaking of breakout performers, Colin Ebling (Duquesne) and Liam Rivard (La Salle) each ran 1:48 marks to earn clutch wins at the Colonial Relays and Sam Howell Invite, respectively. For Rivard, this result was a long-time coming, but it was still a major breakout race. As for Ebling, this win is just an extension of his outstanding IC4A performances during indoors when he ran 1:48 in the prelims and then 1:47 in the finals. Watch out for this Duquesne star. He peaked just one or two weeks too late during the winter months.

• Nice 8:46 steeple mark for Bronson Winter. He's a solid talent who deserves some recognition. If he picks up momentum, then watch out for him in the postseason. Winter is better than some people may realize.