First Thoughts: The Greatest Weekend of NCAA Action Ever (Part Two)

Ah yes, Part Two of our analysis following an incredible weekend of results. If you want to read our analysis from Friday, click here. If you want to read our Part One analysis, click here.

There's no time to waste, let's jump right into it...

Texas' Jonathan Jones Runs 1:46 in Collegiate 800 Debut, Takes Down Aman Thornton (1:47) and Ayman Zahafi (1:47)

For those who are familiar with every aspect of track and field, you likely know that Texas standout Jonathan Jones has predominately been an 400 meter runner throughout his collegiate career.

With a personal best of 44.64 in the quarter-mile event, it's understandable why this Longhorn ace has opted to stick with the event that is half the distance of the 800 meters.

However, fitness in the 400 meters can often translate up to the 800 meters and sure enough, that was the case for Jones this past weekend. The middle distance juggernaut threw down a lethal mark of 1:46.93 for 800 meters at Clemson this past weekend, a time that currently puts him at NCAA #2 on the national leaderboard.

This result is HUGE, especially since the men's 800 meters hasn't seen the same top-end firepower that we saw last year. Although, after this weekend, you could argue that the 800 meters is deeper than it has ever been before.

Despite that 1:46 result being his first collegiate 800 meter race that he has ever finished, this mark actually shouldn't have been a surprise for Jones. No, it's not just because he's an elite 400 meter runner, it's actually because he held an outdoor 800 meter PR of 1:48 all the way back from 2016 when he was only 17 years old!

Why Jones has never contested the 800 meters in the NCAA until now is beyond me, but better late than never, I suppose.

But now we come to a new question: What will be Jones' plan for the national meet with this 1:46 result? His reputation has undoubtedly been built in the 400 meters, but he only sits at NCAA #11 in that event right now and is ranked much higher in the 800 meters.

Despite those rankings, Jones is much more experienced on the national stage in the 400 meters while his collgiate half-mile experience is virtually non-existent.

Speaking of new names in the upper-echelon of the men's 800 meters, Clemson's Aman Thornton, who was also in this race, ran 1:47.29 completely out of nowhere. The transfer from Illinois was admittedly under our radar despite owning a personal best of 1:48 in this event prior to joining the Clemson Tigers.

However, seeing Thornton emerge with a monster 1:47 mark in an elite-level field, taking down Ayman Zahafi in the process, is wildly encouraging. Clemson has a very strong and very underrated reputation of producing top-tier 800 meter runners, so it makes sense as to why Thornton was able to build off of his already-strong past successes.

That, of course, doesn't make his result any less surprising.

The question I have for Thornton is the same question that I had for Clemson's Kameron Jones last year and for Texas' Jonathan Jones this year. How will his recent surge in national-caliber fitness translate to the national stage?

That's an important question because as we saw with Kameron Jones last year, experience in this event can make a big difference at the NCAA Championships.

As for Zahafi's 3rd place finish and 1:47 result, I have to think that there are more positives from his performance than not. The Miami star already took down a superstar field at the Meyo Invitational and has now validated his fitness with yet another 1:47 mark.

Zahafi has truly solidified himself as a legitimate D1 threat after transferring from the D2 level which is super encouraging. Yet, at the same time, the national performances from this past weekend dilute his 1:47 result strictly from a numbers perspective.

The reason why we were so excited about Zahafi's 1:47 mark from earlier in the season is because only seven men ran under the 1:48 mark last winter. This year, however, that number has suddenly climbed to 15! Over double!

However, what Zahafi has that many of these 800 meter standouts don't have this season is consistency. In fact, he is the only runner to go under 1:48 twice this winter. That, in my mind, has to give his resume some solid value going into the national meet.

Keegan Runs 2:03 to Fend Off Seymour Who Runs 2:04

Villanova's McKenna Keegan has become one of the most underappreciated 800 meter runners in the nation. Despite her never-ending success over the last few years, the middle distance stud continues to be overlooked, both by TSR and by fans around the country.

For what reason? Honestly, I don't know.

This past weekend, Keegan cemented herself as a national-caliber threat yet again this winter by running a huge time of 2:03.48 at the Husky Classic. However, more importantly, she took down BYU star Claire Seymour who ran 2:04.03.

Seymour had plenty of motivation to run well coming into this race. Her 2:04 mark from a few weeks ago was respectable, but it didn't make her safe to qualify for the national meet. Now, despite trimming her seasonal best to 2:04 low, Seymour still sits at NCAA #10 in the women's 800 meters.

For Keegan, this is a huge win, maybe even a career-defining one.

Seymour should be viewed as one of the top 800 meter runners in the country after earning two All-American honors last year. That's why securing a win over her is wildly encouraging for anyone who accomplishes that feat.

With extensive experience, underrated consistency and All-American success under her belt, Keegan may need to be in the top-three conversation for this year's indoor national meet in the 800 meters.

As for Seymour, this isn't a bad result, but she is certainly capable of more.

At the same time, this is a trend that we saw last spring. The BYU middle distance ace had a respectable, but quiet regular season during the spring months of 2021. However, she eventually turned on the jets during the tail-end of the season and still walked away with All-American honors.

I wouldn't be surprised if that is what we see from her yet again this winter.

Kieran Taylor Throws Down 1:47 Mark, Edges Teammate Leroy Russell Who Also Runs 1:47

The Tyson Invitational was largely an Arkansas affair as Razorback runners Kieran Taylor and Leroy Russell threw down a pair of 1:47 marks on their home track this past weekend.

I can't lie, I'm super pumped for Taylor. For what feels like years now, Taylor has established himself as a key veteran in the men's 800 meters. He is VERY consistent, extremely underrated tactically and has found a way to stay competitive with top-tier names, even if he doesn't always win.

However, what was always missing from Taylor's resume was an upper-echelon 800 meter mark. Prior to this weekend, Taylor had run under 1:50 for 800 meters 17 different times between both indoor and outdoor track. Yet, none of those 17 marks went under the 1:48 barrier.

That changed this past weekend as Taylor now owns a personal best of 1:47.12, nearly skipping the 1:47 barrier, entirely.

This is a time that drastically changes my opinion of Taylor. He always seemed like a backend national qualifier who would somehow sneak into a final and earn a backend All-American finish. On paper, that was his ceiling.

But now Taylor has a personal best that completes his resume in a way we haven't seen before. Despite the surprising surge in sub-1:48 times that we saw around the NCAA this past weekend, Taylor has never been more of a national contender than he is now.

As for his teammate Leory Russell, this result came out of nowhere.

Prior to this past weekend, Russell had only run under 1:51 once in his career. That mark was a time of 1:50.19 for 800 meters.

The Indiana State transfer was a solid talent coming into this race, but there was nothing on his resume which suggested that he would run 1:47. Not even a 400 meter time, a 1000 meter time or a mile time put him in the conversation to run that fast.

Based on everything else we've seen from him, this was probably the biggest breakout performance that we've seen from anyone in the 800 meters this season.

Presley Weems Runs 2:04 in Star-Studded Boston Field

Auburn's Presley Weems was in the fastest heat of the women's 800 meters at Boston University this past weekend. While she was the top collegiate in the race, she was only the 7th place finisher overall.

Multiple high schoolers and pro-level runners were able to pull ahead of the Auburn star.

With a time of 2:04.05, Weems now sits at NCAA #12, a time that should get her into the national meet...I think. Maybe. Ok, honestly, I'm not super sure.

Weems is arguably better in the 1500/mile distance, but that space is so incredibly crowded this year, so it made sense that Weems was going after the 800 meters which, on paper, hasn't been as fast compared to other distance events.

I'm not sure there's a whole lot to say here as this result was fairly on par with our expectations. The mile may still be the better route for Weems over the next few weeks. However, trying to gauge which event she's better at versus the event that has a greater chance of qualifying her for the national meet is going to be a challenging guessing game.

Peralta Earns Clutch Win via 1:47 Mark, Leads Four Other Collegiates Under 1:48

I really liked what we just saw from Oregon's Luis Peralta this past weekend. In a loaded 800 meter race that featured a handful of promising up-and-coming talents, the Oregon middle distance star handled the field quite well and came away with a win...barely.

Peralta's mark of 1:47.32 was enough to edge Michigan's Miles Brown who ran 1:47.37.

Nike's Cooper Teare ran 1:47.48 for 3rd place, Wisconsin's Abdullahi Hassan ran 1:47.51 for 4th place, Michigan's Cole Johnson ran 1:47.60 for 5th place, Oregon and Duke alum Matt Wisner ran 1:47.85 for 6th place and Oregon's Elliott Cook ran 1:47.95 for 7th place.

When all was said and done, only 0.63 seconds separated the winner and 7th place.

That is an insanely close margin in an event like the 800 meters which often sees various momentum shifts when so many men are crowded near the front of the race.

To see Peralta pull off that win was super encouraging. He has been running some solid times over the last few seasons, but has yet to really put it all together. In his last two national meets that he has contested, the Oregon star has failed to make it out of the prelims.

However, a win over a strong field that was right on his tail leads me to believe that he can thrive in an 800 meter prelim come March. In terms of my self-created confidence index, Peralta just moved up quite a bit.

As for Brown, this may be a significant personal best, but this was also a time that we should've seen coming. He already ran 1:16 in the 600 meters earlier this season and had run as fast as 1:50 in high school.

A rough outing at the Indiana Relays in the 800 meters could have halted his progress and seasonal momentum, but just like Matthew Stafford after throwing an interception, Brown bounced back in a major way, not shying away from an elite field and nearly got the win.

I love the way Brown has run this season, even if his resume has been limited this season. I do worry about his inexperience on the national stage (as I do with every rookie), but he has enough raw talent to be factor in the postseason.

If you followed him in high school, that shouldn't necessarily be a surprise.

Wisconsin's Abdullahi Hassan just ran 1:47 and honestly, this was very much expected. The Canadian middle distance runner has been a superstar in the 800 meters since his prep days. Plus, he had already run 1:47 multiple times before this past weekend.

However, maybe the reason why I expected Hassan to run this fast is because of this fun stat: Hassan has run under the 1:50 barrier 10 out of the 11 times that he has contested the 800 meters in his collegiate career.

That is MIND BLOWING consistency, especially for someone as young as him.

So while I want to add more to this, I'm not sure I can. In a super fast field, it makes sense that Hassan would deliver on expectations.

As we move to Michigan's Cole Johnson, I couldn't be happier to see this guy have a 1:47 mark next to his name. This Big Blue veteran has been quietly great for so long now, showing off great consistency, underrated tactical prowess and steady (but slow) progression.

However, after years of grinding in the middle distance events, Johnson finally got the perfect race to carry him to a new 1:47 personal best. This is the kind of time that I always thought Johnson could run back when he was recruited to join the Wolverines. Although, I will admit, I wasn't sure if (or when) that was going to happen coming into this acamdeic year.

Johnson had only broken 1:50 once in his career, and that instance came the other weekend at the Indiana Relays when he ran 1:49.97 en route to a win. That performance likely gave him momentum heading into this past weekend, but I couldn't have possibly predicted that his newfound momentum would produce a 1:47 mark.

Major kudos.

The last collegiate name who we need to mention is Elliott Cook, an Oregon youngster who is in his second year with the program.

After running 3:59 in the mile earlier this season, and boasting a 1:49 personal best for 800 meters from last spring, it made sense that Cook would score a new PR in a field as fast as this. Running 1:48 seemed very reasonable.

However, the Oregon sophomore (freshman by eligibility) beat those expectations by running 1:47.95 to finish 7th overall in this field.

Much like Brown, there were signs to suggest that Cook was going to be a contender at the collegiate. Even so, I didn't see him running 1:47 this season. During the spring? Sure, that seemed reasonable, but Cook doesn't seem to care what my expectations are for him. Now, Cook is gaining tons of momentum going into the final stretch of the season.

In mind, there aren't many underclassmen as dangerous as him right now.

Andrea Foster Edges Brooke Jaworski, 2:04.17 to 2:04.22, Kayla Johnson Runs 2:04.92 For 3rd Place

Clemson middle distance runner Andrea Foster has returned to the indoor track for one more go in the collegiate circuit. The experienced veteran owns a personal best of 2:03 for the 800 meters and was an indoor national qualifier in the event last spring.

The ACC star took to the track this past weekend to contest her ideal event. Toeing the line next to Foster was Brooke Jaworski, a rising 800 meter talent from Texas.

Jaworski, much like her teammate Valery Tobias, had been making steady progress this winter when it comes to improving her 800 meter seed time on the national leaderboard.

In the end, Foster got the better of Jaworski by 0.05 seconds with each woman running 2:04.

For the most part, this was a fairly predictable result for Foster. This race was on her home track and her experience with racing top names likely gave her an edge. This is also the time of the year when Foster begins to hit her peak and becomes an increasingly larger factor in the postseason at meets like the ACC Indoor Championships.

While most of Jaworski's experience may be in the 400 meter hurdles, she has been gaining confidence in the 800 meters and has been improving quite a bit. Her national meet experience is still a little concerning, but momentum is a hard thing to stop if it's carried into the latter portions of the season.

Miami's Kayla Johnson ran 2:04 (high) to finish 3rd overall in this race which is actually the second-best indoor 800 meter time she has ever run. She's a star talent who has run 2:01 on the outdoor oval before, but her highly variable range of 800 meter times that she has run makes her a bit of a wild card.

Sam Ellis Runs 3:56 at Boston, Texas Duo of Gomez & Abdalla Run 3:57, Georgetown Duo of Stokes & Salisbury Run 3:58

Princeton's Sam Ellis opted to attack the mile distance once again this past weekend in an attempt to improve his seed time.

The good news is that he did improve his seed time, running 3:56.87 in the process. The bad news is that his result is still well outside of a national qualifying position, currently placing him at NCAA #25 in the event.

At this point, should Ellis just go all-in for the 800 meters? He has only contested the event once this season and it went incredibly well with Ellis producing a time of 1:48.32. At this moment, Ellis' 800 meter time likely won't qualify him for the indoor national meet. However, if he was able to run that fast earlier in the season, then surely a 1:47 mark is in the cards for him at this point in February...right?

Or does it make more sense for Ellis to continue pursuing the mile distance in hopes that he can eventually drop his time low enough that he'll get into the national meet off of scratches?

I don't know what the right move is for Ellis, but he'll be a fascinating name to watch moving forward.

As for the Texas duo, I loved seeing Cruz Gomez and Yaseen Abdalla validating their recent success with a pair of 3:57 miles. Those times won't qualify them for the national meet, but it does leave me more confident in Abdalla's ability to thrive on the national stage following his crazy fast 3k performance at Camel City.

Also, is Texas the best middle distance program in the NCAA right now?

As for the Georgetown duo of Parker Stokes and Jack Salisbury, I'm not going to lie, I was kind of expecting more out of these two, specifically Salisbury.

Stokes is still young and more of a steeplechaser, so seeing him run 3:58 is actually fairly strong for someone who specializes in other events. However, Salisbury was almost unstoppable last spring in the 1500 meters and I was convinced that he would make it into the national meet this winter.

That, however, isn't currently the position that he's in.

There's still time for Salisbury to rally and earn a national qualifying spot, but the clock is ticking for that to happen.

The Other Half of the Husky Classic Mile: Three Other Women Go Sub-4:35

The women's mile field at the Husky Classic was so deep and so top-heavy that we weren't able to cover the race in it's entirety during our Part One analysis. Thankfully, that's what Part Two is for.

Portland's Laura Pellicoro has been having a very underappreciated indoor campaign this year. The Italian middle distance runner has quietly posted strong mark after strong mark since last spring. She ran 2:05 in the 800 meters back in May, ran a 4:37 mile at the tail-end of January and has since carried her momentum towards a new mile PR of 4:34.

Pellicoro took down the Colorado duo of Madison Boreman and Rachel McArthur to finish 7th overall in that Husky Classic field, validating her recent progress. Pellicoro doesn't have the superstar resume that a few of these other names do, but she continues to find a way to put her name in the national conversation despite the NCAA becoming faster and faster each and every week.

I don't know what role she'll play on the national stage, but she has proven on numerous occasions that she can hang with top fields.

As for Boreman and McArthur, seeing them run 4:34 marks was super encouraging, although somewhat expected. Boreman is a star steeplechaser and has really made a strong resurgence over the last couple of years. While I'm not sure I would have predicted her to run 4:34, it does make sense, in retrospect, that she could run that fast.

When it comes to McArthur, there are plenty of debates to be had as to what type of event specialist she is. Is she better in cross country and the 5000 meters? Or was her middle distance focus during her Villanova days a better indicator of her overall talent?

In my opinion, it's the latter and this 4:34 result seemingly validates that. Nice run for BYU freshman Carmen Alder as she ran 4:36.93 this past weekend. Despite high expectations, she had an uneventful cross country season this past fall, so it was cool to see her posting a nationally competitive time on the indoor oval.

As for Arkansas' Krissy Gear, this wasn't her best day. Her time of 4:37 isn't bad by any means, but she doesn't appear to be at the same level of fitness that she was in last year, something that Gear herself has actually said.

Even so, Gear can still use this really solid result as a potential launch pad into the spring season where, hopefully, she can gain momentum and reemerge as a national contender.

Aneta Konieczek Takes Down Bailey Hertenstein in Mile, 4:34.76 to 4:35.22

Oregon's Aneta Konieczek continues to be the face of this Oregon distance group. The mile and steeplechase specialist reasserted herself as a national contender with a key win over a top talent in Indiana's Bailey Hertenstein.

This was an outstanding race for Konieczek. Not because of the time -- which we knew she was capable of -- but because she took down a two-time cross country All-American who was having the best mile race of her career.

Konieczek may only be listed at NCAA #13 in the mile right now, but she is also so experienced and so consistent. Now, she has a win over a top-tier name which has to give her even more momentum as we head into the postseason.

But in the grand scheme of things, as great as that win was, I don't know if we necessarily learned anything new about Konieczek which, when you think about it, is not a bad thing.

As for Hertenstein, I gotta put my hand up and admit that I was wrong (maybe). I have been saying for numerous seasons now that Hertenstein is not a miler and that she is better suited for the longer distances, specifically the 5000 meters.

That assertion may still be true, but it's a take that is a lot more challenging to defend now that she has run 4:35 in the mile.

Hertenstein now sits at NCAA #18 in the mile and with potential scratches, she should qualify for the indoor national meet. However, the chances of no other woman running faster than Hertenstein over the next few weeks seem slim.

In other words, expect this Indian star to attack the mile once more as she aims to improve her seed time.

Men's 3000 Meters: Windy City Challenge, Iowa State Classic & Music City Challenge Produce NINE Sub-7:50 Performances

We'll be here all day if we try to go in-depth on every single one of these athletes. So, for the sake of time, I'm implementing the "one-sentence" rule were I can only give one-sentence worth of analysis on the listed results.

Here we go...

Mario Garcia Romo (Ole Miss) Runs 7:47, Edges Cheruiyot For Win at Music City Challenge

If anyone was going to take down Cheruiyot at this distance, it was going to be Mario Garcia Romo who ran a time that was perfectly on par with our expectations.

Hillary Cheruiyot (Alabama) Runs 7:48, Finishes 2nd to Garcia Romo at Music City Challenge

Given his reported 5k personal bests that he had coming into Alabama, this race seemed to favor Cheruiyot's strengths as a nationally competitive runner.

Ben Veatch (Indiana) Runs 7:45, Finishes As Top Collegiate at Windy City Challenge

He has made notable improvements all season long and his relentlessness can make life very difficult for those who are racing him (just ask his BIG 10 competitors).

Aaron Bienenfeld (Oregon) Runs 7:46 at Windy City Challenge

Even in a year when the NCAA has outpaced Bienenfeld's previous athletic prime, the Oregon star continues to assert himself as one of the most elite distance runners in the country.

Jack Yearian (Oregon) Runs 7:47 at Windy City Challenge

Despite posting a 3k performance that matches the caliber of his incredible 3:37 (1500) mark from last summer, there is potential that Yearian may not even make it into the national meet with a time of 7:47 WHICH IS ABSURD.

Jackson Sharp (Wisconsin) Runs 7:48 at Windy City Challenge

Alright, I'll just say it: Wisconsin's Jackson Sharp is the most underrated distance runner in the NCAA right now.

Scott Beattie (Tulsa) Runs 7:49 at Windy City Challenge

Could you imagine running under 7:50 for 3000 meters and not even being amongst the top-four collegiates in the field?

Sam Gilman (Air Force) Runs 7:47 at Iowa State Classic to Upset Wesley Kiptoo

A major upset win over an NCAA superstar makes me think that the 3000 meters is Gilman's best...even though he won't qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in this event with that time.

Wesley Kiptoo (Iowa State) Runs 7:48 at Iowa State Classic to Finish Runner-Up

If I had told you at the beginning of the season that Wesley Kiptoo would run 7:48 and not even be remotely close to qualifying for the indoor national meet in the 3000 meters, would you have believed me?

Women's DMR: BYU Runs 10:58 (NCAA #2) To Hold Off Oklahoma State's 10:59 Effort (NCAA #3)

I'll just be blunt, I don't have much to say here.

These were notable results, but they were all super predictable. BYU has a chance to win any DMR race they are in as long as they have Courtney Wayment on their anchor.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State can field a combination of names on their relay and still be a competitive team. It also doesn't hurt that Roe has emerged as a surprisingly strong miler this season.