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First Thoughts: Valby's First Title, Ramsden's Upset Win, Markezich's All-Time Mark & Is Rose TSR#1?
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Jun 11, 2023
- 15 min read
Here we are, ladies and gentlemen. The final stretch. The last straightaway. The strip of track where you kick as hard as humanely possible. I am, of course, talking about the completion of our last "First Thoughts" article for the 2022-23 academic calendar.
Saturday night's distance races gave us a ton to talk about -- possibly more so than any other day of competition from the national meet. With that being said, let's not waste any more time. Let's jump into the analysis...
Women's 1500 Meters (Finals)
I really only have one question when it comes to this race...
Why?
No, that's not me (intentionally) trying to channel my inner-Socrates. It's more so me wondering why Katelyn Tuohy opted to lead this field as aggressively as she did.
The NC State phenom immediately jumped off the starting line, running 47.90 seconds through the first 300 meters before splitting 67-second and 68-second second and third laps. She led throughout the entirety of this race while Olivia Howell (Illinois) and Izzy Thornton-Bott (Oregon) gave chase.
But by the final 100 meters, Tuohy had clearly exerted too much. The field ultimately caught up to her and Harvard's Maia Ramsden pulled away to secure gold. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack megastar faded to 7th place overall, a shocking result that almost no one could have predicted.
Here's the thing: My issue with this race is not that Tuohy fell back to 7th place or that she didn't win the national title. She is human. Not everyone can be "on" 100% of the time. There could be one of a thousand different reasons as to why she had a tough day.
However, what I can't seem to understand is, why would she be as aggressive as she was? What was the purpose behind that? What net benefit could she have gained instead of employing a more conservative approach?
The NCAA record over 1500 meters is 3:59.90 which was set by Jenny Simpson (née Barringer) back in 2009. For as good as Tuohy is, I struggle to believe that she was going for that record or even for the NCAA #2 (D1) all-time 1500 meter mark of 4:05 set by Sinclaire Johnson in 2019.
And who knows? Maybe she was! But that rationale still wouldn't make a lot of sense.
Not only that, but the women's 1500 meters has never been this deep, at least not during the time that I've been covering this sport.
Including Tuohy, a total of 10 women had broken the 4:10 barrier over 1500 meters this season going into Saturday's final round. Unless Tuohy was going to dip into the 4:05 range for this distance, a good number of women in this field were going to be able to handle a fairly quick pace (and sure enough, you saw that last night).
And finally, why would Tuohy not want to be as fresh as possible for the 5000 meters that she was supposed to race less than two hours later? Why would she not want to conserve her energy with a tactical effort and then be prepared for something more aggressive in the 5k?
I simply struggle to understand what the positives were for being the aggressor in this race.
But at the same time, I want to make something very clear: Katelyn Tuohy owes us nothing.
Few women have ever held the pressure that Tuohy has (especially from such a young age) and even fewer women have ever delivered on the sky-high expectations that we as a running community have set for them.
I may not understand her 1500 meter tactics, but I can at least appreciate her ambition and her willingness to put on a good show for fans like ourselves.
As for the 5000 meter finals, well...let's save that discussion for the below section.
But let's now talk about the woman who actually won this race, Maia Ramsden. The Harvard star was by no means viewed as a "national title favorite" coming into this weekend, but she was definitely someone who was capable of winning a 1500 meter national title this spring.
Of course, if there was a season where that was going to happen, then it was going to be on the indoor oval this past winter. Her chances of winning NCAA gold felt higher back in March than they did earlier this weekend.
However, Saturday's 1500 meter final looked like a masterclass showing of veteran awareness. Ramsden understood that Tuohy's initial pace was too quick for her and as a result, the Crimson star stayed back in the ensuing chase pack.
And sure enough, over the last lap, Tuohy and Thornton-Bott began to come back to the field. Ramsden took full control of the opportunity, approaching Tuohy's shoulder on the curve. From there, we saw the Harvard star slingshot away from a field that was not in nearly as good of a position as this Ivy League standout was.
This victory feels right. Maybe not from a predictions standpoint (almost everyone had Tuohy winning), but mainly from a resume standpoint.
After running times of 2:43 (1k), 4:31 (mile) and 8:53 (5k) during the winter months, earning two All-American honors on the indoor oval and running a 4:08 (1500) PR on Saturday, Ramsden holds a list of credentials that are plenty deserving of NCAA gold.
But maybe more importantly, she put together a perfect showing as to how to run a championship race. No one meshed raw fitness and tactics better than Ramsden did last night.
However, when it comes to the most impressive performance, that superlative could potentially go to Izzy Thornton-Bott, the Oregon star who bridged the gap between the pack and Tuohy -- and she did it roughly halfway the race.
Thornton-Bott ran Tuohy's race and had to respond accordingly. But even as the NC State standout faded over the final 100 meters, it was this Aussie Duck who hung on shockingly well. Sure, maybe Thornton-Bott didn't have the same pop in her legs on that last straightaway, but hanging on for silver is admirable.
Margot Appleton (3rd), Klaudia Kazimierska (4th), Billah Jepkirui (5th) and Shannon Flockhart (6th) would all cross the line in somewhat of a pack, running between 4:09.30 and 4:10.78 for the 1500 meter distance.
Appleton and Kazimierska didn't necessarily post results that surprised me. On paper, they were plenty capable of a result like that. Jepkirui, however, continues to quietly thrive in honest races where she can utilize her finishing strength beyond 100 meters.
The Oklahoma State rookie has surprisingly good command of not only her fitness, but of her tactical understanding as well. She can read and respond to certain moves almost perfectly and her patience is far better than that of some veterans.
Jepkirui isn't in a position to be contending for national titles yet, but with some natural growth and ongoing improvement, I wouldn't be shocked if she one day walked from the outdoor oval with NCAA gold.
Shannon Flockhart continues to produce top results on the national stage. Going into the national meet, this Providence star was undefeated in every individual race that she contested this season -- and that includes prelims!
After finishing 7th on this stage last spring, it makes sense that Flockhart was able to replicate another All-American performance with greater comfort at the national level.
As for everyone else, there isn't much to talk about.
Olivia Howell (8th) faded hard after she tried to follow Tuohy early-on in this race. But truthfully, I don't blame her. After winning a national title in the winter, Howell didn't have much to lose. And if anyone was going to be able to run away from this field, then it was going to be Tuohy.
Sure, it didn't work out for Howell, but I get the motivation.
Women's 3k Steeplechase (Finals)
When it comes to tactics and how this race played out, the women's 3000 meter steeplechase finals are pretty straightforward.
California Baptist's Greta Karinauskaite went straight to the lead to push the pace and the only one who followed her was Notre Dame star, Olivia Markezich.
But with four laps to go, the Lancer star began to put the slightest bit of separation between her and the Fighting Irish ace. That 10 to 15 meter gap stayed constant up until the last lap. With 250 meters to go, Markezich could clearly sense that Karinauskaite was fading. And when the opportunity presented itself, the South Bend star pounced at the chance to put a convincing move on her CBU counterpart.
And with 150 meters to go, it was clear that as long as Markezich didn't fall on the final barrier, she was going to be a steeplechase national champion.
The Notre Dame standout not only took home gold, but she did so with an unreal steeplechase PR of 9:25.03, the NCAA #3 all-time mark in that event. Karinauskaite would comfortably earn silver in a time of 9:30.
Was I expecting Markezich to run a time as fast as she did? No, I wasn't. But the idea that this Notre Dame ace could win the steeplechase national title this spring was plenty realistic. And with Karinauskaite establishing a pace as aggressively as she did, it makes sense that Markezich ran an all-time mark.
By winning a national title on Saturday, and by doing so with an absurdly fast time, I feel like Markezich will finally be viewed as one of the women who belongs in the highest tiers of collegiate distance running. For whatever reason, I haven't always felt like she's been given the respect that she deserves.
It's a similar story for Karinauskaite. She may not have won the national title, but the CBU star certainly validated herself as one of the top women in the NCAA. And yes, I do like the fact that she chose to be the aggressor in this race.
Strictly this season, no one in the NCAA had proven that they could run anywhere close to as fast as Karinauskaite could. And while there was no doubt in my mind that a lot of the women in this field would run faster on the national stage, the question remained as to whether or not they could run under 9:30...and by how much.
Kudos to this Lithuanian steeple star. She didn't won gold, but she put together a season that she should be very proud.
And then there's everyone else, all of whom offered little-to-no surprise. The next six women to cross the line were Ceili McCabe (3rd), Lexy Halladay-Lowry (4th), Elise Thorner (5th), Grace Fetherstonhaugh (6th), Kaylee Mitchell (7th) and Pauline Meyer (8th).
If you had told me that those women would finish in that order on the national stage, I would've shrugged my shoulders and say, "Yeah, that seems about right." In fact, both Maura and Gavin predicted seven out of the eight All-Americans in this field correctly. The only legitimate surprise was Pauline Meyer emerging as an All-American.
Meyer, an Arkansas State ace, threw down a massive steeplechase PR at the West Regional Championships, surprised everyone with her second-best steeplechase time in the prelims and then simply did enough to hang on for 8th place on Saturday.
I don't have much to say about her other than she peaked almost perfectly, arguably better than anyone else in the country strictly in terms of expectations.
As for everyone else, I can't say that I'm stunned, but...why did this field allow for such a large gap to open up?
Markezich is the only one who followed Karinauskaite. Everyone else sat back while those two women ran away from them. But why? Everyone had to have known that the Lancer star had run 9:26 over the barriers before and they had to have known that she was capable of doing it again (or close to it).
Sure, maybe it was a better idea to play it safe and secure an All-American honor. After all, Kayley DeLay tried to make a mid-race push to bridge the gap, but she ultimately faded back to 9th place, so maybe the conservative approach did make sense.
Still, it feels like almost everyone except Markezich played it a little too safe when Karinauskaite went to the front.
Women's 800 Meters (Finals)
This race left us with a whole lot less to talk about than the women's 1500 meter finals did. And truthfully, as far as tactics are concerned, there isn't much to say.
LSU's Michaela Rose went straight to the front of this race and hit the gas. Stanford rookie Roisin Willis was the only one to follow her as the underclassman duo came through 400 meters in 58.47 seconds and 58.61 seconds, respectively.
From there, it was Willis trying to hang on to Rose who began to put a good number of strides between her and her PAC-12 rival. With 100 meters to go, the LSU star wasn't completely in the clear for the national title, but her overall strength was simply better in the final stretch compared to everyone else.
Willis, meanwhile, was caught by BYU's Claire Seymour after they came off the curve while Gabija Galvydyte had the race of her life, charging past both Seymour and Willis in the final straightaway.
In the end, Rose ran 1:59.83 for 800 meters and won the national title. Galvydyte earned silver with a huge time of 2:00.47 while Seymour earned bronze (2:00.55) and Willis settled for 4th place (2:00.91).
What Rose has done this season is special...very special. She ran 1:59 over the half-mile distance this spring not once, not twice, but three times! It's one thing to run a historically fast mark -- Rose sits at NCAA #2 all-time for 800 meters with a 1:59.08 mark -- but to run under two minutes three different times in a single season is extremely rare.
With Tuohy struggling on the national stage, there might be a legitimate argument for this LSU Tiger to be placed at our TSR #1 spot in the final edition of our outdoor track rankings (coming later this week). Pairing metronomic consistency with elite fitness and major championship success is hard to argue against.
We then come to Galvydyte, a fascinating name who has made our lives plenty difficult when it comes to placing her in our rankings and when making pre-race predictions.
Despite posting a fantastic 4:32 mile PR back in December, this Oklahoma State runner didn't have the best indoor track season. Truthfully, she just didn't look like she was at 100%.
But then Galvydyte took down All-American stalwart Valery Tobias for the BIG 12 title over 800 meters earlier this spring. And at the West Regional Championships, she ran 2:02.99 for the half-mile distance, her best time in the event since the 2022 outdoor national meet.
The Cowgirl star was clearly beginning to pick up momentum at the right time, but would she be able to peak enough to have an impact in the 800 meter finals on Saturday?
Well, the answer to that question was a resounding, "YES."
Galvydyte looked incredible in the final moments of her race. She remained poised during an always-chaotic second lap and then opened up her stride to pull away from two upper-tier stars en route to a massive PR of 2:00.47.
Remember, this Lithuanian middle distance ace ran her former 2:01.76 (800) PR at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships where she finished a pleasantly surprising 3rd place overall. And now, with an even better performance than that on her resume, it feels like Galvydyte may be entering the same territory as Claire Seymour when it comes to being a half-mile postseason threat...at least on the outdoor oval, that is.
As for everyone else, there is only so much that we can say.
Seymour simply did her job. She let the leaders take the pace out, she hung back, she eventually made up ground and she pushed herself to a bronze medal. I can't say that I'm too surprised about her finish, her time or her tactics. But yet again, this BYU veteran peaked at the perfect time.
Willis, meanwhile, faded to 4th place, but that's the risk that you take when you go out with the pace that Michaela Rose was setting. And given Willis' status as a national title favorite, it was largely necessary that she followed her LSU rival. She did, after all, run 1:59 for 800 meters prior to coming to Stanford.
Dorcus Ewoi (5th), Valery Tobias (6th), Aurora Rynda (7th), Meghan Hunter (8th) and Katherine Mitchell (9th) were ultimately left to battle each other for varying All-American positions. Tactically, there was't a whole lot to discuss as a lot of those women were just trying to respond to the top-half of this field.
That said, Ewoi deserves some credit. Sure, she wasn't really in the contending mix during Saturday's race, but she had a fantastic postseason. She ran 4:14 for 1500 meters earlier this spring, chipped away at her 800 meter PR until she ran 2:01 in the prelims on Thursday and then just snagged a 5th place All-American finish in a top-heavy field.
She may not have been the flashiest name in the NCAA middle distance scene this season, but Ewoi consistently delivered, maintained ongoing improvement and saved her best efforts for her championship races.
In the grand scheme of things, this Campbell runner was solid across the board.
Women's 5000 Meters (Finals)
Alright, before we talk about the actual race, we need to address the elephant in the room.
I am, of course, talking about Katelyn Tuohy scratching out of this 5k race following a tough performance in the 1500 meter finals. According to LetsRun's Jon Gault, NC State coach Laurie Henes has been quoted as saying, "[Tuohy] just felt awful after the 1500 and I decided it was not in her best interest to run."
And I'll admit, I'm torn.
Just like I said in the above 1500 meter section, Katelyn Tuohy doesn't owe us anything. She has been a model of professionalism and excellence while being a major inspiration to younger runners, both boys and girls, who are just beginning to capture interest in this sport.
And when you consider that she has never given us a reason to criticize her, it would be unfair to hone-in and emphasize this one (admittedly important) scratch. Not only that, but if we're going to be critical of Tuohy, then why wouldn't we be more critical of Dylan Jacobs who scratched out of the 5k after a poor 10k performance?
The difference, however, is that Tuohy's stardom transcends any other athlete in the NCAA right now, at least on the distance side. And truthfully, "feeling awful" after a 1500 meter final, especially with the way that she ran it, feels like it should be a given...right?
But for as badly as I wanted Tuohy to the line for the 5000 meter finals and for as badly as I wanted to see her make history by earning double gold, I don't think we have the right to be (too) critical here.
For us as fans, this NC State star has done enough to get a pass on scratching the 5k. She does, however, have me questioning what her chances are of winning The Bowerman following this weekend...
Of course, Tuohy wasn't the main star of the women's 5000 meter finals on Saturday. Instead, it was her collegiate rival, Parker Valby, who put on a display of fireworks.
The Florida superstar waited a lap or two to get into rhythm and then began to hammer the pace, daring anyone to follow her. A chase pack tried to hang on for the first-half of this race. But by the second-half of this 5k battle, Valby put a gap on the field that would be too much to make up.
Both Everlyn Kemboi (Utah Valley) and Emily Venters (Utah) put together respectable efforts as they attempted to keep the gap no larger than it already was. But with two laps to go, the race was over. Valby was simply too strong and the gap that she put on the field was simply insurmountable.
And at the 15:30 mark of this 5k race, Valby crossed the line as a national champion, the very first national title of her career.
All of this while running on a leg that is very clearly not 100% healthy.
I can't get over how dominant someone like Parker Valby can be while racing on a leg that is clearly affecting her gait. In fact, as I watched the 5k finals with a handful of friends (who have never watched a collegiate track race before), one of them asked, "Is she limping?"
Now, admittedly, I didn't see much of a limp or a hitch in Valby's stride when watching her race on Saturday night. However, there were a few brief moments in the last couple of laps where it became noticeable.
Regardless, Valby very deservingly won this national title. It feels right that she has an NCAA gold medal one her resume now. But as we look towards the summer and fall months, our attention will shift to whether or not this Gator ace can be healthy and fit enough to have a similarly-competitive 2023 cross country season.
One would think that she'll be fine with that kind of timeline, but Valby has also been battling this leg injury since February...
As for Everlyn Kemboi (2nd) and Emily Venters (3rd), they had fantastic races. They were smart to give chase to Valby even if they weren't going to catch her. By doing so, this Utah-based duo was able to gap the rest of this 5k field en route to a pair of comfortable top-three finishes.
It should also be noted that Kemboi and Venters finished 1-2 in the women's 10k on Thursday night, giving them two of the most impressive weekend doubles of any distance runner at the outdoor national meet.
The next four All-American finishers had strong races of their own, but it was largely not surprising to see them finish where they did.
Amaris Tyynismaa (4th) was one of the few top contenders in this field who was fresh. She also ran 15:30 (5k) earlier this spring which paired nicely with her mile/1500 meter turnover. On paper, she was plenty capable of a top-half All-American result.
Amina Maatoug (5th) and Simone Plourde (7th) both failed to make it out of the 1500 meter prelims, so they turned out to be far more fresh than we were expecting.
Cailie Logue (6th), meanwhile, was coming off of an All-American 10k performance and had proven to be one of the more consistently competitive long distance talents in the NCAA this spring. She could have been in or outside of the top-eight in this race and I don't think I would have been shocked either way.
However, the lone surprise in possibly this entire 5k field (aside from Tuohy scratching) was seeing Georgetown's Chloe Scrimgeour place 8th, earning the final All-American spot.
Make no mistake, Scrimgeour has been great this season and this year as a whole. She has been a true breakout name since the fall months and if you look at her spring campaign, the Hoya talent has been super consistent over 5000 meters.
But to see Amelia Mazza-Downie (9th), Gracelyn Larkin (15th) and Kelsey Chmiel (16th) all drop out of All-American contention, even if they were doubling back from the 10k, was a little surprising. I would have thought that at least one of those women would have cracked the top-eight over Scrimgeour.
Even so, this Georgetown distance standout is fantastic evidence as to why consistency and reliability throughout an entire season is so important.
