Friday Thoughts: Kipsang's Historic Race, Jennings' Big Win & Notable BIG 10 Performances

It was an absolutely thrilling Friday when it came to distance action. Although not all of the results are loaded on TFRRS, we were able to find the live results for a handful of the most competitive meets in the nation this weekend. Keep in mind that this recap is only analyzing results from Friday. We will likely be highlighting key Saturday results tomorrow...

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Kipsang Runs Jaw-Dropping 3:36, NCAA #7 All-Time

Let's just get this one out of the way first, because it feels like everything else we have to say about Friday's performances will pale in comparison to the result we saw from this Alabama runner.

Eliud Kipsang emerged as a true star this past indoor season, splitting an incredible 3:51 on the anchor leg of a DMR and earning a personal best of 3:55 for the mile en route to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Despite his relative inexperience within the collegiate realm, few men have been able to stay as consistent and as poised as Kipsang has, even if some of his race tactics need to be refined.

However, Friday night gave us what is likely the best performance of the season so far. The Crimson Tide star essentially soloed a 3:36.00 for 1500 meters, a mark that now sits at NCAA #7 in the all-time outdoor track record books and is only 0.99 seconds off from the collegiate record.

Not only did Kipsang solo this effort (via a pacer), but he dominated some top-tier distance talents. In fact, he beat 3:57 LSU miler Davis Bove by 10 seconds and 7:56 (3k) runner Andrew Kent by 11 seconds in a race that isn't even a full four laps.

Right now, Kipsang seems like the only true contender to Hocker and Teare (and maybe Hunter if you want to put him into the 1500 meter equation). That was evident this past indoor track season, but the momentum that he is building right now is other-worldly. Few men are able to consistently establish aggressive paces and have it work out for them. In fact, pacer Garrett Suhr brought the field through in 54 seconds through the first 400 meters! That is MOVING.

Kipsang is making ongoing improvements even with this front-running approach. That's fairly rare and when he's in a faster, more competitive field, we have to wonder whether or not he has a shot at the collegiate record.

We do need to see more instances of him running in tactical races, but does that really matter when he can just run from the front and beat most of his competition?

Amaris Tyynismaa Runs 4:12, Beats Fegans With Ease

Look, I want to tell you that this is a super incredible surprising performance that really tells us a lot, but truthfully, this is largely what we expected.

Tyynismaa is just at another level right now. Her running 4:12 for 1500 meters is on par with her indoor performances (as well as her cross country finish). She's been so darn elite at this distance and her consistency as of late has probably been the most impressive part.

Given her youth and relative inexperience of racing at this level, Tyynismaa should have had a performance by now where she falters...but she hasn't.

Now, let's be clear, I am in no way hoping that she runs poorly. I don't want that for anyone. It's just surprising that she has been able to run at such an incredibly high level and really not show any flaws. That doesn't happen often, especially with breakout stars who have reached the level that she has in such a short period of time. In my mind, that consistency is probably the most impressive part of her resume, not her new personal bests.

As for Fegans, her 4:18 effort was solid, but at the end of the day, her focus is going to be on the 5000 meters. Her 15:37 from the Raleigh Relays is going to keep her in the All-American conversation all the way until June unless something dramatically changes. That, however, seems incredibly unlikely given her recent results.

We should also note that Alabama's Esther Gitahi and Mercy Chelangat ran a pair of 4:19's in this race as well. For two women who are going to be focusing on the longer distances like the 5k and 10k, it's nice to see them continuing to refine their speed. I like how the Alabama coaching staff is approaching their season so far.

Finley McLear Proves Me Right, Runs 1:46 En Route to Win

In our meet preview for the Joe Walker Invitational, I mentioned how Finley McLear's heat of the men's 800 meters was perfectly balanced and going to be an ideal race for him. I said that this field was going to push him to a fast time, but they wouldn't be so overwhelmingly strong that he can't come away with the win. I predicted that he would run 1:46 for the victory.

Look, I don't always land my predictions as perfectly as I did on this one, so let me have my moment. McLear ran exactly how we thought he would, letting the field carry him through most of the race until he swung off the curve and simply gapped his competition with finishing strength that no one else came close to responding to en route to an outdoor best of 1:46.51.

McLear continues to showoff an elite-level of tactical prowess that few men in the NCAA can match right now. Charlie Hunter will continue to act as a major obstacle in the postseason for McLear, but I also have to wonder how how RedHawk talent will handle a future race against Devin Dixon who loves to push the pace and run from the front.

Either way, McLear has all of the tools to reemerge as the title contender tat he proved himself to be during the indoor track season.

As for the rest of this field, Ackeen Colley continues to show that his indoor performances were no fluke, running 1:47 for a runner-up finish. He was quietly great in this race, holding his position in a large pack of finishers. The Western Illinois runner may not always have the necessary finishing speed or the front-running strength to come away with major wins, but his positioning in crowded fields is top-notch and it's what has allowed him to finish 6th overall at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Also, nice breakout races for Theo Woods (Georgetown) and Alec Hartman (Bradley). Woods was a great talent in high school and seems to be translating that success to the collegiate level after running 1:48 on Friday night.

Meanwhile, Bradley was able to produce a surprisingly strong talent in the half-mile event via Hartman. The Braves are often known for their longer distance success, as well as some strong performances in the 1500 meters. However, Hartman's 1:48 effort was a nice display of speed.

We can also say the same about MTSU's Brian Rono, another breakout talent who ran 1:48 as well. As for the rest of the rest of this field, a total of four other men (who we have not yet mentioned) also ran under 1:49, although a few of these sub-1:49 efforts came in separate heats.

Jennings Is Just As Good As We Thought She Was

I'm a big Gabrielle Jennings fan. I think the Furman runner didn't always get enough attention or credit for what she accomplished on both the indoor oval and the grass during the 2019-2020 acamdeic calendar. She is a true front-running low-stick and her ability to be nationally competitive in a variety of different distance events is incredibly impressive, more so than some people realize.

Seeing Jennings post a time of 4:12 in the 1500 meters on Friday night is quite the performance. However, seeing the Paladin ace come away with the win over top-level talents like Joyce Kimeli (Auburn) and Taylor Roe (Oklahoma State) is arguably the bigger development.

Of course, both Kimeli and Roe could be argued as true long distance runners and that the 1500 meters is a step down in distance for them. Kimeli was the indoor national champion in the 5000 meters this past winter while Roe was the runner-up finisher at the NCAA XC Championships. Both women ran 4:13 on Friday, which is a surprisingly great display of middle distance speed for two long distance-oriented collegiate stars.

However, the 1500 meter distance is arguably Jennings' best event and that argument is supported by her 4:33 unconverted mile on a flat-track this past indoor season. On paper, it's no surprise that Jennings took home the victory. She just has a little more speed than Kimeli and Roe, but this was a really nice indication that the Auburn and Oklahoma State runners have more turnover than we thought they did.

Looking at a few other collegiates, Ole Miss runner Sintayehu Vissa continues her exceptional string of breakout performances. She earned a surprisingly strong 51st place finish at the NCAA XC Championships this past winter. Her 4:40 mile PR on the indoor oval was respectable, but it didn't necessarily suggest that she would run 4:16 on Friday.

Her momentum, as well as her recent display of success between multiple distance races, has us incredibly encouraged about her future trajectory. The Rebels have plenty of depth and a few decent distance talents, but Vissa seems like she can be a true ace for this team in the future.

As for Petronela Simiuc, this wasn't her best race. The Toldeo star settled for a 6th place finish in a time of 4:18. She owns a personal best of 4:14.94 for this distance (which was recently earned this past winter), so it's not like this is a poor performance by any means.

Still, she certainly has more to offer and her success in the mile during the 2020 indoor track season suggests that she can be an All-American contender when she is at her best. We'll need to see how her next race goes before we draw any insights.

Kioko Throws Down Huge 13:28 Effort

With Amon Kemboi no longer with the Campbell men, the star of this program is now Athanas Kioko, a promising distance talent who has proven on numerous occasions that he can earn top times and be nationally competitive.

Admittedly, Kioko still needs to refine his race tactics and he doesn't always run at or near his best marks on a consistent basis. That, however, is largely irrelevant at the moment after he just ran a huge time of 13:28 for 5000 meters, taking down runner-up Christian Noble who ran 13:55.

Kioko's aggressive front-running tactics were bound to give him a new personal best that was better than his previous mark of 13:48. That, however, just required the right race for him and we saw that on Friday.

Now, the only question is whether or not Kioko can properly apply his race tactics on a consistent basis in a more competitive field. The Campbell runner has posted a sub-four mile mark while racing unattached, so we know that he has some underrated middle distance speed in his racing arsenal. However, seeing him compete in a championship setting will give us a greater understanding of where he sits in the NCAA's hierarchy of distance talents.

Rivers Continues Strong Streak of Top Finishes

At the BIG 10 Invite #2 meet, Penn State star Danae Rivers continued to build upon her already promising momentum. No, she didn't take home the overall win (that went to pro athlete Amanda Eccleston), but she ran a time of 4:14 which is a slight improvement from her last time out.

Despite not winning the whole thing, Rivers was the top collegiate, barely edging the Indiana duo of Bailey Hertenstein and Kelsey Harris -- two women who ran 4:14 and 4:16, respectively. Rivers doesn't appear to be quite at that same elite level that we've grown used to seeing out her, but she is slowly building her way back up to that point. She is taking home really underrated wins over some of the best talents in the BIG 10 and is steadily making improvements.

The consistency is encouraging, as is her ongoing improvements. If she keeps up this trend, then she'll absolutely be in the All-American conversation by June and potentially in the mix to take down Sage Hurta if the Colorado star ends up pursuing the 1500 meters.

As for Hertenstein, this was a really nice display of middle distance speed, but this actually leads me to believe that she is better suited for the 5000 meters. The Hoosier ace has had so much success during cross country. However, for whatever reason, she continues to ignore the 5k distance. In fact, she has only contested that race only once in her collegiate career.

Her rise in the 1500 meters should give her enough speed to keep her competitive in a tactical championship race. Hertenstein has been a consistent miler, but everything we've seen from her says that she can be a sub-15:40 runner.

Quick Hits: Tennessee Relays

• Let's give some love to the Tennessee duo of Alex Kay and Kameron Helmlinger. The Volunteer duo ran 1:48 and 1:49 on Friday, going 1-2 on their home track. There were plenty of great 800 meter performances on Friday, but Kay is quietly developing into a great middle distance talent. I like the consistency that we've seen out of him.

• Really solid win for Brooke Fazio (Richmond) at the Tennessee Relays. She continues to do no wrong and seems like she is in the best shape of her life after running 2:03 on Friday. Now, admittedly, her competition truthfully wasn't anything crazy. However, Furman's Emma Kuntz did put together a solid effort with a time of 2:05. Also, we should note that the Richmond women had three women who ran 2:07 or faster in this field. That's a really nice development for a relatively smaller program.

• I really like what we saw out of Furman's Jake Ogden in the 1500 meters. He perfectly positioned himself in a modestly deep field at the Tennessee Relays to take home the win, out-kicking Aaron Bienenfeld on the final curve and into the final straightaway. Now, admittedly, Bienenfeld is more of a 5k/10k distance talent, but seeing both men run 3:43 is still pretty encouraging.

• How about Grace Jensen? The Vanderbilt runner had the best race of her career at the Tennessee Relays to run a time of 4:16 for 1500 meters to take home the overall win. Not only is that a respectable time, but she also gave indoor national qualifier Ellie Leather (Cincinnati) an early-season loss. Leather is a very respectable talent and taking her down isn't exactly easy.

• Louisville's Albert Kosgei posted a really strong time of 8:52 for the steeplechase at the Tennessee Relays. No, that doesn't put him in the All-American conversation, but that's a solid mark. The Cardinals have an excellent history of steeplechase success, so it's not exactly a surprise that Kosgei is taking home wins in this event. We'll be interested to see what he's capable of in a more competitive field.

• North Dakota State's Jennie Barager-Petrash just ran 15:53 for 5000 meters on Thursday night. If you're surprised, then you may not have looked too closely at the NCAA Indoor Championship results. The NDSU talent had a breakout indoor track season, running 9:10 for 3000 meters at the indoor national meet where she finished 10th overall. Admittedly, her 5k mark wasn't anything super exciting coming into this meet, but her recent 15:53 effort is far more indicative of her actual talent. I love that she ran such a quick time essentially alone and I really hope that she can get into a faster race. It feels plenty realistic to say that she can run in the low-15:40's.

Quick Hits: BIG 10 Invite #2 Meet

• I was expecting Ohio State's Frank Hayes to be the top finisher in the men's 800 meters on Friday. Instead, it was teammate Nick Miller who came away with a big breakout performance en route to a 1:48 winning time. Hayes ran 1:50 and settled for the runner-up spot, but Miller has certainly caught my attention after his win.

• Jonathan Davis just secured a clutch win at the BIG 10 Invite #2 meet. Running 3:41 is a very big step in the right direction. He had an outstanding cross country season and had seemingly returned to a nationally competitive level. However, seeing him rise on the track is encouraging. Davis is incredibly dangerous when he builds momentum.

• Not only was Jonathan Davis great, but it's hard not to like what we just saw out Morgan Beadlescomb. The Michigan State star ran 3:41.69, settling for 2nd overall. He may not have earned the win, but this is a HUGE display of middle distance speed that, truthfully, he hadn't shown prior to this past weekend. That kind of 1500 meter performance makes me feel more comfortable about Beadlescomb's chances of success in a tactical championship race.

• I would like to make a big deal about Bethany Hasz running 15:43, but this was probably the most predictable result of the weekend. We had every reason to believe that she could run that fast and we've seen her solo top times before. This was not a surprise at all.

• The Nebraska women had a breakout star during the winter cross country season after Erika Freyhof finished 5th at the BIG 10 XC Championships. However, I'm not sure we were expecting teammate Judi Jones to take home a fairly comfortable win in the steeplechase with a huge personal best of 10:04 on Friday. She's had success in this event before, running 10:10 at the 2019 West Regional Championships, but it's now quite obvious that her 2019 postseason peak isn't anywhere near her 2021 regular season fitness.

Quick Hits: Other

• The Ocean State Invitational gave us a nice win from Kaley Richards, the UMass Lowell star who had a breakout indoor track season. She ran 15:54 on Friday, showing us that she is more than just a true miler. That's a nice display of strength and it makes me wonder if she would be able to carry that strength into a fast-paced 1500 meter race.

• The city of Philadelphia has been home to a few underrated distance results as of late. At the Temple Invitational, we saw La Salle's Grace Mancini take home a really strong win in a time of 15:58. Temple's Emma Gee was the next closest finisher in 16:26, but this was a really impressive effort from Mancini. The La Salle runner has slowly been getting better over the last few years, but it's clear that she has now reached a nationally competitive level this year. Traditionally a steeplechaser, I'll be interested to see how Mancini translates this performance to the barriers and water pits.

• Speaking of Temple, rising distance talent Grace Moore put together a nice race in the 1500 meters, posting a time of 4:19 to edge Villanova freshman Anna Mark-Helweigh who also ran 4:19. Moore is better suited for the longer distances, so I like that she is showing some respectable middle distance speed.

• The battle between Oklahoma State's Ryan Smeeton and Middle Tennessee State's Kigen Chemadi lived up to the hype. They ran no faster than 8:51, but that duo was separated by only 0.24 with Smeeton taking home the win. Regardless of who actually got the victory, this seemed like an ideal race for both men. It was fairly quick and competitive, but it was also a nice way to get readjusted to a competitive steeplechase field. Both men knew how to have their best races during the 2019 postseason and this recent result positions them to do the same come late May and early June.

• Speaking of the steeplechase, how about Grace Beattie? The Illinois State veteran just ran a quietly impressive time of 10:02 at Ole Miss on Friday, taking home a win by five seconds. Beattie is coming off of a recent 16:06 (5k) personal best and seems to be carrying that momentum into her ideal event. If she is able to maintain this consistency and carry this trend into the postseason, then this Illinois State distance talent could end up being a sleeper pick to qualify for the outdoor national meet.