As we're sure many of you could tell, we have been crazy busy over the last five to six weeks with our cross country preseason team rankings! And although those rankings are about to wrap up, we wanted to get caught up on some recent news developments around the NCAA.
While we can't offer in-depth analysis on all of these moves, we did add some brief analysis about some of the major headlines after each section. Let's begin...
Recent Pro & NIL Signings
Drew Bosley Signs NIL Deal With Adidas
Isaac Basten Signs NIL Deal With Reebok (Gear & Product-based)
Kassie Parker Signs With Hansons-Brooks
Lauren Gregory Signs Nike Trail Sponsorship Deal
Sam Ellis Signs With On
Key Takeaway(s): Drew Bosley's decision to sign an NIL deal with Adidas should be an encouraging development for a Northern Arizona squad that may be able to keep him around for at least another year before he turns pro. And while an NIL deal certainly doesn't change when Bosley can/can't turn pro, it does allow him to stay in the NCAA system while earning sponsorship income.
Known / Unreported Transfers & Grad Transfers
*Eligibility varies across individuals
Elias Lindgren (Williams to Colorado) - Pending Formalities
Riley McGrath (UC-Colorado Springs to Colorado Mines)
Zoe Brickly (Wingate to Lee (Tenn.))
Stefen Rasmuson (Southern Utah to Stanislaus State)
Tess Fitzmaurice (Albany to Syracuse)
Grace Boone (Virginia Tech to Oklahoma State)
Mary Kate McGranahan (Amherst to Virginia Tech)
Nick Young (Northeastern to Oklahoma)
Sanu Jallow (Texas A&M to Arkansas)
Lani Bloom (Purdue to Michigan)
Mckaylie Caesar (Cal State Fullerton)
Ethan Domitrovich (John Carroll to Furman) - Beginning in Fall 2024
Key Takeaway(s): Elias Lindgren noted on his Strava page that, once certain documentation gets cleared, that he will be finishing his outdoor track eligibility with Colorado. For a true long distance runner like Lindgren, his pairing with an aerobic-centric program like Colorado seems to be an ideal fit that could produce promising results come the spring of 2024.
D2 standout Riley McGrath is heading to Colorado Mines, an in-state and in-conference rival of her former team, UC-Colorado Springs. The move comes as a slight surprise, but McGrath is an All-American who can fill a very important hole left behind by the Orediggers' former low-stick ace, Zoe Baker.
Mary Kate McGranahan proved to be a very talented runner at the Division Three level, owning a 10:31 steeplechase PR and earning an All-American honor at the 2022 D3 cross country national meet. She'll add great value to a Virginia Tech team that has largely built its reputation as a middle distance program.
Known / Unreported Coaching Moves
*Coaching roles and titles vary
Jordan Pingel (California Baptist to Alabama)
Milton Mallard (Texas A&M to UTEP)
Elisabeth Danis (Gonzaga to New Mexico)
Griff Graves (Syracuse to Pitt)
Danny Kilrea (Hired at Tennessee)
Taylor Somers (Hired at Oklahoma State)
McKenna Hansen (Hired at Gonzaga)
Charlie Parrish (Bradley to California Baptist)
Cody Halsey (Miami (FL) to Florida State)
John Kenworthy (Siena to Brown)
Jeremy Wilk (Northwood to Miami (FL))
Dylan Sorenson (No Longer Coaching at UNC)
Kyle Flores (Pomona-Pitzer to Augustana (IL))
Key Takeaway(s): Dylan Sorenson, the coach who was responsible for guiding the North Carolina women to a 5th place finish at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships, noted on Instagram that he was stepping away from coaching. The fall of 2023 was expected to be a big season for the Tar Heels who seemingly have a legitimate shot at earning a spot on the podium come November.
Milton Mallard, the coach responsible for developing multiple elite-level 800 meter stars at Texas A&M, is now the associate coach at UTEP. The Miners, who recently lost head coach Paul Ereng to Texas A&M to fill Mallard's former role, have since hired Mallard to continue the team's middle distance development which Ereng formerly oversaw -- effectively creating a coaching trade of sorts.
Cody Halsey, who was the former distance coach at Miami (FL), has been hired as the new women's distance coach at Florida State. She'll be tasked with keeping the 'Noles at a nationally competitive level in 2023 after earning a top-20 finish at the 2022 cross country national meet.