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The Group Chat: Free Agency (Part Four)
Click here to read up on Part One, Part Two and Part Three of our Free Agency article series...
Which recent transfer will be the best long-term pick-up?
Maura: Iowa State has a great new addition to their team in Wesley Banguria who transferring from Colby CC with an exceptional resume. Banguria was 17th at the NJCAA Cross Country Championships in 2018 and then took home the win in 2019. However, it was his continued growth during the 2020 indoor track season truly put him on the map. Personal bests of 4:04 (mile), 7:51 (3k) and 13:43 (5k) will greatly help Iowa State reload as they lose front runner Edwin Kurgat (who has only one season of outdoor track eligibility remaining). Banguria may not be able to fill Kurgat’s shoes immediately, but he has the talent to compete with the best in Division One.
Eric: Mitchell Small coming over from NAU to Missouri is a big get for the Tigers. He will finally get a chance to shine as he was buried under the insane depth that the Lumberjacks have in Flagstaff. He will join Nathan Hall as the other Mizzou transfer for coach Marc Burns. Knowing he will get a shot at racing on the varsity team should help with his confidence and help him demolish his current bests of 3:51 (1500), 8:09 (3k) and 14:45 (5k).
Garrett: I wanted to be edgy and pick someone like Henry Chapman (Portland to Notre Dame), but I think it’s hard to disagree with Eric on this one. Mitchell Small is coming from a program that many would consider a dynasty and has a couple of results that indicate he’ll be one of the better distance talents in the nation in a few years time. He still has three years of eligibility according to TFRRS and is joining a program that has developed numerous top talents in the mile, 3000 meters and 5000 meters as of late. I think Missouri is a great fit for Small and I see him as a future individual national qualifier.
Michael: Dais Malebana could have a huge impact for Nebraska. Coming from Cloud County Community College, Malebana holds personal bests of 1:52 for 800 meters, 4:02 in the mile, and has run 24:08 over 8k in cross country. With these times, Malebana should be able to have an immediate impact within the BIG 10, and eventually make his way to the national level. With three full years of eligibility, Nebraska is lucky to have Malebana joining their team as he should be able to make an impact not only this year, but well into the future.
What kind of impact will Logan Morris have with the Arkansas women over the next year?
Maura: I would expect Morris to be a key scorer for Arkansas -- and even a potential low-stick -- later this year based on her strong 2018 cross country season and underrated track times. The Razorbacks are losing their entire top four from last year's title-winning cross country team and there was plenty of uncertainty regarding who would fill those scoring rolls in 2020.
However, Coach Lance Harter has had a ton of recent success with transfers (i.e. Katie Izzo and Krissy Gear) and Morris could easily reap the benefits of Harter’s training. Aside from cross country, Morris could be a factor on the track with her 4:38 converted mile, 10:07 steeplechase and 15:56 5k PR (unattached)
Eric: I agree with Maura concerning the addition of Logan Morris. She has a lot of potential, especially when looking at her 2018 season where she ran at the National Championships in both cross country and outdoor track. I think she will elevate her overall fitness after being able to train with the underrated depth of the Arkansas team which include Lauren Gregory, Krissy Gear, a slew of incoming freshmen and a handful of elite veterans who still have eligibility on the track. With Morris in this lineup, lookout for the women of Fayetteville this season.
Garrett: Arkansas has suddenly put together a very respectable lineup for the 2020 cross country season. Krissy Gear should be a strong scorer for the Razorbacks while Lauren Gregory can contend for an All-American finish later this year. Taylor Ewert is one of the best distance recruits in the country and there are a handful of other talented incoming freshmen capable of contributing to Arkansas’ varsity lineup.
Now, with an experienced veteran like Morris joining the team, the women from Fayetteville, Arkansas look like a national qualifying team that can quietly hold their own. Morris has tremendous upside as indicated by her 5k personal best of 15:56, leading me to believe that she could be a nice low-stick complement next to Lauren Gregory later this year. I’d say she makes Arkansas a top-20 team by joining their program.
Michael: Logan Morris is a huge pick-up for the Razorbacks. As a team that is in a bit of a rebuilding stage after losing so many top talents to expired eligibility, Morris’ transfer could not come at a better time. Although the South Central region is traditionally one of the easiest to make it out of, Arkansas was not looking like the lock that they usually do before Gear transferred and Ewert committed.
With Morris joining the team and adding some much needed low-stick potential, my stock in the Arkansas women this fall goes way up. On the track, Morris looks like a solid pick to make a national meet in one or more events, depending what her area of focus will be at Arkansas.
Who has been the most underrated transfer of the last two and a half months?
Maura: Mitchell Small heading to Missouri from NAU has to be one of the most underrated transfers from the last two months. As a freshman, Small competed for the Lumberjacks during the cross country season and ran an 8:09 3k during indoors. He joins the Tigers with experience gained at NAU under the coaching of Mike Smith and the luxury of training with some of the NCAA's best athletes. Plus, we have to take into account that he won the 2018 New Zealand U20 5k, an added bonus and an underrated achievement. Missouri has had success with Kieran Wood (among others) on the men’s side and I see Small being a great complement to someone like him over the next year.
Eric: JP Trojan going from William and Mary to Syracuse is a very underrated pickup in my opinion. He will head to upstate New York bringing personal bests of 8:03 (3k), 13:48 (5k) and 29:50 (10k). For the most part, competing in the CAA is not going to make you stand out unless you qualify for the NCAA XC Championships as an individual or hold your own in other large, nationally competitive meets.
Trojan will have a chance to prove himself in the ACC this year and show that he can compete with the best in the Power Five. He will look to help the Orange bring home yet another ACC crown after upsetting Notre Dame for the title last year.
Garrett: No one is talking about the addition of Nate Beamer and Calahan Warren to Western Washington...and it’s a sin. Beamer has a 4:02.41 mile PR which would have been the fastest time in Division Two this past winter. He’s an instant national title favorite and has consistently performed near (or at) that level for a while now.
Meanwhile, Warren is a veteran at the D2 level with a 4:03 mile PR and exceptional range. He’s a clear-cut All-American who (on the right day) could contend for a national title next spring. Gaining two realistic title contenders in one offseason is something that should definitely be talked about more.
Michael: Pierre-Louis Detourbe’s move from Simon Fraser to Butler hasn’t garnered the attention that it deserves. Detourbe’s 4:07 mile, 8:14 3k and 9:00 steeplechase will be big additions to the Bulldogs’ lineup when it comes to BIG East competition, as well as the East region steeplechase.
Butler has been slowly becoming one of the more competitive teams in the BIG East and the Great Lakes region in cross country, closing the gap on teams like Villanova and Georgetown, and finishing a respectable 7th in a very competitive Great Lakes region.
Detourbe will be a key piece to Butler’s lineup in all three seasons and help the team reach new heights throughout the 2020-21 academic calendar.
Rank five men’s teams and five women’s teams that have had the best group of incoming transfers this year (which includes any transfers from the winter months, December 2019 - January 2020).
Garrett:
Men
Arkansas
North Carolina
Portland
Georgetown
Western Washington
Women
Arkansas
New Mexico
Colorado
West Texas A&M
Notre Dame
Maura:
Men
North Carolina
Arkansas
Notre Dame
Portland
Iowa State
Women
New Mexico
Arkansas
Colorado
Notre Dame
West Texas A&M
Eric:
Men
Arkansas
North Carolina
Notre Dame
Portland
Iowa State
Women
New Mexico
Stanford
NC State
Colorado
Arkansas
Michael:
Men
North Carolina
Arkansas
Notre Dame
Portland
Georgetown
Women
New Mexico
Stanford
Arkansas
Colorado
NC State
