Thursday Thoughts: A Dramatic DMR Ending, Butler's 4:29 Split & Kioko's Unconverted 13:35 (5k)

Ah, yes.

Friday.

Everyone's favorite unofficial holiday.

This is usually the day where we publish a preview for a one-day weekend meet, but with most conference meets around the country taking place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, now seemed a bit too late to add any conference previews to our schedule.

There were, however, some really exciting and interesting developments that took place on Thursday night! While there may not be a TON to analyze, it's better to give you all something to read than not.

Here are a few quick analytical thoughts from yesterday's races...

NOTE: With numerous conference meets beginning on Thursday, it is possible that we missed a few key results. Those, however, will be highlighted later this weekend when they appear on TFRRS.

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Virginia Tech's Lopez Segura Secures Dramatic DMR Win After Notre Dame's Nuguse Falls on Final Turn

An absolutely THRILLING men's DMR race at the ACC Indoor Championships had everything you could want in terms of narratives and dramatic finishes.

Notre Dame came in as the clear and fairly heavy favorite, boasting the best distance runner in the country on their anchor leg. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, looked to defend their home track and avenge their narrow national qualifying miss from the other week.

Bashir Mosavel-Lo, the former Virginia Tech star, was on Notre Dame's relay as the lead-off leg, facing his former team for the coveted ACC title. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech's Patrick Forrest fought through what appeared to be a hamstring tweak on the 400 meter leg, forcing the Hokies to come all the way back from third-to-last in the two legs of the race.

And, of course, the ending.

What an ending.

But before we get to that endiung, let's breakdown how this race unfolded.

On the lead-off leg, Virginia Tech's Ben Fleming did an incredible job of controlling this race from the front despite his former teammate, Bashir Mosavel-Lo, hanging on his shoulder for most of that opening split.

That was a high-pressure situation, but the middle distance prowess of Fleming was enough to contend with Mosavel-Lo who, to his credit, matched Fleming as they handed off the baton at the same time.

Also, NC State's Brett Gardner had a really nice race. He split 2:55.99 despite his inexperience against some established collegiates and was a major reason why the Wolfpack men placed 3rd overall.

However, even with Fleming's great lead-off performance, it was the 400 meter leg that nearly cost Virginia Tech the ACC title and a few key points.

And yet, at the same time, that 400 meter leg may have also been the most heroic effort that we saw on Virginia Tech's relay.

Patrick Forrest faded hard on the 400 meter leg, giving Notre Dame and Virginia a major lead. However, Forrest didn't necessarily have a bad race. In fact, he actually fought through what seemed to be a pulled (or just tweaked) hamstring to split 52.60 on his leg.

He walked off the track holding his right hamstring.

As incredible as the rest of this relay was, you could make the argument that Forrest was the real MVP of this DMR squad (cue Kevin Durant memes). If he pulls out of this race or simply limps across the line, Virginia Tech loses a title and a ton of team points.

As we transition to the next leg of this relay, the 800 meter splits for some of these relays weren't incredibly quick, with no one in the field running faster than 1:50. However, one of those three 1:50 splits came from Virginia Tech's Christian Jackson, a true freshman who has never recorded a collegiate result according to TFRRS.

His high school personal best coming into this race was 1:52.97.

Jackson didn't suddenly thrust Virginia Tech back into the lead, but as Notre Dame, Virginia, NC State and Georgia Tech approached the exchange zone, Jackson was essentially with that group, putting 3:56 miler Antonio Lopez Segura in a position to compete with the top pack on the anchor leg.

Of course, at that point, any distance running fans who were familiar with the anchors in this field likely assumed that the race for the DMR title was over. Notre Dame superstar Yared Nuguse not only had the baton, but he was given the baton in the lead.

In what seemed to be an early effort to drop the chase pack, Nuguse split a jaw-dropping 55 seconds over the first 400 meters of his leg. That aggressive surge basically dropped everyone in the field...except Lopez Segura who not only matched the surge, but later began to slowly close the gap between him and Nuguse.

As the race progressed, Nuguse began to look increasingly (and uncharacteristically) tired while Lopez Segura seemingly smelled blood in the water.

Evens so, Nuguse's lead on Lopez Segura in the final curve was MAYBE going to be enough to hold off the hard-charging Virginia Tech anchor.

That, however, didn't matter.

On the last curve heading into the final stretch, Nuguse shockingly tripped on the inside rail (with his right foot, too). That trip sent the Fighting Irish distance star tumbling to the ground, forcing Lopez Segura to go wide and ultimately giving the Hokies a walk-off win on their home track in what had to be one of the loudest and most electric indoor track environments of the entire winter season.

Nuguse would eventually pick himself up and finish 2nd overall.

NC State and Wake Forest were close behind, placing 3rd and 4th place overall.

In the end, Lopez Segura split a strong time of 3:57 while Nuguse salvaged a 4:00 split on his anchor leg.

Would Virginia Tech still have caught Notre Dame if Nuguse didn't take a tumble? Honestly, I don't know. It was way too close to call. Lopez Segura clearly had momentum on his side, but with roughly 60 to 70 meters to go, there wasn't necessarily any guarantee that the Hokies would win, especially if Nuguse found another gear.

Of course, hypotheticals, at this point, are now moot.

I think we also have to give Notre Dame some kudos for how they handled that ending. Both Nuguse and Mosavel-Lo couldn't help but smile when it was all said and done. While it's clear that they were the favorites, the Irish seemed to be good sports about the ending from the few brief moments that they were caught on camera.

And as a Virginia Tech alum, I have to respect that.

Butler Splits 4:29 on Anchor Leg to Give Virginia Tech Women ACC Title, Virginia & NC State Women Go Sub-11:00

Gosh, there is so much to take away from this race as there were so many women who had incredibly impressive performances. Let's take this one leg at a time, shall we?

Clemson's Andrea Foster opted to make things quick from the gun, taking over the first few laps with a noticeable lead. The 800 meter specialist took a bit of a gamble running from the front, especially since she rarely moves up that high in distance.

Meanwhile, Virginia's Mia Barnett beautifully positioned herself at the front of the chase pack while NC State's Samantha Bush and Virginia Tech's Hannah Ballowe patiently flanked each of Barnett's shoulders.

Ultimately, the chase pack swallowed up Foster, making it a three-team race.

However, in one of the most incredible splits of this DMR race, Virginia's true freshman Mia Barnett pulled away from some VERY talented lead-off legs and made a convincing move. The rookie showed unbelievable poise and executed some of the greatest tactical prowess that I have seen from any runner, regardless of age or gender, this year.

Barnett ultimately split a huge time of 3:20, giving the Cavaliers a respectable lead while Virginia Tech kept things close with a 3:21 split of their own. NC State's Samantha Bush ran 3:23 on her lead-off leg to keep the Wolfpack near the top group.

Star Price of Virginia Tech eventually took over the 400 meter leg and gave the Hokies the lead heading into the 800 meter leg. However, NC State and Virginia were still able to hang around.

The Hokies probably had the most accomplished 800 meter runner in this portion of the relay. Leigha Torino, the graduate transfer from Duke and a previous indoor national qualifier, attempted to run away from the field on her leg.

However, Virginia's second-year talent, Keara Seaholtz, surprisingly stuck with Torino for the entirety of her race. Not only that, but NC State's Anna Vess, who is best known as a miler, was able to close the gap between her and the leaders.

But if anyone was going to make a move and pull away from the top contenders during that leg, it was going to be Torino. If it wasn't going to be Torino, then it was surely going to be Seasholtz who has run 2:06 this year.

In theory, Anna Vess was the least likely runner of that three-person group to create separation.

I say that not because Vess is a miler, but because she had worked so hard to make up ground on Torino and Seasholtz in just a few laps. Surely she didn't have anything left in the tank to make a convincing move...right?

Wrong.

Vess made a massive move late in this 800 meter leg, pulling away from the two established half-mile talents in the final lap. Seasholtz tried to go with Vess while Torino, all things considered, actually responded fairly well in her own right.

Vess ultimately gave Wolfpack superstar Kelsey Chmiel, a 4:36 miler, the lead, but it wasn't a massive lead. Both Virginia Tech and Virginia were still well-within striking distance.

Virginia Tech anchor Lindsey Butler and Virginia anchor Margot Appleton quickly made up the short amount of distance between them and Chmiel. Then, just one lap later, something a bit unexpected happened.

Butler opted to take the lead.

The reason why I say that this move was "unusual" is because Butler is predominately an 800 meter runner. While she has certainly had no issues moving up in distance to the 1500 meters or the mile before, it's also fair to say that speed is her greatest attribute.

Chmiel, meanwhile, is mainly a long distance specialist, finding most of her success in events like the 3000 meters and 5000 meters. However, much like Butler, she has been able to move to the mile distance fairly effectively.

In theory, it would've made more sense for Butler sit on Chmiel's shoulder and attempt to out-kick her with a speedy ending. Trying to simply out-run a strength-based runner with a strength-based strategy seemed...well, risky.

But of course, as I have slowly learned this season, I'm not nearly as smart as I think I am.

Butler not only went to the front, but she stayed there.

And never left.

For a brief moment Chmiel tried to get around Butler, but it was the Virginia Tech ace who slowly but surely ramped up the pace to a level that neither of her opposing anchors would be able to respond to.

Unbelievably, with roughly 500 meters to go, you could see what was about to happen. Butler was beating Chmiel at her own game, pulling off a slow-fade kick and eventually ripping open a monster last lap that neither Chmiel nor Appleton could respond to.

In the end, the Hokies secured the win in a huge time of 10:53, matching their previous flat-track conversion of 10:53 from earlier this month.

And Butler's anchor split? A jaw-dropping 4:29. Wow.

Surprisingly, Appleton, the true freshman, actually put together a really nice final-lap response.

The Virginia runner, who is a strength-based runner just like Chmiel, benefitted from how the race unfolded and overtook the NC State star on the final lap to give the Hoos a silver medal.

Virginia ultimately ran a national qualifying time of 10:56 thanks to Appleton's stunning 4:33 split. The rookie hadn't run faster than 4:45 in the mile this winter, but the bold (and smart) decision to put Mia Barnett on the opening leg now looks like a genius move by the Virginia coaching staff.

Oh, and by the way, that UVA DMR featured two true freshmen and two sophomores, all of which have freshman eligibility this winter.

In other words, this UVA team, despite being wildly inexperienced and boasting less proven star power (before this race), just placed runner-up in one of the fastest ACC DMR races ever contested.

The future is bright for the women in Charlottesville.

As for NC State, you have to commend them for their efforts. Their time of 10:58 will surely solidify their spot to the national meet, although it will be interesting to see who they opt to enter in that lineup, especially with Bush running the 3000 meters on day two and Chmiel running the 5k/3k double.

And finally, we have the Hokies. What an incredible race.

Lindsey Butler is so. darn. good. Her unconverted flat-track split of 4:34 from the other weekend was super impressive, but a 4:29 split against one of the top distance runners in the country is special.

Despite Arkansas having the faster overall seed time in the DMR this season, I can't help but think that the Hokies are the national title favorites in this relay...but only if Butler is fresh.

The Virginia Tech veteran is a star 800 meter runner. While she could do the 800 meter prelims and the DMR finals on day one of the indoor national meet, Virginia Tech's greatest chance of NCAA gold would be if she is fresh for this relay.

Unless Butler runs something this weekend that could potentially put her in the same conversation as Shafiqua Maloney, I can't help but think that VT should go all-in for the distance medley relay.

That, of course, is just one man's opinion.

Campbell's Athanas Kioko Solos 13:35 (5k) at JDL Facility, Flat-Track Conversion Puts Him (Roughly) at 13:26.93

It is no secret that Campbell's Athanas Kioko is an elite-level talent. That was made clear last spring when he masterfully navigated a chaotic and super fast 5000 meter field at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, ultimately running 13:13 to earn a bronze medal.

This winter, Kioko has continued to thrive in the longer distances, running 7:49 for 3000 meters in his second race of the season and later earning a flat-track converted 7:45 time for the same distance. He also threw down a time of 13:43 for 5000 meters, fairly comfortably, at Liberty University earlier this month.

Prior to Thursday, Kioko's marquee event, the 5000 meters, was an event that he was not yet qualified for (nationally). That, of course, was something that he planned to change.

At the BIG South Indoor Championships, Kioko thew down a HUGE 5k time of 13:35 on JDL's flat-track, putting in a complete solo effort to win by well over a minute. After flat-track conversions, his time (very roughly) translates to a mark of 13:26.93 which currently places him at NCAA #15 on the national leaderboard.

One has to think that Kioko is *probably* safe in terms of national qualifying. With many conference races turning tactical, the idea that anyone would be able to go out and run that fast this weekend, especially in a race like the 5000 meters, seems unlikely.

Of course, running a (converted) 13:26 and being the NCAA #15 runner in the event this winter also seemed unlikely, so who am I to say?

Even if Kioko does get bumped down one or two spots, he can likely rely on a couple of scratches to get himself qualified for the indoor national meet. As a result, we should expect this Campbell superstar to run the 5k/3k double in March.

Despite his lower seed time, Kioko should be considered a major threat in this 5k race on the national stage. He has the elite-level personal best to match the top names in this national 5k field and he often thrives in aggressively-paced settings, something that I'm expecting to see come March.

Over the last few seasons, Kioko has become far more patient and has refined his racing tactics to better align with his incredible raw talent. Sleeping on Kioko two weeks from now would be a massive mistake.

New Mexico Women Throw Down Unconverted 11:10 DMR, Win the Mountain West Title

Surprisingly, the New Mexico women have been a bit quieter this winter than usual. The Lobos have still thrown down some great times, but the mass improvements that we're seeing around the NCAA has taken some of the spotlight away from this well-established powerhouse.

The New Mexico women opted to see if their DMR squad could end up in the national qualifying conversation on Thursday night. The Lobos, with a lineup that featured Elise Thorner, Tianna Holmes, Adva Cohen and Abbe Goldstein, soundly defeated their competition with an unconverted time of 11:10.

According to New Mexico Athletics, their time will convert to a mark of 11:00.18.

Unfortunately for the Lobos, that won't be enough to put them in the national qualifying conversation, especially after the ACC Indoor Championships lowered the cut-off qualifying time to 10:59.

Instead, they'll barely miss out.

It's a little surprising to see a team like New Mexico not make it to the national meet in this event, especially since they had all of the necessary pieces to be nationally competitive in the DMR. Even so, this was a solid result and anything they ran likely wasn't going to keep Adva Cohen out of the women's 5k at the indoor national meet.

Air Force Men Run Unconverted 9:40 Mark to Win the Mountain West Title & Earn Fourth-Fastest MW DMR Ever

When Sam Gilman is your anchor leg, you can usually expect good things to happen. That was the case for the Air Force men on Thursday as they won the DMR by four seconds behind an unconverted split from Gilman which appears to be in the 4:00 range.

After conversions, this time will be a time of 9:31 which isn't all that close to a national qualifying bid. Even so, this was a really nice result and it's another reminder that the Falcons continue to produce nationally competitive talents.

I like Gilman a lot. He has run incredibly quick times this year and recently beat Kiptoo in the 3000 meters on his home track. I can't believe we don't have him ranked, but that's just how the NCAA stacks up this year.

Watch out for this guy on the national stage.