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TRANSFER: 1500m Star Bahiya El Arfaoui Signs With Oregon
Earlier today, the University of Oregon announced that they have signed Bahiya El Arfaoui, a metric mile standout from Eastern Kentucky, as a standard transfer. According to TFRRS, the former Colonel is expected to have three years of cross country eligibility remaining as well as two years of eligibility remaining in both indoor track and outdoor track.
Here is how we described El Arfaoui's resume in one of our recent Transfer Market articles...
"Few women had a bigger breakthrough season than Bahiya El Arfaoui did this past spring. The Moroccan distance ace was tremendous on the outdoor oval, clocking exceptionally fast times of 2:01 (800) and 4:05 (1500). That latter mark now sits at NCAA & NAIA #6 all-time. The former EKU runner also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships over 1500 meters earlier this month, ending her season in the prelims."
"Only a few times a year does a woman of El Arfaoui's caliber enter the transfer portal. The high-upside middle distance standout was outstanding in the metric mile this past year and clearly holds All-American potential. While her understanding of race tactics in slower affairs will need to be refined, her raw talent is among the best in the nation."
By adding El Arfaoui to their roster, the Oregon women will continue to lean into the mile and 1500-meter identity that they have established under Coach Shalane Flanagan. And more importantly, the Ducks now have an elite-caliber replacement for at least one elite-caliber departee.
The Ducks sent three women -- Silan Ayyildiz, Klaudia Kazimierska and Mia Barnett -- to the 1500-meter finals at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this past spring. Oregon also had Wilma Nielsen win the NCAA mile title this past winter while Ayyildiz broke the women's NCAA indoor and outdoor mile records earlier this year.
According to TFRRS, Barnett appears to be out of eligibility on the track, both indoor and outdoor (although she is expected to return for later this fall). Thankfully for Oregon, the trio of Ayyildiz, Kazimierska and Nielsen can each come back for one more season (not year) of eligibility in 2026 should they choose to do so.
Regardless, a longer term replacement in the middle distances, specifically the mile, is a clear need for an Oregon program that has built their reputation in that area. Plus, with two years of eligibility remaining on the oval, El Arfaoui can be a realistic All-American threat 11 months from now and maybe even take another step in 2027 well after the current Oregon veterans leave.
However, it's the upcoming cross country season that leaves us even more fascinated with El Arfaoui than her prowess on the track.
According to TFRRS, the Ducks are set to lose low-stick superstars Silan Ayyildiz and Maddy Elmore, two All-American standouts in the fall of 2024. All-American veteran Anika Thompson is listed as a senior in last year's TFRRS results, although she is expected to return later this fall.
With long distance standouts such as Diana Cherotch and Juliet Cherubet joining Oregon's roster earlier this year, and both Barnett and Thompson set to return for this fall, the Ducks are primed to be a podium team after missing out last November.
It's not entirely clear what El Afaoui's potential on the grass can/will be. The former EKU ace has made massive amounts of progress since the fall of 2023, but she hasn't competed during the fall months since then. The incoming Duck is clearly more middle distance-based, but one has to believe that she can be an effective cross country scorer after producing all-time 1500-meter credentials.
The only question is...just how effective will she actually be come October and November?
If El Arfaoui is a simple backend scorer who offers great value and completes Oregon's lineup, then the Ducks have a good chance of landing on the podium in 2025. But if El Araoui's metric mile talent can translate to her being a cross country low-stick, then the former Colonel could put the women of Eugene, Oregon into contention for this year's team title at the NCAA XC Championships.
