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Transfer Market (Part 15)
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Feb 11, 2022
- 11 min read
Have a transfer tip? Send us an email at contact@thestridereport.com and we'll look into it.
With many of the nation's biggest and best indoor track meets starting today, we didn't necessarily have enough time to pump out a new preview in preparation for this weekend. We do, however, have plenty of exciting transfer portal developments on tap!
Below, we highlight a few key names who are currently on the transfer portal. We highlight their resumes, talk about their transfer value and offer a few suggestions as to where they could land.
Let's break it all down, shall we?
Bailey Hertenstein (Transfer Portal)
The Stride Report has learned that Indiana star Bailey Hertenstein is currently on the transfer portal. Hertenstein is expected to finish her undergraduate degree in the summer. However, she is not applying to any graduate-level programs, technically making her a regular transfer rather than a graduate transfer.
At the end of this spring, Hertenstein is expected to have two years of eligibility across all three seasons of competition.
Seeing Hertenstein on the move is a massive development. Since joining the Hoosiers back in 2018, the Florida native has emerged as a true BIG 10 superstar, an elite long distance runner and one of the nation's best cross country talents.
Hertenstein owns a 5000 meter personal best of 15:38, as well as a 3000 meter mark of 9:19 and a strong 1500 meter PR of 4:14. However, one could argue that Hertenstein is actually at her best when she's racing on the grass.
Back in March, she finished 28th at the 2021 NCAA Winter XC Championships. Prior to that, at the 2019 NCAA XC Championships, she placed 31st overall.
Despite her emphasis of middle distance races during the track season, the two-time cross country All-American is unquestionably at her best when she's racing 6000 meters on the grass. In fact, she nearly took down Minnesota star Bethany Hasz at the 2021 BIG 10 XC Championships last winter.
So what is the next logical option for Hertenstein? Who could she be a good fit for?
Well, if I were to make a friendly suggestion, I would say that the Florida women would be PERFECT for someone like Hertenstein who is actually a Florida native.
The Gators have a rising superstar in Parker Valby, a 15:54 (5k) runner in Stephanie Ormsby, one of the five best high school distance recruits in the country via Angelina Perez, and a VERY young core of women who could all see substantial improvements the older they become.
On paper, Coach Solinsky may be one major piece away from having his team return to the cross country national meet in 2022. Sure, everything would need to go perfectly for that to happen, but adding a Florida native like Hertenstein, who is an experienced time-two All-American, would be wildly beneficial for this team's postseason hopes.
Ben Fleming (Transfer Portal)
The Stride Report has learned that Virginia Tech's Ben Fleming is currently in the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. At the conclusion of this spring season, Fleming will have cross country eligibility and indoor track eligibility remaining.
Fleming has risen to the top of the national ranks over the last few seasons. The Virginia Tech ace owns personal bests of 2:22 (1k), 3:59 (mile), 7:55, which gained a flat-track conversion of 7:49 (3k) and 8:37 (steeple).
At the time of publication, Fleming currently sits at NCAA #12 in the men's 3000 meters this season.
Fleming is a sneaky-good talent who is exceptionally versatile. Not only that, but many of his best performances have come within the past year, an indication that he is only now reaching the prime of his collegiate fitness.
That fact should boost his value on the transfer market when he's talking to coaches who are in need of someone with his skillset.
Could the Oregon Ducks be a potential landing spot for Fleming? Oregon's current distance coach, Ben Thomas, was the one who actually recruited Fleming back in 2017. However, one year later, at the completion of Fleming's freshman year, Thomas left Blacksburg for Eugene.
Armed with a sub-four mile PR and the range to complement any portion of Oregon's distance roster, Fleming could be the perfect name who brings a veteran presence to this surprisingly young Oregon team.
Olivia Johnson (Transfer Portal)
This Boise State runner is currently on the portal as a graduate transfer and is expected to have one year of eligibility remaining across all three seasons.
Johnson was outstanding last winter. In a cross country season where newcomer Tyler Beling took control of Boise State's low-stick scoring, it was Johnson who offered the Broncos a secondary front-runner.
She was 7th at the Silver State XC Challenge, 7th at the Battle Born Collegiate Challenge, 5th at the Mountain West Championships and 52nd at the NCAA XC Championships.
Johnson's cross country season this past fall, while not bad, wasn't quite at the same level as what we saw from her last winter. Even so, this Boise State talent has proven that she can be a reliable secondary scorer and that she can help fill certain gaps within cross country lineups.
Not only that, but Johnson also has a sneaky-good mark of 4:19 in the 1500 meters, as well as personal bests of 9:26 in the 3000 meters and 16:21 in the 5000 meters
So where could Johnson land? What are her potential options?
Well, not to sound like a broken record after talking about Ben Fleming, but the Oregon Ducks seem like a logical choice.
Johnson is an Oregon native and is certainly good enough to compete for a top-tier distance program. It also doesn't hurt that former Boise State teammate Malia Pivec currently runs for Oregon.
The Ducks, meanwhile, struggled to field a competitive cross country team last winter and they were at the backend of the national meet this past fall, placing 24th as a team.
The Ducks' identity last fall was centric to one or two names and the middle of their scoring lineup clearly needed help throughout the entirety of last season. While the women from Eugene do return a good portion of their cross country lineup from last fall, they'll still need to replace the lost scoring potency of Aneta Konieczek.
Johnson may not be able to replace all of the scoring that Konieczek is taking with her, but the current Boise State runner could at least stop the proverbial "bleeding" of lost points.
With so many youngsters on that Oregon team getting another year to improve, having a reliable scoring piece like Johnson could actually lead to the Ducks being better than they were last year despite losing Konieczek.
Again, that is all speculation and only a suggestion. There are plenty of other teams in the NCAA who would happily welcome Johnson to their roster for the same reasons mentioned above.
Stanford and Washington, for example, are two more west coast schools that could be in consideration and could benefit from a key cross country scorer...but we could do this exercise all day.
Dais Malebana (Transfer Portal)
Dais Malebana, one of the nation's most underrated distance talents, is currently on the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. He is expected to have one year of eligibility remaining upon his departure from Nebraska, although that is still being clarified.
Malebana has been an underappreciated name in the BIG 10 for a few seasons now. The former JUCO talent joined the Huskers and George Kusche in the winter of 2021. Kusche has since joined the NAU Lumberjacks as a graduate transfer.
Last spring, Malebana contested the 1500 meter prelims at the NCAA West Regional Championships, eventually qualifying for the finals and surprisingly qualifying for the outdoor national meet with a big four-second personal best of 3:39.
Despite that success, trying to evaluate Malebana has admittedly been a challenge.
The South African distance runner ran 3:39 for 1500 meters, but has never run under 8:00 for 3000 meters and has never run faster than 4:03 for the mile. Those are still great marks, but they're not exactly on the same level as his 3:39 performance.
As we already mentioned, Malebana made it through the high-pressure rounds at the regional meet in the 1500 meters, but hasn't really stood out at BIG 10 Championships. He has also recorded a DNF at the Midwest XC Regional Championships and the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Malebana is an upper-echelon 1500 meter runner who has quietly great range. However, it seems like he may need a little more refinement to be the true NCAA star that we think he can be.
After previously running for Cloud City CC in Kansas and now competing for Nebraska, it feels like the midwest region could be a realistic landing spot yet again for Malebana as he searches for his third collegiate home.
Does that mean he would consider looking at a school like Drake which features sub-four mile stars like Isaac Basten and Adam Fogg? Or would he stay in the BIG 10 and potentially go to a middle distance school like Indiana?
All of that is speculation, but both of those teams could help Malebana go from being a good runner to a great runner.
Sydney Seymour (Transfer Portal)
One of the most underrated women's distance talents in the country is Sydney Seymour. The Tennessee veteran is currently in the transfer portal as a graduate transfer with eligibility remaining in all three seasons.
Seymour has quietly produced strong results during her time with the Vols. She recently ran 9:15 for 3000 meters and has also run 16:18 for 5000 meters. However, her success on the grass is what makes her such a valuable transfer asset.
During the cross country season from this past fall, Seymour placed 3rd at Roy Griak behind Logue and Magness, beating the entire Minnesota team (which includes Bethany Hasz) in the process.
Seymour later won the "Open" race at Pre-Nationals, finished 9th at the SEC XC Championships and placed 3rd at the Midwest Regional Championships, the latter result qualifying her for the cross country national meet as an individual.
However, Seymour did not record a result at the NCAA XC Championships.
All things considered, Seymour is the perfect distance addition for almost any roster in the NCAA. She's highly experienced, very consistent, has proven that she can compete with top names on the grass and is still getting better as evidenced by her recent 3k personal best.
On paper, she makes almost every team better if she's on it.
Trying to simply guess where Seymour will land is an impossible task. However, in terms of suggestions, there's one team that I can't help but think would be a good fit...
Enter the NC State women.
The Wolfpack have been unafraid to use the transfer portal to their advantage over the last few years. The additions of Alexandra Hays and Hannah Steelman were what ultimately gave the NC State women their cross country team title this past fall.
However, those two women, plus Dominique Clairmonte, are expected to be out of cross country eligibility by next fall.
Despite those losses, the Wolfpack will still have elite standouts like Kelsey Chmiel and Katelyn Tuohy on their roster, as well as a rising star in Samantha Bush. Naturally, it would be in Coach Henes' best interest to land another transfer who can help the Wolfpack make the most of Tuohy, Chmiel and Bush's remaining eligibility.
With a southern-based talent like Seymour available, that possibility could soon become a reality.
DJ Principe (Transfer Portal)
One of the most experienced distance talents in the country is now on the transfer portal. DJ Principe is currently listed on the portal as a graduate transfer, although there is still potential for the Stanford veteran to stay in Palo Alto.
Principe is expected to have all three seasons of eligibility remaining after this spring.
The former high school superstar from Rhode Island hasn't matched his 4:00 personal best from his prep days. He has, however, found success in the longer distances.
The Cardinal ace has run 13:49 for 5000 meters and 8:57 for the 3000 meter steeplechase.
Not only that, but Principe has had scattered success when racing during cross country. He finished 77th at the 2018 NCAA XC Championships and 72nd at the 2021 NCAA Fall XC Championships. He also finished 40th at the Nuttycombe Invitational this past October.
There is a lot of great scoring value with Principe, both on the track and during cross country. However, his scoring contributions on the grass should not be overlooked just because he isn't an All-American. He could be an outstanding pick-up for a podium-contending cross country team that just needs to close-out out their top-five scoring.
One team that could potentially entice Principe? The North Carolina Tar Heels.
The obvious reason why I mention the Tar Heels is because Coach Miltenberg, who initially recruited Principe to come to Stanford, is now the head coach for the Tar Heels. Not only that, but we've already seen past Stanford veterans like Thomas Ratcliffe and Alex Ostberg venture to Chapel Hill to join their former coach.
It also doesn't hurt that UNC, much like Stanford, has a strong academic reputation.
The North Carolina men are an incredibly young team, a team that is still highly inexperienced despite their high school pedigree and improved collegiate results. Bringing in a veteran talent like Principe, who Miltenberg is familiar with, would give the Tar Heels a steady and experienced presence in their cross country lineup.
That exact scenario took place this past fall as UNC introduced Michigan graduate transfer and two-time All-American Jack Aho to their program. In a lineup full of youngsters, Aho seemingly offered some veteran balance to a group of youngsters.
And maybe, just maybe, Principe can be that guy for North Carolina starting next.
Lexington Hilton (Arkansas State to Arkansas)
Earlier this semester, Lexington Hilton transferred from Arkansas State to Arkansas. However, because he is a double transfer, the newest Razorback addition will be redshirting until next spring as he establishes residency in Arkansas.
When he is eligible to compete, Hilton will have two seasons of cross country eligibility remaining, as well as three seasons of indoor and outdoor track eligibility remaining.
While competing for Arkansas State this past fall, Hilton emerged as a key name to watch on the grass. He won the "Open" race at Pre-Nationals, finished runner-up at the Sun Belt XC Championships, placed 8th at the South Central Regional Championships and eventually placed 105th overall at the NCAA XC Championships.
On the track, Hilton has posted a very solid mark of 8:07 for 3000 meters, a mark which came recently at the Hawkeye Invite. He has also run 14:10 for 5000 meters and 29:20 for 10,000 meters.
Hilton, admittedly, isn't an NCAA superstar (yet). However, he is clearly showing encouraging signs of improvement. His 5k and 10k personal bests both came at the tail-end of last spring (at the same meet) and his 3k personal best was run last month. It's also not a coincidence that Hilton had the best cross country season of his career this past fall.
The newest Arkansas runner still needs to refine his talent, but he clearly has a higher level of fitness that he can reach. The next year of redshirting, while maybe not preferable, will actually be a great time for him to put in some quality training while the elder stars of this Arkansas program finish their eligibility.
Then, when they leave, Hilton should be ready (and eligible) for many more statement races.
Ben Nagel (Transfer Portal)
One of the nation's most elite D2 middle distance talents has hit the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. Nagel is expected to have one year of eligibility remaining across all three seasons after this spring.
The U. Indy middle distance star has been flat-out impressive in the 800 meters. Nagel boasts a personal best of 1:49.94 for 800 meters. He has also run under the 1:52 barrier, between indoor and outdoor track, a total of six times throughout his career.
From an athletic perspective, the two-time national qualifier and All-American has numerous options that he could choose from, assuming those schools have his desired graduate program.
A team like Indiana, for instance, has been no stranger to developing top-level D1 middle distance talents. Nagel could certainly join the Hoosiers all without having to leave the state of Indiana. On paper, that seems ideal.
Iowa State, of course, is always looking to stock up on middle distance stars. They are no stranger to adding sub-1:50 talents to their roster and Nagel, in this situation, is no different.
What about Penn State? Virginia Tech? Georgetown? Villanova? If Nagel isn't against looking at east coast schools, then those programs would be perfect for an 800 meter standout like him.
Of course, all of this is assuming that Nagel even wants to go the D1 route. If he stays in the D2 scene, then would a team like Grand Valley State be a possibility? Queens (NC)? West Texas A&M? Nebraska-Kearney? Your guess is as good as mine.
Keep in mind that some coaches may see Nagel's resume and think of him as the final piece that they need to field a nationally competitive DMR. That could open up even more opportunities for Nagel on the transfer market.
Past Unreported Transfers or Grad Transfers
- Brynne Sumner (Villanova to Clemson)
- Kamryn McIntosh (Clemson to Pitt)
