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Transfer Market (Part 42)
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Jun 1, 2023
- 9 min read
Have a transfer tip? Send us an email at contact@thestridereport.com and we'll look into it.
NOTE: The Stride Report is aware that there are multiple athletes who have announced their transfers who are not mentioned in this article. Those athletes will be highlighted in a future Transfer Market piece. The Stride Report is also aware that there are multiple top-caliber names currently in the transfer portal. However, out of respect for athlete privacy, TSR will not report on certain transfer portal entries until commitments are made public or approvals of publishing are granted.
Toby Gillen (Transfer Portal)
The Stride Report has confirmed that Saint Louis distance standout, Toby Gillen, has entered the transfer portal as a standard transfer. He is expected to have two seasons of indoor track eligibility and two seasons of outdoor track eligibility remaining. He also has three remaining seasons of cross country eligibility.
According to one source, Gillen is expected to make his decision about where he will be transferring to in the very near future.
The breakout star of the 2023 outdoor track season has suddenly evolved into a national-caliber distance ace. After quietly running a big 5000 meter PR of 13:41 on the indoor oval, Gillen stunned the nation by winning the 5k at the Raleigh Relays in yet another then-personal best of 13:35.
But Gillen hasn't slowed since then. Instead, he has continued to get faster. The Saint Louis talent ran 3:42 for 1500 meters and recently posted a 13:30 (5k) PR to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Few men in the transfer portal are as valuable Toby Gillen is. Not only has he proven to be incredibly talented, but his ceiling is seemingly limitless at the moment, continuing to make improvements with no end to his progression in sight.
When you pair Gillen's ridiculously promising upside with his numerous years of remaining eligibility, the current Billiken star looks like a long-term, high-octane scoring asset for essentially any team in the NCAA.
Yes, it's true, Gillen has yet to fully deliver top-tier performances on the grass, finishing 35th at the Midwest Regional XC Championships this past fall. However, it's also clear that this soon-to-be transfer didn't truly begin his breakout campaign until after the fall months.
And now, he's one of the top men in the NCAA.
Gabriel Sanchez (Indiana to Tennessee)
Last week, Indiana's Gabriel Sanchez announced via Instagram that he will be transferring to Tennessee. He is expected to be a regular transfer. According to TFRRS, Sanchez has two seasons of cross country eligibility and two seasons of outdoor track eligibility remaining. It is possible that he may hold up to three seasons of indoor track eligibility.
Earlier this year, it was announced that long-time Indiana distance coach, Ron Helmer, would be retiring at the end of the academic calendar. As a result, numerous men within the program entered the transfer portal, Sanchez being one of them.
Indiana has since hired 2016 cross country national title-winning distance coach, Eric Heins.
A top midwest prospect while in high school, Sanchez has shown steady development in his three years at Indiana. This past fall, the Hoosier youngster went from being a developmental piece to a legitimate top-half lineup scorer.
During the 2022 cross country season, Sanchez placed 85th at Nuttycombe, 3rd at the BIG 10 XC Championships, 14th at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships and then 97th at the NCAA XC Championships. On paper, many of those results would have made Sanchez a legitimate low-stick for a handful of competitive cross country teams.
Admittedly, this soon-to-be Volunteer is better on the grass than he is on the oval, but Sanchez still holds solid marks of 3:46 (1500) and 14:03 (5k).
The Tennessee men are set to lose long-time veteran Karl Thiessen from last year's cross country lineup. TFRRS also suggests that Dylan Jacobs was a senior by eligibility last fall, although his resume shows that he has only contested three cross country seasons, not four.
Regardless of whether or not Jacobs departs this year or next year, the introduction of Sanchez to this program should be viewed as a significant win. The former Indiana runner can add valuable stability to a lineup that had some backend vulnerability this past fall.
If Jacobs leaves this summer, then Tennessee will at least be able to stop some of the bleeding by adding Sanchez who, in theory, could also develop a greater low-stick presence.
But if Jacobs decides to stay, then the Volunteers will be able to have a high-upside, fairly consistent third scorer who can bridge the scoring gaps within this cross country lineup.
In other words, Sanchez could effectively raise the floor of this team, dramatically.
Jake Gebhardt (Indiana to North Carolina)
Earlier this week, Jake Gebhardt announced via Instagram that he will be joining the North Carolina men later this fall as a graduate transfer. The long-time Indiana runner will venture to Chapel Hill, North Carolina with one full year of eligibility across all three seasons of competition.
Gebhardt's commitment to join the Tar Heels could end up being a game-changing move for a program that is aiming to become a podium team later this fall. The UNC men finished 10th at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships and lose only one scorer from that lineup. Naturally, with that many returners, the Tar Heels seem positioned to have major success in 2023.
More so, UNC's cross country podium hopes (a top-four national meet finish) grew even stronger when it was announced that Division Three superstar, Alex Phillip, would also be joining the Tar Heels later this fall.
The idea that the North Carolina men could threaten for a top-five or top-six finish at the cross country national meet later this year was already a realistic scenario before Gebhardt's commitment. But now, if certain performances of his translate to the grass, then this former Hoosier could be the guy who puts this team among the top-four.
Admittedly, Gebhardt has been a bit inconsistent on the grass throughout his collegiate career. He has, however, had moments of brilliance.
At the 2021 BIG 10 Winter XC Championships, Gebhardt finished 10th place overall, acting as a key scorer for a surprisingly-solid Indiana team. He would go on to finish 124th at the 2021 NCAA Winter XC Championships.
After a quieter fall campaign in 2021, Gebhardt returned to the grass in 2022 where he finished 69th at Nuttycombe and 16th at the BIG 10 XC Championships. He did not advance past the regional meet.
Strictly based on those results, Gebhardt looks like someone who could only act as a decent depth piece for a team of North Carolina's caliber. However, it wouldn't be until the winter and spring months of 2023 that Gebhardt truly began to break out.
During this past indoor track season, Gebhardt ran personal bests of 3:59 (mile) and 7:51 (3k). He also had two separate instances where he recorded a 7:52 mark over 3000 meters. He earned a pair of silver medals between the 5k and the 3k at the BIG 10 Indoor Championships.
Gebhardt would go on to drop a massive 5k personal best of 13:37 at the Raleigh Relays, just two seconds out from the win. The rest of his spring campaign was solid, although it would largely yield no further improvements.
It's abundantly clear that this Indiana-turned-North Carolina runner holds talent that has not yet been brought over to the grass. And it's that thrilling unknown upside that could make Gebhardt so dangerous in 2023.
Perri Bockrath (Kentucky to Washington)
Last week, Washington announced that Perri Bockrath will be joining the Huskies later this fall as a graduate transfer. She is expected to have one season of indoor track eligibility and one season of outdoor track eligibility remaining.
Admittedly, Bockrath's commitment to join the Washington women later this year was a development that The Stride Report fully expected. Earlier this season, when TSR first noted that Bockrath was listed in the transfer portal, we said this about the former Kentucky runner...
"Since then, Bockrath has ventured to Seattle, potentially giving us a hint as to where she could land next. And based on general knowledge, the most obvious transfer destination for this former Kentucky star would be the University of Washington.
The Huskies are a well-established distance running power on the west coast (based in Seattle) and they are no strangers to bringing in top transfers. In fact, Coach Maurica Powell added Kayley DeLay, a 9:25 steeplechase silver medalist from the 2022 outdoor national meet, to her roster last summer.
And once DeLay finishes her eligibility in Seattle, the Washington women could be looking for a new steeplechase ace to lean on and rally around -- a position that seems destined for Bockrath to fill."
Not only that, but when former Kentucky teammate Tori Herman committed to join the Washington women earlier this spring, TSR also said the following...
"All signs originally pointed to Bockrath joining the Washington women for the next academic calendar year. And now that her long-time teammate, Tori Herman, is set to join the Huskies, it would come as a surprise to the outside world if Bockrath wasn't also donning the purple and gold by next fall."
Bockrath's resume is extensive as she thrived on the grass and emerged as a nationally competitive steeplechaser. However, given her lack of cross country eligibility, it's better to focus on her accolades from the oval.
With a 9:52 (steeple) PR and a birth to the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships, it's clear that this former Kentucky standout has the pedigree to be a major name on the oval come 2024.
However, given her recent absence from racing, as well as a few personal challenges (which publicly detailed on her Instagram page), it's still unclear what kind of fitness this future Husky ace will be in by the winter and spring months of next year.
India Weir (Princeton to Washington)
Kosana Weir (Yale to Washington)
Last week, the University of Washington announced that twin sisters India and Kosana Weir, who both hail from the Ivy League, will be joining the Huskies this fall. They are both expected to be graduate transfers, although their official status is unclear.
According to TFRRS, India (formerly of Princeton) is expected to have one season of cross country eligibility and one season of outdoor track eligibility remaining. It does not appear that she holds any additional indoor track eligibility, although that is not confirmed.
As for Kosana (formerly of Yale), her TFRRS profile suggests that she has one season of outdoor track eligibility and two seasons of indoor track eligibility remaining. The Yale veteran was listed as a senior this past fall, but has only competed in three seasons of cross country, leading me to believe that she could still toe the line come October and November.
India Weir has been a solid distance talent over the last year. While she hasn't necessarily blown away her competition, the former Princeton runner has slowly improved upon her personal bests. Earlier this spring, she ran a 10:22 (steeple) PR and a 16:13 (5k) PR. She also ran a 9:27 (3k) PR this past winter.
On the grass, India's best result is a 33rd place finish at the 2022 Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championships.
While the Tiger-turned-Husky distance talent hasn't necessarily exhibited high-octane scoring, her recent improvements show promise. Based on her spring campaign, India seemingly holds great upside. And as we saw this past year, she has not yet reached her ceiling in terms of her potential and her improvement -- that's rare for an older collegiate.
As for Kosana, her resume is actually the inverse of her sister's. While India Weir has found most of her success on the oval, it's Kosana Weir who has developed her reputation on the cross country course.
This past fall, Kosana finished 32nd at Pre-Nationals, 15th at the Ivy League XC Championships and, most importantly, 8th at the Northeast Regional XC Championships. She was just two spots out from qualifying for the cross country national meet, individually.
Admittedly, some of those fields were better than others, but it's clear that Kosana has a knack for the grass. And while she still needs further development, that Northeast regional meet shows us that even on a roster as deep as Washington's, she could eventually find her way into a backend scoring spot.
Samantha Friborg (Yale to Washington)
Last week, Washington announced that Samantha Friborg will be joining the Huskies later this fall as a graduate transfer. She is expected to have one season of indoor track eligibility and one season of outdoor track eligibility remaining. Friborg is not expected to have a major role during the fall months.
Friborg, unlike her fellow Washington transferees, is a true middle distance talent rather than an aerobic-centric runner. The long-time veteran holds sneaky-strong personal bests of 2:04.64 (800), 2:50 (1k) and 4:44 (mile).
It feels like this former Yale ace has been thriving in the Ivy League for countless seasons, consistently emerging as a legitimate threat for conference titles on the track. And while she has shockingly never won gold over 800 meters on that stage, Friborg has proven to be insanely consistent and reliable.
Here's a fun fact: Samantha Friborg has toed the line for the 800 meters at the Ivy League Indoor & Outdoor Championships a total of seven times throughout her career. In each of those instances, the former Bulldog emerged as a conference meet scorer for her team and never finished lower than 6th place overall.
Friborg will immediately provide valuable lineup flexibility for the Washington women come 2024. That's more important than some may realize, especially with how much emphasis the Huskies placed on the DMR this past winter.
However, more importantly, Friborg will be joining a middle distance program that features experienced, national-caliber half-milers such as Carley Thomas and Marlena Preigh. And as she ventures to the west coast, it may be best for this new Husky runner to hit reset given her recent plateau over 800 meters.
But if Friborg does break through to that next tier over 800 meters, which is plenty possible under the tutelage of Coach Maurica Powell, then you can almost certainly expect to see her on the national stage.
