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Transfer Market (Part 47): Hammond to Transfer Portal, Wells to Iowa State & Fenerty to Duke
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Jul 8, 2023
- 10 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.
Rhys Hammond (Transfer Portal)
The Stride Report has confirmed that Rhys Hammond has entered the transfer portal as a graduate student. The current Cornell runner will compete for the Big Red men during the 2023-24 academic calendar year and then venture to a new program for 2024-25.
At that point, Hammond will have one full year of eligibility remaining between all three seasons of competition.
Quietly one of the better distance talents in the Ivy League, Hammond has become a sneaky-good name within his conference. In the spring of 2022, the Cornell ace ran 3:41 for 1500 meters to qualify for the outdoor national meet. Then, this past winter, Hammond ran a 3:58 mile PR and finished runner-up in the mile at the 2023 Ivy League Indoor Championships.
However, despite being a mile-centric runner, Hammond also provided great value for the Cornell men on the grass last fall.
After an unexciting result at the Paul Short Invite, the future graduate transfer finished runner-up at the IC4A XC Championships, placed 5th at the Ivy League XC Championships, was 10th at the Northeast Regional XC Championships and ended his fall campaign with a 109th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships.
While Hammond still has another year to go in the Ivy League, his eventual departure from the academically-focused conference could make him a key transfer prospect with tremendous utility for the right program.
In theory, a school like Notre Dame would be the perfect fit for Hammond. The Fighting Irish have an extensive history of recruiting graduate transfers out of the Ivy League who can provide three-season value. And on paper, all of those traits mimic what Hammond brings to the table.
Of course, with Hammond not set to leave Cornell until next year, it's hard to know for sure which future program is the best fit for him. Certain schools are positioning themselves for long-term success while others are preparing to go immediately all-in for team goals. Simply put, Hammond's recruitment will likely hinge on the stages of team's roster life cycles.
Riley Wells (Illinois State to Arkansas)
In late June, Illinois State standout Riley Wells announced via Instagram that he will be finishing his eligibility with the Arkansas men starting this fall. He is expected to be a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, Wells holds at least one full year of eligibility across all three seasons of competition.
Arguably one of the more underappreciated middle distance talents in the midwest, Wells brings a strong half-mile resume to Fayetteville, Arkansas. The soon-to-be Razorback has run 1:47 over 800 meters three separate times.
In the spring of 2022, Wells qualified for the 800 meter finals at the West Regional Championships and finished 13th place overall, one spot out from a national qualifying spot. In total, the now-former Redbird ace has run under 1:50 for 800 meters 10 times.
Wells will be joining an Arkansas program that has a recent and fairly strong history of developing half-mile specialists. Names such as Kieran Taylor and Leroy Russell III both ran 1:47 for 800 meters in recent seasons with the Razorbacks. Numerous others in the program have run in the 1:48 range as well.
As Russell enters his final year of eligibility, Wells will effectively give Arkansas a second, nationally-competitive half-miler who has the ability to score points in the always-loaded SEC. And while the newest Razorback runner has had moments of tactical inconsistency, Wells does have a history of peaking for postseason meets, specifically the West Regional Championships.
With numerous top-level 800 meter runners expected to depart the SEC in 2024, the door will be open for Wells and the Arkansas men to take advantage of the thinning half-mile field and stack points as they pursue yet a team title.
Yasmine Abbes (Florida State to San Francisco)
In late April, the University of San Francisco announced via Instagram that they have signed Yasmine Abbes as a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, the former Florida State talent is expected to hold two seasons of cross country eligibility, one season of indoor track eligibility and one season of outdoor track eligibility.
While not necessarily a superstar, Yasmine Abbes is a tremendous pickup for a San Francisco team that will happily utilize her three-season value. The former Seminole runner holds times of 2:48 (1k), 4:19 (1500), 4:43 (mile) and 9:17 (3k). She has also made two national meet appearances on the grass with her Florida State teammates.
The Lady Dons have had a handful of highly respectable distance runners occasionally come in and out of their program. In fact, just recently, long distance ace Ruby Smee left USF to join the Northern Arizona women as a graduate transfer. And while Abbes isn't expected to replace all of the value that Smee left behind, she does bring plenty talent to the table.
On paper, Abbes should be the Dons best distance talent on the track in 2024. She'll also join a cross country squad that finished runner-up behind BYU at the West Coast Conference XC Championships last fall, but lose three of their top-five scorers.
Brooke Jaworski (Texas to Minnesota)
In late April, the University of Minnesota announced via Instagram that they have signed Brooke Jaworski as a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, the former Texas middle distance runner is expected to have one full year of eligibility remaining between indoor track and outdoor track.
Often overshadowed by her now-former teammate Valery Tobias, this incoming Minnesota graduate transfer has proven to be a nationally competitive 800 meter runner in her own right. Jaworski has run as fast as 2:03.57 for the half-mile distance. In total, she has run under 2:05 for 800 meters five times in her career and she has individually qualified for two national meets.
The former Longhorn, who has also proven to be a talented 400 meter hurdler, is now joining a Golden Gophers' program that has, in recent years, been largely aerobic-centric. And while a handful of Minnesota women have produced solid 800 meter times, Jaworski will clearly be the premiere talent in that event group.
The BIG 10 has become no easier when it comes to the middle distances as Penn State continues to crowd the half-mile event on the conference stage. But with Jaworski, the Golden Gophers now have someone who can legitimately break up the Nittany Lions' contingent of 800 meter runners and crack the top-three at future BIG 10 Championships.
Minnesota is likely in store for a rather long rebuild on the cross country side of their program. That's why adding a nationally competitive middle distance standout like Jaworski, who can score points on the track, makes more logistical sense rather than adding a one year-rental graduate transfer on the grass.
Ricardo Barbosa (Colby CC to Wingate)
In early May, Wingate announced via Instagram that they have signed Ricardo Barbosa as a JUCO transfer. According to TFRRS, the former Colby CC ace is expected to have two full years of eligibility remaining between all three seasons of competition.
Potentially the most valuable three-season JUCO transfer of the year, Ricardo Barbosa could have a massive impact at Wingate and on the entire Division Two realm as a whole.
The incoming Bulldog talent has run 4:08 (mile), 8:12 (3k) and 14:23 (5k). And at first glance, those times are good, but certainly nothing crazy for Division Two. But Barbosa has also run 8:42 for the 3000 meter steeplechase, is a two-time NJCAA champion over the barriers and finished 3rd at the 2022 NJCAA XC Championships.
According to TFRRS, Northwest Missouri star Reece Smith is expected to return to NCAA competition for the 2023-24 academic calendar year. He is a two-time D2 steeplechase champion. However, Adam State's Clement Duigou, one of the fastest D2 steeplechasers of all-time, is expected to be out of eligibility, per TFRRS.
While Smith is still expected to be the national title favorite in the steeplechase come May of next year, the introduction of Barbosa to D2 likely changes the conversation. Should this former Colby CC runner continue to improve, then a third steeplechase national title may become more challenging for Smith to pursue.
And on the grass, Barbosa creates a very interesting dynamic for the Wingate men.
While Adams State and Colorado Mines will likely continue to be cross country national title favorites for the foreseeable future, it's the Wingate men who have also become legitimate contenders for NCAA gold.
The Bulldogs finished runner-up to the Orediggers at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships. However, the Colorado Mines men lose numerous runners from last year's team. Meanwhile, Wingate is expected to return all but one of their men from their national meet lineup. And by adding in a likely low-stick in Barbosa, the idea that the Wingate men will compete for NCAA gold this fall isn't totally out of the question.
The speculation about Wingate and the steeplechase national title conversation will of course hinge on a) how easily Barbosa translates his talent to Division Two, and b) how much better he gets over the next year.
Even so, few new additions are expected to be more impactful at the Division Two or Division Three levels this year than Barbosa will/could be.
Anna Martin (BYU to Utah Valley)
Earlier this week, Utah Valley announced via Instagram that they have signed Anna Martin. The former BYU runner is expected to be a standard transfer, although her official transfer status isn't entirely clear.
According to TFRRS, she has two seasons of cross country eligibility remaining, two seasons of indoor track eligibility remaining and one season of outdoor track eligibility remaining.
Martin is a sneaky-good distance talent who may be better than her TFRRS resume would suggest. Her best mark is a debatably a 34:13 (10k) result from the spring of 2022. However, this future UVU runner has also finished 17th at the 2020 Silver State XC Challenge, 64th at the 2021 Nuttycombe Invite and 78th at the 2022 Cowboy Jamboree. She has also made one national meet appearance on the grass (fall of 2021).
While her consistency will need to improve, Martin seemingly holds some untapped potential. Her best performances indicate that she can be a legitimate top-five scoring threat for the Wolverines while offering some lineup stability in the process.
The Utah Valley women are expected to lose a heavy portion of their top scorers from last year's team. And while Martin alone can't fill every lineup gap, she is still a nice piece who can help the Wolverine women remain somewhat competitive in the Western Athletic Conference later this fall.
Julia Fenerty (Dartmouth to Duke)
In late May, Duke announced via Instagram that they have signed Julia Fenerty as a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, the former Ivy League middle distance standout is expected to have at least one full year of eligibility remaining between all three seasons of competition.
One of the more pleasant surprises out of the Ivy League this past year was seeing the rise of Julia Fenerty as she evolved into a nationally competitive middle distance runner. The former Dartmouth runner posted new personal bests of 2:03 (800) and 4:16 (1500) earlier this this spring. She has also run as fast as 2:45 over 1000 meters in the winter of 2022.
In a conference where the 800 meters has become fairly competitive, it was Fenerty who came home with the Ivy League title in that event this past spring, taking down the likes Bronwyn Patterson (Penn) and Samantha Friborg (formerly Yale, now Washington).
Fenerty also made it to the 800 meter finals at the East Regional Championships back in May, finishing 13th place overall. She was the first woman out of the national meet for 800 meters in the East region.
Under the recent direction distance coach Angela Reckart, the Duke women have added multiple middle distance specialists to their roster via recruiting and the transfer portal over the past two years.
Women such as Lauren Tolbert, Karly Forker, Dalia Frias (now at UCLA), Amina Maatoug, Davicia Patterson and now Julia Fenerty all bring/brought promising turnover and high-upside to the Blue Devils.
For years now, the ACC has been a challenging conference to navigate in the middle distances. Events such as the 800 meters, the 1500 meters and the DMR have become highly competitive areas to score points in.
Duke, however, seemingly understands that. And by introducing Julia Fenerty to their roster, the Blue Devils will be allowed far greater lineup flexibility for future ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
On paper, Fenerty can be an 800 meter finals qualifier at the ACC Championships while also doubling as a key piece of a DMR. And when paired with women such as Tolbert and Patterson, top distance star Amina Maatoug may have the freedom to score team points elsewhere.
Under the guidance of Director Shawn Wilbourn, the Duke women have become a well-rounded competitive nightmare in the overall team race at the ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. And by landing Fenerty, the women from Durham, North Carolina will likely be able to squeeze a couple more points into their team scores come 2024.
Jack Balick (Pitt to Wake Forest)
The Stride Report has confirmed that Jack Balick will be joining the Wake Forest men later this year as a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, the former Pitt runner is expected to have one full year of eligibility remaining between indoor track and outdoor track.
Balick is a talented 800 meter runner with a 1:48.63 personal best in the event. However, most importantly, this former Pitt runner may only now be realizing his full potential as he ventures to Wake Forest this fall.
In his last three races of the 2023 outdoor track season, Balick posted times of 1:49, 1:48 and 1:49. Prior to those efforts, the Pennsylvania native had never run faster than 1:50. The incoming Demon Deacon graduate student also appears to have a tendency to peak for the postseason.
The rise of Rynard Swanepoel this past spring has lessened the urgency for the Wake Forest men to recruit additional 800 meter talents such as Balick for 2024. However, the former Pitt runner will be able to establish competitive middle distance depth in Winston-Salem with Dillon Aryeh seemingly out of eligibility.
Of course, the more valuable aspect of Balick's resume is that he is still realizing his full potential. It's possible that 800 meter specialist hasn't truly found his talent ceiling yet. And if that's the case, then the Demon Deacons could have two 1:47 (800) runners, as well as two ACC-caliber scoring threats, on their roster in 2024.
Jonathan Schmidt (Missouri to Queens (NC))
Last week, Queens (NC) University announced via Instagram that they have signed Jonathan Schmidt who is expected to be a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, the former Missouri runner will have one full year of eligibility between indoor track and outdoor track as well as at least one season of cross country eligibility remaining.
Over the last few years, Schmidt has posted solid times which will stand out far more in the ASUN than in the crowded SEC. His personal bests of 1:48.75 (800) and 3:45 (1500), in theory, make him an instant threat to win multiple conference titles over the next year.
However, Schmidt's above personal bests were run in the summer of 2022 and the summer of 2018, both overseas while he was at home in Germany.
Even so, it's clear that this incoming graduate transfer will offer key scoring value to a program that finished last at the ASUN Outdoor Championships this past spring in their first year with the conference.
