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Transfer Market (Part 49): Grice to Northern Arizona, Tucker to Grand Valley State & More
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Jul 16, 2023
- 8 min read
Have a transfer tip? Send us an email at contact@thestridereport.com and we'll look into it.
Another day, another massive list of transfers to review. At this point, you know the drill.
Let's get into the analysis, shall we?
KEY NOTE: The Stride Report is aware that there are almost certainly other athletes who have announced their transfers who are not mentioned in this article. Those athletes will be highlighted in a separate Transfer Market article.
ANOTHER NOTE: 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.
Maisie Grice (New Mexico to Northern Arizona)
The Stride Report has confirmed that former New Mexico steeple standout, Maisie Grice, is heading to Northern Arizona later this year. After uneventful fall and winter campaigns, Grice burst onto the national scene this past spring by running 9:48 in the steeplechase. She also advanced to the steeplechase finals at this year's outdoor national meet.
While still an unknown as far as her cross country potential is concerned, the upside that Grice brings to an already-excellent distance group could be monumental this fall. If she continues to progress and translate her steeplechase success to the grass, then the NAU women may have another top-50 runner, nationally, to field this fall.
The Stride Report has also confirmed where former New Mexico ace Gracelyn Larkin will be attending school next year, although we will not yet report that at this time. Aliandrea Upshaw, another known Lobo in the transfer portal, remains an unknown as far as her future transfer destination is concerned.
Ana Tucker (Hope College to Grand Valley State)
For Division Two fans, this move is a big one.
Ana Tucker has been one of the best overall distance talents in Division Three for the last few years. With times of 4:47 (mile), 9:32 (3k), 16:10 (5k) and 34:00 (10k), this former Hope College runner should be viewed as a very heavy All-American favorite for the Lady Lakers this fall (and beyond).
In total, Tucker holds 10 All-American honors at the Division Three level and has finished as high as 4th place at the D3 NCAA XC Championships. For a Grand Valley State team that is trying hard to close the gap between them and Adams State, this is a massive pickup.
Isaac Kiprop (Louisville to Campbellsville)
It's not often that you see a name as talented as Isaac Kiprop join the NAIA scene. But after running 8:53 in the steeplechase this past spring, the former Louisville runner should immediately be viewed as a national title contender with some potentially untapped upside.
Natalie Weiner (California to Wake Forest)
With plenty of big meet experience, Natalie Weiner can provide a strong veteran presence for a Wake Forest team that is trying to find their place in a loaded conference (the ACC) that seems to only be getting stronger.
Holly Little (Saint Leo to Stanislaus State)
With personal bests of 4:59 (mile) and 9:46 (3k), Holly Little will be an excellent addition to a Stanislaus State team that has found plenty of success as of late. With national meet experience and promising postseason results throughout last year, Little will be a key name who can cover some of the lost scoring that certain graduates are leaving behind at Stan State.
Madison Brown (Dallas Baptist to Texas A&M)
The former Division Two standout is heading to Texas A&M later this year, bringing with her times of 16:19 (5k) and 34:28 (10k). Often a top contender within D2 over the last few years, the best version of Madison Brown could result in her being an SEC scorer across the longer distances. Doing so would potentially help Texas A&M close the gap on Florida and Arkansas, two conference rivals who have dominated the SEC on the track as of late.
Taylor Mascetta (Fordham to Syracuse)
The former Fordham runner will be staying in the state of New York and attending Syracuse later this year as a graduate transfer. While Mascetta isn't expected to play a major role with the Orange, her years of collegiate experience will be a nice addition to a roster that is littered with fairly young distance runners.
Jared Wright (Dominican (Cal.) to Azusa Pacific)
On paper, Jared Wright has decent track times for a Division Two runner. However, it's his cross country accolades that should catch your attention. Last fall, Wright finished 9th at the D2 West Regional XC Championships and then 98th at the D2 NCAA XC Championships.
As he continues to build upon his fitness, Wright may end up being a great transfer steal. And with the Azusa Pacific men returning everyone from an already-strong 2022 cross country lineup, all eyes should be on the Cougars as we head into the fall of 2023.
Morgan Nokes (neé French) (Utah State to Utah Valley)
The former Utah State runner had a respectable 2023 campaign earlier this year. Times of 16:40 (5k) and 34:51 (10k) leave room for improvement, but she also holds great upside. Nokes, who is now married to BYU runner Joey Nokes, should emerge as a solid conference-level scorer next year and pair nicely with fellow transfer, Anna Martin.
Pierce Vittone (Paradise Valley to Utah Valley)
Gilbert Olivas (Paradise Valley to Utah Valley)
Utah Valley is also adding two JUCO transfers on the men's side of their program. Pierce Vittone has run 1:52 for 800 meters. Meanwhile, Gilbert Olivas has run 1:52 (800), 3:48 (1500), 4:02 (mile), 8:19 (3k), 14:18 (5k) and 9:21 (steeple).
With the proper development, both Vittone and Olivas could emerge as eventual West Regional Championship qualifiers on the track. In terms of long-term development and scoring utility, this a nice pair of pickups for the Wolverines.
Emily Jobes (Pitt to Boise State)
The 64th place finisher at the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championships will be joining the Boise State women later this year. The Broncos earned a quietly-great 6th place finish at the West Regional XC Championships last fall with a fairly young squad. And with Jobes entering the program, she could provide some nice depth and backend support for her new team come November.
Isaac Thiessen (Tennessee to Virginia)
After spending a year at Tennessee, the Virginia state champion is joining the Cavaliers later this fall. Thiessen, whose brother Karl was once a lead scorer for the Volunteers, will be a solid developmental piece. He could eventually contribute to a distance program that is positioned for exciting long-term success.
Marne Sullivan (Boston College to USC)
Marne Sullivan will join incoming transfer Tracy Towns and current Trojan runner Janiah Brown as women who have run 2:06 over the half-mile distance. With promising depth in the event, the USC women may be banking on one of those names breaking out and reaching a national-caliber level of fitness.
Marina Soares (Loyola Marymount to USC)
The longer distances aren't necessarily an area of emphasis for the USC women. Even so, Marina Soares made a handful of improvements over the last year and will now be with a program that is loaded with greater resources.
Matthew Porter (Army to Carnegie Mellon)
Did the Carnegie Mellon men just land a potential cross country All-American? Matthew Porter will be joining the Tartans later this year with personal bests of 14:23 (5k) and 29:58 (10k). The 5th place finisher at the 2022 Patriot League XC Championships posted his personal bests earlier this year and joins the Division Three ranks a key name to watch.
Logan Bocovich (Saint Olaf to Colorado Mines)
After losing a handful of key names from last year, the men of Colorado Mines are simply reloading. After introducing top talent JP Rutlegde as a transfer back in the spring, the recruitment of Logan Bocovich will now add to this team's overall firepower.
With personal best times of 14:01 (5k) and 29:15 (10k), as well as a monster 8th place finish at the D3 NCAA XC Championships last fall, Bocovich will likely be a key low-stick who can keep the Orediggers in the D2 national title conversation.
Reuben Kosche (Saint Olaf to High Point)
The High Point men are snagging a respectable D3 transfer in Reuben Kosche who has run 3:53 (1500), 8:22 (3k) and 14:43 (5k). He'll likely emerge as a strong conference-level scorer for a cross country team is losing a few key names.
Nicola Jansen (Bradley to New Mexico)
Sophia McDonnell (Bradley to New Mexico)
Peyton Schieppe (Bradley to New Mexico)
Tyler Schwartz (Bradley to New Mexico)
Coach Darren Gauson has quickly recruited his former Bradley athletes to New Mexico.
Nicola Jansen is debatably the biggest pickup of the bunch after she ran very strong times of 9:13 (3k) and 16:06 (5k) earlier this year. If Emma Heckel and a few other Lobos decide to stay, then Jansen gives this team a shot at remaining somewhat nationally competitive this fall.
It's a similar story for Peyton Schieppe who had a quietly-great year in 2023. With a new 5k personal best of 16:00 and a 14th place finish at the Midwest Regional XC Championships, the Lobos seem to have some very solid backend scoring support joining their program.
Meanwhile, Sophia McDonnell could prove to be a very underrated pickup. The incoming transfer has run 10:15 in the steeplechase before and placed 9th at the Missouri Valley Conference XC Championships last fall. At her best, she can be a varsity contributor (and maybe even a scorer) for this squad.
And then there's Tyler Schwartz. On paper, her track times don't stand out like a few of her teammates. However, last fall, this is someone who was 26th at Joe Piane, 3rd at the Missouri Valley XC Championships and then 9th at the Midwest Regional XC Championships.
If Schwartz can replicate those results come October and November, and each of the other Bradley transfers can deliver on their upside, then the New Mexico women have a shot at remaining as a top-25 team, nationally.
Edward Tristine (Boston College to Sacred Heart)
The former Boston College runner is expected to join the Sacred Heart men later this year. With him, he'll bring 3:51 (1500) and 4:09 (mile) personal bests. On paper, those times should make him a top distance talent in the Northeast Conference come 2024.
Alan Deogracias (Charleston Southern to Tulane)
Ryan Adkins (Butler to Tulane)
Mason Wong (Washington U. to Tulane)
The Tulane coaching staff has yet again brought in a large class of runners via the transfer portal (in addition to a variety of overseas talents).
Alan Deogracias holds personal bests of 14:19 (5k) and 29:41 (10k). He was a top name in the BIG South Conference last fall and should play a key scoring role for the Tulane men later this year.
Meanwhile, Ryan Adkins placed 26th at the 2021 BIG East XC Championships and has cross country national meet experience. Look for him to emerge as a potential scorer for this team in October and November.
As for Mason Wong, he spent his time at a top Division Three program and holds a 9:25 (steeple) PR. He'll add to the overall depth of this roster which seems to be crowded with names from all over.
Gemma Rebollo (Wingate to Tulane)
Paula Vaquera Cervantes (Louisiana Monroe to Tulane)
Admittedly, the main highlight between these incoming transfers is Gemma Rebollo.
Even so, Paula Vaquera Cervantes is someone who finished 30th at the South Central XC Regional Championships last fall. With multiple years of eligibility remaining, Cervantes could evolve into a valuable scorer for the Green Wave women come 2025.
As for Rebollo, she has had a few up-down-seasons. However, at her best, she was a D2 All-American over 5000 meters and was only four spots from an All-American honor on the grass in the fall of 2021. If she can build momentum, then Tulane could eventually have one of the better long distance talents in the AAC.
Nate Mueller (Iowa State to Northwest Missouri)
After a developmental year at Iowa State, Nate Mueller will be moving to the Division Two realm. He'll bring 3:49 (1500), 8:10 (3k) and 9:10 (steeple) to a Northwest Missouri program that leaned on a handful of younger runners throughout last fall. Mueller will also have a year to learn from steeplechase standout, Reece Smith.
Jentrie Alderson (Pittsburg State to Kansas City)
After only spending one year with Pittsburg State, a talented distance rookie is moving from the Division Two to Division One level.
Alderson found encouraging success during her first year in the NCAA. The incoming UMKC transfer ran 4:59 in the mile, 16:53 for 5000 meters (on the grass) and placed 72nd at the D2 NCAA XC Championships.
With the 'Roos set to lose top scorer Katherine Hanners (via TFRRS), Alderson has a chance to immediately emerge as the team's top scorer. And over time, she could improve to a regionally-competitive level.
Carter Huyser (Grand View to Kansas Wesleyan)
A top middle distance talent from the NAIA ranks (who owns a 1:50 PR over 800 meters) is heading to Kansas Wesleyan, another NAIA program. Once he joins the team, Carter Huyser will likely be viewed as the clear top talent of that roster (at least in the non-field events).
Steven Baah-Mensah (Monmouth to Central Connecticut State)
Joining fellow transfer Sam Whittaker (via Bucknell) at Central Connecticut State later this year is Steven Baah-Mensah. With some improvements, Baah-Mensah may find a way to play a scoring role (in some capacity) for the CCSU men during the 2023-24 academic calendar.
