Transfer Market (Part 65): D2 Ace Cole Nash Joins Notre Dame, Salma Elbadra to Alabama & Virginia Tech Lands George Couttie

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Alright, this should be our last Transfer Market update for a little bit...maybe.

We've got one more series of on-the-move transfer names to discuss before we go off to enjoy the 4th of July! Below is a list of 26 transfers who The Stride Report has independently verified (for each name). Here is how these athletes could impact their new homes later this year and beyond...

Oh, and don't forget: For the sake of time, we're implementing our "three sentences or less" rule when it comes to analyzing each of these names.

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Don't see a certain name? Make sure to check out TRANSFERS page to ensure that we didn't already report on that name. If we didn't, then don't hesitate to shoot us an email at contact@thestridereport.com.

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Salma Elbadra (Wyoming to Alabama)

One of the more underrated transfer pick-ups of these summer months, Salma Elbarda is an excellent recruiting win for an Alabama team that needs more depth this fall. While her success has mostly been reserved to the track (so far), running times of 2:05 (800), 4:14 (1500) and 4:35 (mile), there is clearly tons of raw talent within Elbarda that the Crimson Tide women could utilize across all three seasons of competition.

Lucinda Rourke (Florida to Louisville)

With quietly strong marks of 2:07 (800) and 4:17 (1500), Lucinda Rourke looks like a very nice name for Louisville to have if she's able to further build on her fitness. Adding backend depth during the cross country season should benefit the Cardinals as well, although firepower is the biggest need for the ACC program going into next fall.

Allie Warner (BYU to Utah Valley)

After a promising year on the track where she ran 10:10 in the steeplechase and was only two spots out from making it to the national meet, Allie Warner has the potential to be a great name for Utah Valley this fall. With TFRRS suggesting that everyone from UVU's squad returns later this year, the best version of Warner should add great scoring value to an already-stable team.

Julie Sumsion (BYU to Utah Valley)

A few brief moments of promise throughout her career could make Julie Sumsion a solid depth piece for Utah Valley should they need the support later this fall. While the Wolverines are plenty deep, a still-improving veteran transfer could find her way into UVU's lineup come October and November.

Sarah Trainor (North Carolina to UConn)

Sarah Trainor is a sneaky-good name with a 10:09 (steeple) personal best and plenty of experience. Her cross country results are fine, but her overall talent suggests that she can likely be better on the grass. The Huskies will surely hope that's the case as they lose three of their top-five women from last fall.

Chloe Ezell (Missouri State to Oklahoma)

A brief stint at Missouri State didn't work out for Chloe Ezell, a 2023 high school graduate who ran times of 57.97 (400) and 2:11 (800) at the prep level. She'll now join an Oklahoma women's program that is slowing piecing together a few respectable names.

Lasse Funck (Arkansas State to Missouri)

After adding a 1:49 (800) runner in Lasse Funck from Arkansas State, it seems as though the Missouri men are aiming to create a well-rounded group that can be competitive in everything from the 800 meters to the 10,000 meters. That still requires a handful of men stepping up and further developing, but the recent progress that we saw from Funck this past year suggests that he still has a new more PRs left within his legs.

Rahel Brommel (Arkansas State to Missouri)

A very well-rounded distance talent with times of 2:08 (800), 4:16 (1500) and 16:04 (5k), the Missouri women scored a great value pick-up by adding Rahel Brommel to their roster. Translating her fitness to the grass will be important to see, but the now-former Arkansas State runner gives the Tigers a solid name to build around over the next year or two.

Archie Noakes (Oregon to Wisconsin)

After a relatively quiet first year at Oregon, Aussie youngster Archie Noakes is venturing to Wisconsin, a program known for developing outstanding long distance stars from Australia. Noakes will certainly need to develop even further to be an impact piece, but his pedigree and prior success as a prep runner suggests that he can reach that point as soon as this fall.

Ben Bayless (Miami (OH) to Ole Miss)

The 6th place finisher at the 2023 MAC XC Championships and 57th place finisher at 2023 Pre-Nationals will be joining Ole Miss later this fall. Bayless could contribute as a backend depth piece a few months from now, but greater firepower will likely be the point of emphasis for the Rebels this fall.

Conan Harper (Charleston Southern to Ole Miss)

Three PRs in three-straight meets to end his outdoor track season (one of which helped him win the BIG South 10k title) suggests that Conan Harper could be a fairly decent name for Ole Miss later this fall. He was the runner-up finisher at the BIG South XC Championships last fall and could end up being a backend scorer for an Ole Miss cross country team that will take any depth and scoring support that they can get on the grass.

Louis Vercueil (France to Mississippi State)

With a blistering 800-meter PR of 1:46, Louis Vercueil is a Frenchman who could end up being the next focal half-mile star that always seems to end up on Mississippi State's roster. The Bulldogs often develop individual stars in the middle distances and it seems like Vercueil could certainly be their next 800-meter standout in a recent lineage that features Brandon McBride, Navasky Anderson and Tyrese Reid.

Lauren Tunnell (VCU to Tennessee)

The Tennessee women are already a seemingly deep team, but Lauren Tunnell should help this still-young program establish even greater scoring stability. The former VCU runner won the individual title at the 2023 A10 XC Championships and was the 29th place finisher at the Southeast Regional XC Championships. Expect Tunnell to be a valuable support piece capable of contributing as a backend scorer for the Vols later this fall.

Abdinasir Hussein (Oregon to Syracuse)

After finishing his time at Oregon, Abdinasir Hussein will now join a Syracuse program that more closely fits his long distance skillset. With plenty of championship experience in cross country and a 10k PR under 29 minutes, Hussein should stabilize the scoring of the Orange's lineup this fall after they seemingly lose Perry Mackinnon, Nathan Lawler, Silas Derfel and Paul O'Donnell (per TFRRS).

George Couttie (Charleston (WV) to Virginia Tech)

One of the more promising youngsters from the Division Two level, George Couttie is exactly the type of runner who you would expect to see in a Virginia Tech singlet. With personal bests of 1:50 (800) and 3:43 (1500), as well as better cross country prowess than some may realize, Couttie should provide tremendous value to the Hokies who are now under the direction of Coach Ben Thomas.

Patrick Cullen (Northeastern to Florida State)

With low-stick ace David Mullarkey entering the transfer portal, Cooper Schroeder running out of eligibility, Abdirizak Ibrahim running out of eligibility and Zachary Cloud running out of eligibility (all according to TFRRS), the Florida State men desperately needed an impact scorer for this fall. Thankfully, 28:38 (10k) runner Patrick Cullen has the potential to be a key name for the 'Noles later this fall. That's an important development for FSU, especially after seeing their head coach Bob Braman retire two months ago.

Tilly Simpson (Michigan to New Mexico)

After running 16:13 (5k) earlier this spring and placing 34th at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships last fall, Tilly Simpson is a great pick-up for a New Mexico team that needs depth. With All-American Nicola Jansen returning and a handful of overseas standouts also signing with the Lobos, adding backend support to stabilize New Mexico's lineup is something that is seemingly addressed by the introduction of Simpson.

Emilia Mikszuta (California Baptist to Ole Miss)

Placing 75th at the Nuttycombe Invitational and 121st at the NCAA XC Championships should make Emilia Mikszuta a legitimate impact scorer for Ole Miss later this fall. The Rebels were one of the more pleasantly surprising teams of the 2023 cross country season, but according to TFRRS, they have lost four of their top-seven from the national meet (including their entire top-three). Mikszuta can't make up for all of the lost scoring that the Rebels just sustained, but she can at least replace one of those key scoring gaps.

Vasileia Spyrou (Florida to San Francisco)

With personal best times of 2:06 (800), 4:18 (1500) and 9:17 (3k), Vasileia Spyrou is a very solid name who should be able to contribute key scoring for San Francisco at future West Coast Conference Championships. That's especially important as we approach the fall months now that Washington State and Oregon State are temporarily joining the conference for the next two cross country seasons (but not track).

Peyton McQuillan (TCU to Oklahoma)

After spending time at TCU, Peyton McQuillan will venture to Oklahoma. She is more of a developmental name who is still hitting PRs. She could end up being a solid backend contributor on the grass for the Sooners should she continue to make progress.

Stephanie Moss (Transfer Portal)

A long-time veteran for Oklahoma State who may be slightly better than her resume suggests, Stephanie Moss could be a great pick-up for the right team. Times of 2:05 (800) and 4:18 (1500) are promising, but Moss' 91st place finish at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships (which wasn't a fluke based on her lead-up to that meet) makes her a massive asset for a team looking to close-out a nationally competitive cross country lineup.

Yehonatan Haim (New Mexico to George Washington)

While his cross country resume don't necessarily stand out, boasting an 8:51 steeplechase PR should make Yehonatan Haim a legitimate threat to win the A10 title in that event come the spring of 2025. And truthfully, with an 8:51 PR over the barriers and water pits, it's only fair to think that Haim can be more impactful on the grass later this fall with George Washington.

Cole Nash (Alaska Anchorage to Notre Dame)

When he's healthy and at his best, Cole Nash has been a true long distance star at the Division Two level. With a 5k PR of 13:48 and a 6th place finish at the 2022 NCAA D2 XC Championships, Nash has the potential to be a legitimate high-impact scorer for the Notre Dame men this fall. If that happens, then the Fighting Irish should have more room for error in October and November than they did last year.

Rosie Hamilton-James (United Kingdom to Cal Poly)

Rosie Hamilton-James is seemingly a very solid long distance talent who should pair well with a Cal Poly team which has many women of a similar fitness level. The Mustangs will need greater firepower and scoring to stand out in the fall of 2024, but at the very least, this endurance-centric runner should provide solid depth for her team in October and November.

Zach Hughes (NC State to Notre Dame)

A valuable long-time veteran who produced very solid times of 1:48 (800), 2:23 (1k) and 3:42 (1500) during his time with NC State, Hughes can be a great utility piece for Notre Dame on the oval when they need middle distance scoring and an impactful relay leg. And if necessary, Hughes has proven that he can also step up to the 8k and 10k on the grass where he has been a very respectable backend/support piece.

Austin Gabay (Duke to Butler)

After what was seemingly a breakout year on the track where he ran personal bests of 3:40 (1500), 7:58 (3k) and 13:58 (5k), Austin Gabay will now venture to Butler. A top-25 finisher at the ACC XC Championships with some untapped upside, Gabay could end up being one of Butler's more underrated transfer wins from the last few offseasons.