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Transfer Market (Part 73): Oregon Lands Kenyan Superstar Diana Cherotich While Vera Sjoberg, Ashley Jones & Fleur Templier Enter Transfer Portal
The conclusion of the indoor track season means that the NCAA transfer portal has opened up once again! And with a handful of signings for next fall beginning to flood in, we have begun to see more and more attention-grabbing headlines pop up.
Sure enough, that's what we have on deck today! And while we "only" have five names to discuss, each of these runners have the potential to be significant names for their new homes in the not-so-distant future.
Have a transfer update or tip that you want us to look into? Feel free to email us at contact@thestridereport.com and we'll aim to verify it! Alright, let's jump into the analysis, shall we?
Diana Cherotich (Kenya to Oregon)
Earlier this week, Oregon announced that they have signed Kenyan distance ace Diana Cherotich. Per World Athletics, Cherotich is 19 years old, giving us at The Stride Report the impression that she will hold freshman eligibility upon joining the NCAA (presumably in the fall).
To say that Cherotich is talented would be an understatement...a very, very big understatement. The Kenyan phenom boasts jaw-dropping personal bests of 8:56 for 3000 meters and 15:01 for 5000 meters. Not only that, but the incoming Duck was the 5th place finisher at the 2024 U20 World XC Championships!
To put it simply, Cherotich is this year's version of Pamela Kosgei who signed with New Mexico last spring. In theory, the newest Oregon ace will rival the NCAA's biggest megastars for years to come, further crowding the top of the national meet fields in the longer distances.
But maybe more importantly, the introduction of Cherotich to Eugene, Oregon keeps the Ducks in the podium conversation (as a team) for this fall. That's a major development as TFRRS suggests that Oregon's three individual All-Americans from November are all out of cross country eligibility (assuming that the NCAA doesn't give a fifth year of eligibility, which they very well might).
In other words, Cherotich will give Coach Shalane Flangan an elite-level low-stick who can at least make up for some of the lost scoring that Silan Ayyildiz, Maddy Elmore and Anika Thompson leave behind. And don't forget, the Ducks already landed Juliet Cherubet from Texas Tech, a top-half All-American who could give the Ducks an insanely lethal 1-2 punch in the fall.
Greater depth, extra firepower and/or further development will be needed if the ladies of Eugene want to reenter the national title conversation and call themselves podium favorites. Even so, Cherotich completely alters the trajectory of this squad in 2025. And with plenty of recruiting still to do, it's plenty possible that the ladies in green and yellow could be standing atop of the podium come November.
Michael Mireles (UCLA to Oregon)
Last month, Michael Mireles announced that he was signing with Oregon as a graduate transfer. He is expected to have one full year of eligibility across all three seasons of competition.
Mireles, at least in my eyes, is one of the more underrated distance runners on the West Coast. The current UCLA star had flexed subtle hints of star-level talent in previous years, but then truly broke out this past fall.
Back in October and November, Mireles placed 6th at the Bill Dellinger Invitational and was the runner-up finisher at the BIG 10 XC Championships. Unfortunately, an "off" day at the West Regional XC Championships (21st) left Mireles out of the national meet.
On the track, Mireles has shown promise via marks of 3:58 (mile), 7:54 (3k) and 13:49 (5k), although it's fair to say that his best times are still to come. That potential could be on full display this spring, especially given that he has already run a 1500-meter PR of 3:43 this season.
But more importantly, Mireles gives the Ducks a legitimate low-stick star who can further bolster Oregon's cross country aspirations this fall. That's a very big deal considering how many high-upside youngsters can found throughout the Eugene-based roster.
While it's true that veteran Elliott Cook no longer has cross country eligibility, Mireles' presence should provide a greater impact for the Ducks' scoring on larger stages. At one point, the UCLA standout was listed in our top-50 individual rankings last fall.
Injecting Mireles into Oregon's 2025 cross country lineup will further position the Ducks to be a top-10 team on the grass later this year. However, it will likely take one or two more significant additions in order for this team to enter the podium conversation.
That, of course, is plenty realistic in today's day and age.
Ashley Jones (Transfer Portal)
The Stride Report has confirmed that Tennessee ace Ashley Jones has entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, the Volunteer standout is expected to have one full year of eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition (assuming that she does not race attached this spring).
Since joining the Tennessee women in the fall of 2023, Ashley Jones has become the focal star of an up-and-coming distance program. The Volunteer runner first burst onto the scene two years ago when she placed 12th at Pre-Nationals, 10th at the SEC XC Championships and was 42nd at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships, just two places out from All-American honors.
Fast forward to last fall, and Jones would earn finishes of 36th at Pre-Nationals, 6th at the SEC XC Championships and 64th at the NCAA XC Championships.
Jones' greatest strength is her ability to consistently produce low-stick-caliber results. Her absence from Tennessee's roster for the fall of 2025 will undoubtedly hurt a team that has emerged as a national-caliber group over the last two years.
As we speculate about potential landing spots for Jones, it's hard not to consider the University of Colorado. Coach Sean Carlson left the Vols last summer to join the Buffaloes as their new Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. It would make all of the sense in the world if Jones ultimately reunited with the same coach who helped her reach a nationally competitive tier of fitness.
Colorado is, after all, her home state.
If that were to happen, then Jones would also reunite with former teammate Jessie Secor, someone who just had a breakout winter campaign, posting head-turning times of 4:34 (mile, converted) and 8:50 (3k). In turn, the Lady Buffs would have two true low-sticks and a far brighter outlook for their 2025 cross country season.
Other teams like Florida, Oregon, Washington and Northern Arizona could also choose to be aggressive in their pursuit of the long distance talent. The latter program, in particular, could be a brilliant fit for Jones given that her skillset so closely matches the ethos of the Lumberjacks' roster.
Vera Sjoberg (Transfer Portal)
The Stride Report has confirmed that Vera Sjoberg has entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, the soon-to-be-former Boston U. star will have one full year of eligibility across all three seasons of competition assuming that she races attached this spring.
For the last few years, Vera Sjoberg has proven to be a strong and competitive name. However, the 2024-2025 academic calendar year has treated the current Terrier distance star exceptionally well.
This past fall, Sjoberg thrived on the grass, finishing runner-up at the Paul Short Run, placing 11th at the Princeton Fall Classic, winning the Patriot League individual title and going on to place 42nd at the NCAA XC Championships, just two spots short of All-American honors.
Of course, it's the oval where Sjoberg is at her best. This past winter, the Boston U. star ran times of 4:28 (mile), 8:57 (3k) and 15:45 (5k). The fast-rising distance talent qualified for the indoor national meet in the former event and went on to earn 8th place All-American honors just a few weeks ago.
From a value standpoint, Sjoberg is going to be one of the top targets in the transfer portal until she signs with a program. While it's true that Sjoberg is expected to have only one year of eligibility left, the rest of her resume is simply holds too much firepower. The Terrier ace is still making significant improvements, is highly dynamic, boasts great experience and provides tremendous three-season value.
On paper, this Northeast region distance standout is a perfect fit for the Oregon or Washington women. Both of those programs are built around mile-centric stars who are strength-based and can effectively move up in distance for the fall months. The Ducks will be looking to add greater firepower next to Diana Cherotich and Juliet Cherubet while Washington will be looking to recover from a large handful of upcoming departures.
Both of those programs have been very active in the transfer portal and have not been afraid to add international standouts to their roster. Not only that, but Sjoberg is from Sweden, the same country as Oregon's NCAA mile champion, Wilma Nielsen. Could that connection lead Sjoberg to Eugene?
Of course, if Sjoberg wanted to stay on the East Coast, then Providence could be a perfect fit. They are another program that often works with international distance stars who thrive in the mile and can move up in distance. As far as skillsets are concerned, the Friars are just as good of a fit for Sjoberg as Oregon and Washington are.
Other groups like Georgetown, Florida and Boston College could also find their way into the Vera Sjoberg sweepstakes given their roster dynamics and recruiting trends.
Fleur Templier (Transfer Portal)
The Stride Report has confirmed that Fleur Templier has entered the transfer portal. According to TFRRS, the French distance standout is expected to have two years of eligibility remaining in both cross country and indoor track. Templier has not yet competed on the outdoor oval, theoretically leaving her with three to four years of eligibility remaining depending on whether or not she races (attached) this spring.
Arguably one of the more underrated distance talents in the country, Templier has had a quietly great sophomore year so far.
On the grass, the Pilot standout produced strong results, placing 23rd at the Nuttycombe Invite, runner-up at the West Coast Conference XC Championships and then took 11th at the West Regional XC Championships (she did not qualify for the national meet). Fast forward to the winter months, and Templier clocked impressive personal bests of 4:39 (mile) and 8:56 (3k).
When it comes to the transfer portal, you could argue that Templier is just as valuable as Vera Sjoberg is. Both women are fairly equal on the grass (with Sjoberg likely having the edge) and they own nearly identical 3000-meter personal bests. Sure, Sjoberg is far stronger in the mile than Templier is, but the latter has much more eligibility left.
It feels redundant to suggest that Oregon and Washington could be in the running to sign the French distance talent. However, every reason that we listed for why Sjoberg could land at either of those schools (mostly) apply to Templier as well!
But allow me to throw a wild card school that could potentially go after someone as talented as Templier: the University of Georgia.
Admittedly, the Bulldogs aren't known for their distance running excellence, but that is seemingly changing. In the still-new NIL era, Georgia has begun to invest more resources in the distance events, something that could be seen via their signings from earlier this year. Not only that, but Coach Adam Tribble has worked extensively with distance stars from Europe (mainly from his time at CBU) and already has a top name on his roster via Yasna Petrova.
Don't be surprised if this SEC sprints and field powerhouse is able to put themselves in contention to sign a true distance ace like Templier.
