Photo via Kevin Sanchez Written by Aimee Morganti, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin Earlier this week, Notre Dame's Sophie Novak announced via Instagram that she has signed a "Name, Image and Likeness," (NIL) deal with Under Armour. It should also be noted that Under Armour is the primary sponsor of Notre Dame Athletics. In her announcement, Novak explained ... “Beyond excited to announce my NIL partnership with @uarunning! Grateful for the opportunity to truly represent a brand that I’ve loved these past few years. Looking forward to what’s ahead.” Recently, Novak placed 3rd over 1500 meters at the 2026 Raleigh Relays in an incredible new personal best of 4:08 (1500). The Notre Dame star has carried her momentum to the outdoor oval after setting new personal bests of 4:26 (mile), 2:03 (800) and 15:53 (5k) while racing unattached this past winter. Novak's first All-American accolade came after a runner-up finish in the DMR at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships. The Fighting Irish standout also earned a 7th place All-American honor in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Notre Dame athlete has also made two cross country national meet appearances and was a part of a 4th place podium team finish at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships. The Fighting Irish athlete won the 2025 Drake Relays title in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:28.98. And at the 2025 Sound Running Track Fest, Novak raced against professionals to secure a 3rd place finish in the same event to earn a tremendous personal best of 9:23.04. It should also be noted that Novak competed at 2024 Olympic Trials in the 3000-meter steeplechase.

Spend a day in the life with 2026 NCAA mile All-American and the current NCAA leader over 1500 meters, Trent McFarland of Michigan! 〽️🤳🏼 Get an inside look at his workout of the day, training mindset and what it takes to compete at the highest level as he chases the NCAA 1500-meter record 👀 Follow along as Trent hangs with teammates, goes on a long run, breaks down his meals & supplements and shares advice for runners looking to level up. 📈😎

Written by Aimee Morganti, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin Earlier this week, On Athletics Club Oceania announced that they have signed three recent college graduates -- West Virginia’s Sarah Tait, Ole Miss’s Toby Gillen and Oklahoma State’s Alex Stitt -- to its growing pro roster. The On-centric pro team has also added University of Washington alum Samuel Tanner and Australian distance standout Stewart McSweyn. The signings were announced by an On Running press release . The five newcomers will now join a pro team which also features Australian Olympian Claudia Hollingsworth and Florida State alum Maudie Skyring, among others. Sarah Tait (via West Virginia) Sarah Tait, a two-time All-American and Scottish national steeplechase record holder, first made her mark on the collegiate scene at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships. There, the West Virginia women secured a runner-up team finish, a result partially powered by Tait's 34th place All-American result.   During the 2024-2025 academic year, the now-former Mountaineer star continued to excel, setting personal bests over 1500 meters (4:12), the mile (4:33), 3000 meters (8:59), the 3000-meter steeplechase (9:27) and 5000 meters (15:40).   Sarah Tait competing in the steeple at the NCAA Outdoor Championships // Photo via Andrew LeMay Tait gained her second All-American accolade at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 3000-meter steeplechase where she earned a 4th place finish. Not only that, but Tait further elevated her fitness this past summer by producing a monster time of 9:18 in the 3000-meter steeplechase. She later represented Great Britain in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.   On her signing, Tait stated on Instagram... “On cloud 9 to have signed my first professional contract at the start of the year with on and OAC Oceania. I’m incredibly grateful to On for their support and belief in me, especially after a very tough end to 2025. A huge thank you to my friends, family, and teammates for their constant support.”   Toby Gillen (via Ole Miss & Saint Louis) During his time in the NCAA, Ole Miss alum Toby Gillen was an All-American over 5000 meters as he finished in 7th place at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. In total, the Australian distance ace was a three-time outdoor national meet qualifier over 5000 meters in consecutive years from 2023 to 2025. In his two other outdoor national meet appearances, Gillen placed 13th when he competed for Saint Louis in 2023. He later raced to a 9th place finish in 2025 (during his time with Ole Miss) en route to a new personal best.   Toby Gillen (center) competing over 5k at the NCAA Outdoor Championships // Photo via Andrew LeMay Regarding his signing, On Running stated ... “Gillen transitions to the professional circuit with OAC Oceania, having checked of nearly all his collegiate goals. His focus now shifts to making his mark on the senior international stage.”   Gillen represented Ole Miss in two instances at the NCAA XC Championships in 2024 and 2025. He improved his NCAA XC Championship finish by over 50 positions in one year, as he finished 96th at the 2025 cross country national meet.   After transferring from Saint Louis to Ole Miss, Gillen emerged as the 2025 SEC champion over 5000 meters. He also earned runner-up honors at the SEC Championship over 10,000 meters at the same meet. Additionally, he was the SEC Championship runner-up over 5000 meters in 2024.   Internationally, Gillen placed 4th over 5000 meters at the 2024 Australian Track & Field Championships. He also raced to a new 5k personal best of 13:16 in Belgium this past summer. The newest On signee also holds a 3k personal best of 7:48. Alex Stitt (via Oklahoma State) Australian All-American Alex Stitt was a middle distance standout for Oklahoma State over the last few years. During his time with the Cowboys, Stitt was part of a DMR squad that earned 6th place All-American honors at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships. In that race, he contested the 1200-meter leg where he split a time of 2:52.82. The Oklahoma State alum was also a three-time outdoor national meet qualifier over 1500 meters. In his first NCAA Outdoor Championship appearance in 2023, Stitt placed 24th, which he improved upon by 10 places in 2024 where he finished 14th place overall. In his last national meet appearance, he placed 20th. Alex Stitt on the starting line for the 1500m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships // Photo via Andrew LeMay Stitt holds personal bests of 1:50 (800), 2:20 (1k), 3:35 (1500) and 3:54 (mile).   Regarding his signing, On Running stated ... “Stitt has rapidly emerged as one of Australia’s most promising 1500m runners, recently clocking a blistering personal best of 3:35.71. His arrival adds deep tactical versatility to the OAC Oceania middle-distance core as they prepare for the upcoming championship season.”   Since returning to Australia, Alex Stitt has become a prominent figure on the national scene, securing wins at the prestigious 2025 Albie Thomas Mile as well as over 3000 meters at the 2025 Zatopek 10 meet. Recently, he placed 7th over 1500 meters at the 2025 Australian Track & Field Championships.

Production via Wyatt Barnsley On this week’s episode of The Stride Report Podcast, Ben and Garrett react to another historic performance from Jane Hedengren as she runs 30:46 to break Parker Valby’s NCAA 10k record, continuing her unbelievable rise. The guys break down Habtom Samuel’s dominant 27:30 win in a loaded 10k field, Taylor Lovell’s upset 5k victory and Simeon Birnbaum’s blistering final lap to secure his own win. They also highlight strong middle distance showings from Carmen Alder, Matan Ivri and Mena Scatchard, along with a loaded 800-meter slate featuring Salma Elbadra, Tinoda Matsatsa and Camden Marshall. The episode wraps with Kole Mathison’s steeplechase victory and a full look at a weekend packed with breakout performances and NCAA-shifting results. Be sure to listen, subscribe and review! (2:48) Jane Hedengren Runs 30:46 to Break Parker Valby’s NCAA 10k Record (15:20) Habtom Samuel Runs 27:30 to Take Win Against Talented 10k Field (18:41) Taylor Lovell Runs 15:15 (5k) PR For Huge Upset Win (25:34) Simeon Birnbaum Splits 56.47 on Last Lap For 5k Win (29:13) Carmen Alder Runs 4:09 For 1500m Victory Over Solid Field (32:44) Matan Ivri Runs 3:38 (1500) PR For Upset Gold (35:59) Mena Scatchard Defends Home Track With 2:00 (800) PR on Double (38:51) Salma Elbadra Runs 2:00 (800) to Take Down Stegall & Sullivan (41:35) Tinoda Matsatsa Clocks 1:46 (800) Mark to Win Over Loaded Field at Florida Relays (42:47) Camden Marshall Edges Reece Sherman-Newell With 1:46 (800) Performance (45:09) Kole Mathison Runs 8:32 to Earn Steeple Win You can listen to that episode (and others) on our PODCASTS  page! You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Soundcloud. If you like it, be sure to leave us a rating  and a review ! Note: If you're having issues loading the episode on the site via mobile, try refreshing  the episode page. We will look into this issue for future episodes.