Written by Aimee Morganti, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin Four-time All-American Sydney Vaught (née Thorvaldson) has announced via Instagram that she has signed a professional contract with Nike. Vaught has not yet clarified if she will remain under the guidance of her current college coach or whether her contract will spark a relocation with a new professional training group. Last month, Nike signed South Carolina star Salma Elbadra to an NIL deal.   Regarding the announcement, Vaught stated ... “Not many people can say they have the job they dreamed of as a kid. I am blessed & humbled to share that I have signed a professional running contract with Nike. This has been a lifelong dream of mine & I’m so grateful for everyone that has supported me in its pursuit. Excited to step forward in faith & chase more crazy dreams!”   In March, Vaught secured her fourth All-American honor with an 8th place finish over 5000 meters at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships. Sydney Vaught also became an All-American at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championship with a 7th place finish over 10,000 meters. The newest Razorback alum also excelled at the NCAA XC Championships where she collected two All-American accolades with an 11th place finish in 2023 and a 13th place effort in the fall of 2025. Outside of her All-American accolades, Vaught made six other national meet appearances across all seasons of competition. Notably, she placed 10th over the 10,000 meters at the 2025 addition of the outdoor national meet in a new personal best time of 32:21.37. On top of that, Vaught competed over 5000 meters at two outdoor outdoor meets where she placed 12th in 2023 and 13th in 2024. This past winter, the Razorback standout posted a string of personal best performances on the indoor oval, including a 15:02 (5k) to claim the title at the 2026 SEC Indoor Championships. Vaught also ran 8:49 (3k) at the 2026 Saucony Battle for Boston and 4:33.35 in the mile at the 2026 Arkansas Invitational.

Simeon Birnbaum (left) competing over 5k at the Stanford Invite // Photo via Lauren Cawley Yes, we have photos! TSR readers can download our photos from 2026 Stanford Invite on our SNAPSHOTS page! When posting to social media, all we ask is that you (please) cite and tag the respective photographer ( Lauren Cawley // laurcawley ) as well as @thestridereport . Enjoy! 2026 Stanford Invite (via Lauren Cawley) Instagram: laurcawley Top section of the women's 5k at the Stanford Invite // Photo via Lauren Cawley

Written by Aimee Morganti, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin Earlier this week, Providence College announced multiple coaching promotions following the recent announcement that long-time Director Ray Treacy will retire in June. Coach Tim Brock, a now-former assistant, has been named the Director of Cross Country and Track & Field for the Friars. He will now lead the program in June following Treacy’s 41 years at the helm. Additionally, Catarina Rocha is set to guide Providence's women’s cross country team and provide assistance with the women’s track and field program, as well as both men’s programs. Sinead Delahunty Evans has been promoted to the head coaching role of women’s track and field program. She will assistant across both cross country teams, as well as men’s track and field. Providence College Athletic Director Steve Napolillo stated , “Tim, Cat and Sinead are all very deserving of these promotions, each of them has played a vital role in the success of our cross country and track programs and we are confident they continue to build on the championship tradition established here at Providence College. Their leadership, experience and commitment to our student-athletes will ensure a seamless transition into this next chapter.” Coach Tim Brock has been committed to building the Friars' program for the last 12 years. He has supported multiple team appearances to the NCAA XC Championships, including the 2024 cross country national meet where the Friar women secured a 3rd place podium finish. In his first season with the team, Brock assisted in both programs qualifying for the 2014 NCAA XC Championships. Once there, both the men's team and women's team earned 13th place finishes. Over his last 12 years, Brock has assisted in coaching countless All-Americans and BIG East champions, including Emily Sisson, Julian Oakley, Millie Paladino and Brianna Ilarda (among others). Catarina Rocha holds five seasons of experience working with the Lady Friars. During her time at Providence, she assisted in the women’s team podium finish at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships, a Penn Relays title in the 4x1500-meter relay, a 3rd place DMR result at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships and multiple individual All-American honors. As a Friar student-athlete, Rocha was part of Providence's title winning team at the 2013 NCAA XC Championships. Sinead Delahunty Evans was the most recent addition to the Friars' coaching staff after serving almost two years with the team. She was previously an assistant coach for one year at Boston College. Delahunty Evan’s helped develop seven BIG East champions and holds a background in the middle distances. Previously, she coached at the Division Three level with Brandeis University. There, she helped her athletes earn 37 All-American honors. As an athlete, Delahunty Evans was a two-time Olympian for Ireland and a six-time All-American for Providence.