The Fiji athlete, who had retired twice previously, had some personal motivation to get back on the course in Tallahassee Benjamin Ashkettle, 37, a graduate of NAU who represented New Zealand early in his senior career, made a switch to represent Fiji in 2019. He's run in World XC Championships since in 2023 and 2026. Photo Credit: Submitted Benjamin Ashkettle was only 18 years old when he first appeared in the under-20 race at the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya nearly two decades ago .  A lot of things looked different then. For one, Ashkettle was representing Australia and not New Zealand or Fiji. World Athletics was still known as the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). And Seb Coe, the British middle distance legend who secured London the Olympic bid in 2005, was still eight years out from becoming the president of World Athletics (though he was elected as vice president in 2007).  Nearly 20 years later, though, promptly after finishing fourth from last in his third global cross country championship and now representing the small South Pacific island nation of Fiji, the 37-year-old Ashkettle was perfectly aware of his standing. He even joked about it. “I was actually significantly faster (10 years ago),” he said.  But in other ways, you had to hand it to him. On race day, he was the second-oldest male and the fourth-oldest competitor overall -- Honduras’ Iván Zarco, who finished 16 seconds ahead of Ashkettle, was the oldest at 41.  Traversing a hot day against the fastest cross-country runners in the world, and in front of roughly 10,000 fans at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida -- a few years removed from his own racing retirement -- he got it done , finishing in 37 minutes and seven seconds. Behind Ben Ashkettle’s Race at World Cross Country Ashkettle's performance in Florida was nowhere near his lifetime 10,000-meter best of 28:52 from 2010 when he was fresh out of Northern Arizona University and rolling on the track. Or during his best years representing New Zealand at the senior level (the country he featured for following his under-20 exploits).  But after two hernia repairs and two quasi-retirements, it showed exactly what this race meant to him.  “I had to be there ,” said Ashkettle, who lived in Tallahassee for a year in the mid 2010s with his partner, Australia’s Linden Hall.  In fact, it was probably Hall who spurred Ashkettle the most. The 34-year-old three-time Olympian won gold in the mixed relay on January 10th along with teammates Oliver Hoare, Jack Anstey and Jessica Hull.  And there were larger motivations for Hall, too: Tallahassee was her previous home from 2011-2014 when she was with the Seminoles.  Ashkettle and Hall now live together in Melbourne, Australia. Naturally, they held a similar sense of pride for a city that once shaped them. In fact, it may have been Hall's nudging that prompted Ashkettle to secure an individual place with Fiji. “Originally, I was going to come as the team manager,” said Ashkettle, who ended up handling all the country’s administrative duties for the race. Later, he changed his mind and “decided I’ll jump in and run.” Ashkettle’s countryman, the 24-year-old Yeshnil Karan, was the first finisher across the line for Fiji in 83rd. “I told myself, ‘I’m 37 years old,’” Ashkettle said afterward. “It didn’t matter where I finished as long as I got to represent Fiji with some pride.”  Ben Ashkettle with partner Linden Hall at the 2026 World XC Championships in Tallahassee. Photo Credit: Submitted Ben Ashkettle’s Switch to Fiji An accomplished former steeplechase athlete, half marathoner and marathoner who attended NAU in the late 2000s before the Arizona-based men's cross country program blossomed in the next decade as one of the best of all-time, Ashkettle ran at the senior level for New Zealand before he reclassified to Fiji in 2019 after missing the Olympics in 2016 and the Commonwealth Games in 2018.  That move was partially made, he said, because the New Zealand delegation gave him and other runners an impossible target. In 2014, he represented New Zealand at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Denmark, finishing in 1:06:39. That same year, he ran his marathon PR of 2:19, a time that met the Olympic standard and was second-best for New Zealand over the cycle. But then came the baddest of beats. “They dropped a little bit of a blow on me and a couple other people trying to make it and told us that we needed to run eight minutes under the Olympic standard,” said Ashkettle, who was born in New Zealand but grew up in Melbourne, Australia. “That was a time we just couldn’t do.”  More bad news came from New Zealand decision-makers before the Commonwealth Games in 2018, so Ashkettle made the decision to reclassify and represent his mother’s home country.  The move to Fiji, however, did open some doors.  Ashkettle ran a national record for the country in 2019 at the Gold Coast Half Marathon in 1:07:31. Then, after retiring for a few years, he returned to the global stage to represent the country at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia in 2023. This Fiji Athlete Looks Ahead In more recent years, Ashkettle has made more of a concerted effort to elevate running in Fiji. “It’s really invigorated my love for the sport again,” he said.  In the meantime, he and Hall have worked with a few organizations to provide running shoes to children and young athletes on the island. His appearance at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee was a reminder of that work. In a lot of ways, he said, it was about inspiring a young person on the island to think bigger. "We're just trying to encourage people back home and make them realize that, you know, they can get out there and see the world with running," Ashkettle said, "whether that means you end up winning or coming in last." So what’s next?  The 37-year-old may be done with competitive racing yet again. His third retirement may be incoming. But on second thought, maybe not.  As a native Kiwi, a long-time Aussie, and now an adopted Fijian, can-do spirit is a part of Ashkettle's DNA. “We’re really known for our smile and our happiness,” he said.

Written by Aimee Morganti, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin On Wednesday, January 14th, the NCAA Division One Cabinet approved changes to the transfer window for multiple sports, including women's and men's track and field. The approved change featured the removal of the transfer window that opens after the completion of the indoor track season. The next transfer window was set to open for indoor track and field on March 10th of this year and later close on April 23rd. However, the recently approved change means that the spring-time transfer window in question will now seize to exist, effectively immediately. Ultimately, this decision means that track and field athletes will no longer be able to transfer between the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons. The next transfer window period is set to open on May 28th and close on June 26th. There were no changes to the Division One cross country transfer windows. In the press release, the NCAA explained... "Moving forward, track and field student-athletes will still have a 30-day window that opens the day after selections for the Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, as well as during windows that occur at the end of the fall." According to an Instagram post from FloTrack , these changes will also apply to Division Two and Division Three. However, The Stride Report has not yet been able to confirm that detail as no official announcement has been made by NCAA governance committees for Division Two or Division Three.

Written by Aimee Mackenzie, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin As the new year has begun, many current collegiate athletes have announced new NIL deals while recent alum have secured professional contracts. Here are the most recent group of NIL and professional signings to pop up on our radar... Hannah Gapes (NC State) NIL deal: Adidas Accolades: Three-Time First-Team All-American (XC & DMR) Two-Time NCAA XC Team Champion with NC State (2025 & 2023) Five-Time New Zealand National Champion (XC & 5k) 19th place representing New Zealand at 2026 World XC Championships NCAA #13 All-Time Indoor DMR (10:48.51) 10th place over 3000 meters at 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships 2025 ACC Indoor Champion DMR & Runner-up over 3000 meters 3rd place at 2024 ACC XC Championships 2024 Penn Relays 4x1500m Champion Brian Musau (Oklahoma State) NIL deal: Brooks Accolades: Eight-Time First-Team All-American 2025 FISU World University Games 10,000-meter Championship (28:42.39) 2025 NCAA Outdoor 5000-meter Champion in 13:20.59 2025 NCAA Indoor 5000-meter Champion 13:11.34 (Meet Record) Two-Time NCAA XC Team Champion (2025 & 2023): 4th place & 8th place individually 2024 NCAA Indoor DMR Champion Three-Time BIG 12 XC Champion (2025, 2024 & 2023) Two-Time BIG 12 Indoor Champion: 3000 meters & DMR Smilla Kolbe (North Florida) Sponsor: On Pro Group & Coaches: On Women's 800m Project // Louis Heyer Accolades: Two-Time First-Team All-American 2025 German National Champion 800m 5th place at 2025 FISU World University Games Represented Germany at 2025 World Outdoor Championships NCAA #6 All-Time Outdoor 800-meter (1:59.02) 17th place at 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships Three-Time ASUN 800-meter Champion Florence Caron (Penn State) Sponsor: Hoka Pro Group & Coaches: Hoka Naz Elite // Jack Mullaney Accolades: Three-Time First-Team All-American 2025 Canadian National Champion 10,000 meters 3rd place at Canadian XC National Championships Three-Time Second-Team All-American (10k & 5k) 3rd place at 2025 Penn Relays 4x1500-meter relay Championship Two-Time 2024 BIG 10 Outdoor Champion: 10k & 5k NCAA #5 All-Time 4x1500-meter relay at 2024 Penn Relays (17:09.59) 57th place representing Canada at 2026 World XC Championships Two-Time Penn State Record Holder (Outdoor 5k & 4x1500-meter relay) Kelly-Ann Beckford (Houston) Sponsor: Under Armour Pro Group & Coaches: UA Mission Run Baltimore // Cory Leslie & Carrie Lane Accolades: Two-Time Jamaican National Champion (800 meters & 1500 meters) 2025 NACAC Championships 800-meter Bronze Medalist Represented Jamaica in mixed 4x400-meter relay for World Athletics Relays Championship Two-Time NCAA D2 Champion (800-meter & 4x400-meter relay) Two-Time NCAA D2 Runner-up (800-meter & 4x400-meter relay) Seven-Time First-Team All-American (D1 & D2) Three-Time 2024 BIG 12 Champion (800-meter & 4x400-meter relay) 2024 BIG 12 Outdoor Championship 800-meter Runner-up 2021 Drake Relays 4x400m relay Champion Wes Ferguson (Nebraska-Kearney) Sponsor: Under Armour Pro Group & Coaches: UA Mission Run Baltimore // Cory Leslie & Carrie Lane Accolades: Nine-Time First-Team All-American 3rd place in 800 meters at 2025 USA Indoor Championships Semi-Finalist in 800 meters at 2024 US Olympic Trials NCAA D2 #2 All-Time Indoor 800 meters (1:47.16) NCAA D2 #3 All-Time Outdoor 800 meters (1:45.46) Five-Time NCAA D2 Champion 800 meters (Indoors & Outdoors) 2023 NCAA D2 Indoor Championship 800-meter Runner-up (1:47.16) 2023 & 2024 Drake Relays 800-meter Champion 2022 Drake Relays 800-meter R unner-up Six-Time MIAA 800-meter Champion Kassidy Johnson (Rutgers / Kansas State) Sponsor: Under Armour Pro Group & Coaches: UA Mission Run Baltimore // Cory Leslie & Carrie Lane Accolades: Semi-Finalist in 800 meters at 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships 5th place in 800 meters at 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships 2020 BIG 12 Indoor Champion 1000 meters (2:44.89) 2023 BIG Outdoor Championships 800-meter Runner-up Three-Time BIG 12 Indoor Championships Runner-up (1000 meters & DMR) Two-Time BIG 12 Championships 3rd place finishes (1500 meters & 800-meter) 2022 Drake Relays 800-meter Champion Alex Carlson (Northern Arizona / Rutgers) Sponsor: Adidas Pro Group & Coaches: Flagstaff based // Terrence Mahon & Jennifer Rhines Accolades: NCAA #3 All-Time DMR (if not run on an oversized track) (10:39.44) Three-Time Second-Team All-American (Mile & DMR) 2025 BIG Sky Indoor Champion 800 meters Three-Time BIG 10 Indoor Champion (Mile & 3000 meters) 2025 BIG Sky Outdoor 800-meter Runner-up 2024 NCAA XC Championship team scorer 2023 BIG 10 Indoor Championship Mile Runner-up Four-Time Rutgers School Record Holder (1000-meter, mile, 3000 meters, DMR) Carson Williams (Furman) Sponsor:  Under Armour Pro Group & Coaches:  UA Mission Run Dark Sky Distance // Stephen Haas Accolades: NCAA #10 All-Time 3000-meter steeplechase (8:19.71) 3rd place in 3000-meter steeplechase at 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships Three-Time Second-Team All-American (Mile & 3000-meter steeplechase) Two-Ti me Southern Outdoor Champion 3000-meter steeplechase Six-Time Southern Indoor Champion (Mile & 3000 meters & DMR) Three-Time Southern runner-up (XC & 800-meter & 1500 meters) 42nd place at 2024 NCAA XC Championships