Disclosure: The author of this article is a Virginia Tech alum. Earlier this week, Illinois announced that Eric Johannigmeier, the former head distance coach at Virginia Tech, was being hired as the team's next head distance coach. Johannigmeier is an Illinois alum, graduating from the university back in 2011. The Stride Report has also confirmed that Helen Lehman-Winters, the former Oregon coach who was hired as Illinois' distance coach last summer following the departure of Coach Sarah Smith (née Haveman) to Texas, is no longer with the program. Johannigmeier's rise among the NCAA coaching ranks has stemmed from a series of significant coaches changes over the last six years. In the summer of 2018, Coach Ben Thomas left Virginia Tech to join the Oregon men as their lead distance coach. In turn, Johannigmeier was tabbed as the Hokies' next distance coach. Since then, Coach Jerry Schumacher has taken over the Ducks' as the team's newest Director, leaving Coach Ben Thomas without a distance team to coach. But with long-time Virginia Tech Director Dave Cianelli recently retiring, Thomas has returned to Blacksburg, this time as the Hokies' newest Director. Naturally, Thomas' reintroduction to VT sparked questions as to what would happen with Johannigmeier given the theoretical overlap in their coaching roles. Those questions, of course, have now been answered now that the latter coach is venturing to Champaign, Illinois. Despite the incredibly high bar set by Thomas during his tenure with the Hokies, Johannigmeier was still able to effectively recruit top names and develop national-caliber standouts, specifically in the middle distance events. Lindsey Butler, for instance, was an NCAA indoor 800-meter champion and earned numerous All-American honors. Nick Plant, who was one of the most coveted high school middle distance recruits from the Class of 2022, has now evolved into a 1:46 (800) runner who has earned multiple All-American honors. At one point, the Virginia Tech men had five runners (one racing unattached) crack the four-minute mile barrier in one race. Admittedly, neither side of Virginia Tech's roster has had much success on the cross country course since Ben Thomas left the team (although Peter Seufer was brilliant in the fall of 2019 and Sarah Freix cracked the top-100 of the national meet that same year). The Hokies have also not had a contingent or set of individuals who have come all that close to the juggernaut 2018 men's group that lifted Ben Thomas to national prominence. Even so, most NCAA fans recognize this Blacksburg-based program as a middle distance stalwart. And under the guidance of Johannigmeier, the Hokies were still able to produce nationally competitive DMR lineups while their overall 800/mile depth seemingly stood the test of time. Johannigmeier will now be tasked with reviving an Illinois women's distance program that has faltered from the once-great heights established by Coach Sarah Haveman back in 2019 and 2021. The men's team, however, has not finished higher than 5th place at the BIG 10 XC Championships since 2017 (where they placed 4th). They have only cracked the top-three of their conference meet once in the new millennium (2015). They last qualified for the national meet in 2016. As the BIG 10 Conference becomes even more competitive with the introduction of Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC, Johannigmeier will have his toughest coaching challenge yet. Even so, few coaches seemed to be a better fit for Illinois than a returning alum who kept Virginia Tech as a middle distance power despite the initial departure of a superstar coach.

Podcast production via Wyatt Barnsley We are back with a fan-favorite episode this week! Ben and Garrett begin the podcast by discussing the moves made by David Mullarkey and Alex Millard. The guys then list off the NCAA runners who gave them the most challenges when crafting our preseason XC rankings! Be sure to subscribe, listen and review! (2:12) David Mullarkey Transfers to Northern Arizona (7:20) Alex Millard Switches Commitment from Boston College to Providence (15:11) Karrie Baloga (Northern Arizona) (17:41) Silan Ayyildiz (Oregon) (19:37) Maggie Condon (Northern Arizona) (22:35) Ashley Jones (Tennessee) (25:03) Emily Covert (Notre Dame) (28:04) Jenna Hutchins (BYU) (33:41) James Corrigan (BYU) (36:14) Sanele Masondo (Iowa State) (39:29) Peter Maru (Arkansas) (42:38) Colin Sahlman (Northern Arizona) (46:03) Carter Solomon (Notre Dame) (49:19) Devin Hart (Oregon) (52:15) Sophie O’Sullivan (Washington) (55:53) Carmen Alder (BYU) (58:37) Yasin Sado (Virginia) 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.

Earlier today, the University of Washington announced that they have signed Cole Lindhorst, a now-former middle distance star for Texas. Based on his TFRRS profile, he is expected to have at least one full year of eligibility across all three seasons of competition as well as the possibility for a second year (the latter of which is speculation). Here is what we previously said about Lindhorst in a recent "Transfer Market" article... "When Cole Lindhorst is healthy, he is one of the more underrated and consistently competitive middle distance talents in the NCAA. With times of 1:46 (800), 3:40 (1500) and 3:59 (mile), it's clear that this current Longhorn is a half-miler first as well as someone who can effectively move up in distance if needed. In recent seasons, Lindhorst had consistently ripped off multiple 1:47 marks for 800 meters. In fact, between the winter and spring months, the Texas runner posted five separate 1:47 efforts before running a 1:46 PR. In both seasons, he individually qualified for national meet. He also qualified for 2022 indoor national meet over 800 meters. While Lindhorst has dealt with injuries and continuously ending his season in the prelims of the national stage, there is no denying that he is still realizing his full potential. In his latest year of racing, Lindhorst had never been as consistent as he was and he had never cracked 1:47 (800) until last month." That same runner will now be heading to Seattle, Washington to join a team mostly known for their mile and 1500-meter prowess. However, Coach Andy Powell has begun to add a large handful of nationally competitive half-milers to his program over the last year or so. Columbia's Justin O'Toole signed with the Huskies during the winter (although he will make the move this fall) and more recently, UNC's Kyle Reinheimer also opted to sign with the Washington men. Those two transfers own 800-meter personal bests of 1:47 and 1:48, respectively. Of course, it's Lindhorst who is the prized pickup of this group. With a 1:46 personal best over 800 meters, an ability to be a decent miler and a proven resume as a nationally competitive half-miler, Andy Powell's job just got easier. Not only can Lindhorst focus on the 800 meters while Nathan Green attacks his primary distance (the mile/1500 meters), but he could also be a pivotal piece for the Huskies in the DMR. In theory, his introduction to this roster gives Washington a bit more flexibility with who they can substitute in and out of that lineup. Let's also not forget that Lindhorst has proven on multiple occasions to be an outstanding doubler. At the 2022 Alex Wilson Invite, for instance, Lindhorst split 1:47 on the 800-meter relay of the Longhorn's DMR. He then doubled back not too long after that to finish 2nd place in the open 800 meters with yet another 1:47 mark. Yes, it's true, Washington's newest conference (the BIG 10) is known for being loaded over the half-mile distance. But with Abdullahi Hassan recently transferring to Mississippi State and Rivaldo Marshall entering the transfer portal earlier this year, there is seemingly room for Cole Lindhorst to rack up a significant amount of conference meet points for the Huskies come the winter and spring of 2025.

Oh? What's that? A "First Thoughts" article on a random Tuesday in the middle of the summer? Yes, it's true! An article series often reserved for NCAA competition is coming back out for a somewhat broad review of collegians who have been racing overseas. But which races are we going to talk about? And how good does the performance have to be to get mentioned? Well, there was plenty of USA Olympic Trials coverage across the entire media sphere and June is well past us. For that reason, we'll be covering any notable collegiate result that was produced in the month of July. Here are some key pieces of action that recently caught our attention... Providence's Shannon Flockhart Posts Strong 4:04.98 (1500) PR to Win Morton Games I think most people who consistently read our content know that we're big fans of Providence ace, Shannon Flockhart. She has often thrived on the outdoor oval, has been sneaky-good in tactical settings, brings underrated value on the grass and has continued to improve each and every year. For the most part, Flockhart's 2024 outdoor track season (within NCAA competition) was a success. She won the Raleigh Relays 1500-meter title over fellow teammate Kimberley May and she finished 6th place overall in the 1500-meter finals at the outdoor national meet, earning All-American honors and producing a then-PR of 4:05.99 in the process. But for as much momentum as Flockhart has had, it seems fair to say that her latest effort at the Morton Games was her best performance to date. The Friar star looked unbelievably poised throughout her 1500-meter effort in a more-than-respectable field featuring a handful of great pro athletes. She shadowed the leaders, positioned herself beautifully and looked to be in far greater control of her fitness than anyone else in field as she pulled away over the final 100 meters. Oh, and she ran a new 1500-meter PR of 4:04.98. Flockhart is only absolute fire right now. She can seemingly do no wrong each and every time she toes the line. Now, admittedly, it's also fair to point out that Flockhart's metric mile prowess, while plenty impressive, isn't guaranteed to translate to great races on the grass. But Flockhart has proven before that she can be a nationally competitive name during cross country. She has, after all, finished 69th at the NCAA XC Championships on two separate occasions. And even though middle distance turnover isn't often correlated with aerobic-centric strength, it's hard to ignore that Flockhart was in complete control of her fitness last week. Sophie O'Sullivan's 4:05 (1500) Effort at Morton Games Headlines Encouraging Performances From Washington Women In that same 1500-meter race as Shannon Flockhart were a pair of Washington women, each of whom had great outings! Sophie O'Sullivan had an excellent race. When it seemed like she was fading, the Husky veteran came through with a brilliant last lap and a big kick. That wasn't enough to catch Flockhart who had another gear, but she did pull ahead of a strong field that struggled to keep pace with the collegians. In the end, O'Sullivan was able to post a time of 4:05.99 for 1500 meters. That wasn't a personal best, but it was another highly encouraging step in the right direction after she dealt with an injury last winter. Since then, she has been slowly working her way back into top form. What this performance, as well as her recent 2:00 PR over 800 meters, tells us is that O'Sullivan's peak fitness isn't out of reach. In fact, she'll likely enter the cross country season with some of the best momentum that she has ever had -- and that's precisely what the Washington women need if they are going to make the podium come November. Speaking of Washington, this race also featured Chloe Foerster who ran a small PR of 4:07.66. That's not exactly a stunning result for someone who had barely cracked 4:08 at the Bryan Clay Invite back in April and ran 4:28 mile PR as well. And truthfully, her execution in more tactical scenarios (i.e. the prelims of the national meet) are the bigger points of emphasis for her moving forward. Even so, it's the cross country season that we're focusing on the most. And when you pair that result with a very solid 8:58 (3k) PR with her latest effort, then it's hard not to be encouraged about Foerster potentially being an All-American later this fall. In fact, the even more encouraging development was seeing teammate Julia David-Smith run a 3000-meter PR of 8:59 in the same race! Sure, an outdoor track is almost always faster than the indoor oval, but in this context, that doesn't really matter. Simply seeing that she is near her best-ever form likely gives Coach Maurica Powell one less scorer to worry about. The biggest thing that we have learned about Washington is that the Huskies' top-three women from last year's national meet, each of whom finished in the top-60 on that stage, are all proving to be incredibly fit. And sure, November is a long ways out, but I'd much rather see these positive developments than the alternative. Nathan Green & Finley McLear Battle at Morton Games, Both Run 1:46 Over 800 Meters I admittedly don't have too much to say about this result. This was a super unsurprising pair of performances that made us shrug our shoulders and say, "Yeah, seems about right." Did I think that McLear could have run 1:45 for 800 meters and gotten the better of Green? Yes, that was my expectation. Even so, Green is no pushover when it comes to the half-mile distance and this race wasn't exactly the tactical game of chess that McLear has often excelled at (although he did have a heckuva kick after being at the back for so long). Seeing Green extend his outdoor track season to the summer isn't too surprising, especially given the excellent spring campaign that he had. That leads me to believe that he'll likely make a very late season debut (just like he did last fall) as he transitions from speed training to aerobic development. Oregon's Tomas Palfrey Runs 3:38 (1500) PR, Nathan Green Runs 3:53 (Mile) to Win Cork City, Adam Spencer Runs 3:53 (Mile) at Morton Games While Sean Donoghue Runs 3:55 (Mile) at Morton Games Speaking of Nathan Green, the Washington middle distance star was excellent at the Cork City Invitational in Ireland. The Husky star ran 3:53 over the mile distance to secure a strong summer season win against some well-established pro and his now-former teammates (such as Joe Waskom and Luke Houser). Was Green's final time surprising? No, not really. Was his win surprising? Honestly, no, I can't say that I'm totally shocked. Of course, just because we're not surprised doesn't mean that we're not impressed. After a rocky month of March, Green has rallied beautifully, putting together one of the best overall outdoor track seasons of any distance runner in the NCAA this year. We may not have learned anything new about the Husky ace, but running this fast and beating this field three days before running 1:46-low over 800 meters is applause-worthy. Let's chat about Tomas Palfrey, the Oregon runner who has clearly been brimming with potential for the last few seasons, but is only now beginning to showcase his full talent. After running 1:48 for 800 meters during the indoor track season and posting a pair of 3:40 marks over 1500 meters (one of which got him to the outdoor national meet), Palfrey opted to extend his season overseas. The Aussie middle distance runner first posted a head-turning 1000-meter time of 2:19 back in June. Palfrey has since gone on to run 3:38 for 1500 meters not once, not twice, but THREE times since then! That is tremendous consistency and an obvious sign of peaking for June (although he seemed to be a couple weeks too late for the NCAA Championships). Regardless, this is a fantastic development for the Oregon men. Palfrey has now shown that he can be a nationally competitive name in the NCAA when he's firing on all cylinders. And if he can translate those efforts to the indoor and outdoor ovals in 2025, then the Ducks are going to have quite the contingent of middle distance standouts scattered throughout their roster. Moving back to the Morton Games, Wisconsin's Adam Spencer was the top (still active) collegian in the field. The Badger superstar placed 5th overall in that race with a strong time of 3:53. And yet, you can't help but feel like he should have placed a bit higher. Of course, if you go back and watch the race, then you'll find that Spencer made a fairly ambitious move with 650ish meters to go. That jump to the front inherently carried risk, but that's something that Spencer likely understood as he chased after a fast time. And frankly, without Spencer, this race probably wouldn't have been quite as fast as it was. In other words, I wouldn't use this race as a gauge of his tactical know-how or even his fitness. There were probably better ways for Spencer to execute in that race, but it's better to experiment now than in Paris. We finally come to Villanova's Sean Donoghue, a guy who we've known to be a talented miler for the last few seasons. Prior to the summer months, Donoghue was 3:58 miler who had actually qualified for the 2023 outdoor national meet over 1500 meters. Even so, we weren't quite expecting the Irish miler find so much success this month within the span of three days. After running 3:56 in the mile at the Cork City Sports meet, the rising Wildcat standout ventured to the Morton Games three days later where he ran a 3:55 mile PR! Seeing Donoghue make significant improvements is a big development for a Villanova team that just lost veterans Sean Dolan and Charlie O'Donovan. While Liam Murphy is a true national-caliber star, having at least one secondary middle distance ace to lean on has been a luxury that the Wildcats have had for the last few years. And thanks to Donoghue, he will seemingly give his team another national-caliber middle distance runner while this still-young roster continues to develop.

Earlier this week, Joshua Grenade first reported that the Villanova men have signed NCAA D3 mile champion, Bennett Booth-Genthe (via Pomona-Pitzer), as a graduate transfer. The Stride Report has independently verified the transfer. Grenade also contributed to an announcement where Abdullahi Hassan (formerly of Wisconsin) announced that he was transferring to Mississippi State (as a graduate transfer). Both men are expected to have one season of outdoor track eligibility remaining as well as one season of indoor track eligibility remaining. At first glance, Hassan's decision to join Mississippi State may come as a bit of a surprise. Madison, Wisconsin and Starkville, Mississippi could not possibly be more different, at least geographically speaking. It's also a bit atypical of the Bulldog men to land high-octane transfers in the offseason. Instead, they have traditionally established their middle distance success via the JUCO ranks or through the internal development of their recruits. But when it comes to producing true 800-meter superstars, very few programs have been able to match what Mississippi State has accomplished. Men such as Brandon McBride, Marco Arop and Navasky Anderson were superstar-caliber half-milers during their time in the NCAA. It also doesn't hurt that Tyrese Reid just ran 1:45 (800) earlier this spring. The other connection, which may not be as obvious, is the fact that both Brandon McBride and Marco Arop are Canadian -- just like Hassan. Those two men were truly elite middle distance stars during their time in the NCAA and they both later became Olympians. In fact, Arop is one of the best overall 800-meter runners in the world right now. Those two men were (or are) coached by Chris Woods, the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Mississippi State. If Woods is able to refine Hassan's middle distance talent in the same way that he did for McBride, Arop and Anderson, then this former Wisconsin star could go from being an All-American contender to a legitimate national title threat. * * * We then come to Bennett Booth-Genthe, a guy who was arguably the best overall distance runner at the Division Three level this past winter and spring. Not only did the former Pomona-Pitzer runner win the NCAA D3 title in the mile this past winter, but he also went on to record marks of 1:48 (800) and 4:00 (mile). On paper, Booth-Genthe makes perfect sense for the Villanova men. The Wildcats have been known to develop numerous upper-tier milers throughout the years. Many of those same men have also displayed excellent turnover when stepping down in distance to the 800 meters. With at least some semblance of tactical know-how, Booth-Genthe looks like a high-upside miler who can score plenty of points for Villanova at future BIG East Championships. And if the regional rounds break in his favor, then he could potentially sneak his way into the outdoor national meet come next spring.

Earlier today, The Stride Report confirmed that Alexandra Millard, a long distance superstar from England, has decided to flip her commitment from Boston College to Providence. Millard initially signed with the Golden Eagles back in April, but has since changed her decision. While it's unclear how much eligibility Millard is expected to have upon her arrival to the NCAA, the English distance ace will still be revered as one of the more valuable offseason additions of any college team this year. With jaw-dropping personal bests of 4:05 (1500), 8:52 (3k) and 15:18 (5k), each of which were run in 2024, Millard's fitness has reached a level that could put her in contention for future NCAA titles and likely multiple All-American honors across multiple events. However, the more important aspect to consider with Millard's flipped commitment is that the Lady Friars now have an extremely lethal low-stick to pair with a team that was already boasting fairly strong firepower. Despite last year's national meet results, Kimberley May proved that she could be an All-American talent on the grass. She'll be a fantastic complement to Millard later this fall, especially as Providence aims to negate the firepower of Georgetown's lead scorers at the BIG East XC Championships. Veteran Shannon Flockhart has come within reasonable striking distance of an All-American honor in prior seasons (twice finishing 69th at the cross country national meet) and will likely give herself a shot to reach the top-40 later this year. Not only that, but the Friars' newly-recruited transfer, Kenzie Doyle, has been a top-90 finisher at the NCAA XC Championships before (she has also run 15:27 for 5000 meters). Providence isn't necessarily a perfect squad this fall -- they'll need to solidify what the backend of their lineup is going to look like as they attempt to support the above-mentioned quartet. Even so, there are a handful of women on this roster who have the potential to take noticeable steps up in their fitness this fall. The biggest x-factor for Providence will likely be Jane Buckley, a key low-stick for this squad in 2022. If she is able to return to her top form later this fall, then the Friars could end up having one of the more complete scoring fives in the entire NCAA. In theory, that would put the Friars in contention to be a top-10 team this fall. And if everything breaks their way, a podium spot wouldn't be totally out of the realm of possibility, either.

Earlier today, BYU announced that they have signed Carmen Riano, a graduate transfer from Miami University (OH). Riano, who entered the transfer portal in the winter, is expected to have at least one full year of eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition, per TFRRS. It also seems possible that she could have a second year of cross country eligibility, although that is still unclear. Riano is a promising three-season threat who, in retrospect, feels like a perfect fit for the BYU women as far as skillsets and roster identities are concerned. On the oval, Riano has produced personal bests of 15:50 (5k) and 9:46 (steeple). She has also qualified for the outdoor national meet twice in the latter event. The six-time Mid-American Conference champion across all three seasons has also thrived on the grass, at one point cracking our top-50 individual rankings during the 2022 cross country season. That year, Riano placed 3rd at the Louisville XC Classic and then won both the Bradley Pink Classic as well as the MAC XC Championships before placing 15th at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships. The now-former RedHawk would go on to have an "off" day the national meet. When we look at this transfer from a cross country perspective, this is a fairly significant recruiting win for Coach Diljeet Taylor. The BYU women are primed to have a fairly strong 2024 cross country season. Not only do most of their top stars return, but they are also far more experienced and far more proven as well. At the very least, Riano gives a podium-caliber squad a stable top-five scorer who can only raise BYU's already-high floor. She provides excellent scoring insurance and essentially gives the Cougars a more complete lineup heading into this fall. At her best, the newest grad transfer can even be a fringe low-stick who helps to negate some of the scoring efforts from other podium-contending squads. But what truly makes this transfer pick-up such a great fit is the fact that Riano can provide national-caliber value in both cross country AND the steeplechase. The 9:46 steeplechaser has been on the national stage twice, but has yet to truly reach the next tier where she's battling for All-American honors in that event. Of course, as we all know, Coach Diljeet Taylor is one of the best in the nation when it comes to developing upper-echelon steeplechase women. She did, after all, just guide Courtney Wayment to an Olympic birth in that event a few weeks ago. Riano fits everything that BYU was (probably) looking for and BYU perfectly meshes the skillset that has made Riano a valuable transfer prospect to begin with. On paper, few athlete-program pairings make more sense than this one.

Earlier today, Josh Grenade first reported on Instagram that Emily Covert was joining the Notre Dame women as a graduate transfer. The Stride Report has since independently confirmed the signing as well. Covert is expected to have one full year of eligibility across all three seasons of competition. Covert is a long-term veteran of the NCAA who left the University of Colorado this past winter, entering the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. She was then signed to Tennessee where she competed during the 2024 indoor and outdoor track seasons. TSR first reported Covert's transfer portal entry back in June. Admittedly, the former Buffalo and Volunteer hasn't been at her peak form since the 2021-2022 academic school year where she earned two All-American honors (one in cross country and one in the 10k). Even so, Covert has proven that she can continue to provide great scoring value, especially for a team like Notre Dame that is looking for another low-stick after the departures of Olivia and Andrea Markezich. During the fall of 2023, Covert secured a strong 5th place finish at the Virginia Invite before going on to place 42nd at the Nuttycombe Invite, 12th at the PAC-12 XC Championships and 50th at the NCAA XC Championships. The year before that, Covert's main highlights were a 29th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite and a bronze medal effort at the PAC-12 XC Championships. She has run personal best times of 9:04 (3k), 15:35 (5k) and 32:30 (10k). Regardless of which version of Covert that the Notre Dame women get this fall, this is still a significant recruiting win for Coach Matt Sparks. Although the Fighting Irish women were a podium team at last year's NCAA XC Championships, losing a pair of All-Americans in the Markezich sisters was going to be a challenging aspect to overcome. Yes, it's true that Erin Strzelecki is a returning All-American and that Siona Chisholm has begun to look more like herself as of late. It also hasn't hurt that Sophie Novak had a great 2024 spring campaign in the steeplechase. Even so, there was still a clear need for a second/third lead scorer to be paired alongside those women. That's why, at the very least, getting the 2023 version of Emily Covert should still lead to great scoring value on the grass. She also gives Notre Dame one less hole in their lineup to plug. And, of course, if Covert is able to rediscover her peak form, then the ladies from South Bend, Indiana may not see much of a drop-off from last year's podium squad.

Back in May, the University of Arkansas announced that they have signed Tyrice Taylor, one of the most coveted JUCO prospects in the country. The now-former Indian Hills CC runner and Jamaica native is expected to have two full years of eligibility for both indoor track and outdoor track, per TFRRS. A middle distance superstar at the NJCAA level, Tyrice Taylor has run a jaw-dropping personal best time of 1:45.84 for 800 meters. That mark was actually produced last month at the Maryland Qualifier in a field where he was one of five men who ran 1:45 or faster. Taylor has also run 46.27 for 400 meters. Despite his latest PR coming just a little over a month ago, Taylor has still proven to be an upper-tier half-mile star in the college realm, regardless of division. On his TFRRS profile, Taylor has run under the 1:50 (800) barrier a total 12 times -- and that doesn't even include all of the unattached marks that are recorded separately on his World Athletics page . Of course, Taylor has proven that he is more than just a great time trial runner over the 800-meter distance. In an era where the men's JUCO level has been producing numerous NCAA middle distance stars, Taylor has still come away with two NJCAA titles over 800 meters in his four appearances on the national stage. Video via x.com // @IHCCrunning Earlier this week, the Arkansas men revealed that they have signed a quartet of longer distance standouts from the transfer portal. That group includes Brian Masai (via Akron), Timothy Chesondin (via Akron), Camren Fischer (via Princeton) and Dawson Welch (via Tennessee). While Taylor isn't expected to produce scoring on the grass, the newest Razorback ace should be a pivotal name who can battle with other SEC stars at the conference and national meet levels. That's especially important given that Sam Whitmarsh, Parvej Khan, Oussama El Bouchayby, Kimar Farquharson and a maybe a few others are evolving into formidable middle distance stars. The DMR is also an event that Arkansas historically puts plenty of emphasis on each winter. And by adding Taylor to a fully-stacked lineup, the value that he will bring to an often-underrated 800-meter leg of that relay could end up being the key difference in how high the Razorbacks' ceiling can be in that event.

Podcast production via Wyatt Barnsley Ben and Garrett are back with the first taste of the offseason coaching carousel! This week, the guys dive deep into the latest coaching news highlighted by Joanna Hayes leaving USC to join UCLA before evaluating the transfers of Lucy Jenks and Evan Dorenkamp. Be sure to listen, subscribe and review! (2:27) Joanna Hayes Leaves USC for UCLA Director Role (5:48) Duke Hires Kevin Jermyn as Head Distance Coach (9:56) Tony Miller to Replace Norbert Elliot as Director at Purdue (13:40) Matt Kane to Take Over for Bob Braman as Director at Florida State (18:22) Mark Rinker Hired by Elon as Next Head Coach (21:35) Lucy Jenks Transfers to Georgetown (25:37) Evan Dorenkamp Transfers to Oregon 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.