Former Portland star, Matt Strangio, has announced that he is turning pro via the Brooks Beasts Track Club's Instagram page. The distance standout capped off his collegiate career this past spring with a 6th place All-American finish over 5000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Strangio also made his mark over the summer months by recording a 13:20 PR for 5000 meters. That effort earned him a runner-up finish at the historic Morton Games in Dublin, Ireland. Strangio’s time as a Pilot featured a 22nd place All-American finish at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships. Strangio also qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships over 3000 meters twice in his college career. The newest pro runner left his mark at the University of Portland by breaking five school records between the 1500 meters to the 5000 meters. The consistent progression of the former Pilot ace saw him rise to All-American accolades in his final collegiate years. The California native holds personal bests of 3:55 in the mile, 3:36.95 over 1500 meters and 7:39 for 3000 meters. Strangio is set to debut in a Brooks singlet next month at the USATF XC Championships. There, he will fight for a place on the United States' 2026 World XC Championship team.

Coach Chris Bucknam // Photo via Hank Layton & NWA Democrat-Gazette Written by Aimee Mackenzie, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin Chris Bucknam's illustrious 18-year career leading University of Arkansas' men's cross country and track and field programs will come to a close after he announced his retirement at the conclusion of the current year. Doug Case, the current Associate Head Coach of the men's program, has been promoted to the Head Coach role. Bucknam's career at the helm of the Razorbacks was filled with outstanding achievements, including two NCAA Indoor Championship titles a decade apart (2013 and 2023). He also produced numerous NCAA Championship podium finishes, leading Arkansas to six NCAA Championship runner-up finishes as well as five NCAA Championship 3rd-place finishes. Of course, his accolades don't stop there. Across his coaching career, Bucknam achieved a total of 34 different SEC team title victories and achieved six SEC triple-crowns. He remains one of six Arkansas head coaches to have secured a national title for the university. In the press release announcing his retirement, Bucknam mentioned that... "I've been in this business a long time. You don't always get to hand the baton off to your top assistant and go out on your own terms...I'm excited for the next chapter of our life, with my wife, Cindy, and our kids and our immediate families." When commenting on his replacement, Doug Case, Bucknam explained that... " I don't think there's a more qualified coach in any sport among the power four schools than Doug Case. His record in phenomenal. His ability to coach, to recruit and to mentor is off the charts." Doug Case has been at Arkansas for 18 years, and an Associate Head Coach for the past seven years. His collegiate coaching career has spanned 35 years with stints at Northern Iowa (2000 to 2008), Drake University (1996 to 1999) and Arkansas State (1989 to 1995). He was given the honor of USTFCCCA South Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year five times in his career. In his press conference following his promotion to the Head Coach role, Case explained that... "... because we're going to continue to do things, we're going to continue to have high expectations for the team, and for the staff, we're going to continue to work hard and compete hard, we're going to continue to be committed to winning championships, we're going to continue to compete with confidence because we have that hog on our chest."

Production via Wyatt Barnsley On this week’s episode of The Stride Report Podcast, Ben and Garrett break down a massive weekend of NCAA conference championship action, headlined by Oklahoma State’s thrilling win over Iowa State in the men’s BIG 12 title clash! The guys discuss Colorado’s gritty performance and, on the women’s side, Jane Hedengren’s dominant run that has fans wondering if she could contend for a national title. They also cover Virginia’s narrow ACC victory over Syracuse, NC State’s continued success, Florida’s SEC title run, and Oregon’s statement sweep at the BIG 10 Championships! Plus, Tulsa’s upset win over Tulane rounds out a weekend full of surprises, storylines, and shifting national momentum. Be sure to listen, subscribe and review! (3:14) Oklahoma State Men Emerge Victorious in Clash of the Titans at BIG 12 XC Championships (10:22) Short-Handed Colorado Finishes 3rd, BYU Men Take 4th (13:22) Jane Hedengren Dominates as BYU Women Claim BIG 12 Title (16:48) Iowa State, West Virginia and Oklahoma State Round Out Women’s BIG 12 Podium (19:46) Virginia Men Narrowly Edge Syracuse for ACC Title (26:07) NC State Women Dominate to Take ACC XC Championship Title (29:32) Florida Women Win SEC Title Over Alabama and South Carolina (36:43) Alabama Men Put Five in Top-20 to Beat Georgia for SEC Title (39:55) Oregon Men Score 36 Points to Win BIG 10 Title Over Michigan State and Wisconsin (44:11) Oregon Women Leave No Room for Doubt as They Dominate BIG 10 XC Championships (50:34) Tulsa Men Upset Tulane To Win American XC Championships 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.

Join us for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the Colorado School of Mines cross country team as they tackle a tough workout day — 1000-meter repeats! Go inside the action with mic’d-up moments, raw effort, and insights from Coach Chris Siemers as he leads the defending NCAA D2 men’s cross country champions and the RMAC champion women’s team through one of their signature sessions. Women's workout (0:51) Men's workout (7:44)