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Production via Wyatt Barnsley On this week’s episode of The Stride Report Podcast, Ben and Garrett react to one of the biggest policy changes in recent NCAA history as Division One officially eliminates altitude and track-size conversions from national qualifying consideration. The guys break down what the new rule means for athletes, coaches and championship qualification, discussing which programs could benefit and which may face new challenges. They also analyze Sean Brosnan taking over USC’s distance program and Brandon Hazouri’s surprising move to stay at Wake Forest after previously accepting a position at Ole Miss. To wrap things up, Ben and Garrett have some fun discussing the blockbuster news of LeBron James becoming a Philadelphia 76er. Be sure to listen, subscribe and review! (3:19) NCAA D1 Removes Altitude & Track-Size Conversions From National Qualifying Consideration (19:37) USC Hires Sean Brosnan as Next Distance Coach (27:17) Brandon Hazouri Promoted to Wake Forest Women’s Distance Coach After Being Hired at Ole Miss (36:29) LeBron is a Sixer 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.

Written by Jonah Billings, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin Earlier today, Arizona State announced that they have hired Ryan Vanhoy as the Sun Devils' next Director of Cross Country and Track & Field. The move comes one month following the dismissal of former ASU Director, Dion Miller. Vanhoy will now depart his position as Cal Poly's Director of Cross Country and Track & Field alongside his wife and coaching partner, Michelle Chewens, who has led the Mustang women's distance program since the pair were hired in summer of 2022. It is unclear at the moment what role Chewens will assume for Arizona State moving forward. Vanhoy and Chewens led Cal Poly to notable success during their short tenure in San Luis Obispo, winning four-straight Big West cross country titles on both the men’s and women’s side. Their distance program was the scoring engine behind three Big West track and field team titles, two men’s and one women’s. The Vanhoy era at Cal Poly was also responsible for the rise of middle distance stars such as Aidan McCarthy, whose blistering 1:45.19 (800) effort in 2025 remains the NCAA #7 all-time mark (indoors). Separately, Chris Caudillo, a 3:35 (1500) runner who earned All-American honors this past spring. It should be noted that, on Sunday, Caudillo announced via Instagram that he was entering the transfer portal. Speculation is that the now-former Mustang is expected to follow Vanhoy and Chewens to Tempe, Arizona. Sun Devil fans will hope that Vanhoy and Chewens can bring similar success to a beleaguered track and field program, one that has seen off-and-on success over the past decade. The Arizona State cross country program has seen even less production, consistently finishing in the back-half of the Big 12 Championships on the grass. Vanhoy and Chewens’ surprise late-summer move is more bad news for Cal Poly, as it was announced that former assistant coach Brandon Lawrence would take over California's distance program just last week.