Felix Kemboi: The Sleeper Throughout this season Felix Kemboi of Alaska Anchorage has dropped some strong marks in the 800, 1500, and 5000. This is no secret for many of his conference rivals because Kemboi is currently ranked #7 in the 800, #3 in the 1500, and #2 in the 5000 in the conference. The Seawolf ace has unique range with personal bests of 1:54.21 in the 800 and 14:28.84 in the 5000 (which is a provisional time). What is also extremely impressive is his provisional time of 3:50.63 in the 1500. Kemboi has the range to do it all, so I would not be surprised to see him claim a couple of conference titles this weekend. Don't sleep on this UAA star... McCormick vs Mussatto: Part 2 At Indoor Nationals, Danielle McCormick of Alaska Anchorage and Alana Mussa tto of Simon Fraser were set to compete in heat two of the 800 preliminaries. The result for McCormick was her winning the section and advancing to the finals where she earned the bronze medal. Things were quite different for Mussatto, as she placed 3rd in the heat and did not advance to the final. This result did not faze her one bit as Mussatto has progressively dropped her time throughout this outdoor season. At the Bryan Clay Invitational, she set a personal best of 2:07.83 in the event, earning her the #6 fastest time in the NCAA. The story is fairly the same for McCormick who has put down a blistering time of 2:05.00 this spring. This ranks McCormick #3 overall in the NCAA. Mussatto definitely has a chip on her shoulder as we get to see part two of this newly generated rivalry which could give us a handful of fast times. Complete Dominance: Caroline Kurgat Surely by now everyone in D2 has heard of Alaska Anchorage’s super star runner Caroline Kurgat. She recently broke the 31 year-old NCAA DII record in the 10,000 with an unheard time of 32:08.00. Her dominance, however, does not stop there as she also holds the national record in the 5000 meters with a time of 15:28.46. Kurgat is considered one of the best distance runners’ ever in the NCAA DII history. She sits atop the GNAC leaderboard and will likely secure as many conference titles as she wants. However, if she chooses to preserve herself for NCAA's and only race the 5000 or the 10,000, then she'll open the door for a new face to earn a conference title. A Chance at a Sweep The men from Western Washington can do something special in the 10,000 meters this weekend. Jadon Olson, Bentley Wilson, and Edward Kiolbasa each rank #2 (31:23.74), #3 (31:34.80), and #4 (31:38.74) in the conference for this event. The trio’s time are not far apart, as only 15 seconds separate the three men. With the conference leader Nickson Koech of Alaska Anchorage pacing the way with a time of 31:02.62, the Western Washington teammates will have to work together and utilize strong pack running in order to complete the sweep. Edwin Kangogo’s Validation In running, as well as any sport, it is very difficult to return to competition after a year of absence. Yet, for Edwin Kangogo of Alaska Anchorage, this has been a relatively easy task. Missing the 2018 season has not affected Kangogo at all, as he has set personal bests in the 1500 and 3000 steeple in 2019. The most compelling performance that we've seen from him so far is his 8:56.08 in the steeplechase. That time is currently the #7 fastest time in the NCAA. Although he has performed at a high level during the regular season, GNAC's will be a great opportunity to show that he can still be a contender on the championship stage. If he does well enough this weekend, he'll likely ride that momentum towards an All-American finish at NCAA's.

MEN 800 The men’s 800 has the most elite talent of any distance event at SEC's. With four men in the top 12 in the country, the 800 final could be a preview of Nationals like it was during indoors. Devin Dixon took the win against Arop at SEC's this past winter, but the Mississippi State Bulldog got his revenge at Nationals. Dixon hasn’t had a great season compared with indoors, but if he can find his indoor form, then he will give Arop a run for his money. Arop’s teammates Daniel Nixon and Dejon Devroe will be the favorites to round out the top four. Behind them are a host of 1:48 guys who will look to capitalize on any mistakes from the favorites. 1500 Griffith nearly edged out Suliman during indoors, and he will be out for revenge in the 1500. Suliman remains the favorite as he has one of the top 1500 times in the country, but this could be one of the closest races of the meet. Behind those two will be one of the breakout stars of the year, Cade Bethmann of Ole Miss. Running PR's of 1:47 and 3:41 puts him in elite company. While he probably won’t compete with Suliman and Griffith, expect him to finish 3rd. Also in contention will be Ben Young from Kentucky and Zach Long of Tennessee who have each run 3:42 and 3:43, respectively this season. 5000 The 5k should be an exciting race as it is the last distance race of the meet and no one will be fresh. We have the favorites Gilbert Kigen, Gilbert Boit, and Alfred Chelanga bouncing back from running the 10k. The matchup between Kigen and Boit will be fascinating as Boit threw down a massive kick indoors to beat Kigen by .03 seconds. Another favorite, Zach Long, will have run the 1500 prelims (and finals assuming he advances) before the 5k. Others bouncing back from the 1500 are Suliman, Griffith, and Bethmann. If the race turns tactical, then look for those three guys to give the 5k specialists a run for their money. 10,000 Last year, the 10k was a tactical race for the top runners as Alabama swept the top three spots. Arkansas teammates Gilbert Boit and Matt Young will look to keep Gilbert Kigen and Alfred Chelanga from repeating last year’s performances. These four runners along with Ole Miss’ Mark Robertson have run 29:00 or under this year and they are the class of the field. If it comes down to a kick, watch out for Gilbert Boit who has shown that he has the ability to kick hard and beat Alabama’s top trio. 3000 Steeple The steeplechase does not include as many national contenders as the other distance events at SEC's, but it should be a hotly contested affair. Stephen Jones of Mississippi State has the fastest seed time of 8:53, but Alex Crigger from Tennessee is right behind him with a 8:55. Jones has had a breakout season this spring, running PR's in both the 5k and steeple. However, he has DNF’d in his last two races. Crigger is backing up his strong indoor season with some solid performances including anchoring Tennessee’s DMR to a win at Penn Relays (for their heat) and splitting 4:05. Other contenders include Kentucky’s Brennan Fields and Matthew Thomas who have run 8:59 and 9:01, respectively. A dark horse is Alabama’s Noel Rotich who has run 9:05 this year, but has run 8:52 before. In our Bryan Clay preview , I picked him to have a breakout race, but he didn’t start. Maybe this is the week? WOMEN 800 Like the men, the women’s 800 is loaded. There are eight women who have run 2:05 or faster with Jazmine Fray leading the way. Behind her are Amber Tanner of Georgia and Ersula Farrow from LSU who have run 2:04. With Sammy Watson turning pro, the door has been opened to other contenders. Fray won the indoor title, but Farrow and Tanner were less than a quarter of a second behind her. Hopefully we see another tight race that comes down to the wire. 1500 A familiar thread connects the favorites in the 1500. What is it you ask? They are all Arkansas Razorbacks. Carina Viljoen, Lauren Gregory, Devin Clark, and Taylor Werner have all run 4:17 or faster with Viljoen leading the way at 4:14. The Razorbacks dominated as a team during indoors, and it shouldn’t be much different outdoors. At the indoor meet, Arkansas went one through three. Will they do it again or do even better and go one through four? The better question might be which Razorback will take the title. Gregory took the mile this past winter, but Viljoen has run faster outdoors and has also shown some underrated consistency. Who will win in round two? 5000 Like the 1500, Arkansas should dominate the 5k. Viljoen, Werner, and Gregory will be coming back from the 1500. Werner has the top time in the conference at 15:38 while Gregory and Viljoen have the third and fourth fastest times. The second-best time belongs to Jessica Drop of Georgia who has run 15:41. Werner easily won the indoor conference 5k title, but that was at the beginning of the meet. During outdoors, the 5k is the last distance event. Will she still have enough in the tank after running the 1500? 10,000 Only six women on the entry list have run the 10k this season. The top two times in the field are from Ole Miss. Clio Ozanne-Jacques and Victoria Simmons have both run under 34:30. The next fastest time is Grace Tavani of Georgia who has run 34:56. Last year, only Missouri’s Meghan Cunnignham went under 35 minutes at the conference meet, so it will be interesting to see how tactical the race becomes. Will the Ole Miss ladies try to push the pace, or will they sit back and allow more people into the race? 3000 Steeple The steeple, like it is for the men, should be closely contested. Ole Miss teammates Lisa Vogelgesang and Madeleine King have run 10:19 and 10:22 this season. These two will be the co-favorites. Unlike the 10k, the steeple isn’t usually a tactical race, so if these two push the pace, then they should be able to put some distance between themselves and the field. Three women to keep an eye on to compete with the Lady Rebels up front are Minta Hukka of Tennessee, Joyce Kimeli of Auburn, and Rachel Nichwitz from Arkansas. These three women have run either 10:27 or 10:28. If Vogelgesang and King slip up, then my bet is for Kimeli to pull off the upset. She has PR’d in her last three races and looks to be fresh since she hasn’t raced for three weeks.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is one of the NCAA’s most competitive conferences and it produces many All-Americans each year. This Thursday through Saturday, The University of Virginia will be hosting the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championship. I’ll be in Charlottesville all three days covering the action, so I’m excited to see some great races. If you see me, feel free to say hello! MEN 800 The most notable headline relating to the ACC 800 this season has been the absence of Wake Forest’s Robert Heppenstall. The senior is redshirting this season in an effort to run the World Championship standard (1:45.80) for the competition in Doha in September. Georgia Tech’s Avery Bartlett is the top seed, coming in at 1:47.54. He has a decent edge on the rest of the field, as the next fastest entrants are Bashir Mosavel-Lo of Virginia Tech at 1:48.82, Matt Wisner of Duke at 1:49.32, Drew Glick of Pittsburgh at 1:49.74, and Bennett Hillier of Georgia Tech at 1:49.93. These are the only athletes entered under 1:50, but there is a big group seeded at 1:50 or just above. Bartlett looks to be the best in the field, but after him and Mosavel-Lo, the seed times are all very closely distributed so this should be a very competitive race. 1500 Yared Nuguse enters this race as the class of the field, seeded at 3:38. This is a time that puts him #1 in the East Region and #3 in the NCAA as a whole. It is safe to say that Nuguse will be a strong contender for the national title in June. After Nuguse, Brandon Tubby of North Carolina and Philip Hall of NC State come in at 3:44. At 3:46, the floodgates begin to open. Nate Sloan (Pittsburgh), Matthew Novak (Virginia), Istvan Szogi (Florida State), Jack Joyce (Virginia Tech), Dylan Jacobs (Notre Dame), and Alex Milligan (North Carolina) are all seeded at 3:46 which should make for a very competitive race. The 1500 at ACC's tends to be pretty tactical, so it will be important for Nuguse not to wait too long to go for it if he wants a decisive win. Teams like Notre Dame and North Carolina could come up big with team points in this race if things go their way. 5000 The men’s 5000 will showcase some of the top talent in the NCAA. Syracuse’s Aidan Tooker and Wake Forest’s Zach Facioni are both seeded at 13:48 for the top times. Tooker will also be running the steeplechase the night before, so he may be fatigued and not as fresh as his competitors. More on that later. As I have mentioned in multiple articles before this, I have been impressed with freshman Zach Facioni since I watched him run at the ACC Cross Country Championship this past fall. He battled Virginia Tech senior Peter Seufer every step of the way and came up just short at the line. It’s not every day that you see a freshman going at it with such an experienced veteran, but Facioni ran an incredible race. Peter Seufer is seeded right behind Facioni at 13:51, so it’s possible we will get to see another great race from them. Next up is NC State’s Ian Shanklin, seeded at 13:55. Brent Demarest of Virginia and Sean Burke of Boston College come in at 13:59. Some other notable entries who are entered with no times this season are JP Flavin of NC State who has run 28:58 for 10k this year and Iliass Aouani of Syracuse who has run 28:25 for 10k this year (and has a 13:51 5k PR). 10,000 The men’s 10k could end up being one of the most exciting races at this year’s ACC Championship. Syracuse’s Iliass Aouani comes in with the top time at 28:25. He ran that time at the Stanford Invitational a few weeks ago and that sets him up to not only perform well this weekend, but through Regionals and into Nationals as well. Behind Aouani is Emmanuel Cheboson of Louisville who has run 28:42. He will make for great competition for Aouani if they decide to break the race open early. That might be unlikely though as Aouani will want to save something for the 5k later in the meet. Notre Dame Freshman Danny Kilrea has the third fastest seed in the field at 28:55, a time that makes him the fastest freshman in the country this year. Lachlan Cook of Virginia and Sean Burke of Boston College are seeded at 29:10 and 29:11. The Virginia Duo of Brent Demarest and Alex Corbett are seeded at 29:17 and 29:18, putting three Virginia athletes in the top seven seeds, which could make for huge team points. Entered with no time are Virginia Tech’s Peter Seufer who has run 29:21 earlier in his career, and NC State’s Patrick Sheehan who has run 13:57 for 5000 meters. 3000 Steeplechase When looking at the ACC steeplechase results for this season, one thing quickly becomes clear. Aidan Tooker has yet to compete in his best event. The Syracuse junior was 4th at NCAA's last spring and holds a PR of 8:35. The consequence of Tooker not having raced a steeplechase this year is that he is seeded with no time, which puts him in the slow heat. Nobody in the slow heat is seeded faster than 9:14, so Tooker will have to go for a solo win if he wants to take the title. In the fast heat, Louisville’s Albert Kosgei is the top seed at 8:47. If Tooker can’t pull it off in the slow heat, Kosgei will have a good shot at the win. Mike Ungvarsky of Duke is not far behind with an 8:50 along with Fitsum Seyoum of Virginia Tech and Josh Higgins of Pittsburgh at 8:54. Coming in at 8:56 is Matthew Novak of Virginia and Gavin Gaynor of NC State. A notable absence in the field is Noah Affolder from Syracuse, who has a PR of 8:40 and was 9th at NCAA's last year. As first reported by TSR, Affolder is redshirting this spring season and is looking to transfer elsewhere this summer. The steeple is not ultra-competitive in the ACC this year, but Tooker’s race will be the one to watch to see if he can win from the slow heat. Drew Hunter did it in the two-mile at USA's during indoors, so hey, anything is possible. WOMEN 800 The women’s 800 is very deep this year and should make for a very competitive final. Kayla Johnson of Miami comes in with the top seed at 2:04.43 but is closely followed by Virginia Tech’s Rachel Pocratsky follows in 2:04.67. Right behind her is Jessica Harris of Notre Dame at 2:04.84. It will be interesting to see how women like Harris and Pocratsky, who have been equally successful in the 1500, will handle an 800 specialist like Johnson this weekend. Pocratsky has the edge from an experience standpoint, but this will not be an easy race for her. We should also mention Kamryn McIntosh of Clemson who is seeded at 2:05.54. She was one of our sleeper picks to watch during indoors and it looks like she is living up to that hype during outdoors. 1500 In the women’s 1500, we have a similar situation to the men's 800. NCAA #2 Jessica Harris is not running, and she would have been the heavy favorite at 4:13 if she was. Even without Harris, the field looks to be dominated by two women. Florida State’s Maudie Skyring is entered at 4:16 and NC State’s Nevada Mareno is entered at 4:17. These two may end up battling for the win if the race goes out fast. Following those two is Rachel Pocratsky of Virginia Tech and Liz Lansing of Duke at 4:20. Pocratsky may not have the seasonal bests that Mareno or Skyring have, but she is more than capable of pulling off the 1500/800 double gold if the races favor her tactically. Jodie Judd of Florida State and Paige Duca of Boston College come in right behind at 4:21. Like the 800, this race will be considerably deep, and if the top two seeds do not decide to go for it early, there could be a large pack fighting for spots at the end. 5000 In the 5000, the top-seeded athlete is Paige Stoner of Syracuse at 15:28. Louisville's Dorcas Wasike is a bit further back on the start list at 16:13, but she has a PR of 15:25 which will certainly put her in the hunt for the win. Following those two is Militsa Mircheva of Florida State at 15:45.After that there is a bit of a gap until the next entry, which is Jacqueline Gaughan of Notre Dame at 16:01. She is only a freshman which makes her time even more impressive. Next up is Dominique Clairmonte of NC State who has run 16:04. Rachel Bonner of Syracuse is seeded at 16:05, and Samantha Halvorsen of Wake Forest is right behind her at 16:06. Sara Friex of Virginia Tech also comes in at 16:09. There are a few notable athletes entered without seed times. Notre Dame’s Jessica Harris who has run 2:04 and 4:13 this season and will be making what appears to be her debut at this distance. Maybe we will see her add a third NCAA top time to her season this weekend. NC State All-American Elly Henes is entered with no time, and while she holds a PR of 15:41, she ran unattached at Payton Jordan last weekend so it is unclear if she is redshirting. Obviously, if she races this weekend, that will not be the case. 10,000 The 10,000 is headlined by Dorcas Wasike of Louisville who is seeded at 33:28. However, we can't forget that Wasike has run 32:11 and finished 2nd at NCAA's last spring. She is the heavy favorite to take the title this weekend with Stoner not in the entries. Elizabeth Funderburk of Florida State is seeded right behind her at 33:31, which is her PR. Meredith Smith of Wake Forest is the third seed at 34:14, and Monica Hebner of Duke and Annie Heffernan of Notre Dame are right behind her at 34:20 and 34:23, respectively. The no-time entries in the 10k could significantly shake things up. Notre Dame’s Anna Rohrer has not raced since she finished 10th at NCAA's in cross country last fall, but she has a PR of 31:58. If she’s healthy, she could be a serious contender. Samantha Halvorsen of Wake Forest has a PR of 33:52. She finished 16th in the 10k at NCAA's last year and will be making her season debut this weekend. Virginia Tech’s Sara Freix has a PR of 34:12 which could make her a factor as well. 3000 Steeplechase The women’s steeplechase field is considerably small this weekend with only 14 athletes entered. Paige Stoner of Syracuse is entered at 10:01, but she finished 3rd at NCAA's last in a time of 9:46. When you look at her resume, it's clear that she is the overwhelming favorite. That said, Nell Crosby of NC State is seeded at 10:04 for the second fastest seed. She could make Stoner work for this win.Syracuse’s Laura Dickinson is seeded third at 10:10, putting her in a position to score big points for Syracuse along with Stoner. After those three, the field quickly strings out. It would not be surprising to see this race turn tactical early on as these three athletes are significantly faster than the rest of the field and may be encouraged to sit and kick.

KEY (Unranked) Was not ranked the week before (#/#) First number indicates the change in a runner's ranking from week prior Second number indicates where the runner was ranked last week 20. Shane Bracken, Saint Leo (Unranked) Bracken jumps onto our list because of his performance last weekend. He ran 3:44 at the UF Tom Jones Invitational and currently has the second fastest raw time in the country. I have him moving into these rankings because he’s currently a lock to make the National Championship, while others at the end of this might not make the NCAA meet. 19. Jake Mitchem, Colorado Mines (-1 / 18) Mitchem was idle this past weekend. 18. Jacob Kernell, Walsh (Unranked) Kernell finds himself in the rankings for the first time this year after a strong conference championship race. The senior from Walsh ran 8:52 and captured the #4 fastest time in the country. It was also a seven second improvement upon his previous personal best. Kernell also ran a personal best in the 5000 with his time of 14:41 and was just edged out by freshman Emeric Arnaud of Davis and Elkins. 17. Luke Julian, Colorado Mines (-1 / 16) Julian was idle this past weekend. 16. Christian Noble, Lee (Tenn.) (+1 / 17) Noble attempted the rare 10k-Steeple-5k triple at his conference meet this past weekend. Even more rare than the three events was Noble taking home the title in all three of the races. He ran 32:42 to win the 10,000 by two seconds. He then ran 9:06 in the steeple to also win by two seconds. And on the last day, he ran the 5000 in 14:46 to win by three seconds. It’s safe to say that Noble is locked in on championship racing and will be ready for Nationals. 15. Devundrick Walker, CSU-Pueblo (-1 / 14) Walker was idle this past weekend. 14. Ayman Zahafi, TAMU-Kingsville (+1 / 15) I think we could go out on a limb and say that Zahafi has had one of the better seasons in terms of improvement. He’s essentially improved in every single race from the indoor season and now sits with a personal best of 1:48.54. That was already the fastest raw time in the NCAA and after the conversion, he sits at 1:48.13. With Thomas Staines focused on bigger things (like maybe the World Championships?), Zahafi has the top spot at Nationals in his sights and has a chance to achieve it. 13. Victor Moreau, Academy of Art (0 / 13) Moreau raced at the Payton Jordan Invitational last week and ran 3:47 in the 1500. Surely he was looking to improve upon his 3:46 personal best, but he’s now raced three weekends in a row and I think it showed a bit over the last 200 meters of his race. Moreau is still insanely strong and should still be considered as a legitimate threat in the 1500. 12. Brett Meyer, Fort Hays State (0 / 12) The Fort Hays senior capped off his regular season career with two 1st place finishes this past weekend. He took home the 1500 title in a time of 3:49 which also marked his second straight title in the event. He was also able to take home the 800 title with a time of 1:51.45. That time is also a top 30 mark in the NCAA. Meyer is still a favorite of many heading into the NCAA meet at 1500 meters and with his focus on just one race, we could see him take home his first NCAA title. 11. Taylor Stack, Western Colorado (0 / 11) Stack was idle this past weekend. 10. Leakey Kipkosgei, American International (0 / 10) Kipkosgei was a two-time champ at the Northeast-10 Championships over the weekend. He won the 1500 in a time of 3:53 and also won the steeplechase with a time of 9:09. There had been some question in regards to which event(s) would he run at the national meet and I think this is a clear indicator of what he will choose. Given his times throughout the season, Kipkosgei has the ability to double and these are his two strongest events. There’s a legitimate chance of him winning both of these race given the championship racing style. 9. Josh Hoskinson, Colorado Mines (0 / 9) Hoskinson was idle this past weekend. 8. Marcelo Laguera, CSU-Pueblo (0 / 8) Laguera was idle this past weekend. 7. Dennis Mbuta, Grand Valley State (0 / 7) Mbuta was the 1500 meter champion for the GLIAC this past weekend in a time of 3:52. He also competed in the 800 where he finished 2nd in a time of 1:52. It’s still unclear if we will see him double up at the Outdoor National Championships like he did during indoors. His stronger race is the likely 800 and unlike indoors, he’ll have to get through prelims of the 1500 before the 800 prelims. 6. Felix Wammetsberger, Queens (N.C.) (0 / 6) Wammetsberger was idle this past weekend. 5. Daniel Wallis, Queens (N.C.) (0 / 5) Wallis was idle this past weekend. 4. Elias Gedyon, Adams State (0 / 4) Gedyon ran at the Payton Jordan Invitational where he was trying to improve upon his personal best of 3:45. He ran 3:47 and was unable to finish with the leaders down the homestretch. The opinion of Gedyon doesn’t change given he’s run 13:45 on the year and ran just as fast at altitude this year. He's a strong favorite to compete for both the 1500 and 5000 title. 3. Thomas Staines, CSU-Pueblo (0 / 3) Staines was idle this past weekend. He’s also made it known that his intentions are to qualify for the British team for the upcoming World Championships in Doha this summer. The Music City Distance Carnival where he’ll be attempting to achieve that is the weekend after Nationals, so his focus may be turned to something greater. 2. Sydney Gidabuday, Adams State (0 / 2) Gidabuday finally debuted in the 5000 to a tune of 13:59. For Gidabuday, it wasn’t his greatest race, but it’s also the #3 fastest time in the NCAA this year. Behind only Panning and his teammate Gedyon, there’s a strong chance that it’ll be a three-man race like it was for the 3000 during indoors. Gidabuday hasn’t raced a 10,000 this year, but has raced multiple 1500s which has us believing that he’ll be attempting just the 5000 or go for the rare 1500/5000 double at NCAA's. 1. Zach Panning, Grand Valley State (0 / 1) Panning's only race was the 5000 this past weekend where he was the winner in a time of 14:07, 23 seconds clear of 2nd place. Panning has been deemed as the favorite for the 5000 and 10,000 titles later this month for a while now. His ability to run his own race and force the issue gives him the upper hand on others who do not want to redline too early. He’s the reigning 5000 outdoor champ and with Ngandu out of the picture, the 10k looks to be his for the taking. 800 1. Thomas Staines (CSU-Pueblo) 2. Dennis Mbuta (Grand Valley State) 3. Ayman Zahafi (TAMU-Kingsville) 4. Devundrick Walker (CSU-Pueblo) 5. Shaquille Dill (St. Augustines) 1500 1. Daniel Wallis (Queens (N.C.)) 2. Felix Wammetsberger (Queens (N.C.)) 3. Elias Gedyon (Adams State) 4. Brett Meyer (Fort Hays State) 5. Victor Moreau (Academy of Art) 3000 Steeplechase 1. Leakey Kipkosgei (American International) 2. Taylor Stack (Western Colorado) 3. Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.)) 4. Jacob Kernell (Walsh) 5. Jake Mitchem (Colorado Mines) 5000 1. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State) 2. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) 3. Elias Gedyon (Adams State) 4. Josh Hoskinson (Colorado Mines) 5. Eddie King (Chico State) 10,000 1. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State) 2. Marcelo Laguera (CSU-Pueblo) 3. Tom Goforth (Saginaw Valley State) 4. Stetson Rayas (Dallas Baptist) 5. Jack Mastandrea (Charleston (W.V.))

The BIG 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be hosted this weekend at the University of Iowa, where a collection of some of the nations best athletes will face-off with conference titles and regional qualifiers at stake. The meet will feature six defending national champions, three for each gender. On the men’s side the athletes are Obsa Ali of Minnesota (2018 steeplechase), Morgan McDonald of Wisconsin (2019 indoor 3k and 5k), and Oliver Hoare (2018 1500), also of Wisconsin. The women are headlined by Julia Rizk of Ohio State (indoor mile), Danae Rivers of Penn State (indoor 800) and Alicia Monson of Wisconsin (indoor 5k). Heat sheets for the meet have yet to be released, so all athlete event entries are speculation based on past performances. Below, we break down the biggest headlines heading into this weekend and highlight the athletes to watch at Iowa. Will the Badgers run qualifiers? Alicia Monson and Morgan McDonald both won the indoor 5000 meter title this past winter. Right now, both are qualified for the NCAA West Regional meet in one event (McDonald 5k, Monson 10k). Monson has yet to post an outdoor 5000 meter mark and similarly, McDonald has not run a 10k. This meet will essentially be their last chance to run either event if they want a shot at doubling at the national meet. For McDonald, the logical move would be to run both. He doubled down during indoors and came away with national titles in the 3000 and 5000. Not only that, but he is coming off a national title in cross country as well. The heat in Austin should prevent anyone from trying to make the 10k a time trial which plays out perfectly if McDonald is hoping to conserve some energy for the 5k. Assuming he wants a shot at two more titles, he will need to race the 10k at BIG 10s this weekend and put down a decent enough mark to qualify for the regional meet. He should also be able to come away with the title en route to a qualifying time. The choice for Monson is a little more vague. Although she also ran the 3000 and 5000 at the indoor national meet like McDonald, she was never really in contention to win the 3000 after claiming a title in the 5000 the night before. The double at NCAAs would certainly be more challenging given the added volume, but the schedule of events could play out in her favor. Monson currently has a qualifying mark in the 10k which means it is likely her primary focus at NCAA's. Given that the 10k is run before the 5k, she could easily qualify in both events and see what’s left in the tank by the time she gets to the 5k. If she does race this weekend, the 5000 seems like the most logical option. If she doesn't race at all, maybe we need to start questioning whether or not she's healthy... Rizk versus Rivers The BIG 10 is home to two of the nations best middle-distance women in Julia Rizk and Danae Rivers. They both are coming off Indoor National Championship wins and both have qualifiers in the 800 and 1500 meters. This weekend sets up two potential showdowns if they opt to race both events. While neither have anything to prove this weekend, the glory of a conference championship title will certainly be calling both of their names. Rivers has better personal bests over both distances, but that does not guarantee her either victory. Rizk was a big surprise to many this indoor season when she won the mile, but has since made her presence known and currently sits #18 in the country for the 1500. Seeing the two stars go head-to-head in both events would be exciting, but more than likely each will opt for only one event. Based on past results, it is likely Rizk will run the 1500 while Rivers will look to run the 800. What could also be exciting is seeing Hannah Meier and Rizk toe the line against each other just like they did at the BIG 10 Indoor Championships this past winter. In that race, Meier narrowly edged Rizk leading many of us to overlook Rizk entering NCAA's. I'm sure the Ohio State ace wants to get revenge on her conference rival for what happened last season. Can Kyle Mau or George Kusche challenge Oliver Hoare? Oliver Hoare winning the NCAA 1500 title last year was one of the biggest upsets at a national meet that was full of upsets. Josh Kerr of New Mexico was the heavy favorite after setting a new collegiate record earlier in the season and winning the mile title indoors. After coming away with the surprise victory, Hoare became the big favorite to win the mile at NCAA indoors this season before being dethroned by Geordie Beamish of NAU. Can Kyle Mau or George Kusche pull off a similar upset this weekend? Hoare is currently the top ranked collegiate in the 1500 with a time of 3:37.20 which he ran at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Mau currently sits at #16 in the NCAA with a mark of 3:40.42. George Kusche, the spectacular freshman from Nebraska, currently ranks #9 with a mark of 3:39.33 which he just ran at Payton Jordan last week. All three guys have personal bests in a similar window, but Hoare has a better all-time record against both. Last time these three met in a BIG 10 Championship was this past indoor season in the mile. Hoare edged out Mau by just under a second for the win while Kusche finished 4th behind Jesse Reiser of Illinois. If either man is to beat Hoare, our bet would be on Mau. While Kusche has a faster personal best, Mau has the experience of racing in a championship setting and will have the bitter taste of the indoor season still in his mouth. Can the Minnesota men sweep the steeple? Four of the top five steeplechasers in the BIG 10 are from the University of Minnesota. The leader of the Gophers is defending national champion Obsa Ali, who currently ranks #2 in the NCAA with a mark of 8:31.15. Behind him is the trio of Alec Basten (NCAA #14), Nick Rink (#48), and Jack Manderscheid (#51). All three have already qualified for the West Regional meet and have a great chance to go 1-2-3 at BIG 10's if they can edge out Iowa junior Nathan Mylenek. The Iowa Hawkeye currently ranks #5 in the NCAA with a mark of 8:38.53. While his credentials are substantialy better than the other Gophers, the steeple provides a certain level of uncertainty that could see a Minnesota sweep if Mylenek has any issues with a barrier. Plus, Mylenek may be needed in other events like the 1500 or 5000 with the Hawkeyes in position to win the overall team title. A busy weekend of action could leave Mylenek vulnerable if he is assigned a heavy workload.

KEY (Unranked) Was not ranked the week before (#/#) First number indicates the change in a runner's ranking from week prior Second number indicates where the runner was ranked last week 20. Bailey Sharon | Western Colorado (SO) (-2 / 18) Idle 19. Olivia Woods | Western Oregon (SR) (Unranked) Woods is back in the rankings for the first time this season since the preseason edition due to her having her best meet of this outdoor season at the Portland Twilight. She finished 7th overall in the 800 (1st in D2) with a provisional time of 2:07.93, which is a season best by two seconds and puts her at #7 on D2 leaderboard in that event. She also helped the Western Oregon 4x4 team to a season best time of 3:55.79. 18. Liz Bloch | Michigan Tech (SR) (+1 / 19) Welp, Bloch proved that her 1500 PR of 4:24.67 that she ran earlier this season was no fluke, as she almost matched it at the GLIAC Championships. She took home the 1500 win in dominant fashion with a 4:24.73, winning by just over six seconds over Allie Ludge. She also dipped down to the 400 and picked up a PR with a time of 57.47 in prelims to make the finals. She then helped the Michigan Tech 4x4 to a 6th place finish. 17. Alana Mussatto | Simon Fraser (SR) (0 / 17) Mussatto ran her third 400 of the season this weekend at the Portland Twilight, as she ran a season best of 57.10. She also helped the Simon Fraser 4x4 grab the win, running a 3:46.18. 16. Gina Patterson | Grand Valley State (JR) (0 / 16) Patterson continues her impressive run this season, as she took home the win in the 5k at the GLIAC Championships. She was not far off her season best, running a 16:42.71, winning by about 15 seconds. 15. Sophie Dodd | Simon Fraser (SR) (0 / 15) After getting a week off from racing for the first time in about a month, Dodd returned this week to help the Simon Fraser 4x4 to a win at the Portland Twilight. 14. Andra Lehotay | Walsh (JR) (0 / 14) Lehotay returned to winning form this weekend at the G-MAC Championships. She took home the win in the 1500 with a time of 4:35.67, which is far off her PR, but it was a solid (and encouraging) victory. She also ran a 2:11.44 in the 800, which is just a second off of her PR, to finish 2nd overall. This is the best Lehotay has looked since early April in my eyes. 13. Kristen Metcalfe | Embry-Riddle (SR) (0 / 13) After getting a late start to the season, Metcalfe has now raced for three straight weeks. She ran another 800 this past weekend, as she soloed a 2:12.59. It looks like she is just trying to get some races in her legs to prepare for Nationals which is right around the corner. 12. Allie Ludge | Grand Valley State (JR) (-1 / 11) It is still a mystery on what Ludge is going to choose to run at Nationals as the season comes to an end. We saw her in the 1500 this past weekend at the GLIAC Championships where she finished 2nd behind only Liz Bloch. She ran a 4:31.29, which is far off her season best of 4:22.33. 11. Carsyn Koch-Johnson | Cedarville (SR) (-1 / 10) Idle 10. Julia Howley | Simon Fraser (SR) (-1 / 9) Howley continues to impress this season, as she picked up another steeplechase win this past weekend at the Portland Twilight where she soloed a 10:05.47, which is just a couple seconds off her best time of the season. Howley has not been in a steeplechase race this season where she has been pushed so I am excited to see what she can do when she has competition. She is only pushed back in our rankings due to exceptional performances from a few others. 9. Danielle McCormick | Alaska Anchorage (SR) (-1 / 8) McCormick had a really light load this weekend, as she only participated in the 4x4. She did help her team to a win, as they ran a time of 4:02.41, winning by almost seven seconds. 8. Stephanie Cotter | Adams State (FR) (+4 / 12) Welp, after seeing the results this past weekend, I would like to publicly apologize for dropping you so many spots a couple weeks ago, Stephanie. After coming off an indoor title, I had high expectations for her this season and the month of April was not a great one. Of course, Cotter turned it around last week at Payton Jordan. Finishing 2nd overall in her race and as the top collegiate in her field, Cotter ran a 1500 PR and auto qualifying time of 4:19.84, which is now the #3 ranked time in D2. She has reaffirmed her position as a national title contender. 7. Leah Hanle | Mount Olive (JR) (0 / 7) Idle 6. Roisin Flanagan | Adams State (JR) (0 / 6) Flanagan returned to the 1500 last week at Payton Jordan, finishing 5th overall and as the top collegiate in the field. She did not match her season best, but she still ran a very quick time of 4:17.53. She remains the top ranked 1500 runner in D2. 5. Rachael Walters | Grand Valley State (SR) (0 / 5) As expected, Walters took the easy win in the 800 this past weekend at the GLIAC Championship meet, running a time of 2:07.74. She also led her 4x4 team to a win and a provisional time of 3:41.31, which currently sits at #8 in D2. 4. Skylyn Webb | UC Colorado-Springs (SR) (-1 / 3) Idle 3. Alicja Konieczek | Western Colorado (SR) (+1 / 4) Konieczek’s steeplechase season debut went about as we expected. She ran a 9:52.32 at Payton Jordan, finishing 3rd overall and as the top D2 runner in the field. That time is the top time in D2, which now puts her in the top five of D2 in the 1500, 5k, and steeplechase. 2. Eilish Flanagan | Adams State (JR) (0 / 2) We finally saw Flanagan run her first steeplechase of the season this weekend at Payton Jordan. It was an extremely impressive performance by her, as she finished 4th overall and as the second D2 athlete (only behind Konieczek) running a PR of 9:55.25. Flanagan is now #4 in the 1500, #2 in the 5k, and #2 in the steeplechase on the D2 leaderboard. She is a real threat to end Konieczek’s steeplechase reign. 1. Caroline Kurgat | Alaska Anchorage (SR) (0 / 1) Is there any event Kurgat cannot do? In only her second 800 ever, Kurgat ran a PR of 2:09.90 for the win at the Linfield Open. She most certainly will not do this event come championship time, but it is extremely impressive that she can be ranked first in D2 in the 10k and also have a top 15 time in the 800. 800 1. Skylyn Webb (UC Colorado Springs) 2. Rachael Walters (Grand Valley State) 3. Danielle McCormick (Alaska Anchorage) 4. Carsyn Koch-Johnson (Cedarville) 5. Sophie Dodd (Simon Fraser) 1500 1. Roisin Flanagan (Adams State) 2. Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage) 3. Stephanie Cotter (Adams State) 4. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) 5. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado) 3000 Steeplechase 1. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado) 2. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) 3. Julia Howley (Simon Fraser) 4. Hanna Groeber (Grand Valley State) 5. Allysen Eads (Hillsdale) 5000 1. Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage) 2. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) 3. Leah Hanle (Mount Olive) 4. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado) 5. Julia Howley (Grand Valley State) 10,000 1. Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage) 2. Leah Hanle (Mount Olive) 3. Gina Patterson (Grand Valley State) 4. Alexa Shindruk (Central Washington) 5. Eileen Stressling (Azusa Pacific)

Written by Maura Beattie, additional commentary by Garrett Zatlin And so it begins. On Thursday night, the Mountain West distance events will begin at Fresno State. For most athletes, this is the last chance to chase an NCAA first-round qualifier, so it will be interesting to see how coaches attempt to balance maximizing points and securing regional qualifiers. MEN 800 Michael Rhoads of Air Force leads the conference with a 1:47 which is a second more than Kristian Hansen of New Mexico. Even though Rhoads comes in holding the #5 time in the West Region, he will have to face-off against two underrated New Mexico talents, Hansen and Max Wharton. However, Rhoads won't be alone at the front of the pack. Teammate Gordon Kowalkowski of Air Force may lean on Rhoads in this race to solidify a spot in the West Region's top 48. As a result, this could end up being a very quick race. 1500 So far, one runner from the MW is sitting in the West Region’s top 48 and that is New Mexico’s Michael Wilson (#23). Wilson ran a strong 3:43 at Bryan Clay a few weeks back and has quietly put together some strong performances. Henry Mong of Boise State and Iolo Hughes of New Mexico are close behind with a pair of 3:45’s (which were also run at Bryan Clay). At last year’s conference championship meet, Cole Rockhold of Colorado State dropped down in distance to the 1500. Sure enough, the 3:41 CSU ace is doing same thing this year with the possible goal of improving his speed. He'll need it for what will likely be a tactical 5000 meter race at NCAA's. There are lot of interesting names in this field, but based on the marks that they have already run this season, I imagine this race will result in a sit and kick. 5000 Colorado State’s Cole Rockhold is not only the defending champion from the 2018 MW Championship, but he also comes in with the #10 time in the West Region (13:35) which is 12 full seconds ahead of the next competitor. Rockhold has shown that he has fully recovered from the injury that ended his cross country season early. However, he'll have to battle Paul Roberts of Wyoming who thrived throughout the entirety of this past cross country season. That said, his success from October and November hasn't exactly translated on the track. If Robert’s wants to solidify a regional qualifier in the 5k, he will have to ensure that this race is honest from the gun. Three other men have regional qualifiers heading into the race including Air Force’s Jacob Bilvado and the Boise State duo of Ahmed Muhumed and Elijah Armstrong. Keep in mind that Armstrong will be right on the bubble of the West Region's top 48 for this event if he does not improve upon his current seasonal best. That could add extra incentive for Armstrong to push the pace at some point in this race. 10,000 It is unlikely that this race will go fast seeing how the top five men already hold regional qualifiers. Eric Hamer of Colorado State is the top seed with a 29:13 and is followed by Boise State’s Riley Campbell. James Withers of Utah State may try and push the pace, but it can be difficult to run a fast 10K on his own. The Colorado State duo of Hamer and Hume could very easily go 1-2 in this race, but there are some underrated talents like Nathan Thomas, Christopher Henry, and Miler Haller (to name a few) who could shake things up. 3000 Steeplechase Wyoming’s Harry Ewing enters this race with the #7 mark in the West Region at 8:42. There are four other men joining Ewing with marks under 9:00. Ewing’s closest competitor is Craig Huff of San Jose State who has run 8:47, but then there is a ten second gap back to New Mexico’s Jonny Glen. This race will probably turn tactical when you consider that six men are already well within the top 48 in the West Region, but this is still Ewing’s race to lose. WOMEN 800 Top seeded Avi’ Tal Wilson-Perteete of UNLV has run 2:02 this season and has a four second lead over the next fastest entrant (Nyjari McNeil of San Diego State). Elisa Rovere of UNLV and Kristie Schoffield of Boise State will be looking to improve on their season bests which could very easily happen if Wilson-Perteete keep this race honest. It's her only individual race of the weekend, so that could very well be the case. 1500 Boise State’s Alexis Fuller and Allie Ostrander went 1-2 last year in this race and on paper, it looks like the same could happen again this year. I was hoping to see New Mexico’s Weini Kelati show her foot speed after winning the MW indoor mile title this past winter, but she is not entered. Rather, teammate Adva Cohen is seeded third. Just last week, Cohen pushed Ostrander to the line in the steeplechase, and the same thing could happen this weekend in the 1500. Don't count out the Lady Lobo who has found her groove this outdoor season. 5000 This race seems to be the highlight of the weekend on the women’s side as Allie Ostrander and Clare O’Brien of Boise State will battle New Mexico's Ednah Kurgat and Emily Martin (as well as Air Force's Jaci Smith) for the conference title. Ostrander has shown that she can compete with the best in the 1500, steeple, and 10k, but she has yet to race a 5k this season. Meanwhile, Kurgat leads the field by 16 seconds with a seasonal best of 15:32. Ostrander has been on fire over the past few months, but can she take down the one woman who has stood in her way for most of her career? As for Jaci Smith, she has yet to race outdoors this season, so she could be a little rusty, especially if the race is quick from the gun. Last year’s race was won in 15:44 (by Ostrander) and this year could produce a sub-15:50 time once again. 10,000 The 10k podium spots are relatively wide-open and will likely be used by coaches as a way to pick up crucial team points. New Mexico’s Weini Kelati is entered in this race and is most likely be looking for a first-round regional qualifier. With a quick pace up front, O’Brien of Boise State and Alyssa Snyder of Utah State will likely battle for 2nd. Even though O’Brien has a faster PR than Kelati, the New Mexcio sophomore has built up a new level of fitness this year and has shown that she can mix it up with the professionals after finishing 6th in the Payton Jordan 5k last week. 3000 Steeplechase Last week’s Payton Jordan proved to the track community that the steeplechase will be a race to watch come June. Between Ostrander, Cohen, and Prouse, the winner will be whoever wants it more that day...but it looks like we need to wait until regionals to see that match-up again. Ostrander and Cohen have opted not to race the steeplechase this weekend, but are instead focusing on developing speed or running other qualifying times. Instead, it will be Prouse's title to lose. The New Mexico junior has a 10 second lead on the second and third seeds in this race, but that doesn't mean she'll be able to cruise to victory. Cierra Simmons of Utah State is the defending champion from last year after she beat Prouse in 2018 and is entering this race with a seasonal best of 10:07. Look for Simmons, along with Boise State’s Maxine Phaloek, to push each other to possible sub-10 minute finishes.

There has been a ton to talk about this outdoor season. The return of Dani Jones, the 10k dominance from BYU, the overwhelming depth in the women's 800, and an array of transfer rumors have captured our attention for the past two months (and rightfully so). However, there is one storyline that fans of the NCAA don't seem to be talking enough about. As we head into a weekend headlined by conference championship meets, no one seems to recognize the fact that there are 15 different men who have run under 3:40 for 1500 meters this season. Yes, you read that correctly. There are 15 men who have run 3:39 or faster for 1500 meters this season. All of those performances have been run within the past month. But just how crazy is it to see this kind of depth at the top of the leaderboard? How does this season compare to year's past? Who were some relevant names that were also at the top of the country's collegiate 1500 rankings all those years ago? Luckily, you read TSR which means we've got all of those answer prepared for you... * * * Between TFRRS and Athletic.net, collegiate 1500 rankings only date back to 2008. This means that we have 11 completed seasons of data (not counting 2019) to reference. We are excluding championship results since TFRRS does not compile that data or make it readily available. Any regional or national meet results are not counted. So keep in mind that this article only applies to the regular season + conference championships. Side Note: We initially published this article based on Athletic.net data which said there were no sub-3:40 marks in 2008. However, Andrew Wheating ran 3:38 at the Oregon Twilight meet that year. We have since made the proper corrections... Prior to 2019, there had never been a season where more than 15 men had run under 3:40 for 1500 meters. The previous high was 12 total men which was set all the way back in....2018. Before 2018, the highest total of sub-3:40 times we had ever seen was 10 which was in 2015. Struggling to do the math? Don't worry, we've got you. In the past two outdoor seasons, there have been 27 sub-3:40 marks on the NCAA leaderboard. From 2008 to 2017 (10 total seasons), there have been 43 sub-3:40 marks. That's a total of 70 regular season sub-3:40's in the past 12 years. 2018 and 2019 are responsible for nearly 39% of sub-3:40 marks that the NCAA has seen in the past 12 years. At that pace, it would take a little over five years to reach a total of 70 compared to the 12 years that it has taken us to hit that number. In Lehman's terms, collegiate men are RAPIDLY improving at the 1500 meter distance. * * * But is this just anomaly? Is there any additional data suggesting that the collegiate elites are actually getting faster in the 1500? Let's exclude 2018 and 2019 from consideration right now. Instead, let's examine two time periods: 2008 to 2012 (five years) and 2013 to 2017 (five years). From 2008 to 2012, we had 17 men run under 3:40 for 1500 meters during the regular season. From 2013 to 2017, we had 26 men run under 3:40 for 1500 meters during the regular season. In fact, you can choose any consecutive five year period between 2008 and 2017. Any consecutive five year period you choose between 2008 and 2017 will fail to match the 27 sub-3:40's that we've seen in that past two years. Just for perspective, if we were to maintain the same rate that we've seen since 2018 until 2022, we would end up with 67 men under 3:40. If we extended it until 2027 (10 years) then that number comes 134...more than three times what we saw between 2008 and 2017. * * * Need some more historical comparisons? Here are some other fun facts we found while researching the men's 1500... - 2019 NAU joins 2018 Oregon and 2015 Oregon as the only teams to have three sub-3:40 1500 runners in the same season (since at least 2008) - The Oregon Ducks have (by far) the most sub-3:40 performances since 2008 with a total of 14. The next closest are Wisconsin, Ole Miss, & Arizona with five. - There have been eight men who have run under 3:40 more than once since 2018. Those men are Justyn Knight, Josh Kerr, Lawi Lalang, Craig Engels, Waleed Suliman, Carlos Villarreal, Reed Brown, and Oliver Hoare. Not only are four of those eight men still running in the NCAA, but they still have eligibility for next year. - Six different men have run under 3:40 as freshmen during the regular season since 2008. Those men are Edward Cheserek, Justyn Knight, Waleed Suliman, Matthew Maton, Reed Brown, and now Theo Quax. Not bad company to be in, huh? - Payton Jordan has been responsible for 21 sub-3:40 marks by collegiates. Bryan Clay has been responsible for 25 sub-3:40 marks by collegiates. In total, these two meets make up roughly 66% of the sub-3:40 times on the NCAA leaderboard since 2008. - Let's look even deeper into our dataset. There have only been 28 instances since 2008 where we've seen a collegiate run under 3:39 (in the regular season). All of them were run at either Bryan Clay or Payton Jordan. - Let's filter the data even more. There have only been 17 instances since 2008 where we've seen a collegiate run under 3:39 (in the regular season). Oliver Hoare and Josh Kerr are the only men to have done it more than once. Makes you realize just how special last year's Outdoor National Championship 1500 was, huh?

TSR's Elliott Portillo was on site at the CCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and was able to snag over 500+ photos! Be sure to check them out on our SNAPSHOTS page here...

Payton Jordan Sets Up Strong NCAA Narrative The Payton Jordan Invitational never seems to disappoint and it certainly didn't this year as we saw some of the nation’s best toe the line in Palo Alto. With so many key performances being run, we now have a better idea of what specific storylines we will need to watch as we enter the postseason. Payton Jordan produced the top two times in the women’s steeplechase as RMAC rivals Alicja Konieczek and Eilish Flanagan both ran marks under the 10:00 barrier. Konieczek, the current D2 record holder, ran 9:52 and was the 3rd place finisher behind Allie Ostrander and Adva Cohen. It felt like there was more on the line for Konieczek as she hung on to the leaders until the last lap of the race. We were curious as to when we would see Konieczek run her preferred event and after this race, it’s hard to argue that she is not the favorite going into NCAA's. As for Flanagan, her strong season continues. She put up a five second personal best in the event running 9:55. She bounced back after getting stuck out on her own for a little bit during the middle of the race. Flanagan’s mark is the #5 fastest time in D2 history and is a legitimate threat to upset Konieczek at Nationals. This also marks the first time we’ve had two women under the 10:00 mark since TFRRS became a thing in the fall of 2009 (I am not 100% sure on this so if someone else is able to correct me, do not hesitate to comment). Jackson Sayler of Adams State also dropped a quick mark in the steeplechase as he ran the #2 fastest time NCAA mark this year. He ran 8:45 and sits only behind Leakey Kipkosgei who ran 8:44 the week prior at Penn Relays. Not only was Sayler 6th in his heat, but his 8:44 now eclipses his previous PR of 8:55 which he ran back in 2015. It's going to be hard to bet against Sayler who should find himself in the mix to take home the national title later this month. He’s on the right track with his training and he’s fit enough to replicate the time if needed. The reigning indoor mile champion, Stephanie Cotter, ran the #3 fastest time in the NCAA this year for D2. After surprising everyone this indoor season, Cotter posted an underwhelming time of 4:25 at Bryan Clay. Luckily for her, she was able to rebound and produce an automatic qualifying time of 4:19 at Payton Jordan. It’s the fifth automatic mark of the year in this event and it's the third for the Grizzlies (in the 1500) this year. Cotter’s title this past winter clearly wasn’t a fluke and now her Payton Jordan performance sets up the potential chance of Adams going 1-2 (again) in the middle distance event (my guess is Eilish Flanagan drops the 1500 for the 5000). The last mark to discuss from Payton Jordan is from Sydney Gidabuday. The distance star debuted in the 5000 this past week and walked away with a 13:59 mark. That’s the #3 fastest time this season behind his teammate Elias Gedyon and Grand Valley’s Zach Panning. Still, I think it's fair to say that it was a bit of an underwhelming performance for Sydney who may have had the D2 national record in the back of his mind. The 3000 meter battle we saw during indoors between Gedyon, Gidabuday, and Panning helps set the stage for an interesting rematch at Nationals, this time in the 5000 meters. With these three men all under the 14:00 mark, and others under the 14:10 mark, we could very well see one of the better 5000 races in recent memory. Or we could just see a three-man battle for the top spot. Either way, it will be a race worth watching. Conference Championships Provide Fast Times We didn’t get a chance to preview as many conferences meets as we would have liked leading up to them. Luckily, TFRRS does exist and we can mention those who had good days and are likely to be seen again. First on this list is Ayman Zahafi. At the Lone Star Championships this past weekend, the TAMU-Kingsville sophomore continued his spectacular season with yet another personal best. He ran 1:48.54 to lower his PR by another three-tenths of a second. That time is the fastest raw time in the NCAA and after the conversion, it was lowered to 1:48.13. John Partee of Lewis took home the GLVC conference title with a two second victory over the next runner. His time of 1:50.15 now ranks him #7 in the NCAA and was also a personal best by six-tenths of a second. Lewis was a qualifier for the indoor national meet earlier this year and will be looking to build upon that later this month. Shayla Huebner of Northern Michigan raced to a runner-up finish at the GLIAC Championships. The senior ran the fastest time of her life with a mark of 2:08.97. That time is now good enough for #12 on TFRRS. Huebner was an All-American during the indoor season and is on track to do that again later this May. Ashleigh Macleod ran a personal best in the preliminaries of the GLVC Championships with a time of 2:09.51. She almost repeated that performance in the finals on her way to a six second victory. The Lewis sophomore joined her teammate Partee at the indoor national meet earlier this year and will be doing the same later this month. Casey Monoszlay improved her standing in the 1500 this weekend with a victory at the CCAA Championships. The senior from Cal Poly Pomona set a best in the event by a second, running 4:26. The time was five seconds better than 2nd place and it gives Monoszlay a Top 20 mark in three events. Jessica Gockley from Grand Valley State ran the #21 fastest time in the 5000 with her time of 16:57. There’s a chance that it might be good enough for the national meet depending on how many athletes the NCAA decides to take this year. Regardless, we’ll still see Gockley in the 10,000 later this month. The boys from Cal State San Marcos certainly treated their conference meet more like a qualifying one in terms of racing. Vahagn Isayan and Josh Litwiller ran the #23 and #26 fastest times in the 10,000 this weekend. Isayan ran 30:09 while Litwiller ran 30:12 for a 1-2 finish at the CCAA Championships. Both are personal bests for the Cougar duo. Steeplechase Seems to be Wide Open on Both Sides We had eight top marks in the steeplechase come from conference championships this weekend. Two came from a great race at the G-MAC Outdoor Championships where we saw Jacob Kernell of Walsh and Trent Classen of Cedarville both dip under the 9:00 mark. Kernell continues his strong season as he dropped another seven seconds off of his personal best from 8:59 down to 8:52. Classen was able to drop three seconds off of his personal best to run 8:59. Both of these men were qualifiers for the NCAA meet last year with Classen qualifying for the final. They’ll make an appearance once again with momentum in their favor. On the women’s side, Allysen Eads of Hillsdale ran the #5 fastest time in the country with her run of 10:25. It’s not only a personal best for Eads, but it also yielded a 21 second victory for the G-MAC title. The 2nd place finisher was Alexa Leppelmeier who posted a 12 second personal best in the event. Her time of 10:43 is now the #20 fastest time in the NCAA. At the GLIAC Championships, we saw Madison Goen and Holly McKinney both post top 18 marks in the steeple. Goen ran 10:39 while McKinney ran 10:43. Both times are personal bests for them. Meanwhile, the last mark comes from the CCAA meet where Hayley Boynton of Chico State ran 10:43 which is the #19 fastest mark which is just in front of McKinney. Underappreciated Performances Derek Noll (Indiana (Pa.)) Getting lost in the conference weekend performances is Noll who ran at the LHU Qualifier. His time of 1:50.35 is the fastest of his life and it moves him up to the #9 fastest time in the NCAA. Noll has continued to improve throughout the entire season and has inched ever so closer to the sub-1:50 mark. I would not be surprised to see Noll continue his success and dip under 1:50 at the national meet. In all likelihood, he’ll need to in order to qualify for the final. Miryam Bassett (Simon Fraser) The Clan senior traveled down to Portland to take part in the Twilight meet just before her conference championship. She recorded a 4:26 1500 and a two second personal best that moves her to #15 on the TFRRS list. She’s been to two national meets before, but hasn’t qualified for the final in either of them. She’ll be looking to make that a thing of the past after this month is over. Drew Johnson (Alaska Anchorage) The freshman looks to have a bright future ahead of himself as his first year in uniform has been good to him. At the Linfield Open, Johnson posted the fastest 1500 of his young career with a 3:49. He also ran the 800 where he ran 1:56 which is a second off of his personal best. There’s a chance that Johnson could get in with the 3:49 as he sits at #26 on the NCAA leaderboard, but he'll likely want to focus on improving that time at his conference meet. Ida Narbuvoll (U-Mary) Narbuvoll won the Howard Wood Dakota Relays 5000 this past weekend with a time of 16:48. It’s a four second improvement from when she ran this race at the Indoor National Championships earlier this year. It’s the #14 fastest time of the season and it should solidify her spot at the Outdoor National Championships. Quick Thoughts Eddie King (Chico State) King won his second straight 5000 title (this time over Ruben Dominguez of Cal Poly Pomona) at CCAA’s this past weekend which is a feat within itself. King is also the 18th straight Wildcat to be atop the podium. Yes, you read that right. Eighteen straight years of Chico State dominance. A hat tip to Coach Gary Towne and all of those who have been successful under his tenure. Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage) She might be the greatest D2 runner we have ever seen in terms of her range. She’s got the fastest times in the indoor 3000, indoor 5000, and the 10,000. She’s run 4:47 for the mile, 4:19 for 1500 meters, and she just recently has run 2:09 for 800 meters as of this past weekend. She currently has a qualifying mark in four of the five disciplines that are contested during the outdoor season and I’d put money on her setting a top mark in the steeplechase if she were to try it.