FULL RESULTS FROM THIS WEEKEND HERE Ryan Smeeton Runs Jaw-Dropping PR Oklahoma State was able to gain some attention this past cross country season thanks to the emergence of distance stars like Isai Rodriguez and Ashenafi Hatte. Although Ryan Smeeton had been a steady contributor for the team, no one (not even him) expected to see the Cowboy sophomore post a performance like he did at Payton Jordan. On Thursday night, Smeeton showed incredible poise against some top-tier professional runners and a handful of elite collegiates such as defending NCAA steeplechase champion Obsa Ali and BYU's Matt Owens. Smeeton found himself in the top pack for most of the race, allowing his competition to battle for positioning while he maintained his spot. His composure paid off for him as he calmly followed the pace and took control of the lead on the last lap to come out victorious in a time of 8:27.90. This the fastest regular season steeplechase performance we've seen since 2015 when Arkansas' Stanley Kebenei ran 8:23 (also at Payton Jordan). Smeeton's time is also the fastest time we've seen in the NCAA at any point in the season since Mason Ferlic ran 8:27.10 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships back in 2016. Simply put, Smeeton's result is wildly fast and it continues to blur who should be considered as the national title favorite come June. Can Smeeton replicate this masterful achievement? Or will he struggle to fend off the likes of Obsa Ali (8:31) or Matt Owens (8:33) come the postseason? Hull Edges Schweizer, Birk Replicates 4:13 PR The Payton Jordan 1500 may not seem like a big deal from the NCAA perspective, but the end result had a rather significant influence on what Jessica Hull and Erica Birk could end up running at Nationals. The Oregon superstar walked away with the win by barely holding off Missouri-alum Karissa Schweizer, 4:12.08 to 4:12.10. Not far behind was BYU's Erica who finished as the second collegiate and 5th overall woman in a time of 4:13.77 which is actually slower than her 4:13.57 from the Sun Angel Classic exactly one month ago. The new NCAA #1 time from Hull likely solidifies the idea that she'll attempt the 1500 over the 5000 meters at NCAA's next month. However, the return of Dani Jones and the idea of potentially pursuing the longer distances at the national meet still leaves a slimmer of uncertainty about the future. As for Birk, there are now even more questions about what she will do come NCAA's. Her Payton Jordan race wasn't better or worse than what we've seen from her before. She seems relatively comfortable at the 1500 meter distance and she has now shown that she can consistently be a top performer in that event. Still, you have to wonder if the 5000 meters or the steeplechase are options for her, especially with the depth that is beginning to develop in the 1500. NAU + BYU Dominate Distance Events The Northern Arizona men went to work in the 5000 meters at Payton Jordan and they certainly didn't disappoint when they crossed the line. Tyler Day emerged as the top collegiate in the race with a new NCAA lead of 13:25. After a handful of inconsistent performances throughout the winter, Day seems like he could be a threat for the national title in the 10k and a very strong All-American pick in the 5k. As for his teammates, Geordie Beamish and Luis Grijalva aren't making things any easier when trying to predict what they will pursue at NCAA's (1500 vs 5000). After running 13:31 (Beamish) and 13:37 (Grijalva), these two men will have to ponder whether or not they are more confident in those personal bests, or their 3:39's from Bryan Clay. If I had to guess, I would suspect the 1500 is the more likely option considering Beamish's upset from indoors and the lack of obvious front-runners in that race. In regards to the BYU men, they secured a strong(er) grasp of the NCAA leaderboard in both the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters at Payton Jordan. Conner Mantz thrived off the fast pace and walked away with a new personal best of 13:29 while teammate Clayton Young was close behind in 13:31. It's not necessarily surprising, but it seems like these two men will pursue the 10k/5k double at NCAA's come June. BYU's Conner McMillan and Rory Linkletter opted to run double the distance on Thursday night. That duo was able to battle a large field of pro's to place 11th (28:11) and 12th (28:12) overall. With those performances, the BYU men now own the top four times on the NCAA leaderboard for the 10k. No, that was not a typo. The Cougars now hold NCAA #1, #2, #3, #4 times in the country for that distance. In a year where the 10k is wide open, this could be the time where BYU puts someone at the top of the podium. Ostrander Holds Off Cohen In Steeplechase Battle One of my "bold" predictions was that Ostrander would run under 9:30 for the steeplechase at Payton Jordan...I may have gotten carried away. Although she didn't run quite that fast, Ostrander still walked away with a win, but only barely. The Boise State star posted a time of 9:45.66, but was closely followed by New Mexico's Adva Cohen who was less than half a stride behind in 9:45.71. Those two women now easily top the NCAA leaderboard and separate themselves from the rest of the D1 field when it comes to favorites for the national title. Cohen's teammate Charlotte Prouse was the 5th overall finisher in a time of 9:55. Although she wasn't able to hang with the top athletes this time around, she is still very much a threat for a potential upset at Nationals. However, different pacing and an alternative approach to her racing tactics could yield a better result when toeing the line against Cohen and Ostrander a month from now. Underappreciated Performances Alexis Fuller Surprises w/ 4:13 1500 Allie Ostrander will capture the headlines for Boise State, but her teammate Alexis Fuller just ran 4:13 at the Portland Twilight meet which was enough to take home the win by three seconds. Fuller barely made it into the national meet this past winter, but she has quickly proved herself worthy of toeing the line against the best. She now ranks #3 in the NCAA. Reed Brown and Co. Dip Under 3:40 The Payton Jordan 1500 underwhelmed last year, but this year was a different story. While Nike professional Clayton Murphy easily controlled the field from the front, he was flanked by Stanford's Grant Fisher for most of the race. However, as the pace began to quicken in the final lap, Fisher was unable to hang. Instead, it was Oregon's Reed Brown who made a surge on the final straightaway to dip under 3:40 and earn a new personal best of 3:38 (NCAA #7). Following Brown was Arizona State's Williams Paulson and Nebraska's George Kusche who each ran times of 3:39. This isn't a new personal best (or even a seasonal best) for Paulson, but it is for Kusche who has been one of the more underrated milers in the NCAA since the indoor track season. In a year where 15 (!!!) different men have run under 3:40, it is easy to overlook strong performances such as these. Ejore Runs 2:02 Jessica Hull will likely gain all of the attention for Oregon on the women's side, but Susan Ejore was able to quietly post another wicked fast time this past weekend. She maintained her position on the NCAA leaderboard at #3, but Ejore was able to dip under 2:03 at Payton Jordan with a new personal best of 2:02.66. She is yet another woman with championship experience who is beginning to peak interest when we start discussing candidates capable of pulling off an upset over national title favorites. Kelati, Stoner Run Under 15:30 There were so many fast times at Payton Jordan that it's easy to forget about other performances. In the women's 5000 meters, Kelati hung on to the fast pace and locked down a new seasonal best of 15:23. Moving out of the second heat and into the elite field was Syracuse's Paige Stoner and she made the most of the opportunity. Her time of 15:28 now ranks #2 in the NCAA and makes her event selection for NCAA's more unclear given her success in the steeplechase. However, I think it's fair to predict that she'll attempt the 10k/5k double given the amount of firepower that we're beginning to see in the steeplechase. Espino Takes Home Win Over Wilson After quietly running 1:47 at Bryan Clay earlier this season, Southern Utah's George Espino showed that he was more than just a one-race wonder. His 1:48.44 win over New Mexico's Michael Wilson (1:48.77) validated that he is the real deal and is capable of putting together performances at a high level. Watch out for him in the postseason... Quick Thoughts Myles Marshall (Harvard) Nice run for Marshall who has been relatively underwhelming this year. His 1:48.84 gave him the Ivy League title and puts him back into the national qualifying conversation. Nia Akins (Penn) She anchored her Penn teammates to a conference title in the 4x800 which was paired with a 2:04 win in the open 800. This was a very strong weekend for her and it was one that may push her into a Top 25 spot in our rankings. Will Battershill (Harvard) Despite running a personal beset of 8:48 earlier this season and entering as the favorite, Battershill struggled at the Ivy League Championships. He ran a time of 9:09 and dropped to 6th overall. Lisa Tertsch (Harvard) Tertsch was someone who I identified as a key sleeper pick in our midseason discussion earlier last week. Sure enough, her performances at the Ivy League Championships helped my case. She took home two golds, one in the 5000 and one in the 10,000. Fun fact: Tertsch hasn't lost a race since she placed 100th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships back in November. Don't forget about her when choosing your National Championship qualifiers. Kyle Mau (Indiana) On his home track, Mau walked away with the W in an impressive time of 3:40. After running 13:44 earlier this year at the Stanford Invite, Mau continues to display impressive range. It's a nice rebound performance for the Hoosier ace after he struggled at Bryan Clay.

I have an announcement to make. I didn’t become a track fan until my junior year of high school. *phew* There, I said it. Sure I ran, but I didn’t really care about the sport. I think that is how it goes for most of us. We learn to love the sport only after we realize how hard it is to truly conquer. So naturally, by the time I started college, I was a full-time fan. John McDonnell: The Most Successful Coach in NCAA History was a uniquely influential book for me as I built up knowledge of track and cross country. The former Arkansas coach is a legend in nearly all circles for how he turned the Razorbacks into a national powerhouse on both the grass and the track. As the title of the book suggests, he was the greatest collegiate distance running coach in NCAA history and the arguments against that are little to none. The book was interesting for me in so many ways, but what caught my attention the most wasn’t necessarily the national titles he won. Instead, the races that sparked my imagination were the battles that Arkansas had at Penn Relays. For Coach McDonnell, breaking through at the Penn Relays helped put Arkansas on the map and show the entire country (or at least the east coast) just how special his team was. Competing with prestigious programs like Villanova, or schools who (at the time) had some of the top runners in the world like Mount St. Mary’s, forced McDonnell’s Arkansas teams to treat Penn Relays like a midseason championship. * * * Fast forward to now and Arkansas has created its own national relay meet where many of the best teams in the country come to compete. A team that was once revered on Franklin Field has not only stopped going altogether, but they've begun to a host a meet that conflicts on the exact date. It's almost as if they are trying to make a statement. Where has the magic of the Penn Relays and the Drake Relays gone? It's a fair question that many fans have begun to ask themselves with each passing year. While we were writing the Penn Relays Preview, we were asked if historic relays still have any meaning. All of us answered no. There are still outstanding professional and high school races, but it seems like every year there are fewer collegiate teams who circle this week on their calendar. Last weekend, at both the Drake Relays and the Penn Relays, we saw numerous thrilling moments like Morgan McDonald chasing down Spencer Brown and Ben Veatch to win the 4xMile or Houston dominating the sprint relays. Villanova bouncing back to win the women’s 4x1500 against some tough competition was also impressive, but it is a hard for me to believe that we will remember any of these races past this year. So the question is, how do we make relay races relevant again? More on that in a bit. * * * There has been a lot of talk about how to make professional running more popular. With the Diamond League eliminating any race longer than the 3k from its meets, it seems that one answer is to make the races and the meets shorter. I guess that helps, but a meet can be as short as a soccer game and have little to no entertainment value if there aren’t events worth watching throughout the meet. For the American audience, track needs to develop a concept of teams and rivalries. Why does everyone in the US suddenly become an avid track fan every four years that screams with delight when Matt Centrowitz wins the first 1500 meter gold medal for the United States in 100 years? Is it because they really like strong finishing kicks? No, not really. It's because they see that Centrowitz is representing their country, and they want their country to beat everyone else’s athletes. Simply put, it’s a matter of pride. The audience knows who to root for without knowing anything about the sport or the athlete. That is, after all, how we become avid sports fans of football or basketball as kids. In every popular American sport, there are teams that we root for. If you are from Boston, then you’ll be cheering for the Bruins in the playoffs even if you know nothing about hockey. When March Madness comes around, people avidly support their alma mater even if they couldn’t have named a single player on the team before March. One of the reasons professional track struggles is because, outside of the Olympics or World Championships, there is no sense of team for an audience to rally around. How do we fix that? No, seriously, how do we fix that? That’ll be a topic for another article. * * * The point is that the NCAA doesn’t struggle with this issue of "teams". It is easy to know which teams you want to cheer for. If you went to the University of Wisconsin, then you were scouring the results trying to tally the point totals between NAU and BYU or Colorado and New Mexico. Chances are, if you are watching an NCAA meet, then you know who want to win. But, like all Americans, we want to see our favorite team or school display teamwork and passion while they are competing. It is hard to show teamwork while you are running a race on your own, but it's not hard to see in relays. One supremely talented individual can carry his or her squad, but it requires a full team effort to win the race which means the team with the best runner doesn’t always win. This is one of the many reasons why the DMR and 4x400 are one of the most entertaining races every single year. This year’s men’s DMR saw Yared Nuguse edging out Grant Fisher while last year’s women’s 4x400 saw a miraculous comeback from USC to beat Purdue. So my proposal? Add more relay events to NCAA Track & Field Championships. Not only will this make National Championship meets more exciting, but it will also make relay meets important again. Heck, we already see this trickle-down effect happening during the indoor season. There are certain meets such as the Alex Wilson Invitational where teams bring their top DMR lineups to only qualify for Nationals. If a DMR, SMR, 4x800, or 4x1500 was added to Outdoor Nationals, then we wouldn’t even need to add any meets to the schedule. We already have them! The Penn and Drake Relays can now be places for teams to qualify for Nationals which gives these meets added value, more for fans to root for, and more for the media to cover. A quick note about my proposal: Distance relays would not be run at regionals. Instead, teams would compete for the top 12 time spots to go to Nationals just like indoors. We have already seen how much drama a relay race can create after LSU edged out Houston in the 4x100 earlier this year. Imagine seeing a distance version of that race where NAU and BYU go toe-to-toe on the track instead of the cross country course. You're telling me you wouldn't want to see that? * * * This may seem like a far-fetched proposal, and maybe it is, but it is the best way to make relays relevant again. Outsiders like to call track and field an individual sport, but when done right, it can be one of the best team sports in the world. The energy that torpedoes around the track when your teammate or your relay team is doing well is an experience like none other. This is the energy that will make the sport more attractive and entertaining. Let’s solve two problems with one solution. Adding more relays to Outdoor Nationals will add more intrigue and excitement to the meet while restoring value to historic relay events. At the end of the day, everyone wins.

The Payton Jordan Invite held at Stanford is one of the fastest distance meets in the country for both collegiates and a handful of professionals (specifically Americans). With tomorrow's fields set in stone, we've got a lot of collegiate action to preview. Let's dive in... Entries + Results found here The men's 1500 is STACKED Grant Fisher may capture all of the attention, but he has some upper-echelon elites next to him on both the collegiate and pro levels. Clayton Murphy, Sean McGorty, Mo Ahmed, and Robert Domanic are not only high-level professionals, but they are guys who are not afraid to make these kind of races fast. The aggressive pace could force Fisher under the 3:40 barrier for the first time in his career. At the same time, Fisher will have to deal with some of the best middle distance runners in the country such as the Oregon duo of James West and Reed Brown, Washington's Mick Stanovsek, Arizona State's William Paulson, and Nebraska's George Kusche. Truthfully, I don't know if Fisher is favored to be the top collegiate in this race. He's far better suited for the 5000 meters and the names that I just mentioned are far more experienced against competition like this. If I had to guess, I'm taking Paulson or one of the Oregon men to emerge as the top collegiate finisher. Hull and Birk drop down in distance for another matchup Honestly, Hull and Birk may be (arguably) two of the better athletes in this field. Marielle Hall from Nike Bowerman Track Club* will make things interesting up front, but I could imagine Hull and Birk duking it out in the final lap of the race. The pace could become incredibly quick (which I think may benefit Birk more than anyone) and could push this field to a time that is potentially faster than 4:07. Plus, women are simply more willing to pursue a faster pace than the men are (don't ask me to provide statistics for that, I don't have any). *We incorrectly stated that Marielle Hall belonged to Nike Oregon Project. Thanks to one of our readers for the correction! This is a massively important race because it could sway which event these women choose to run at Nationals depending on how they perform. Does Jones returning to the 1500 make Hull or Birk think twice about racing that event? If Hull runs a fast 1500, does that mean Birk should want to run the 5000 at Nationals for a better chance at NCAA gold? Many of these are repeat questions that we asked in our feature article last week... Race to Watch: Ostrander vs Prouse vs Cohen We finally have the race we were looking for. Allie Ostrander is having the best race of her collegiate career, but can she fend off two major steeplechase threats? The New Mexico duo of Charlotte Prouse and Adva Cohen have personal bests that could easily threaten Ostrander and in a race where tactics are less apparent, those personal bests become far more important. This will likely be a preview for what we can expect to see at the National Championships next month. Questionable seeding in the men's steeplechase How are we not going to see the defending NCAA steeplechase champion (Obsa Ali) and the BYU duo (Matt Owens and Clayson Shumway) in the same heat? At the same time, how do Owens and Shumway not make the fast heat? Truthfully, I'm not sure heat one is overwhelmingly faster than heat two. Actually, they feel pretty even. Still, I think this could have been a great preview for what we could see at the National Championships if all three of these men were in the same race. Regardless, you have to be excited about some of the other names headlining these fields. Guys like Ryan Smeeton (Oklahoma State) and Emmanuel Rotich (Tulane) are capable of running under 8:40 (Rotich has done it before) and they will not make this pace slow. With Michael Jordan of the American Distance Project also in heat two, I imagine that Owens and Shumway will have their work cut out for them. NAU vs BYU...again The BYU duo of Conner Mantz and Clayton Young captured headlines in late March when they went 1-2 at the Stanford Invite with the top two 10k times in the country. They'll return to the same track to post a pair of fast 5000 meter times, although they'll have to face a group from NAU that is moving up in distance after throwing down monster 1500 meter performances at Bryan Clay. The Lumberjack trio of Luis Grijalva, Geordie Beamish, and Tyler Day will look to put themselves back into the All-American conversation tomorrow after Beamish and Grijalva ran a pair of 3:39's. If either of those men run well enough tomorrow night, they could have the difficult decision of choosing to race either the 1500 or 5000 meters at NCAA's. As for Day, it seems relatively clear that he is (once again) going to pursue the 10k/5k double. It's a good choice when you consider that his best chance at NCAA gold is in the 10,000 meters, an event that he would be fresh for if he opted to pursue the double again. In the grand scheme of things, this rivalry won't mean a ton at Payton Jordan. Still, who doesn't like a sub-plot to follow? Kelati & Kurgat against the pro's in the 5k We still haven't seen Monson return after her less-than-ideal performance in the Stanford Invite 10k. If Monson continues to stay absent for the rest of the season, Kelati could suddenly become the national title favorite, especially if she runs a mark near, at, or under 15:20 tomorrow night. A time like that could plunge a metaphorical dagger into the heart of so many women who may see vulnerabilities in the 5000 meter field this season. With Lokedi gone, Monson absent, Kurgat struggling, Hull potentially defending her title in the 1500, and Birk possibly dropping down in distance to contend the same event, the 5000 meters seems like it's Kelati's to lose come June. On the other hand, this is a huge opportunity for Ednah Kurgat to regain her confidence. She's been underwhelming over the last few months and hasn't seemed like she's capable of returning to the level of someone who is capable of winning a national title. That said, this could be her opportunity to silence the doubters (pretty much just me) and put herself back in the discussion for NCAA gold. Other quick thoughts - I could've sworn Mick Stanovsek was entered in the 800. Did I read that completely wrong? Maybe I did, or maybe he switched events last second. Oh well. Not important. - Watch out for George Espino (Southern Utah). He's already run 1:47 this season and could be on the verge of dipping into 1:46 territory. - No women in the 10,000 meters? That's surprising. I get that the Stanford Invite is home to most of the fast collegiate 10k's nowadays, but I was surprised we didn't see one collegiate elite in there on the women's side. - McMillan and Linkletter running the 10,000 meters should be interesting to watch. In an interview with TSR back in March, Linkletter indicated that he would prefer to race the 10k at Nationals if everything went according to plan. After running 13:36 at Bryan Clay, he'll be aiming for a big time to possibly put him in the national title conversation. - Sydney Gidabuday could end up breaking the D2 national record for the 5000 meters tomorrow night and I don't think anyone realizes that. The record is 13:22 and the Adams State veteran has already run 13:29 in his career. Keep an eye on that as you're watching the race tomorrow night... - Speaking of D2, the women's steeplechase at Payton Jordan could be a national preview. Julia Howley (Simon Fraser), Alicja Konieczek (Western Colorado), and Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) could scare the 10 minute barrier this weekend. Howley is currently the top name on the D2 leaderboard with a time of 10:02, but Flanagan and Konieczek are capable of securing a similar mark. This could be a huge race that may complicate the national title picture more than we realize. - Heat two of the women's 5k is quietly strong. Lauren LaRocco (Portland), Paige Stoner (Syracuse), Taylor Werner (Arkansas), Fiona O'Keeffe (Stanford), and Elly Henes (NC State) are some of the top collegiates in that field. I'm surprised that none of them were able to make the hot heat. At least one of these women could run under 15:30 tomorrow night.

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. Rowan Doherty, Simon Fraser (-4 / 16) Doherty didn’t race this weekend as he preps for conference. However, Doherty has fallen outside of the top 18 on the TFRRS list. I don’t think there is anything to worry about as he should get in with his current time, but we’ll keep an eye on him as the weeks go by. 19. Pierre-Louis Detourbe, Simon Fraser (0 / 19) Detourbe was also idle this weekend as he gets ready for the GNAC Championships this upcoming weekend. He’s still a strong contender in the steeplechase. 18. Jake Mitchem, Colorado Mines (+2 / 20) Mitchem finished 2nd in the steeplechase this past weekend at the RMAC Championships. In a preview of athletes who will be at the national meet, it’s a strong showing for the Oredigger. Mitchem was out-kicked by Black Hills State’s Jonah Theisen who looks to be getting back to strong form. 17. Christian Noble, Lee (Tenn.) (+1 / 18) An idle weekend for Noble. He’s prepping for his conference meet as well. 16. Luke Julian, Colorado Mines (+1 / 17) Julian had a strong showing this weekend at the RMAC Championships. He won the 1500 in a time of 3:55 and was a second ahead of his teammate. We expected this kind of performance (and win) from Julian when you consider that Elias Gedyon didn’t make the trip to South Dakota. 15. Ayman Zahafi, TAMU-Kingsville (-1 / 14) Idle weekend for Zahafi after a strong showing last week at Fred J. Duckett. 14. Devundrick Walker, CSU-Pueblo (-1 / 13) Walker won the 800 meters this past weekend, giving him his first conference title. With his teammate Staines opting for the 400, it was Walker’s to lose and he made sure he didn’t as he finished ahead of 2nd place by almost a second and a half with his time of 1:52.32. He only falls in the rankings because of strong showings from others. 13. Victor Moreau, Academy of Art (-1 / 12) Moreau followed up a strong Bryan Clay performance with 1st and 2nd place performances at the PacWest Conference Championships. His 2nd place finish came in the 1500 where he was upset by Notre Dame de Namur’s Jason Gomez by just six-tenths of a second. He came back later in the day to win the 5000 meters in a time of 15:00. This was a strong conference performance for Moreau who likely will see the same type of double at Nationals. 12. Brett Meyer, Fort Hays State (-1 / 11) Meyer traveled to the Drake Relays this weekend to give a go at a full mile on a 400 meter track. What came of it was a 4th place finish and a time of 4:07. He was the only collegiate in the field and it certainly gave him even more experience on the big stage. 11. Taylor Stack, Western Colorado (-3 / 8) I'm sure that a 3rd place finish in the 3000 steeplechase isn’t exactly what Stack had in mind heading into the conference meet. That being said, when you're facing four national caliber talents at once, it’s hard to be disappointed in the performance. He came back on Sunday to run the 5000 and finished in 4th place behind another strong field. Stack falls back due to head-to-head losses against athletes in these rankings. 10. Leakey Kipkosgei, American International (+5 / 15) Kipkosgei posted a HUGE time of 8:44 in the Penn Relays steeplechase. He was 2nd only to Indiana’s Daniel Michalski. Kipkosgei was listed on the TFRRS page with the fastest time this year, but has since been taken off. Don't worry, though. We were able to confirm that his absence in the TFRRS rankings is a simple technical issue that is currently being fixed. As of now, he’s become almost the immediate favorite in the event. This also might signal that we could see the senior in more than just one event later this month. 9. Josh Hoskinson, Colorado Mines (0 / 9) Hoskinson was in the aforementioned 5000 and took home the bronze medal. He ran 14:29 and finished only a second off of the winner. It was the only race for Hoskinson and it’s his second straight year of finishing in 3rd. He stays put at #9 in our rankings for this week. 8. Marcelo Laguera, CSU-Pueblo (+2 / 10) Laguera was the winner of the RMAC 5000 from this past weekend. The Thunderwolf senior ran 14:28 to out-kick Hoskinson and Moran of Colorado Mines. He continues his strong season and looks to be in prime position heading into the national meet. 7. Dennis Mbuta, Grand Valley State (0 / 7) Idle weekend for Mbuta as he gets ready for the GLIAC Championships. 6. Felix Wammetsberger, Queens (N.C.) (0 / 6) Wammetsberger helped pace his teammate Seb Anthony to a sub-1:50 mark in the 800. 5. Daniel Wallis, Queens (N.C.) (0 / 5) Wallis helped pace his teammate Seb Anthony to a sub-1:50 mark in the 800. 4. Elias Gedyon, Adams State (0 / 4) Gedyon didn’t make the trip to his conference championship this weekend (he'll be racing at Payton Jordan). 3. Thomas Staines, CSU-Pueblo (0 / 3) The national 800 meter favorite opted of that event for the 400 last weekend at his conference meet. Low and behold, Staines walked away with gold medal in the event. After running 48.73 on the first day, he bounced back with a 47.89 on day two to win by seven-tenths of a second. He also helped the Thunderwolf 4x400 team take home gold as well. 2. Sydney Gidabuday, Adams State (0 / 2) Gidabuday didn’t make the trip to his conference championship this weekend (he'll be racing at Payton Jordan). 1. Zach Panning, Grand Valley State (0 / 1) Idle weekend for Panning as he gets ready for the GLIAC Championships. 800 1. Thomas Staines (CSU-Pueblo) 2. Dennis Mbuta (Grand Valley State) 3. Devundrick Walker (CSU-Pueblo) 4. Ayman Zahafi (TAMU-Kingsville) 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. Pierre-Louis Detourbe (Simon Fraser) 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. Ruben Dominguez (Cal Poly Pomona) 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.))

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. HaLeigh Hunter-Galvan | Adams State (JR) (0 / 20) Idle 19. Liz Bloch | Michigan Tech (SR) (0 / 19) It was a tale of two races from Bloch this weekend at the Hillsdale GINA Relays. She took a step back in the 1500, running a 4:28.65 which is four seconds off her breakout race she had at Bucknell. Bloch did, however, win the 800 running a PR of 2:10.36. The inconsistency makes it very difficult to predict how Bloch will finish as the season comes to a close. 18. Bailey Sharon | Western Colorado (SO) (-1 / 17) Sharon had a very solid weekend at the RMAC Championships this weekend. She finished 2nd in the 800, only behind defending national champion Skylyn Webb, and she also helped her 4x4 team to a 3rd place finish. 17. Alana Mussatto | Simon Fraser (SR) (-1 / 16) Idle 16. Gina Patterson | Grand Valley State (JR) (-1 / 15) Idle 15. Sophie Dodd | Simon Fraser (SR) (-1 / 14) Idle 14. Andra Lehotay | Walsh (JR) (-1 / 13) I am not really sure what has happened to Lehotay last weekend. She ran a 2:17.61 in the 800 this weekend, which is seven seconds off of her PR. Her past two races have been wildly underwhelming, so we will see if it is just a rough few weeks or a sign of how her season is going to finish. 13. Kristen Metcalfe | Embry-Riddle (SR) (Unranked) It took a while for Metcalfe to open the season, but she looked pretty decent as she did so two weeks ago, winning the 800 and 1500 at the Peach Belt Championships. This past weekend she looked like she was getting back into national title contention form as she ran a season best in both the 800 and 1500, running 2:09.59 and 4:25.56, respectively. It is good to see Metcalfe starting to get back into top fitness as the season starts to wind down. 12. Stephanie Cotter | Adams State (FR) (0 / 12) Idle 11. Allie Ludge | Grand Valley State (JR) (0 / 11) Idle 10. Carsyn Koch-Johnson | Cedarville (SR) (0 / 10) Idle 9. Julia Howley | Simon Fraser (SR) (0 / 9) Idle 8. Danielle McCormick | Alaska Anchorage (SR) (0 / 8) Idle 7. Leah Hanle | Mount Olive (JR) (0 / 7) Idle 6. Roisin Flanagan | Adams State (JR) (0 / 6) Idle 5. Rachael Walters | Grand Valley State (SR) (0 / 5) Idle 4. Alicja Konieczek | Western Colorado (SR) (0 / 4) Idle 3. Skylyn Webb | UC Colorado-Springs (SR) (0 / 3) Big surprise, Skylyn Webb dominated the RMAC Championships this weekend. Even though the times were not all that fast, she took easy wins in both the 800 and 1500. Opinions have not changed, Webb is still the favorite to defend her 800 crown. 2. Eilish Flanagan | Adams State (JR) (0 / 2) Idle 1. Caroline Kurgat | Alaska Anchorage (SR) (0 / 1) Idle 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. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) 4. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado) 5. Allie Ludge (Grand Valley State) 3000 Steeplechase 1. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado) 2. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) 3. Julia Howley (Simon Fraser) 4. Hanna Groeber (Grand Valley State) 5. Zita Molnar (Point Loma) 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)

Conversation by Ben Weisel, Michael Weidenbruch & Garrett Zatlin Make sure to read up on Part One here ______ has been the most important headline of the outdoor track season because... Ben: Does the prospective change of the distance for the NCAA XC Championships count? Because I think we could see more and more middle distance men compete at a high level in cross country (or at least have more of a scoring role). On the women’s side, changing the distance from 6k to 8k could prevent the next Dani Jones from winning Nationals. This change could alter how coaches recruit as well as the tactics used at Nationals. Whether you like the distances or not, I think it would be cool to see the men and women run the same distance. Michael: I’m going to make an argument for Cole Rockhold here. His 13:35 performance at Bryan Clay is the most important headline because he has been battling injury for a while now and we weren’t exactly sure how well he would be able to run this season. However, he has put himself in a great spot at this point in the season. I’m not sure if we can call him a national title contender yet, but 13:35 is pretty darn fast. His return adds yet another name to the men’s 5k conversation, which could be a pretty intense race come NCAA's. Garrett: Aneta Konieczek transferring to Oregon from Western Colorado has been the most important (or at least the most underappreciated) headline of the outdoor track season because of the implications it has on the 2019 cross country season. The 5x D2 All-American with a 10:02 steeplechase PR could be a super lethal scorer for the Ducks next fall, especially with the Ducks losing five of their top seven from last year’s 3rd place podium team at XC Nationals. Konieczek will be a huge piece that Oregon can lean on to keep them competitive in an already stacked PAC 12 conference. At the same time, her absence from Division Two opens up a huge opportunity for Simon Fraser’s Julia Howley to win her first national title in the steeplechase later this spring. She is now the overwhelming favorite to take home NCAA gold with a D2 time that is 20 seconds faster than the next woman. Who are your Breakout Runner of the Year nominees? Garrett: I feel like I could already give you the winners. Indiana’s Daniel Michalski is taking down the NCAA steeplechase elites and running incredibly fast times in the process. His indoor times were strong, but no one was expecting these kind of performances from him. I would also throw in Iowa’s Matt Manternach. So far this season, he has improved his personal best from 1:48 to 1:47 to 1:46 which ended in him winning the 800 at Bryan Clay. I had never heard of the guy before this season, but he’s certainly on my radar now. Ben: For the men, give me Mississippi State’s Daniel Nixon. To PR by two seconds in the 800 (from 1:49 to 1:47) is impressive, but it also puts him into the All-American conversation as well. I’m not sure if it was a one race wonder, but my goodness, it was quite a sight. Michael: My pick on the men’s side is Stanford’s Thomas Ratcliffe. The junior has finished only seven races in his collegiate career, and he finally looks like he might be able to make an impact. He got some coverage when he won the Stanford Cross Country Invitational as a freshman (unattached), and then ran 7:54 at the indoor MPSF Championships this past February. He ran a few 1500's earlier this season, but only hit 3:44 which is good, but not necessarily what we would expect from a guy who was running 4:01 for the mile in high school three years ago. I was very pleasantly surprised to see him run 13:32 for 5k at the Cardinal Classic, which puts him at #3 in the NCAA right now. Ratcliffe and I both graduated from high schools in Massachusetts in the same year, so I was paying close attention to what he would end up doing at Stanford. We hardly saw any results from him over the last two and a half years, but it’s safe to say that Ratcliffe has broken onto the elite level in the NCAA. Garrett: I don’t even think I need to list off nominees for the women because the winner is obvious (well, at least in my eyes it is). Georgetown’s Josette Norris has come out of nowhere to suddenly become one of the top talents in the country. After running 15:46 at Stanford (16 second personal best), she dropped a 10 second personal best in the 1500 to run 4:13. She’s at a completely new level right now which is what happens when you stay fully healthy and are able to accumulate some solid training. As for the other women nominees, I’ll go with BYU’s Lauren Ellsworth and Washington’s Isobel Batt-Doyle as other names to keep in mind. Ben: So I’m going to take the easy way out for the women and completely agree with Garrett for a couple of reasons. One, I had never heard of Josette Norris before this season. Two, and really the only reason you need, is she ran a 10 second PR in the 1500. Let that sink in. A 10 SECOND PERSONAL BEST. A 10 second PR is a nice improvement in the 10k, something to take note of in a 5k, and an *insert expletive* miracle in the 1500. Michael: Josette Norris from Georgetown is an easy pick here. She has gone from being very good to a legitimate podium contender in one race. If she keeps this momentum going, she could be threatening the likes of Dani Jones and Jessica Hull for a title. A 10 second PR puts her in a league of her own in terms of a breakout performance. Name two super deep sleeper picks (one man, one woman) that could end up on the podium in June... Garrett: Harvard’s Lisa Tertsch is a key name to watch over the next month. The sophomore has only raced three times since February, but every time she’s crossed the finish line it’s ended in her winning the race. After winning the 5000 meters at the Ivy League Indoor Championship, Tertsch opted to make her outdoor debut at the Penn Relays where she also won the 5000 in a time of 16:03. She is consistently improving and taking home wins against some very solid Ivy League talent. This leads me to believe that she could be a sleeper pick to become an All-American come June. Michael: For the women, I’ll say Maudie Skyring of Florida State. She has run PR's in both the 800 and 1500 this season, securing times of 2:06 and 4:16. The 4:16 may already put her in the conversation for the 1500, but my bold prediction is that she runs the 800 at NCAA's and gets on the podium there. Ben: For the women, give me Destiny Collins who seems to be putting together her best collegiate track season so far. Her 1500 at Bryan Clay wasn't great, but she bounced back by running a 5k PR at the same meet before winning the 1500 at the National Relay Championships in 4:19 (a personal best) this past weekend. If the talented Texas Longhorn can keep up the momentum, then she might just have an outside chance a scoring and reaching the podium. Garrett: For the men, Wichita State’s Zach Penrod has quietly been at the top of every results page I’ve looked at since indoors. He’s got some underrated speed and just won the Drake 1500 in a time of 3:42. I’m not saying he’s going to win a national title, but he is sneaky good and someone who is gaining momentum (and fitness) as we enter the postseason. For that reason, he is my sleeper pick to watch. Ben: I’m not even sure he should be a super deep sleeper, but no one has talked about him this year. Give me Samuel Abascal from Eastern Kentucky. The Colonel just missed making Nationals by one spot at regionals last year and is out for redemption this year. He has run 8:42 this year which is good for the #7 fastest time in the country. Like former Colonel Jamaine Coleman who was runner-up at Nationals last year, Abascal has the speed and strength to put together a strong finish. Take it from a guy who has lost to both of those men in the 1500 before... Michael: On the men’s side, Wake Forest freshman Zach Facioni has quietly put together a very impressive year. He ran 13:48 at the Raleigh Relays, which is impressive in and of itself, but when we go back to his cross country performances, I think he is capable of more. Facioni ran 23:31 on a not-so-easy Franklin Park course to take 2nd at ACCs. He then finished 14th at the Southeast Regional Championships, taking down some big names in the process. If he can drop 10 more seconds or so (which is still a lot, I know) I think he could be a scary dark-horse pick at NCAA's… Three bold predictions for Payton Jordan... *Entries were not set in stone during the time that this article was published* Garrett: 1) Grant Fisher runs 3:36 2) Allie Ostrander runs sub-9:30 3) Mick Stanovsek runs 1:46 Ben: 1) Rory Linkletter runs sub-28 2) Jessica Hull runs 4:05 3) Steven Fahy runs sub-8:30 Michael: 1) Aidan Tooker runs 8:28 2) Weini Kelati wins the 1500 over Jessica Hull 3) Tyler Day runs sub 13:30

Conversation by Ben Weisel, Michael Weidenbruch, & Garrett Zatlin A few members of the TSR crew got together to chat about all of the action that has taken place so far this season. Read up below and stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow... What are your general thoughts on the season so far? Is there anything you’ve found interesting? Has the season been entertaining or underwhelming? Garrett: Overall, the season has been relatively predictable, especially on the men’s side. Certain guys have run well, but no one other than Indiana’s Daniel Michalski has really stepped up to become a surprising new national title contender in the distance events. The women, however, are a bit more interesting. The return of Dani Jones has really shaken things up and the uncertainty about which event Jessica Hull will run at Nationals has kept many fans in the running community interested in what’s going to happen. Still, I’m not sure I can look at many of these performances and say that they were wildly unexpected. So for the most part, I’d say it's been underwhelming (but not exactly bad). Michael: I agree that this season has exactly not produced any crazy performances yet. Most events are still looking pretty wide open on both the men’s and women’s sides, which could make for some exciting races leading up to NCAA's as athletes try to establish themselves as favorites. Even the champions from Indoor Nationals just last month will need to prove their ability to win again as, at least in my opinion, none of them are locks to win a title outdoors. One performance that stands out to me is the Stanford men in the 5k at the Cardinal Classic. Stanford now has three men in the top five across both regions, all under 13:35. If the Cardinal have three men who could threaten for the podium at NCAA's, this could be a great year for them. Ben: For me, the season has been fun, if not mesmerizing. We have seen some fast times on both the women’s and men’s side, but nothing outrageous and they've come from people you would expect to run well. We haven’t seen many National Championship previews besides the 1500 at Bryan Clay which was probably my favorite race of the year so far. One thing I found interesting on the men’s side is Morgan McDonald’s racing schedule. He has only raced the Bryan Clay 5k and the 4xMile at Penn Relays. Is this because of injury or just taking the season slow? Additionally, does this make him more or less likely to attempt the 10k/5k double at Nationals? Dani Jones returned to action this past weekend after battling injuries over the last few months and ran a converted 4:14 for 1500 meters. On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being a guarantee), how confident are you that she can win the national title in the 1500? Ben: I’d give it a 5 because I think the 1500 final will be a coin flip behind Hull and Jones. Jones would have got the advantage if she was healthy the entire season because I think she is just a little better than Hull. The Duck veteran owns the advantage because of how solid she has been during indoors and outdoors. Garrett: The internal conflict I have with this question is that although I think Dani Jones could still win a national title, I’m not sure she can get past Jessica Hull who is looking to run a fast 1500 at Payton Jordan this weekend. If Hull does run the 1500 at Nationals, she’ll likely be favored over Jones simply because she’s been able to train through the winter without any (known) setbacks. However, if Hull were to enter the 5000, then I do like Jones’ chances of taking home gold (although I don’t necessarily think she’s a lock). So my end answer? I’ll give Jones a 6. Michael: I’ll put Jones at a 6. Her converted 4:14 is impressive, but only puts her #9 in the NCAA. I think Jessica Hull is likely to run faster at Payton Jordan this weekend, and while NCAA's is still well over a month away, Jones will probably need to be in PR shape (sub-4:10) to be able to give Hull a run for her money. If she gets to that point, I think she can win it, but it may be close. Garrett mentioned the possibility of Hull running the 5k, but I wouldn’t rule that race out for Dani Jones either. After all, she is the reigning cross country champion. TSR recently broke news that Noah Affolder is exploring transfer options. What are your thoughts on that? Michael: I was really surprised when I heard that Noah Affolder was looking into transferring. The circumstances back it up with Coach Fox leaving Syracuse, but the core of the team is still there, especially Aidan Tooker. Washington looks like a solid guess as to where he’ll end up after his younger brother signed there, but I could see him going somewhere that is more known for producing steeplechasers. Andy Powell hasn’t been known for creating steeple talents, but I’m sure he could do it. With that said, I could see him looking into a school like Georgetown which has produced multiple top-level steeplechasers in the past few years. In 2017, Darren Fahy and Scott Carpenter took 2nd and 5th at NCAA's in the steeplechase and the Hoyas have picked up some recruits who have shown promise in the event. Plus, Affolder would be close to home in Washington DC, although his family has moved around a lot and could potentially move again. Garrett: It’s not often that you see a young star have a notable amount of success in his first few years and then decide to transfer. However, this seems relatively understandable as there are notable reasons why Affolder may want to step away from Syracuse. Coach Fox left the program after Affolder’s first year and his younger brother Sam committed to run for Coach Powell at Washington on the other side of the country. Despite his great success in the steeplechase, the idea of heading out west isn’t shocking for a guy whose family was constantly on the move during high school. Could we see Affolder in an Oregon or Washington singlet come the 2019 cross country season? Ben: As Garrett said, it isn’t often that you see a young stud transfer, but I wonder if this will become more prevalent over the next few years. With the introduction of the transfer portal, it will be interesting to see if more young stars try to push their way to a new school. This might just be an indictment of our overall culture, but I think we are about to see more and more people leave their school because they think the grass is greener somewhere else (which could be true). Like Garrett, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him head out west. In particular, I think Washington is the favorite. For someone who has been impressive in the steeplechase, his cross performances have left something to be desired. If Andy Powell gets Affolder, then it will be interesting to see if he can help him develop on the cross course. If Powell can, then the Huskies could be challenging for a podium spot next year or maybe even a championship title. Upon a quick review of our Draft selections, which writer is having the best season so far? Why? Michael: John seems to have the best team on the men’s side so far, but I think Sam or even Matt could make a push for being considered the top team depending on how their athletes perform this weekend with Payton Jordan. John picking Grant Fisher certainly gives him an edge with Fisher’s early season 13:29 5k. Garrett: On the men’s side, there is no doubt in my mind that John has the best team right now. His lineup of Fisher, Mau, Brandt, Suliman, Nuguse, Rockhold, and Roudolff-Levisse is well balanced between the 1500, 5k, and 10k. Rockhold was a huge gamble as his health was a big question mark, but after running 13:35 at Bryan Clay, it’s safe to say that it was possibly the best pick of the draft. Ben: I also think John clearly has the best team, although I like Sam’s team to give him a challenge. Klecker, Linkletter, and Day give Sam a shot at racking up a lot of points between the 10k and 5k. The problem is that the rest of his lineup (Hunter, Orange, Hauger, and Burdick) don’t look like they’ll will be able to provide Sam as many points in their respective events. Michael: On the women’s side, I think it has to be between Sean, John, and Garrett. I think Sean’s combination of Kelati and Kurgat and John picking Alicia Monson gives them a major scoring boost. Garrett took a potentially underrated pick in Erica Birk, who is currently #4 in the 1500 AND the 5k. I have to say, I think my team isn’t looking too bad either with Dani Jones back in action. She could make a huge difference for me! Garrett: As for the women, I have to think that my own team is still in pretty solid position as I have potential scorers in the steeplechase, 10k, and 5k...many of whom could end up doubling. I also have some comfort knowing that my final round pick (Erin Finn) is racing this season and is already qualified for Regionals. Yet, outside of scoring, John’s team is extremely strong with firepower at nearly every position. Allie Wilson and Alicia Monson are two national title contenders while plenty of other women in his lineup are sneaky good podium picks. So if you don’t like my biased pick, then go with John’s squad...again. Ben: For the women, I think Sean might have the best draft so far based solely on his first two picks, Weini Kelati and Ednah Kurgat. The Lady Lobos could score over 20 points on their own and Kelati could even score 15 points by herself. If Sean can get any points from Rohrer, Rizk, Viljoen, Jaci Smith, and McDonald, then he could beat out other top teams like Garrett and John. *Part Two coming tomorrow*

Drake and Penn Relays Play Spoiler We’re coming down to the end of the outdoor season and with only a month to before the national meet begins, athletes are still looking for times to get them in. Luckily, a number of those runners were able to achieve that this weekend. These relay meets serve as some kind of last chance meet before most conference meets begin, marking the last time any real attempt at marks can be made. We’ve mentioned Leakey Kipkosgei before and we’re doing it again here. He ran an 8:44 steeplechase at the Penn Relays meet and finished only behind Indiana’s Daniel Michalski (formerly of Cedarville). Kipkosgei now has eight seconds on the next best runner in the field. It’s also a strong three second personal best for him which also leads us to believe that he'll run this event at Nationals (it seems like he could run everything). Benjamin Allen of Concordia St. Paul ran a four second personal best at the Drake Relays with a time of 3:45. It’s good enough for the #7 fastest time in the country. After running 3:49 twice this season, I’m sure Allen was wondering if he would ever get over the hump (and now he has). Allen has now qualified for his first-ever national meet and will be looking to make a splash when he toes the line there. Central Missouri’s Cynthia Togom ran the #11 fastest time in the 5000 on her way to a 32 second personal best in the 5000. She’s only just a freshman and has raced just four times this outdoor season (which for a freshman can be a lot). A strong 5000 usually indicates a strong 10,000 as well, but I don’t think we’ll see her run that with the postseason rapidly approaching. Jesus Urtusuastegei from Augustana (S.D.) finally broke through the 9:00 barrier in the steeplechase on his way to a 3rd place finish at the Drake Relays. He knocked off 11 seconds from his previous best and now is #7 in the NCAA. Urtusuastegei’s teammate Mackenzie Kelly, who we highlighted earlier as a breakout performer a few weeks ago, continued to impress as she ran a nine second personal best in the steeplechase. She ran 10:35 and now sits as the #6 fastest runner on TFRRS. Now, when we say spoiler, by no means does that entail that the NCAA qualifying list is set in stone. All that these athletes have done so far is make the standard for the next three weeks even tougher to achieve. The ability to compete at some of the biggest meets and on the biggest stage brings the best out of some and that was shown this weekend. Kristen Metcalfe Runs Qualifying Marks The Embry-Riddle senior hadn’t run a race before last weekend since her 2nd place finish at the NCAA Indoor National Championships in early March. She won the 1500 and 800 at her conference meet a week ago, but some fans were left concerned as she hadn’t posted any legitimate times yet. Luckily, that’s been put to bed after this weekend. Metcalfe showed us that she is still a strong contender in her respective events with her double this weekend. She ran 4:25 in the 1500 and then bounced back with a strong 2:09 in the 800. That is good enough for #11 in both events on the TFRRS list. She’ll be in the mix of things when finals roll around at the end of May. Underappreciated Performances Seb Anthony, Queens (N.C.) Anthony became the sixth man under the 1:50 mark this year for D2. He ran 1:49.10 which is a second and a half personal best. The freshman was an All-American during the indoor season and should be considered a threat to be one again a month from now. He is underrated talent with a high ceiling and tons of potential. Olivia Woods, Western Oregon Woods posted her fastest time this outdoor season at the Oregon State High Performance Meet. She ran 2:09.74 and likely clinched herself a spot in the NCAA meet. The All-American has been consistent throughout her years at WOU and has once again placed herself in a favorable position entering the postseason. Leah Lewis, Dallas Baptist Lewis also ran at the Oregon State High Performance Meet. She set a new personal best in the 10,000 by 19 seconds as she ran 35:43 on the day. That’s the #17 best time in the country at the moment and it will likely should get her into the Big Dance in May. Dallas Baptist continues to quietly produce national-caliber talent... Quick Thoughts Jonah Theisen, Black Hills State Theisen was the national champion in the 3000 steeple his freshman year. Since then, he’s failed to be an All-American in the event. However, after these last two weekends of racing, it seems that Theisen is back to his old self. He won the RMAC Championships this past weekend with a time of 8:59 and saw it convert down to 8:52. Will he remain a contender for the title after preliminaries this year? We'll have to wait to find out... Shane Bracken, Saint Leo Bracken became the third man to run under 3:45 with a raw time this season. His performance is seemingly out of nowhere, as he had only run 3:49 earlier this season. But now he has the #5 fastest time in the country. The question now is how legitimate is his ability to compete at the highest level?

FULL RESULTS FROM THIS WEEKEND HERE Jones. Is. Back. Everyone stop what you're doing, Dani Jones has returned to the outdoor oval. After battling injuries for the past five months, the Colorado ace has quietly returned to the collegiate circuit during the busiest weekend of track and field when no one was looking for individual performances. At the Jack Christiansen Invitational in Fort Colins, Colorado, Jones posted a time of 4:20 which is wildly impressive considering it was A) her first race back in nearly half a year, and B) it was run at 5000 feet of elevation. Her conversion gives her an NCAA #9 time of 4:14.68 and completely changes the national qualifying picture for the nation's most elite talents. Watch out, the women's 1500 just got a lot more interesting... Michalski Improves Upon NCAA #1 Steeplechase Time Indiana's Daniel Michalski had a great indoor season with a handful of strong times while displaying some impressive range. Still, I don't think anyone expected him to have such a phenomenal outdoor season. This past weekend, Michalski ran away from the field at Penn Relays to win the steeplechase in a jaw-dropping time of 8:34. It was the 8th fastest collegiate time in meet history. Michalski's steeplechase win at the Stanford Invite caught the attention of many, but it had a few fans (like myself) wondering if he was just a one race wonder. Obviously, he is not. After upsetting the BYU duo of Owens and Shumway a few weekends ago at the Stanford Invite, Michalski has validated himself as a legitimate threat to win the national title in June. His mix of endurance and speed that we saw in the winter has clearly made this Indiana senior one of the top talents in the country. Women Post Impressive Splits at Penn Relays While many of the men's races resulted in tactical performances, the women opted to put on a show with a handful of eyebrow-raising splits. Let's talk about the 4x800, a race where there is a lot to discuss. The Indiana women took home the win over mid-distance powerhouse Virginia Tech. The Hoosiers were the only relay to have all four women split under 2:10 and although they didn't have any jaw-dropping splits, their consistency was encouraging. As for the Hokies, they leaned on a 2:04 split from anchor leg Rachel Pocratsky which was enough to distance the relay from a hard-charging Allie Wilson. The Monmouth veteran posted the fastest split of anyone in the race with a monster time of 2:02.29. If that split were to count as an open time, it would be the fastest mark in the NCAA. Although the 4x800 held plenty of exciting performances, the DMR was just as much fun. The Penn women walked away with a win on their own track thanks to a huge 3:22 split from mid-distance star Nia Akins which was followed by teammate Maddie Villalba running 4:37 on the anchor. That was enough to fend off the Notre Dame women who had a huge 4:28 split from Jessica Harris who also owns the NCAA #1 time in the 1500 right now (4:13.04). In total, there were six women who had ran under 4:40 on anchor leg for the DMR. Georgetown's Josette Norris and Villanova's Nicole Hutchinson may not have secured top finishes for their relays, but they did walk away huge splits of 4:33 and 4:34, respectively. Admittedly, the 4x1500 was the most tactical race of the women's the distance relays with the fastest split coming from Villanova's Rachel McArthur at 4:18. Not only was she the only woman to run under 4:20, but she was also the only woman to run under 4:24. Hoppel & Aneno Highlight Big 800 Performances Although the relay events captured most of the highlights from this past weekend, there were other results that were just as impressive (if not more). Indoor 800 meter national champion Bryce Hoppel not only kept his undefeated streak alive, but he also secured one of the fastest marks in the country. His time of 1:45.87 is now the #2 time in the NCAA and it was enough to defeat his competition by nearly five seconds. So far this season, Hoppel had displayed consistency, the ability to double, and strong racing tactics. What more could you ask for? As for Susan Aneno, the UCONN veteran walked away from the UF Tom Jones Memorial Invite with an NCAA #5 time of 2:03.41. After an indoor track season where she emerged as an All-American finisher in a loaded 800 field, Aneno has found a way to bring her fitness to the outdoor oval. She was also able to hold off a strong effort from Miami's Kayla Johnson who ran 2:04.43 for 2nd. Unappreciated Performances Zack Penrod Continues to Gain Momentum Wichita State's Zack Penrod has had a very solid junior year with a handful of respectable performances. However, his 3:42 at Drake this past weekend was the first mark that truly deserves national attention. With underrated 800/1000 meter speed of 1:50/2:25, Penrod could be a sleeper pick to watch at the West Regional Championships which is often a tactical affair and requires strong finishing speed. Jessica Hull Runs 2:07 It doesn't mean a ton, but her 2:07 is a nice display of speed for someone who will be running the 1500 at Payton Jordan next week. That race will be far more interesting now that Colorado's Dani Jones is back in the picture... Rogers & Rice Run Fast Steeple Marks Alone The men's steeplechase at the National Relay Championships was...lacking. The Texas duo of Alex Rogers and John Rice were the only men to toe the line for the race, but still came away with a pair of nice results. Rogers ran 8:48 while Rice was 8:51. Say what you will, but running that fast with only your teammate next to you is pretty darn impressive.

Written by Quenten Lasseter + John Cusick Battle of the National Champions The women’s 800 could possibly be the most exciting event of this conference championship meet with two defending indoor national champions going head to head. Heat one of the three prelims will feature the reigning indoor mile champion Stephanie Cotter of Adams State. Cotter has only raced the 800 twice this season and just recently clocked a time of 2:13.34 at the Beach Invitational. We know Cotter as a miler, but with her PR of 2:09.49, she should not be overlooked. The reigning indoor 800 national champion Skylyn Webb of UC-Colorado Springs will be competing in heat three for the 800 prelims. Webb had a fantastic outing at the Mt SAC Relays, running the #2 fastest time in the NCAA with a 2:04.70. Both national champions are expected to make it out of the preliminaries and into the finals, where we will see the two powerhouse stars battle it out. Where are the Adams Elite? The defending 3000 and 5000 indoor national champions Elias Gedyon and Sydney Gidabuday of Adams State will be racing at Payton Jordan this weekend instead of the RMAC Outdoor Championships. The two teammates will be chasing fast times as they gear up to defend and back up their titles at the outdoor national championships. Along with Gidabuday and Gedyon, both Flanagan sisters are opting to attend the Payton Jordan Invitational instead of heading to South Dakota for their conference meet. This isn’t an unprecedented move from Grizzlies, but it does seem somewhat odd that, with their current marks, they’d opt out. The Colorado Mines Duo Luke Julian and Josh Evans of Colorado Mines will look to score major points in the 1500 this weekend. With the two teammates separated in different heats, it will be much easier for both Julian and Evans to advance to the finals. Julian currently has the NCAA’s #2 fastest time this year, running an automatic time of 3:42.98 which was converted at the Colorado Invitational. Evans is not too far off, owning the #5 fastest time in the NCAA with a provisional time of 3:44.94 at his home meet (the Mines Kit Mayer Invite). The Colorado Mines duo has the fastest seed times entering the event this weekend and if all goes the Orediggers way, big points will be produced by Julian and Evans (and maybe 1-2 finish). Four Woman Battle for the 1500 Title With both of the Flanagan sisters opting for the Payton Jordan Invitational in a few weeks, we only have three names that should be in consideration for taking home the title at 1500 meters. Alicja Konieczek (Western Colorado) comes in with the fastest seed time of 4:22 that she ran at the Colorado Invitational earlier this season. Her name holds weight as she holds the D2 record for the steeplechase and was the mile champion indoors last season. Skylyn Webb is doubling up this weekend and is always a threat when it comes to championship racing. Her seed time of 4:24 comes from the Colorado Invitational earlier this month. The slower the pace for Webb, the better it is for her tactically speaking. She has a strong enough kick to run down anyone in this event. I’m sure that’s how she will want it to be played out as she’ll be looking to save her legs for the 800 later on. Chloe Cook of Colorado Mines enters the meet with a seed time of 4:24 (converted from her time at Mines Nature’s Bakery Invite) and is likely the biggest competition to the Mountaineer. She set a personal best of 4:28 at the Stanford Invitational a few weeks ago and will be looking for an upset in what is considered her main event. Teammate Kara Burton enters the meet with the last seed time under 4:30. Her 4:28 came from the Mike Fanelli Classic almost a month ago. The favorite here is clearly Konieczek if she is in her best form. She’s a savvy racer and is looking to secure 10 points for the women’s team here. You’ll likely see Webb try and slow the race down, but it’ll be interesting to see if she has the strength to keep up with fast pace from the gun. The Oredigger women are strong runners, but have never run faster than 4:28 before so they’ll need a big performance. Devundrick Walker Chases First Conference Title Devundrick Walker of CSU-Pueblo is no stranger to the RMAC Outdoor Championships in the 800. The multiple time All-American Walker has finished 2nd in 2015, 3rd in 2016, and 3rd in 2018, during his career at CSU-Pueblo in the event. With teammate, reigning national champion, and DII 800 record holder Thomas Staines not entered in the 800, this is a clear opportunity for Walker to get his first ever outdoor conference championship title. Walker has a season’s best of 1:49.47 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, which puts at #4 him on the NCAA leaderboard. Chasing down Walker should be Western Colorado’s Juman Randall. The JUCO transfer was the indoor conference champion at this distance. He comes in with the #13 fastest time in the country with the potential to run even faster in the right race. This will likely be a two-man race on Sunday. Josh Hoskinson is Back for Redemption Last year at the 2018 RMAC Outdoor Championships, Josh Hoskinson of Colorado Mines finished 4th overall in the 5000. This year, Hoskinson will look to make things much different. The All-American posted a PR of 14:04.33 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, giving him the #4 fastest time in the NCAA. With EIias Gedyon of Adams State out of the mix, Hoskinson has the fastest time in the 5000 entering the conference meet and will have a chance at redemption. 3k Steeple National Championship Preview It should come as no surprise for folks who follow along with the RMAC, but we have four of the top 18 marks in the steeplechase set to toe the line this weekend. Jake Mitchem of Colorado Mines (8:56), Taylor Stack of Western Colorado (8:56), Jonah Theisen of Black Hills State (9:00), and Kale Adams of Adams State (9:06) will all toe the line this weekend for the title of RMAC champion. Mitchem comes in as the reigning champion in the RMAC where he ran 9:18 and a seven second victory. Stack was the 3rd place finisher while Theisen was right behind him in 4th place. Adams wasn’t at the meet last year, but was 2nd in 2017. All of these athletes are certainly familiar with each other and this should be one of the best races of the weekend. I think we will see something familiar to last year’s race that was won in 9:18. No one wants to take this race out hard given the circumstances of being the pacesetter. Look for a mad dash the last 800 to 1000 meters. Regardless, you’ll likely see all four of these guys again in a month on the nation's biggest stage.