KEY (Unranked) Was not ranked the week before (#/#) First number indicates the change in a runner's ranking from week priorSecond number indicates where the runner was ranked last week 20. Gina Patterson | Grand Valley State (JR) (Unranked) Patterson did not run this week, but due to inactivity and redshirts from other individuals, she appears in the rankings for the first time this season. She has only run one race so far this spring (a 5k at the Raleigh Relays) which produced a provisional time of 16:36.92 (NCAA #2) 19. Hanna Groeber | Grand Valley State (JR) (Unranked) After finishing 2nd in the Bison Outdoor Classic in the steeplechase this weekend, Groeber appears in the rankings for the first time this season. Her time of 10:23.52 sits at #2 in the country and is a D2 provisional time. She also ran a 34:55 in the 10k at the Raleigh Relays earlier this year, which is also a provisional time and currently sits 5th in D2. 18. Liz Bloch | Michigan Tech (SR) (Unranked) Bloch had been consistently around 4:30 for her 1500 races over the past couple of years, but this weekend at the Bison Outdoor Classic she popped off a huge PR, running a provisional time of 4:24.67 (NCAA #5). The only question I have is, was that race a one-time deal, or is this a sign of things to come from Bloch? 17. Bailey Sharon | Western Colorado (SO) (+2 / 19) Idle 16. Stefanie Parsons | Edinboro (FR) (+4 / 20) A week after testing the waters in the 800, Parsons moved back up to the 1500 at the Bison Outdoor Classic. She picked up a nearly two-second PR, running a 4:25.91, which puts her at #7 in D2. Parsons just keeps creeping up those 1500 meter rankings... 15. Alexa Shindruk | Central Washington (SR) (+3 / 18) I am not really sure what the Central Washington coaches were doing with Shindruk this weekend. At their home meet, Shindruk ran a 200 and a 3k...weird combination. Her 200 was not impressive, but she did take the win in the 3k, running a 9:58.20 and winning by about a minute. 14. Sophie Dodd | Simon Fraser (SR) (+3 / 17) Dodd did not have a great race this week as she ran 2:12.78 in the 800 at UC San Diego. After running a 2:07.44 earlier this season, this was not what we expected. Dodd did bounce back later on in the meet though, as she was a part of the Simon Fraser 4x400 team that ran a provisional time of 3:45.30. Luckily for her, inactivity from other runners actually helped her in the rankings this week. 13. Andra Lehotay | Walsh (JR) (+3 / 16) Lehotay hopped in the 800 this week as Walsh hosted their home meet. She ran her fastest 800 since 2017, as she clocked a provisional time of 2:10.80, which sits at #13 in D2. 12. Allie Ludge | Grand Valley State (JR) (+2 / 14) Idle 11. Carsyn Koch-Johnson | Cedarville (SR) (0 / 11) Koch-Johnson had a pretty easy week this week, as she took wins in the 800, 1500, and was a part of the 4x400 at Centre College. None of the times were quick, but that is expected when running solo with little competition. 10. Julia Howley | Simon Fraser (SR) (0 / 10) Idle 9. Roisin Flanagan | Adams State (JR) (0 / 9) Idle 8. Danielle McCormick | Alaska Anchorage (SR) (0 / 8) Idle 7. Leah Hanle | Mount Olive (JR) (0 / 7) Idle 6. Rachael Walters | Grand Valley State (SR) (0 / 6) Idle 5. Stephanie Cotter | Adams State (FR) (0 / 5) Idle 4. Eilish Flanagan | Adams State (JR) (0 / 4) Idle 3. Skylyn Webb | UC Colorado-Springs (SR) (0 / 3) Webb had a light week this week, as she led her 4x400 team to a win, running 3:52.52 at Colorado Mines. After messing around with different events in the past few weeks, Webb will return to the 800 this weekend with a chance to make a serious statement. 2. Alicja Konieczek | Western Colorado (SR) (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. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) 2. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado) 3. Stephanie Cotter (Adams State) 4. Roisin Flanagan (Adams State) 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. Megan Wenham (Colorado Mines) 5000 1. Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage) 2. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado) 3. Leah Hanle (Mount Olive) 4. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) 5. Gina Patterson (Grand Valley State) 10,000 1. Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage) 2. Leah Hanle (Mount Olive) 3. Alexa Shindruk (Central Washington) 4. Eileen Stressling (Azusa Pacific) 5. Hanna Groeber (Grand Valley State)

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. Jake Mitchem, Colorado Mines (0 / 20) No races for Mitchem this past weekend. 19. Pierre-Louis Detourbe, Simon Fraser (0 / 19) No races for Detourbe this past weekend. 18. Benoit Campion, American International (-1 / 17) Benoit headed to the UCONN Northeast Challenge this past weekend to get some speed work in as he ran the 800. After running it twice during the indoor season, he dropped almost five-tenths of a second off his PR by running 1:52.82. It's a good showing for the freshman and it certainly speaks to his ability to close in longer distances. 17. Ayman Zahafi, TAMU-Kingsville (+1 / 18) The sophomore from Kingsville took his talents to Miami over the weekend where he took home the win by a second and was the only athlete to dip underneath the 1:50 barrier. In doing so, he set a new personal best running 1:49.78. That’s also good enough for the #2 fastest time that D2 has seen this season. He only moves up a single spot for now as the talent in front of him is simply too great and he still only competes in one event. 16. Luke Julian, Colorado Mines (-1 / 15) No races for Julian this past weekend. 15. Devundrick Walker, CSU-Pueblo (-1 / 14) No races for Walker this past weekend. 14. Leakey Kipkosgei, American International (+2 / 16) Shall I triple down on my words from last week about Kipkosgei being good in what feels like every event? Kipkosgei went with his teammate Campion to the UCONN Northeast Challenge where he took home the win in the 800. While it’s nowhere near his personal best, his time of 1:51.45 is still significant. It’s the #16 fastest time so far this year and if he chose to race it a couple more times, I’m sure we could see him dip back under the 1:50 mark. 13. Victor Moreau, Academy of Art (0 / 13) No races for Moreau this past weekend. 12. Rowan Doherty, Simon Fraser (0 / 12) No races for Doherty this past weekend. 11. Brett Meyer, Fort Hays State (0 / 11) No races for Meyer this past weekend. 10. Marcelo Laguera, CSU-Pueblo (0 / 10) No races for Laguera this past weekend. 9. Taylor Stack, Western Colorado (-1 / 8) No races for Stack this past weekend. 8. Josh Hoskinson, Colorado Mines (+1 / 9) We finally got to see Hoskinson debut after his strong performance at Nationals. He opted for the 1500 this time around and he reminded of us what he is capable of doing at the shorter distances. The former miler ran 3:51.76 at the Kit Mayer Invitational. After the altitude conversion, he has the #6 fastest time in the country with a time of 3:45.55. I’m not entirely sure if this is something that he wants to pursue at the national level, but it certainly gives us reason to believe he’d be in the mix at the 1500 and likely the 5000 given the way championship racing works. 7. Dennis Mbuta, Grand Valley State (-2 / 5) No races for Mbuta this past weekend. 6. Elias Gedyon, Adams State (-3 / 3) No races for Gedyon this past weekend. 5. Felix Wammetsberger, Queens (N.C.) (+1 / 6) The reigning indoor mile champ took aim at the 1500 this weekend and with quick pacing, found himself finishing 7th at the Bison Outdoor Classic. He ran 3:45.99 and ran the #2 fastest raw time in the country. That being said, with all the altitude conversions, he now currently sits at #8 on the TFRRS list. In Wammetsberger’s case, despite his success, he wasn’t even the fastest Queens athlete this weekend (see below). Regardless, his performance showed us that Indoor Nationals was no fluke, and that Wammetsberger likely isn’t done making a name for himself this season. 4. Zach Panning, Grand Valley State (0 / 4) No races for Panning this past weekend. 3. Daniel Wallis, Queens (N.C.) (+2 / 7) As I mentioned above, the fastest man from Queens this past weekend was Mr. Wallis. The senior took ahold of the race with 700 meters to go and never looked back. After a quick shout at the pacer, Wallis was on his way to a four second personal best with a time of 3:43.81. It’s the fastest raw time in the country and moves him into the #3 position on TFRRS. Wallis was certainly fine to finish 2nd in the mile to his teammate at Indoor Nationals, but I’m sure he’d love to take home a title of his own this year and he certainly looks to be in shape to do so. 2. Thomas Staines, CSU-Pueblo (0 / 2) No races for Staines this past weekend. 1. Sydney Gidabuday, Adams State (0 / 1) No races for Gidabuday this past weekend. 800 1. Thomas Staines (CSU-Pueblo) 2. Dennis Mbuta (Grand Valley State) 3. Devundrick Walker (CSU-Pueblo) 4. Ayman Zahafi (TAMU-Kingsville) 5. Joshua Ajiero (Albany State) 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. Pierre-Louis Detourbe (Simon Fraser) 2. Jake Mitchem (Colorado Mines) 3. Edwin Kangogo (Alaska Anchorage) 4. Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.)) 5. Jacob Domagalski (Grand Valley State) 5000 1. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) 2. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State) 3. Josh Hoskinson (Colorado Mines) 4. Gidieon Kimutai (Missouri Southern) 5. Ruben Dominguez (Cal Poly Pomona) 10,000 1. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State) 2. Marcelo Laguera (CSU-Pueblo) 3. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) 4. Stetson Rayas (Dallas Baptist 5. Jack Mastrandrea (Charleston W.V. )

I'll be honest, we don't have a ton of new article ideas this week. Many of the nation's top talents haven't debuted yet and if they have, we've already exhausted most of their respective talking points. That said, we have a ton of rankings on the way, some cool D2 content in the works, and we are awaiting the heat sheets for Bryan Clay. In other words, we are in a "content purgatory" of sorts. So for today, I'm just going rogue and having some fun with this (I'm the admin, I can do that). Let's start our discussion with the steeplechase, an event that is surrounded with questions. Outside of the BYU men, we haven't seen any of the established title contenders from last year make their steeplechase debuts yet. In fact, both Allie Ostrander and Charlotte Prouse, the two overwhelming titles favorites on the women's side, aren't even entered in this event for Bryan Clay. Why? I have no idea. That said, this has given us some time to appreciate a variety of new names who have posted some fast results. Just take a look at the men's NCAA leaderboard. Indiana's Daniel Michalski had a breakout performance at the Stanford Invite to upset Shumway and Owens while Oklahoma State sophomore Ryan Smeeton established himself as a true ace for the Cowboys by running a very strong time of 8:41. And how about this past weekend? Was anyone expecting Harvard's Will Battershill to solo an 8:49? The answer is no, mainly because you had probably never heard of him prior to this weekend (don't worry, I didn't either). As for the women, the depth doesn't seem to be as exciting, but maybe that's because breaking the 10 minute barrier catches my eye more than 10:18 does (which is the very rough equivalent of 8:50 for the men). Still, I'm excited to see someone like Brianna Ilarda at the top of the NCAA leaderboard after she was severely overlooked during the indoor season. She is exceptionally talented and brings a ton of underrated range to the table. If you need a sleeper pick for the rest of this season, keep an eye on Wisconsin's Alissa Niggemann. She's only a sophomore, but I think she's beginning to develop some significant fitness after running 10:05 a few weeks ago. She had a key scoring role in Wisconsin's cross country lineup last fall and has a solid amount of experience for someone who is still relatively young. * * * Does anyone else feel like the 800 is exceptionally deep this year? It's something we already knew during the indoor season, but it seems more pronounced on the outdoor oval, even with big names like Robert Heppenstall and Sammy Watson no longer in the national conversation. Who would have thought that by the middle of April, BYU's Lauren Ellsworth would be leading the nation with a 2:02.49? That's not a knock on her. If anything, it's a testament to her talent. The same goes for Samantha Huerta (Cal State Fullerton) who ran 2:04 in late March. Can she be one of the surprise women to step up and battle for a podium spot this spring? It seems outrageous to say, but Danae Rivers may not be the comfortable favorite that she was during indoors even after running 2:03 at the Florida Relays. Ok, maybe not... On the men's side, not much is different from indoors in the grand scheme of things (many of the top names have yet to make their debut in the event). That said, we've seen a few middle distance programs suddenly step up after a relatively quiet indoor season. In an era where Penn State, Texas A&M, and Georgetown are battling for the title of "800U", it's Mississippi State and Iowa State that are dominating the headlines. In fact, between those two programs, they own the entire top five 800 times in the NCAA right now. Obviously, we're bound to see faster times later this season (and likely this weekend), but I couldn't help pointing this out. Mississippi State has been a program that consistently produces some of the best middle distance talent in the country and for whatever reason, they never get the recognition that they deserve. Remember, before Marco Arop, the Bulldogs were responsible for developing Canadian half-mile star Brandon McBride. * * * Does anyone remember when Ole Miss wasn't good? I actually do, but quite frankly, it doesn't really matter because they are the most exciting and entertaining distance team in collegiate track and field right now. There. I said it. Youth can completely jumpstart a program. If Ole Miss isn't enough evidence, take a look at what we've seen from Notre Dame. The results are encouraging to say the least. Waleed Suliman is a superstar who, with enough experience and poise, can win a national title one day. He just ran 3:40 this past weekend and owns personal bests of 3:39 and 1:47 on the outdoor oval. In that same race, teammate Cade Bethmann had a breakout performance, running 3:41 to beat out Casey Comber, but a result like that was expected for any fan familiar with his freshman year results. Dalton Hengst, Mario Garcia Romo, Everett Smulders, John Rivera...all of those guys are underclassmen who have shown incredible promise in a short amount of time. I'm sure they have other guys I'm not mentioning who are just waiting for their moment to shine. The Engels/Tobin/Domanic era may have ended, but Ole Miss' dominance has not. * * * So, uh, where is Dani Jones? The Colorado ace captured headlines this past fall after winning the NCAA cross country title, but then went into hibernation as she redshirted the indoor track season. However, I'm a little confused as to why we haven't seen her race yet this outdoor season. Why the delay? Why did she not make her debut at the Stanford Invite with teammate Makena Morley? Why did she not race at the Colorado Invite where nearly every Buffalo runner toed the line? Why is she not entered for Bryan Clay when her teammates are? Jones already redshirted the 2018 outdoor track season, so the idea of preserving eligibility shouldn't come into play this spring. This leads us to one of two realistic possibilities. She is either A) injured or B) preparing for the World Championships later this summer. Maybe she's just delaying the start of her season for whatever reason (which could very well be the case), but I feel like my two scenarios are far more captivating storylines, so let's just go with those. Regardless, not having Dani Jones at NCAA's in June would be disappointing for so many fans who are hoping for a Jones vs Hull national title matchup. It would be a shame if the two greatest distance runners in the greatest era of women's collegiate distance running never got to face each other when they were in their primes.

Whether we like it or not, our sport is evolving. Runners are getting faster. Standards are becoming harder. Coaches are more willing to make changes, either with a new collegiate program or by heading professional groups . All of those aspects influence the direction of American track and field. Yet, maybe one of the more interesting facets of this sport-altering era is the relationship we've seen between young stars and shoe companies, specifically Adidas. However, before we can completely understand that dynamic, we need to rewind to 2001... * * * Around this time nearly 18 years ago, Alan Webb was rapidly becoming one of the biggest and best stars in American distance running. His 3:53 high school mile national record had garnered mass amounts of attention from people across the country as well as the world. Webb's performance even landed him a spot on the Late Night with David Letterman show. For many people, it felt like the running community finally had a celebrity to rally around. Despite the persuasion attempts for Webb to sign a pro contract, the young superstar would eventually enroll at Michigan to train under Coach Ron Warhurst. However, a pair of All-American finishes in his first year weren't enough to keep Webb interested in staying at Ann Arbor. Instead, he would sign a lucrative six year, $1.5 million contract from Nike . Webb's professional contract was entirely out of the norm for the time. It was rare to see young talents leave the NCAA so early to pursue opportunities out of the collegiate system. Sprinter Allyson Felix, who signed with Adidas in 2003 at 18 years old, was one of the rare exceptions. Still, the lack of these early-career contracts over the next decade stemmed from the fact that there was simply less money in the sport back then than there is now and that the country didn't see athletes who were at the same level as Webb or Felix were. At the time, Webb's contract felt like a potential catalyst for other young superstars. Was this going to be the start of high schoolers forgoing eligibility to sign shoe contracts? The answer to that would be no. * * * Once Webb made his decision to sign on the dotted line in 2002, collegiate underclassmen and high school stars from across the country were simply unable to reach the same level of fame and aerobic mastery. The bar, after all, was set incredibly high. However, that all changed in 2013 when a 17 year old girl from Bronxville, New York began torching record books and dominating her competition. I am, of course, referring to Mary Cain. The rise of the internet and social media amplified Cain's image in ways that Webb was never able to accomplish. Fans throughout the running community were able to watch Cain run on a consistent basis thanks to advancements made in streaming. She was the face of every interview while her name was being printed on every running headline. In a time where the mass movement of information and digital media were beginning to gain momentum, Cain's exposure became just as valuable as her performances. Unlike Webb, there was little doubt that Cain would sign on the dotted line of a professional contract. Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. In 2013, before she even graduated from high school, Mary Cain officially joined Nike Oregon Project, the nation's premier distance running group. But what was so different about this signing is that she wasn't the only young star to get a deal with a shoe company. In fact, she wasn't even the first high schooler to sign a pro contract in 2013. Instead, that honor went to Ajee Wilson who signed with Adidas. The idea of two high school athletes (much less one) signing pro contracts before they even donned a college singlet was still an incredibly foreign concept. However, it was those contract negotiations that ended up sparking an arms race to sign the country's most electric young talents on the track. * * * Over the next five years, numerous high school stars and elite underclassmen would opt out of the NCAA to pursue careers as professional athletes. Nike would go on to sign a pair of phenoms in Donovan Brazier and Alexa Efraimson. ASICS inked a deal with 16 year old sprinter Candace Hill, making her the youngest athlete in United States history to sign a professional track and field contract. Of course, we can't forget about Sydney McLaughlin, the 2016 Olympian who became a sprinting and hurdle prodigy while wielding an unfathomable number of young fans. After a year at Kentucky, McLaughlin would secure a likely massive deal and sign with New Balance. But Adidas? They were the biggest winners. In addition to Ajee Wilson, the Three Stripe brand would add a dynamic mix of youth to their pro athlete roster. The first signings were for the sprinting brother duo of Noah and Josephus Lyles. Although Josephus has battled injuries, Noah has become America's next greatest sprinting star with the potential to threaten the Jamaicans for Olympic gold in 2020. While Nike was able to boast the signing of middle distance superstar, collegiate record holder, and national champion Donovan Brazier, Adidas patiently waited to counter. Just two years after Brazier broke the collegiate 800 meter record, UTEP's Michael Saruni one-upped him with a new collegiate record of his own (1:43.25) along with a national title. That was enough to capture the interest of Adidas representatives and sign him to a deal. And the most recent results? They favor Adidas... As if that wasn't enough, Adidas recently signed Sammy Watson, the Texas A&M ace who won the 2018 NCAA outdoor national title in the 800 meters as a freshman. She has been compared to Ajee Wilson on multiple occasions. Yet, maybe the most important and most impactful signing of them all was Drew Hunter, the greatest high school boys distance runner since Alan Webb. Despite having a high school mile PR slower than Webb's, Hunter was arguably just as talented with a Footlocker national title in cross country as well as a 7:59 personal best for 3000 meters on a flat track. He even owns a 1:48 PR for 800 meters. Simply put, the kid does it all. But what Hunter has done in his pro career has been just as impressive. And sure, we could focus on his 3:35.90 personal best for 1500 meters or his USA Championship 2 Mile victory from the "slow" heat, but what he has helped create within his training group is uniquely special and arguably more important. I mean, who hasn't heard of Tinman Elite? The pro group has quickly become one of the most admired and most talented pro teams in the country. What first began as just a few guys training in the mountains has evolved into something so much more, with unsponsored runners from across the United States flooding into Boulder, Colorado to improve their fitness and pursue their pro contract dreams. And Adidas? They've taken notice. While the group may not be fully funded, Adidas has found ways to get involved by providing gear and apparel for the team to use and sell to their rabid loyal fans, aka Tin Mob. * * * One thing is clear. Adidas is using the youth and fandom surrounding star high school runners and collegiate underclassmen to improve sales and frankly, it's a brilliant business strategy. The generation that has been able to capitalize on their social media presence means greater exposure for a brand that has thrived off of millennial influencers like Kanye West. It's impossible to say for sure whether or not these signings having any direct influence on sales for Adidas products, but we would be crazy to ignore the clear growth the company has seen in their running division over the past few years. Is a portion of that driven by new products like the Ultraboost and Yeezy's? Yes. Could some of it be powered by marketing the nation's top talents? Also yes. But what Adidas has offered to their signees is more than just large-sums of money and the support of a corporation. The real value comes with signing the contract itself, which allows athletes something that most major sports fail to offer: an alternative. * * * Earlier this summer, Andy and Maurica Powell left the University of Oregon to take new coaching positions at Washington. As a result, the Ducks roster saw noticeable turnover and the introduction of new coaches. This put 800 meter high school national record holder Josh Hoey, along with his older brother Jaxson, in a predicament. Jaxson had already spent one year in Eugene after transferring from Penn State while Josh was required to earn a release from his National Letter of Intent. So instead of transferring or staying in a less than ideal situation at Oregon, the Hoey brothers took a non-traditional approach. They signed a contract with Adidas. Obviously, Adidas contracts aren't just given out to anyone who is interested in going pro. However, the ability to turn pro at any time in your high school or college career has provided these young athletes with the flexibility that many athletes in other sports never have. The NFL requires that athletes are three years removed from high school upon declaring for the draft. The NBA currently requires a one year gap. There will never be enough money to support every elite runner who wants to turn pro, but Adidas has begun to lay the groundwork for a more competitive contract market between shoe companies which could offer more opportunities and the potential for some athletes to bypass the NCAA entirely. The mass influx of signings over the past five to six years are proof that it could happen. As absurd as it may sound, Adidas could end up revolutionizing our sport as we know it.

The Royals are Back on Track The Queens milers who went 1-2 at the NCAA indoor national meet had only run one race this outdoor season prior to this weekend. I am of course talking about Felix Wammetsberger and Daniel Wallis. They ran personal bests in the 5000 meters just a few weeks ago, but what they did this weekend was just as impressive (if not more). Competing at the Bison Outdoor Classic, they saw themselves in a heat with a pacer that was assigned to come through 800 meters just under 2:00. It wasn’t long after when Wallis took the lead and never looked back en route to his four second personal best (3:43) and a win over a strong field. Wammetsberger was not far behind as he finished 7th on the day and also lowered his personal best (to 3:45) by three seconds. In a field, with Aidan Tooker (Syracuse) and Colin Abert (Penn State), I don’t think there were many people expecting Wallis to be the winner when it was all said and done. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the race, go and do so as it was Wallis’ to lose after 900 meters of racing. The Royals duo posted the fastest and second fastest raw times of all D2 NCAA competitors this season. Wallis currently is listed at #3 on the TFRRS list while Wammetsberger is #8. It’s safe to say the success at Indoor Nationals was not a fluke and that they’re both coming for the top spot (again) during the outdoor season. Triton Invitational Posts Top Mid-Distance Provo Marks Looking through results from this past weekend, it’s a wonder that more teams don’t head to San Diego for more competitions...at least on the Division 2 side. We saw the #9, #10, #11, and #19 fastest times in the women’s 800 this past weekend and it was all from names we didn’t entirely expect. Simon Fraser’s Paige Nock and Sophie Dodd were both entered, but it was senior Alana Mussatto who led the pack as she finished 2nd overall in a time of 2:09.68. From the second heat, it was Casey Monoszlay from Cal Poly Pomona and Brianna Bartello from Point Loma who battled it out to the line. Monoszlay came away from the race with a personal best as she ran 2:10.49 while Bartello was right behind her running 2:11.79. The last woman in the 800 who hit a provo mark was freshman Haleigh Reindl from Minnesota Duluth. She ran a personal best from the third heat and was three seconds clear of the next finisher in her heat. Both Mussatto and Reindl are fresh off of the indoor NCAA meet where they missed the final, but are looking to get back to the highest level of competition. Meanwhile, if Monoszlay and Bartello’s times were to hold up, they’d be competing in their first national track and field championship meet. We also had a provo time in the 1500 as well as Simon Fraser’s Miryam Bassett posted a two second personal best and a 2nd place overall finish. Her time is currently the 11th fastest in the country at 4:28.91. By no means did any of these girls jump immediately into the contender tier when May rolls around, but they did position themselves in a nice spot to compete for All-American status. There is lots of experience here between the athletes and I think we could see most of these athletes in the final vying for one of those eight coveted All-American spots. Grand Valley is a Contending Team on Both Sides Look, we knew coming into the indoor season that Grand Valley was stronger than it had ever been before given that they won their first team titles at the Cross Country National Championships. What we didn’t know is that they would be this well-rounded after one and a half track seasons in 2019. The Lakers added eight more athletes to the top 25 times this past weekend after they competed at the Bison Outdoor Classic. Jacob Domagalski dropped three seconds off of his PR to run 8:59.48 in the steeplechase for the #3 time in the NCAA this year. Hanna Groeber cut her time down by eight seconds with an 10:23.52 that has her sitting at #2 in the country. Madison Goen joined the provo list with her first ever steeple race while running 10:54.38. She is currently ranked #19 on the NCAA leaderboard with lots of room to improve. Tanner Chada ran the #4 fastest 5000 meter time when he crossed the line in 14:10.32 this past weekend. It was his first time running a 5000 on an outdoor track and he dropped his overall PR down by six seconds. Stacey Metzger ran 17:12.96 for the #18 fastest time on the women’s side and while that likely won’t get her to Nationals, it does set her up to go under the 17 minute barrier like she's done in her career. Lastly, Colin Herrmann and Ben Zaremba joined the sub-30 minute club as they ran 29:44 and 29:54, respectively. It was Zaremba’s 10,000 debut and I’m sure Laker nation is ecstatic about that performance. Meanwhile, Herrmann dropped 1:12 off of his personal best from last year at this time. They’re #8 and #10 on the TFRRS list. Jessica Gockley was the last athlete to make a leap as she ran 35:00 for 10,000 meters as she dropped a huge 2:56 off of her PR. She is currently #5 in the nation. Now, add these athletes with the likes of Zach Panning, Dennis Mbuta, Rachael Walters, Allie Ludge, and Gina Patterson and there is a legitimate shot for team titles on both sides. Granted, everything must go right for the Lakers come the last weekend of May. The distance team can power them to enough points to be in contention and if the field athletes and sprinters can hold their own based on their current rankings, we could see something spectacular happen. Underappreciated Performances Corey Wefing (Edinboro) The senior got somewhat lost in the results of the Bison Outdoor Classic, but he nearly ran an identical time to his PR. He ran 3:46.84 which was good enough for 11th overall. He is just three-tenths of a second off of his best that he set last year at the NCAA Championships where he finished 9th in the final. His time from this weekend locks him in for another trip to Nationals where he should likely get a shot at an All-American bid. Liz Bloch (Michigan Tech) Bloch was 10th at the Bison Outdoor Classic where she ran 4:24.67. That’s a three second improvement off her personal best. She qualified for last year’s Outdoor National Championships where she placed 15th. Given how she’s already surpassed her fitness from last year, it’d be nice to see her replicate that another time. She’ll be back at Nationals in May with her sights set on making the final. Matthew Pahl (Michigan Tech) Pahl dropped 19 seconds off of his 5000 personal best this weekend. It’s already his second personal best this year in terms of events he plans on competing in (10,000 meters). He ran 14:23.68 which has him sitting #9 on the national performance list. Coincidentally, he’s also #9 in the 10,000. There’s a good chance you’ll see Pahl double at Nationals if he gets the chance to. Quick Thoughts Saginaw Valley Duo Tom Goforth and Ryan Talbott ran the #3 and #4 fastest times this year in the 10,000 meters. Goforth ran a 27 second personal best and he’ll be looking to avenge a poor showing at the outdoor national meet last year, and most recently in the 5000 this past indoor season. As for Talbott, he is just a freshman giving us reason to believe that he should only progress from here. You should see both of these guys at NCAA's in May and Goforth should be an All-American when he gets there. Talbott will be an interesting guy to watch as his experience will be limited compared to his competitors. Jason Weitzel (Concord) A big personal best from Weitzel in the steeplechase this past weekend will have him questioning which race to take aim for in May. He ran 9:05 and is currently sitting at #8 in the country. He’s also fresh off of a 30:11 PR in the 10,000 meters which could be good enough to sneak him into the NCAA meet in that event. Kit Mayer Invitational The Kit Mayer meet happened this weekend and it usually works as an opener for most Colorado Mines athletes. Josh Hoskinson and Josh Evans opened up their seasons with a 1500 where they both ran 3:51 and some change on the day. With the altitude conversions, they now sit at #5 and #6 on the national performance list with times of 3:44.94 and 3:45.55. They had three teammates run provisional marks in the 10,000 as well. Ben Schneiderman ran 30:36 to earn a conversion of 29:25.71 while Ricardo Ocampo ran 30:41 to get his converted time of 29:30.04. Lastly, Dylan Ko ran 30:55 to receive a converted time of 29:43.31. It’s safe to say that we should see all of these athletes at the NCAA meet in their respective races.

FULL RESULTS FROM THIS WEEKEND HERE Mississippi State Flexes Mid-Distance Dominance Marco Arop ran 1:45.50. That should surprise no one. The Mississippi State 800 superstar will put himself back in the national title conversation later this spring after finishing runner-up to Isaiah Harris last year. Seeing his name at the top of the NCAA leaderboard isn't anything we didn't expect. However, we also got to see teammates Daniel Nixon and Dejon Devore post some incredibly strong times of their own. Nixon had a breakout performance, posting a personal best of 1:47.06 (NCAA #2) which is over a two second improvement. In fact, prior to this past weekend, Nixon had never run under 1:50 during the outdoor season. The Bulldog junior had shown incredible consistency over the past few years, but this was a career defining race that has catapulted him into the national conversation. As for Devroe, he was one of the more underrated 800 runners during 2018. He was a 6th place All-American finisher at last year's indoor national meet while posting a personal best of 1:47.73. After a 2019 indoor season where he ran 1:49 on four different occasions, the Mississippi State veteran got back on track by posting an improved mark of 1:47.50 this past weekend (NCAA #5). Akins and Egbeniyi Battle at Tennessee Relays We knew Penn's Nia Akins was a top-tier talent, but I was unsure if she would be able to carry her momentum on to the outdoor oval after she nearly won the indoor national title. Of course, that assumption was wrong as she pulled off a big 800 meter win over Middle Tennessee State star Abike Egbeniyi. Akins was the first to cross the line at Tennessee, running a strong NCAA #4 time of 2:03.76, just .02 off of her personal best from Indoor Nationals where she ran her personal best. In other words, Akins' surprise performance from the indoor national meet doesn't seem to be a fluke. Not only is she consistent, but she's running fast times while continuing to take down some of the best women that the country has to offer. She may very well be a national title contender come June if she's not already. As for Egbeniyi, it's another step in the right direction. Her 2:04.04 is now #6 on the NCAA leaderboard and puts her back in the All-American conversation. We saw Egbeniyi push Sammy Watson to the line at last year's outdoor national meet to settle for a runner-up finish, but she hasn't always seemed like a national title threat in 2019. If she can build upon this performance, maybe she can gain enough momentum reclaim the same attention she was receiving last year. Suliman and Bethmann Hold Off Comber Another week, another fast performance from Waleed Suliman. The Ole Miss ace continues to impress with a huge NCAA #2 time of 3:40 which was run on his home track at the Joe Walker Invite. This isn't all that surprising considering he ran a 3:56 mile during indoors after running 3:39 and 1:47 last spring. Yet, maybe one of the more exciting performances was seeing a huge breakout race from sophomore teammate Cade Bethmann. As a freshman, Bethmann showed a ton of promise with respectable times and underrated consistency. Now, he has one of the top times in the country (3:41) to validate himself as a legitimate NCAA contender. As for Comber, he had to settle for 3rd behind this Ole Miss duo in what was his third battle with Suliman this year. Regardless, a 3:42 is an encouraging PR which shows that his indoor season was no joke. I always viewed Comber as more of a long distance runner, but after running a 3:57 mile this past winter and earning silver at the Indoor National Championships, it's hard to say that the 1500/mile isn't his best event...especially after running the #5 time in the NCAA this past weekend. Howard, Villalba Post Breakout 1500's Behind Shields The Bison Outdoor Classic at Bucknell University was host to a handful of respectable performances. However, the women's 1500 was extra entertaining as we got to see a handful of surprise results. 8x NAIA national champion Anna Shields (Point Park) shut down the field with a statement win in a time of 4:15.60 (which would currently rank #4 on D1 leaderboard). Although the win was impressive, it wasn't a surprise to see Shields come out with a fast time and big win. However, what was surprising was seeing the women finish behind her. Temple's Millie Howard posted a huge personal best time of 4:16.81 to finish runner-up and secure herself the #5 spot in the NCAA (for now). Behind her, Philadelphia neighbor Maddie Villalba (Penn) was a close 3rd in 4:16.83 (NCAA #7). After these performances, both of these women will be considered as potential favorites to win their conference titles and even become national qualifiers. The East region is wide-open in 2019 and it wouldn't be surprising to see one (or both) of these women make it to Austin, Texas later this June. Underappreciated Performances Steelman Solo's 15:52 After completely soloing a 9:52 steeplechase in Florida last weekend, Steelman came back this past week to run 15:52 by herself. At the very least, it's encouraging to see that she has enough control and composure to run fast even when no one is pushing her. Men's 1500 at Bison Outdoor Classic The men's 1500 at Bucknell was a unique mix of underrated talent all along the east coast. The winner was D2 indoor mile national runner-up Danny Wallis (Queens (N.C.)) with an eyebrow-raising time of 3:43. Behind Wallis, we got to see Penn State's Colin Abert run 3:44.72 while true freshman teammate Drew Maher posted an exciting time of 3:44.88. Meanwhile, Syracuse ace Aidan Tooker didn't have quite the performance we were looking for, running 3:45 for 4th place overall. James Abrahams (Penn State), Jacob Stupak (Bucknell), and Felix Wammetsberger (Queens (N.C.)) were the final few men to run under the 3:46 mark. Overall, it was a fun tactical race that resulted in a few surprising finishes and times. Nevada Moreno Runs 4:17, Earns First Collegiate Win Moreno's decision to transfer from Stanford to NC State seems to be paying off. The redshirt freshman has been thriving so far this outdoor season. At the Raleigh Relays, she 16:14 to finish 12th overall. Now, just this past weekend, she ran 4:17 for 1500 meters to win the Charlotte Invitational. Not only that, but Moreno took down a handful of big names in the process including teammate Dominique Claremont and Norfolk State's Martha Bissah. Don't sleep on Moreno as we progress through April and enter the month of May. Long Shows Off Range There's no doubt that Tennessee's Zach Long will pursue the 5000 meters when the postseason rolls around, but it's also clear that the Volunteer star wants to develop his middle distance speed for tactical racing. So far, the development of speed has been encouraging. Long won the Tennessee Relays 1500 this past weekend with a strong personal best of 3:43. The victory required Long taking down a handful of respectable talents from Virginia Tech, Indiana, and Furman. He is yet another name you don't want to sleep on later this spring. Quick Thoughts Kenneth Hagen After transferring from Virginia, the Hoosier senior has slowly under improved while training in Bloomington, Indiana. He finished runner-up to Long this past weekend in a personal best time of 3:43.29. The men's 1500 in the East region always has a few wild cards when it comes to national qualifying and Hagen is a great name to consider when discussing names who could finish among the top 12 in late May. Sughroue and Celis The Oklahoma State duo of Molly Sughroue and Jenny Celis took care of business at the John McDonnell Invite, running a pair of 4:17's to finish 1-2 over Arkansas' Maddy Reed (who finished 3rd in 4:19). The women who raced at Bucknell will catch most of the attention, but it's good to see that Sughroue is maintaining her fitness from this past indoor season while Celis is emerging as another reliable competitor for Oklahoma State. Dalton Hengst The Ole Miss freshman took a back seat to some of his teammates during cross country, but Hengst has come back strong this outdoor season. The young star ran 3:43.92 (NCAA #15) at the Joe Walker Classic to finish ahead of guys like Avery Bartlett as well as teammates Everett Smulders and Mario Garcia Romo. Hengst was one of the most electric high schoolers in the nation just a year ago and having him reappear as a national contender so early on in his collegiate career should be an exciting sign for fans of collegiate distance running across the country.

800 Men The men’s 800 at this year’s Bison Outdoor Classic looks to be dominated by Division II talent. Grand Valley State is bringing Derrick Egli (1:53), Jonathon Groendyk (1:51), David Jones (1:50), Matt McLaughlin (1:52) and Tyler Walters (1:52) to the meet in an attempt to stack the field. This is a super deep squad that will be bringing the heat, it’s not often that we see a group of five guys with this level of talent from one school in one race. Drew Glick of Pittsburgh comes in fresh off a 1:49 PR in his win at the Raleigh Relays. Glick will be joined by his teammate Nate Sloan who holds a PR of 1:50. Penn State’s Benjamin Bulkeley (1:53) will be in the mix as well. Bucknell’s own Scott Gulizio, who has run 1:51, will be getting in on the action this weekend as well. Women The women’s 800 is going to be a race of teammate duos, led by Army West Point’s Cassie Mundekis, Abby Halbrook, and Haley Watson who hold PR's of 2:08, 2:09 and 2:11, respectively. Pittsburgh’s Miranda Salvo comes in with a 2:09 PR followed by teammate Makenzie Zeh who comes in with a 2:11 PR. Christina Welzer of Cornell will contend for the win with a 2:08 PR of her own, and will be joined by her teammate Annie Taylor who has run 2:09. Bucknell has Tiara Tardy entered with a 2:10 PR as well. 1500 Men The men’s 1500 at Bucknell could be very fast this weekend. Aidan Tooker is fresh off his first sub four minute mile from indoors and comes in with a 3:43 1500 PR. Tooker will be joined by teammates Nathan Henderson (3:50) and freshman Michael Phillips (4:02 mile). Penn State is bringing a loaded squad led by Colin Albert who just ran a PR of 3:44 at the Florida Relays. He is followed by James Abrahams (3:46), Drew Maher (3:47), Billy McDevitt (3:47), Owen Wing (3:47), and Will Ashenfelter who will be making his 1500 debut but has run 1:51 in the 800. That’s quite the crew. Queens University of Charlotte, NC will be bringing a strong group as well, led by Daniel Wallis (3:47) and Felix Wammetsberger (3:48). That duo went 1-2 at the Indoor D2 National Championships in the mile this past winter. Bucknell’s Jacob Stupak rounds out the field for the home team with a 3:47 PR and could be a fun sleeper pick to watch. Women The women’s 1500 field looks very competitive right off the bat. Pittsburgh’s Miranda Salvo comes in with a 4:21 PR and seems to be the class of the field. Cornell’s Annie Taylor will be doubling back from the 800 to run the 1500 as well. She holds a PR of 4:22 and will be followed by teammates Briar Brumley (4:28) and Gabrielle Orie (4:29). Army West Point’s Abby Halbrook will also be doubling back from the 800. She has run 4:24. West Virginia's Candace Jones comes in with a PR of 4:26 and could be someone who contends with the top group if she has a good day. Watch out for Penn State’s Moira O’Shea (4:28) and Grace Trucilla (4:31). They've had some underrated performances over the past few months. 3000 Steeple Men Lehigh’s Kip (Victor) Yegon comes in with a 9:00 PR in the steeplechase. He’s the reigning Patriot League champion, so he may be high on people’s radar. Also from Lehigh is John Tolbert, who has run 9:08. What makes this race exciting is that Connor McMenamin (Bucknell), who has a PR of 9:09, is a league rival who can challenge them for the win. Syracuse’s Simon Smith is slated to make his steeplechase debut this weekend. He recently ran 14:13 in the 5k and has a mile PR of 4:07 which should make him a strong contender assuming he handles the barriers well. If Smith becomes a strong steeplechaser, he would make a great addition to Syracuse’s duo of Aidan Tooker and Noah Affolder. Grand Valley State’s Jacob Domagalski comes into this race with a PR of 9:02 which should put him at the front of the race as well. Women Bucknell’s own Margaret Thomson enters the meet with a 10:37 PR and Payton Capes-Davis comes in with a PR of 10:56. These two will look defend their home track while being challenged by Grand Valley State’s Hanna Groeber (10:31) and Holly McKinney (10:51). Suzanne Dannheim of George Washington University has a PR of 10:38 which should put her very solidly in the mix. Lehigh’s Stacie Nadel comes in having run 10:38 as well. Pittsburgh’s Natalie Hilton has run 10:41, and Penn State’s Marissa Sheva is entered with a PR of 10:55. Lauren Jacob of Johns Hopkins has a PR of 10:48 and Tasha Freed has a PR of 10:49 5000 Men The men’s 5000 could be one of the best races of the meet. Syracuse’s Kevin James is entered with a 14:09 PR and will look to dip under the 14 minute barrier for the first time in his career. As for Grand Valley State, they will be bringing Tanner Chada who has a PR of 14:16. Queens University will be showing up with Anthony Raftis, a veteran who has run 14:25 earlier in his career. Noah Carey of Penn comes in at 14:22 while Ben Bumgarner of Penn State comes in at 14:25. Bucknell’s Drew Dorflinger comes in at 14:18 and will be in contention for the win at home. Patriot League rival Jeffrey Kirshenbaum of Lehigh has a PR of 14:21 and could end up battling with Dorflinger late in the race. Temple will be entering a solid duo of Kevin Lapansky and Harry Powell who have PR's of 14:32 and 14:34, respectively. Women The women’s 5000 is also looking incredibly deep. Penn State’s Alison Willingmyre has a PR of 16:37 which could make her one of the top collegiate athletes in the race. Grand Valley State will put up a strong fight with Stacey Metzger, who has run 16:28. Alyssa Condell of Penn has run 17:03 this season which should put her in a good spot in this race in a field that is overwhelmed with top-tier talent. Bucknell's Jenna Farmer, who holds PR's of 16:55, will be hoping for a personal best in order to contend with the leaders on her home track. She will be challenged by West Virginia’s Sarah Wills who has run 17:03 earlier in her career. Another interesting entry is Christine Bendzinski (Bucknell class of 2018) who will be back in Lewisburg to challenge the 5k field. She is the Bucknell school record holder for both the 5000 and 1500. 10,000 Men Grand Valley State is bringing yet another strong crew in the 10k. Ben Zaremba will be making his debut at the distance, but he has run 14:36 for 5000 so it seems reasonable that he can be a name to watch this weekend. Meanwhile, teammate Colin Herrmann has run 30:56 and will look to get closer to that 30 minute mark. Nick Fransham of Mount St. Mary’s comes in with a PR of 30:26 and be looking for a sub-30 mark as well. Hofstra’s Alex Masai has not run a 10k on the track in his career so far, but his resume consists of 13:56 and 7:59 PR's which should set him up to do very well in this race (maybe even win). Anthony Raftis of Queens University is entered with a 30:28 which should put him towards the front of the pack. There will also be a very strong post-collegiate field in the race, as there usually is at this meet. Women Kyleigh Spearing of Cornell will be making her 10k debut, but she has run 17:03 for 5k which will set her up to perform well over 10,000 meters. Ramsey Wagner of Army West Point comes in with a PR of 36:34 while Marist’s Hayley Collins comes in at 36:16. Williams College’s Emma Herrmann holds a PR of 36:07, making her a contender to win as a Division III athlete in a mostly Division I field. Similar to the men’s race, the women’s 10k could be controlled by post-collegiate athletes.

KEY (Unranked) Was not ranked the week before (#/#) First number indicates the change in a runner's ranking from week priorSecond number indicates where the runner was ranked last week 20. Stefanie Parsons | Edinboro (SO) (Unranked) Parsons opened up her season a few weeks ago, picking up a PR and provisional 1500 time of 4:27.59. This weekend, she took home the win in the 800 at the Dave Labor Invitational, running a 2:15.40. It's yet another solid performance and another step in the right direction. 19. Bailey Sharon | Western Colorado (SO) (+1 / 20) Sharon has had a very busy start to the season, and that continued last weekend as she hopped in the 1500 at Colorado. She ran a PR and a converted provisional time of 4:31.29. The range has been put on display, as she has now run a 400, 800, 1500 and 4x4 already this season. 18. Alexa Shindruk | Central Washington (SR) (+1 / 19) Idle 17. Sophie Dodd | Simon Fraser (SR) (+1 / 18) Idle 16. Andra Lehotay | Walsh (JR) (+1 / 17) Idle 15. Emily Roberts | U-Mary (SR) (+1 / 16) Idle 14. Allie Ludge | Grand Valley State (JR) (+1 / 15) Idle 13. Kristen Metcalfe | Embry-Riddle (SR) (-3 / 10) Idle 12. Addy Townsend | Simon Fraser (SR) (-3 / 9) Idle 11. Carsyn Koch-Johnson | Cedarville (SR) (+2 / 13) Koch-Johnson opened up her outdoor season this week with a win in the 800 at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational. She ran a provisional time of 2:08.13, which puts her at #5 in the D2 rankings. Koch-Johnson continues to be one of the more underrated half-milers in a field that is filled with numerous top-tier talents. 10. Julia Howley | Simon Fraser (SR) (+2 / 12) Howley proved that her steeplechase debut at Stanford was no fluke as she took home another easy win at the Emilie Mondor Invitational, running 6:40.34 for a 2k steeple. It's tough to know how this will translate to a steeplechase race for 3000 meters, but 6:40 for a 2k steeplechase is no joke. 9. Roisin Flanagan | Adams State (JR) (+2 / 11) Flanagan opened up her outdoor season this weekend with an 800 at Colorado, finishing as the top D2 runner in the field and 4th overall. She clocked a PR and converted provisional time of 2:08.41, which currently sits 6th in D2. 8. Danielle McCormick | Alaska Anchorage (SR) (-2 / 6) Idle 7. Leah Hanle | Mount Olive (JR) (0 / 7) A week after getting a D2 auto qualifier in the 5k, Hanle picked up another one in the 10k, running a solo 34:09 at the Colonial Relays. This is as good as she has ever looked, which is saying a lot based on her past performances. 6. Rachael Walters | Grand Valley State (SR) (-1 / 5) Idle 5. Stephanie Cotter | Adams State (FR) (-1 / 4) Cotter opened up her outdoor season with an 800 at Colorado. It was not her best race, but it is also not her best event, as she ran a converted time of 2:15.06. I think we are all just waiting on her first 1500. 4. Eilish Flanagan | Adams State (JR) (+4 / 8) Flanagan opened up her indoor season with a bang as she was the top collegiate in the 1500 at Colorado, besting fellow D2 competitors Webb and Konieczek. She clocked a PR and converted auto time of 4:21.53 which is the top mark in D2 right now. 3. Skylyn Webb | UC Colorado-Springs (SR) (0 / 3) Webb jumped up in distance last weekend and hopped in the 1500 at Colorado. She ran a PR and finished 3rd behind fellow D2 competitors Flanagan and Konieczek. Webb clocked a converted provisional time of 4:24.85, which puts her at #5 in D2. In total, this was a very strong and impressive display range for someone who thrives in the 800. 2. Alicja Konieczek | Western Colorado (SR) (0 / 2) The steeplechase queen opened up her outdoor season at altitude last weekend with a 1500 at Colorado. She ran a converted auto qualifying time of 4:22.00 which puts her behind only Flanagan in the D2 rankings. 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. Kristen Metcalfe (Embry-Riddle) 1500 1. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) 2. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado) 3. Stephanie Cotter (Adams State) 4. Roisin Flanagan (Adams State) 5. Addy Townsend (Simon Fraser) 3000 Steeplechase 1. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado) 2. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) 3. Julia Howley (Simon Fraser) 4. Hanna Groeber (Grand Valley State) 5. Megan Wenham (Colorado Mines) 5000 1. Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage) 2. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado) 3. Leah Hanle (Mount Olive) 4. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) 5. Emily Roberts (U-Mary) 10,000 1. Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage) 2. Leah Hanle (Mount Olive) 3. Emily Roberts (U-Mary) 4. Alexa Shindruk (Central Washington) 5. Eileen Stressling (Azusa Pacific)

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. Jake Mitchem, Colorado Mines (-2 / 18) No races for Mitchem this weekend. 19. Pierre-Louis Detourbe, Simon Fraser (-2 / 17) Detourbe dropped down to the 800 this weekend at the 2019 Emilie Mondor Invitational where he set a personal best of 1:55...mainly because it was the first time he has run the event in his collegiate career. The speed he currently owns has to be nice considering he’s been training for the steeplechase. 18. Ayman Zahafi, TAMU-Kingsville (-3 / 15) No races for Zahafi this weekend. 17. Benoit Campion, American International (-1 / 16) Campion ran his second ever 1500 this weekend and proceeded to shave three seconds off of his personal best. He finished 2nd at the 9th Annual Yellow Jacket Invitational where he ran 3:48.24. I feel like Campion will only get faster as the season goes on as he's already running the same (converted) time as his mile personal best. He only falls down in the rankings this week because others ran faster than him. 16. Leakey Kipkosgei, American International (Unranked) We mentioned Kipkosgei in our weekend review, so it’s not a real shock that we find ourselves talking about him. Kipkosgei has been an All-American in cross country, the 800, and the 3000 steeple. So what’s going to stop him from being one in the 1500? He just ran 3:46.16 at the 9th Annual Yellow Jacket Invitational where he took home the win. I stand by my comments of him being able to place as an All-American in anything from 800 to 10,000 meters. 15. Luke Julian, Colorado Mines (Unranked) Julian jumps into our rankings after a strong performance at the Colorado Invitational last weekend. He ran 3:48.42 (which converts to 3:42.98) which is a personal best as it’s the first time he’s run it in his career. He has a mile PR of 4:09 and is coming off a strong indoor season where he led the Mines’ DMR team with a strong anchor to a 3rd place finish. He later came back and got 5th in the 3000. He’s a name to consider after a strong indoor season and a sensational debut for the outdoor season. 14. Devundrick Walker, CSU-Pueblo (0 / 14) Just a 4x4 race for Walker this weekend. He ran as the second leg and unfortunately, I have no split for him. Standing pat for the week. 13. Victor Moreau, Academy of Art (0 / 13) No races for Moreau this weekend. 12. Rowan Doherty, Simon Fraser (-1 / 12) Doherty, like his teammate Detourbe, ran the 800 this weekend. He, however, has run a couple of these before. He ran 1:54.07 which gets him a personal best by almost a full second. It seems like Doherty is going to be aiming for the 1500 this outdoor season and he could jump up to the 5000 based on his indoor results. 11. Brett Meyer, Fort Hays State (12 / +1) Meyer is trending in the right direction as we near the middle of the season. He ran 3:49.65 this past weekend at Colorado to lock up an auto time in the 1500. It converts down to 3:44.18 which many will say means nothing despite his PR being 3:43. He also ran a leg in the 4x4 as some extra speed work. With his strength and speed, it’s hard not to see Meyer being one of the favorites for the 1500 this May. Expect big things from Meyer when he heads to California next weekend. 10. Marcelo Laguera, CSU-Pueblo (0 / 10) No races for Laguera this weekend. 9. Josh Hoskinson, Colorado Mines (0 / 9) No times yet for Hoskinson this outdoor season. 8. Taylor Stack, Western Colorado (0 / 8) Stack was also a part of the Colorado Invitational 1500. He was one of the few that did secure a PR after a strong effort last weekend. He ran 3:53.19 and considering he’s likely to go after the steeple and 5000 again this year, it’s impressive for him to run this fast at altitude. Just like Meyer, I think we will see big things from him in California. 7. Daniel Wallis, Queens (N.C.) (0 / 7) No races for Wallis this weekend. 6. Felix Wammetsberger, Queens (N.C.) (0 / 6) No races for Wammetsberger this weekend. 5. Dennis Mbuta, Grand Valley State (0 / 5) No races for Mbuta this weekend. 4. Zach Panning, Grand Valley State (0 / 4) No races for Panning this weekend. 3. Elias Gedyon, Adams State (0 / 3) I’m sure I’ll catch some flak here, but Gedyon stays put at number three despite a monster 3:47.93 at Colorado this weekend. With the conversion (which I’m sure bothers people more than it should) he stands at #1 in the NCAA with a 3:42.50. He’s run 4:01 for a full mile before which leads us to believe that he’s very capable of running 3:42 for 1500 at sea level. My guess is he’s aiming for 3:40 in California and/or a 5000 just for the hell of it. 2. Thomas Staines, CSU-Pueblo (-1 /1) This is the first time the number one and two rankings have switched since we started. Whether that’s a good thing is up for others to decide. Staines falls here only because he was entered in the same race as Gidabuday and he finished eight seconds behind. He ran 3:59.71, but was with the lead group through 1100 meters. I fully believed he would have finished right around the same time as Gidabuday if he didn’t fall off the wagon on the last lap. I’m not sure we will see him in another 1500 this year, but I certainly hope we do. 1. Sydney Gidabuday, Adams State (+1 /2) Gidabuday takes over the top spot after his 3:51.30 at Colorado. This is probably the only time that we see him running the 1500 this year unless he opts for it at conference or switches from focusing on the 10,000. He’s clearly in good shape as he’s just three seconds off of his sea-level PR of 3:48. A race between Gidabuday and Staines is something I had been hoping for a long time now and I would fully entertain the idea of another one going forward. Gidabuday flashed his already well-known speed and that suits him for another exciting championship run. 800 1. Thomas Staines (CSU-Pueblo) 2. Dennis Mbuta (Grand Valley State) 3. Devundrick Walker (CSU-Pueblo) 4. Ayman Zahafi (TAMU-Kingsville) 5. Joshua Ajiero (Albany State) 1500 1. Felix Wammetsberger (Queens (N.C.)) 2. Elias Gedyon (Adams State) 3. Daniel Wallis (Queens N.C.)) 4. Brett Meyer (Fort Hays State) 5. Victor Moreau (Academy of Art) 3000 Steeplechase 1. Pierre-Louis Detourbe (Simon Fraser) 2. Jake Mitchem (Colorado Mines) 3. Edwin Kangogo (Alaska Anchorage) 4. Jack Johnson (Chico State) 5. Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.)) 5000 1. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) 2. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State) 3. Josh Hoskinson (Colorado Mines) 4. Gidieon Kimutai (Missouri Southern) 5. Ruben Dominguez (Cal Poly Pomona) 10,000 1. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State) 2. Marcelo Laguera (CSU-Pueblo) 3. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) 4. Stetson Rayas (Dallas Baptist) 5. Jack Mastrandrea (Charleston W.V.)

Last weekend, I had the privilege to attend and compete at one of the biggest weekends of distance running on the west coast: the Mike Fanelli Track Classic at Chabot College in Hayward, California. The meet, formerly referred to as the San Francisco State Distance carnival, and still known as the unofficial “Stanford spill-over" meet, transitioned from its traditional two-day schedule to a longer three-day agenda. The Thursday section featured a distance only schedule, starting with eight consecutive heats of the 3000 meter steeplechase. Light rain, which had alternated on and off during the steeple races, finally finished as dusk began to settle onto the track. The main event of the evening was about to take place. At 6:15 p.m, the starter’s pistol went off with a piercing bang , signaling the start of the first heat of the 10,000 meter run. Over the course of the next four hours, nearly 170 runners, spread over seven heats (four men, three women), battled over 25 laps to secure fast times and test their grit. As a competitor, it was probably the toughest and most humbling race I’ve ever been a part of. But as I watched the other 10k’s from the bleachers, I saw what had to be among some of the best and most exciting examples of distance running that I have ever witnessed. The numerous heats of 10k's displayed a variety of race tactics, impressive top-tier talent, and countless fast performances. For the true distance running fan, it was the best event of the meet. So, why is the IAAF eliminating this event from the Diamond League schedule? In a stunning decision, the IAAF and President Sebastian Coe announced a drastic restructuring of the DL circuit. Starting in 2020, meets will be organized to stay within a 90 minute broadcast, and the longest track events, the 5k and the 10k, will be eliminated. This will leave the 3k as the longest contested event on the circuit. The decision to cut these events in favor of abbreviated distance runs and a “faster paced” broadcast schedule will lead to a ripple effect among long distance runners at every level of competition. It shows a lack of understanding as to why the current state of television broadcasting for track and field is failing as well as a misunderstanding of the steps needed to revitalize it. * * * Chabot College’s track and field stadium is about as far away from the cavernous Diamond League stadiums of Europe as possible. Nestled in Hayward, CA, the track lies about 20 minutes across the bay from Palo Alto, making it a prime spot for teams looking to run athletes that didn’t quite make the cut for the Stanford Invite. The junior college stadium probably holds no more seating than your average high school football facility. Despite this, the meet still attracts superb competition, due to its proximity to Stanford. Athletes, ranging anywhere from local junior college runners to Division I and post-collegiate studs, compete together in various seeded heats. The 10k, especially, seems to attract its share of talent to Chabot year in and year out. In fact, just last year, a world lead was set as Mauricio Gonzalez ran a blazing 28:13, eclipsing every time set across the bay in Palo Alto in 2018. This season, Gautemala’s Mario Pacay ran 28:29.5, edging out Geoffrey Kipchumba of the American Distance Project by an excruciatingly close .41 seconds. That difference is about the amount of time it takes for the human eye to blink. For Kipchumba, the race gave him a solid qualifying mark for this summer’s U.S. Championships. Behind him, the next American, Tim Rackers of Boulder Track Club, missed the standard by an agonizing 1.97 seconds (28:41.97). Still, it was a phenomenal opportunity for an underdog American to earn himself a trip to the country's biggest championship meet. Yet, outside of the times, the energy and delivery of these high-profile races set the tone for what was an outstanding evening. The wind, which had been blowing steadily throughout the early and late afternoon, finally died down as the fastest of the heats got set to go. Teammates, coaches and miscellaneous fans occupied the infield for most of the night. They yelled words of encouragement to athletes as laps continued to pile up and fatigue began to manifest. I overheard a coach from UC Davis yell at one of her athletes warming up to relay a message to his teammate currently racing with the top group. “Tell him if he hits the standard, he won’t have to race another one until regionals!” That runner, Jordy Ceja (29:21), ended up winning the second fastest heat, running a personal best by over a minute and (likely) qualifying to the NCAA DI West Regional meet. Next to me, professional miler Robbie Andrews yelled encouragement to athletes who traveled all the way from Princeton to partake in the evening festivities. In the same race, Marcelo Laguera, the reigning DII cross country champion, ran the second fastest time in the nation for Division II (29:25) while taking down a slew of elite talent. Throughout the night, the press box announcer’s disembodied voice floated throughout the stadium, proclaiming changes in the races. A subtle uptick in splits, a split in groups, a surge within the pack. The announcer meticulously tracked and voiced all these essential moments. Many athletes and fans ended up staying at the track up until the very end, when the last heat finished up around 11 p.m. or so. Overall, the delivery of the event left athletes, fans and coaches heading back to their hotels happy and excited for two more days of action. This raises the question: if this venue is able to generate exciting racing and coverage for over four hours, with a smattering of collegiate and post-collegiate talent, why can’t the Diamond League, which contains the most elite fields and the most impressive stadiums, seem to supply quality broadcasts? The problem lies not in the event, but in the way it is portrayed during broadcasts. If you can’t show drama and storylines effectively at the highest, most-elite level of competition, than there isn’t a problem with the event. There is a problem with the delivery. * * * For spectators, it is easy to read 10k runners more so than other racers. The ongoing completion of lap after lap slowly, but surely eats away at a runner’s will and mental fortitude. Spectators and coaches with well-trained eyes begin to see this strain earlier than others. You see it in the way an athlete’s shoulders start turning or the way their cadence and stride begin to falter. You see it in the way an athlete begins to lose the sense of calm usually seen on a distance runner’s face. With each lap, an athlete’s calm expression can shift to small winces and grimaces. If it gets bad enough, some athletes countenances will devolve to full-scale expressions of agony as they hit the metaphorical wall. All of these little nuances become accentuated when viewed trackside. You can hear breathing become more labored. You can see small cracks begin to form in groups, as what was once a large pack of 30+ runners shrinks into single file pockets. There is truly something remarkable about watching a group of individuals running as fast as they can for as long as possible. It is this trackside energy that I believe most contemporary broadcasts miss, and one of the reasons that most broadcasts seem to falter when they get to these longer events. To an extent, there is an inherent amount of laziness to the way large-scale broadcasters approach the 5k and 10k. They do all they can to not highlight what makes these events unique, instead opting to show the bare minimum of each event while cycling through various field events in the middle. Broadcasters can, and should, do more to bring viewers closer to the action, even if they are oceans away viewing from a television or computer screen. One way this issue may be addressed is with new techniques to make the viewer feel as if they are trackside. Cutting to more ground level camera angles will allow the viewer to pick up on more of the athlete’s expressions and shifts. Better microphone implementation that focuses on capturing crowd atmosphere and sounds from the track will further allow viewers to feel as if they are enveloped in the action, rather than just watching it. Beyond this, there needs to be more done by commentators to bring energy to the event. Especially in the United States, there needs to be more attempts to bring in commentators that have experience with long-distance racing, and are able to accurately tell the story at each interval of the race. * * * The IAAF’s decision does a great disservice to the many 5k/10k specialists throughout elite-level distance running, and lessens the amount of opportunities they will have to chase increasingly tougher championship standards. The 10k is an inherently different event than the 3000. Acting as if these events are one and the same cuts out athletes with a unique skill set. Boiling down all long distance events into an abbreviated non-championship contested race will ultimately do more to harm than it will to help it. It is a decision that seems exceedingly short-sighted and tone-deaf. Of course, I will not sit here and claim to know all the solutions needed to solve track and field’s popularity issues, but I do believe the answer does not lie in labeling coverage of these unique events as a lost cause. If we really care about these events, we need to be willing to think outside the box in terms of how we deliver them to a general audience. Maybe it’s time we took a look at a little “spill-over” meet on the west coast for some inspiration.