The first major meet of the outdoor season is finally here! As always, the Stanford Invite will feature some of the biggest and best names in the NCAA and provide us with one of the more exciting meets of the outdoor season. Below, Sam and Garrett teamed up to discuss the entries and the performances that could highlight the weekend... Entries found here Which event are you most excited to see? Sam The women’s Invite 5000 is absolutely loaded. Jessica Hull will be the (obvious?) favorite after going undefeated during the indoor season, including dominant wins in the 3000 and DMR. She won’t get the win easily though, as both Allie Ostrander and Erica Birk should make things interesting. Ostrander is more known for the steeplechase outdoors, but this race should give her a chance to chase a fast time. It doesn’t make sense for her to run the 5000 at NCAA's (given the high level of competition) so this may be one of the few times we see her in this event during outdoors. Still, let's not forget that she did run 15:16 indoors at BU, which is her lifetime personal best. I could also see Erica Birk running a big personal best this weekend. Somehow, her fastest 5000 meter time on TFRRS is a 17:05 which isn’t even relevant at this point. I think Hull will probably win this one, but I could see Birk finishing ahead of Ostrander. The field also includes Makena Morley, Katherine Receveur, Aubrey Roberts and Callie Logue… it’s crazy deep for this early in the season. Garrett I'm going with the men's Invite 1500 on this one. There are a slew of sub-four guys in this race that are dynamic athletes who can make this race exciting. For the most part, everyone in this field is evenly matched and I think it's a great chance for a handful of underrated studs like George Kusche, Jack Anstey, Sam Ritz, Kieran Wood, and Talon Hull to get some attention on a big stage. Don't be surprised if we see someone flirt around the 3:40 mark. With Arizona State's William Paulson and Kasey Knevelbaard headlining the field, things could get very fast. I'm a really big fan of all of these guys, so I'm excited to see them toe the line. Which athlete who didn’t run indoors are you most excited to see on the outdoor track? Sam Hassan Abdi of Oklahoma State is someone we haven’t seen on the NCAA stage for awhile. If you don’t count the 1500 he just ran at Arkansas, he hasn’t raced against collegiate competition since this meet a year ago, in which he ended up dropping out. Abdi was a big name a couple years back when he was raking in top 10 finishes nationally, but with his extended absence, I almost forgot he still had eligibility left. He owns a personal best of 28:54 in the 10k and I think he has the potential to be in the mix this weekend based on his credentials. Garrett I'll go with Paige Duca of Boston College. I wrote about how she was one of the more underrated names in the NCAA entering this past indoor season, but she never toed the line. If she's completely healthy, I think she is someone who is sneaky good. Duca is a respectable tactical miler who can also post an array of strong times (at a variety of distances). She made the invite section of the 1500, so expect her to run something close (or under) her personal best time of 4:18. How will Brodey Hasty fare in his outdoor track collegiate debut for NAU? (Second heat of the 5000) Sam This heat of the 5000 is a great field for Hasty and it sets him up for his first collegiate win if everything goes to plan. He is going to see strong competition from guys like Carlos Villarreal of Arizona and Brody Smith of Purdue, but I think Hasty is definitely capable of winning this race now that he’s under the guidance of Mike Smith at NAU. The biggest question will be how he handles the collegiate scene versus high school racing, but I think he got in enough big meets in during the indoor season to hold his own. Garrett He'll do...ok, I guess? It's tough to say. I'll be honest, I wasn't really blown away by Hasty this past indoor season. He held his own, but I wasn't overly impressed. That said, I think the Stanford Invite will be the perfect opportunity for him to get a nice mark under his belt. I don't think he'll win (given his lack of experience), but I could see him running under 14:10. Which athlete will break through and make a name for themselves this weekend? Sam Normally, I don’t like to write about teammates, but I’m going to break that rule because I think Rachel King could have a huge showing in the steeplechase at this meet. I realize her personal best is 9:57 and she qualified for NCAA's last year, but I think she could really break through as a contender on the national scene this weekend. King has been steadily improving since her freshman year and made a big jump to reach the national meet for the first time last season. The field for this meet features a few other women who made NCAA's including Ciera Simmons of Utah State. While Simmons should come in as the favorite, King will have a great chance to get the win and make a name for herself on a national level. Garrett I'm going bold here and saying that Devin Meyrer from Michigan is going to have a huge day in the 10,000 meters. The transfer from Baylor now has a few seasons at Ann Arbor under his belt and I think that will benefit him as he moves to the longer distance. His personal best is "only" 31:09, but keep in mind that he's only run one 10k on the track in his entire collegiate career. With Coach Sullivan now overseeing his training, I expect to see a breakout performance from Meyrer. How many athletes entered in the steeplechase will we see at NCAA's? Sam King, Simmons, Wayment, Owens, Roth, Rotich and Shumway. Three of the women, four of the men. Total of seven. Garrett I really like what we saw from Briana Ilarda of Providence this past winter. She was kept in the shadow of Millie Paladino, but had a slew of impressive performances. I think you're going to see her, Courtney Wayment (BYU), Rachel King (South Dakota State), and Cierra Simmons (Utah State) make it to the NCAA meet in June. After that, I don't feel super confident picking too many others. In the end, that's four total women. As for the men, I feel like I could pick this entire field (and that's only the invite heat I'm talking about). Shumway is a lock. Owens is a lock. Heslington is...not quite a lock, but a heavy favorite to qualify. It would also be shocking if neither Rotich nor Roth qualified. Overall, I think those five are very strong candidates to qualify for the outdoor national meet. Then there are other guys like Absacal, Mylenek, Manley, Schutte, and Ewing who could all find a spot to Austin, Texas if they have a great day. If I have to choose a number, I'm going with seven total men. Don't ask me which ones. That gives us a (very shaky) grand total of 11. What will be the biggest takeaway from this meet? Sam We’re going to see someone emerge in the steeplechase on the men’s side who could be a real contender for the win at the national meet. I don’t know who, although I like Shumway’s chances, but someone is going to come up big this weekend in the steeplechase. I think the same thing is less likely to happen for the women given there are a lot of big names who are running other events or not racing at all. Garrett We haven't really talked much about the 10k yet, but that is always the premier event of this meet (or at least one of them). In fact, there's a good chance we could see the fastest time of the entire season posted at Stanford this weekend. However, let's keep in mind that no man since 2012 has run the fastest 10k in the country and won the 10k national title in the same year. As for the women, that trend only lasts until 2016. Basically, get excited to watch a bunch of fast times, but let's not automatically declare the top collegiate finisher as the NCAA title favorite after this weekend. History advises against that.

If you follow collegiate distance running to any degree, chances are you have heard the name Rory Linkletter. The BYU senior and Canadian distance talent is preparing for his final collegiate track season with national title aspirations and lofty goals for the summer. Among those goals are representing Team Canada on the world stage, qualifying for both the World Championships and Olympics, and even a potential shift to the marathon depending on what the next few months hold... Preparing for World's Let's rewind to this past indoor track season where the BYU veteran came up just short of qualifying for the Indoor National Championships despite running a time of 13:42 for 5000 meters. Although missing out on the national meet likely hurt, Linkletter believes that missing out on qualifying has allowed him to have a stronger build-up for the World XC meet this weekend... “The last four weeks of training have been monstrous. I’ve been feeling really strong and really good because of that, it’s been a blessing in disguise" But unlike some of his collegiate counterparts, Linkletter has extensive experience on the world stage, competing on the Canadian National team dating all the way back to 2015 when he was on the Beijing junior team for the World Cross Country Championships. Two years after that, he competed in Uganda as a member of the senior team and this weekend, he will once again represent Canada in Aarhus, Denmark. As it turns out, not qualifying for Indoor Nationals has greatly favored Linkletter in terms of training. Still, don’t think that the BYU ace isn’t finding motivation from the near miss in qualifying. When asked about his goals for the upcoming weekend, he was quick to turn his attention towards other current and former NCAA athletes, mentioning names such as Jack Bruce (formerly of Arkansas), Matthew Baxter (formerly of Northern Arizona), Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse (Portland), and many more. The idea of matching up with so many familiar names should be an interesting subplot for fans to follow throughout the race. The Transition to Outdoors Of course, Linkletter isn't focused on just the World Cross Country Championships. With the outdoor track season already upon us, Linkletter has begun to layout what his spring campaign will look like. And the results in practice? They've been encouraging. “I've been putting in big workouts and volume...Training has been really fun lately. I’ve been feeling good, the weather’s starting to turn around and I’ve got big goals and I’m super motivated after a disappointing indoor season.” At last year’s outdoor national meet, Linkletter opted for the 10k/5k double, but ended up struggling in his first race of the weekend (the 10k). Luckily, he bounced back for an 8th place showing in the 5000 meters to salvage an All-American finish.However, this season will require a slightly modified approach after realizing the 10k/5k double could jeopardize his chances of going all-in for NCAA gold. Right now, Linkletter is slated to make his outdoor debut at Bryan Clay in the 5000 meters and plans on toeing the line for the 10,000 meters later this season, an event that he is leaning towards racing at Nationals due to the potential for a national title (although nothing is set in stone). If it was up to him, Linkletter said he enjoys strategic races that ramp up towards the end, noting he takes a lot of confidence and pride in his abilities to close races. If anyone is questioning his kick, the video of his finish at Pre Nationals this past cross country season should eliminate any doubts. Yet, regardless of which event he ends up running, Linkletter is not worried about what happens on race day. After all, anything could happen... “You go into every race with a vision of what a race looks like, but most of the time you just have to roll with punches” Running for a Powerhouse Linkletter is one of the best runners in the NCAA, but at times, he's not even the top man on his team. The Cougars have become one of the strongest distance running programs in the country (men and women) in recent years. Part of that can be attributed to culture. “It’s been fun to even see the culture shift from when I got here. When I got here, making it to Nationals was a huge deal. Now, the everyday expectation for a guy on the team is that you should really expect yourself to qualify for NCAA's" Linkletter is quick to acknowledge that having four or five guys who can score at a national meet helps to influence others within the program to “climb the totem pole” during workouts which has in turn, helped develop the younger members of the team. And while the increase in talent level only makes it more challenging to even earn a travel spot on the roster, Linkletter notes that the type of guys that make up the BYU squad thrive in this environment. “It’s not about a personal vendetta or preferential treatment. Every guy is out for the team and loves to see the other guys succeed. They’re competitive with one another and every guy sees the guys around them and say ‘I can be better than them’ but at the same time these guys really root for each other and I think that’s special." The Rivalry: BYU and Northern Arizona Another program touted for their culture is Northern Arizona and the battle between them and BYU has become the NCAA distance running equivalent to the Yankees and Red Sox. The NAU/BYU rivalry has become the headline story of the past two cross country seasons, with both schools fielding some of the best teams in NCAA history. While BYU has yet to dethrone NAU at a national meet, Linkletter thinks the rivalry has been a good thing for both schools. “I'm a big sports guys. I think every great sport should have a great rivalry...I feel like it’s elevated us and also made them better because they’ve had to have known that there’s a team that can get them if they’re not on their ‘A’ game.” Although NAU came away with the team title again this fall, Linkletter knows that on the right day, BYU is capable of chopping down the Lumberjacks. Still, he makes sure to note that regardless of the outcome, “it was fun to take a swing at them”. Life After BYU When asked about running after his time at BYU comes to an end, Linkletter left no doubt that his time in the sport was only just getting started. “I know I have ambitions to run for as long as I can, because I just love the sport. I just can’t see myself doing anything else yet. I have too much left I want to accomplish.” As of now, Linkletter is only just beginning his search for post-collegiate opportunities, but is confident that as graduation approaches, opportunities will also begin to appear. For a guy who finished runner-up in the 10k in 2017 and is a multiple time All-American, his confidence is more than justified. Toyko 2020 Like many young runners looking to make it big in the sport, one of the primary goals in the next couple of years for Linkletter will be earning a spot to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. This iteration of the Olympics has brought with it a new qualification system in track & field - one that has caused a bit of an uproar amongst the running community. The basis of the system is that this year’s standards are substantially faster than before, with the goal to have half of the athletes qualify via time standards and half qualify via the global ranking system. Athletes improve their global ranking through performances in meets leading up to the trials and the Olympic games, where higher finishes equate to higher rankings. And while it’s somewhat unknown how the new system will impact collegiates trying to earn Olympic qualification, Linkletter feels that he will do just fine in the system. One reason for this is although he has fast times, he considers himself to be more of a "racer" and the new ranking system would allow him to earn points for strong finishes at meets such as the Pan-Am Games over the summer. He also believes that the ranking system gives him more opportunities to improve his ranking throughout the season, rather than chasing one or two fast times at a meet like Payton Jordan. The Potential for a New Event? While the standards and rankings may only pertain to the Olympic games in 2020, his first chance to represent Canada post-collegiately will be at the World Championships in Doha this summer on the track. Making the team for Doha will require Linkletter to qualify for Canada in either the 5k or 10k by running the IAAF standard of 13:22 or 27:40, respectively. If he does not make the team this summer, he plans to move up in distance during the fall... “If I don’t put myself in position to make the team for Doha, I plan on probably opening up my marathon at Toronto. I think both [the 10k and marathon] are doable and it seems logical to hedge your bets and put your name in the hat for either ” Money is another motive for anyone looking to run professionally and Linkletter says that after speaking with many others in the business that he stands to improve his chances of a sponsorship if he moves over to the marathon at a younger age Ideally, Linkletter would like to continue working with his current coach Ed Eyestone as he moves into his post-collegiate career. The thought process makes plenty of sense given Eyestone's extensive experience (and success) with marathoners. However, outside of working with Coach Eyestone, another perk of continuing to train at BYU would be the added benefit of training alongside 2016 Olympic marathoner Jared Ward. Ward is a BYU alum and part-time statistics professor at the university while also being one of the top Americans in the marathon. Linkletter said part of the confidence behind his current fitness is that he has been crushing some workouts with Ward in his build-up to outdoors. We asked him for an insider prediction for Ward at Boston and Linkletter is very confident that Ward will be top 10 finisher and will be able to earn an automatic Olympic qualifier in the coming weeks. * * * Many thanks to Rory for taking the time to chat with TSR! To follow along with Rory and his final collegiate season, you can follow him on Twitter at @ThePapaLinks and on Instagram at @rory_linkletter. He will be racing this Saturday at the World XC Championships at 9am EST (there is a live stream) and will be making his NCAA outdoor season debut at the Bryan Clay Invitational in April.

This weekend presents one of the best weekends for track and field. It also represents some of the best chances for Division 2 athletes to get their qualifying times early in the season. The Mike Fanelli Track Classic, formerly the San Francisco State Distance Carnival, serves as the overfill meet for the Stanford Invitational. However, most D2 athletes don’t view it this way. They come to this meet with the full intention of making a name for themselves. Fast times usually come from this meet and some even serve as marks to chase for the rest of the season. That being said, check out the preview below from the D2 crew and make sure you tune in this weekend for some great racing. Which race looks to be the most interesting in your eyes? Matt: The most interesting race to me this weekend is going to be the women’s 800 meter race. There are three D2 athletes in the fast heat, all of whom qualified for Indoor Nationals. Alaska Anchorage’s Danielle McCormick and Western Oregon’s Olivia Woods lead the three, after finishing 3rd and 5th respectively, at the indoor national meet. McCormick also helped her DMR team to a runner-up finish. Both of these ladies have already opened up the outdoor season, with McCormick running a provisional 1500 meter time and Woods running a 400 meter race. Joining them will be Simon Fraser’s Sophie Dodd, who missed the NCAA indoor 800 meter final by one spot. With New Balance’s Lindsey Butterworth leading the heat, it is very possible that all of these women could end up with D2 auto times this weekend. Quenten: Section Two of the men’s 1500 has a great mixture of DI and DII athletes. Trying to make a statement in that race will be Victor Moreau from the Academy of Art. Moreau had great success during the Indoor National Championships by placing 4th overall in the 3000. Connor Wells of Chico State will look to lower his PR of 3:53.44 which was run at Bryan Clay just last year. In big meets, Wells has proven that he can run fast. After an early exit at the indoor national meet in the men’s mile, Aaron Ahl of Simon Fraser will be ready to get after it in his first 1500 of the season. Elliott: I have to agree with the men’s 1500 (section two) as well. There are a slew of guys in this race all capable of hitting fast, potential provisional marks. Daniel Tull of Humboldt State is another name that could make noise coming out of this heat. He boasts a personal record of 3:52.07 and is the healthiest he’s been in a long time. He also finished runner-up at last year’s CCAA Championships ( Full disclosure: Daniel is my teammate at Humboldt State ). John: I’m really looking forward to the men’s 10k and 3000 steeplechase which both happen to be on Thursday. In the steeple, we have Pierre-Louis Detourbe (Simon Fraser), Edwin Kangogo (Alaska Anchorage), Alejandro Rios (Stanislaus State,) and Jake Mitchem (Colorado Mines) all in the first heat going against the likes of multiple professionals and Division 1 athletes. I think there is a strong possibility that we will see all four of these athletes go under the 9:00 mark. As for the 10,000 meters, the first name I’m curious about is Marcelo Laguera. He just ran 14:31 at altitude two weekends ago and is likely primed for a strong 10k. Also in this race is Stetson Rayas of Dallas Baptist and Jason Intravaia of Chico State. Rayas has broken the 30:00 threshold while Intravaia will be attempting the 10k for the first time in his career. Are there any major performances that you expect from a team/athlete this weekend? Matt: One guy that has a chance to drop a fast time this weekend is Alaska Anchorage senior, Edwin Kangogo. Coming off of a great showing during the cross country season where he finished 19th at the national meet, Kangogo had an indoor season much of us expected, a solid one that did not end in a Nationals appearance. However, as he showed last year, outdoors is a completely different story with the steeplechase being his primary event. He finished 6th at Outdoor Nationals last year and is in the fast heat this weekend with a bunch of professionals and Division One athletes. He has a chance to get carried along with the pack and post a very quick time. Quenten: Kelsey Bruce of DBU is a very interesting character. In 2015, Bruce placed 4th overall not only in the 3000 steeple at NCAA’s, but also at the NCAA XC Championships. She is a seasoned veteran who has proven that she can run with anybody in the nation. I know it has been almost four years, but with her experience and toughness she can be scary in the women’s 5000 this weekend. Expect at least a provisional time from the All-American Bruce. Elliott: Call me a sucker for these, but I really like DMR’s. I know it’s not indoor season and individual events have some more priority, but as it looks right now, Chico State is carrying an absolutely loaded DMR squad. From the entries, it appears they are pulling out all the stops, as they have employed the services of Trad Berti, who has run 3:55 for 1500 this year, Derek Morton, a returning national qualifier with a 1:48.9 800 PR, Connor Wells, who was mentioned earlier, and Jack Johnson, who carries the #2 fastest 3000 meter steeple time in the country this year with a 9:02.4. The Wildcats currently hold the meet record at 10:11.35 set last year. If they decide to pull out all the stops, that record certainly could be in danger. John: Sophie Dodd is my athlete this weekend. She finished 9th at the Indoor Championships just outside of an All-American spot and qualification for the final. I think that she is somewhat disappointed with the finish and will be looking to put herself back into the conversation of one of D2’s fastest 800 runners. She’s in the perfect heat and has a chance to knock off two of the girls that finished in front of her earlier this month. The men’s and women’s mile on Saturday is basically made up of all D2 athletes with some of them doubling back from the 1500/3000 steeple. Who do you have making the biggest impression? Matt: I think the six Simon Fraser men in heat one of the mile can all make a big impression. Aaron Ahl, Pierre-Louis Detourbe, Rowan Doherty, and Carlos Vargas all ran at Indoor Nationals so they are in fantastic form. They will be joined by Richard Torres and Thomas Gallagher, giving them six out of the 14 entries in that heat. With that many runners, they have the ability to control the pace of the race, and with that, could possibly produce a really fast race, maybe even some D2 provisional and auto times. Quenten: Along with the men from Simon Fraser in the mile, Justin Crosswhite and Hunter Hutton of Western Oregon could potentially make some noise in the race. Crosswhite was a member of Western Oregon’s DMR team at NCAA’s. On the women’s side the senior from Simon Fraser, Miryam Bassett has a great chance to break the meet record of 4:51.98. Basset currently has a PR of 4:51.91 that she ran at the Husky Classic earlier in the indoor season. She was a huge factor in helping the women of Simon Fraser claim bronze in the DMR at Indoor NCAA’s. Elliott: On the men’s side, it will be interesting seeing Felix Kemboi of Alaska Anchorage potentially break up the team tactics that Simon Fraser and Western Oregon could certainly employ. He opened up his outdoor season with a solid 3:53.37. We shall see if he decides to run it as he is also tabbed to race the 5k the night before. John: Both of these races are interesting to me. I find it odd that there is the 1500/mile double attempt here, let alone there being a mile race outdoors. Anyways, Kate Lilly of Seattle Pacific is the name I’m watching. I liked her heading into the indoor national meet and she has already run 4:35 this season. Along with her, I think Olivia Willet (Simon Fraser) and Desirae Jones (Chico State) are names to watch. The men’s mile is dominated by the Simon Fraser athletes as mentioned above. I’m really just intrigued in a potential GNAC showcase as nine of the 14 athletes all hail from the PNW (Pacific Northwest). Take a look at the Stanford Invite heat sheets/accepted list and tell us what the most interesting entry of that meet is Matt: I am looking forward to seeing what kind of time Caroline Kurgat puts up in the 10k. She finished 6th at the Stanford invite last year, behind two professionals and three D1 All-Americans and ran the #2 fastest 10k in D2 history. Seeing her compete against Olympians and top D1 talent is going to be awesome, and will most likely lead to her shattering the D2 10k record, which has stood since 1988. Quenten: I cannot agree more, Caroline Kurgat is the most interesting entry of the whole meet. Kurgat has an unbelievable indoor season by capturing both the 3000 and 5000 titles. If she has the same fitness from indoors, then she will be on pace to break the DII 10,000 record and have a chance of improving her finish from last year. Elliott: This is a general consensus. I am really excited to see Caroline Kurgat toe the line with some of the best in the 10k at Stanford. If she builds on the fitness she gained from indoor, she will be a very quality opponent for many of the D1 All-Americans and professionals in the field. She has probably the most momentum of anybody right now, and she could definitely use that to carry herself to a potential new D2 collegiate record. John: Yeah, since the rest of these guys chose Kurgat and her 10,000 meter attempt on the D2 record (most likely happening btw) I’m going to go a different direction. The 800 meter race that features Thomas Staines will be one for the record books. He has a legitimate shot at winning the race and I think it produces a fast time. I think we’re looking at two D2 records being set this weekend.

Women's Draft coming early next week With a new season comes a new TSR Draft! The crew will be selecting their men's teams in a seven round, random order, snake selection style draft (with a special twist coming the in the seventh round). Once you make a pick, you cannot drop anyone from your team at any time during the season (unless we rebel and suddenly change the rules). Let's get this started... 1st Round Selections Garrett: For my first pick, I’m taking Morgan McDonald. The Wisconsin veteran is simply too much of an overwhelming favorite to be anything but the first pick in our draft. With a far fewer doubles possible at the outdoor national meet, the 10k/5k double becomes incredibly valuable and I’ll take the guy who can win both if he wants to. Matt: I am going with Obsa Ali. He had his best indoor season ever, getting PR's in both the 3k and 5k while qualifying for his first Indoor Nationals Championship this past winter. He did not lose a steeple race all last year and he's not going to this year! John: Well, sign me up for the Stanford Cardinal in Grant Fisher. We’ve all talked about how he doesn’t seem to have as many titles as he should and I think that might change this outdoor season. He’s a savvy racer that’s been on the losing end of too many races and I think the 5000 this time around will be different. Sean: Bryce Hoppel. I was not sold on Hoppel before this indoor season, but I think his undefeated winter definitely gives me hope for him qualifying for the final and making a difference. I’m not sure if he is even the favorite, but I see him as a lock for four to eight points and locks are worth the picks for me. Sam: Sticking true to my squad from indoors, I’ll take Joe Klecker. The man is coming off of the best indoor campaign of his career and looks like he could be a serious national title threat this year on the outdoor scene. I think he benefits in the longer distances - I definitely could see him winning the 10k. Ben: Even after a poor indoor national meet (for his standards) I’m surprised that Oliver Hoare has fallen this far. Perhaps he has less value outdoors than indoors, but he is still the favorite in the 1500. While this may be his only event, he still should score a solid amount of points. Michael: I’m picking Clayton Young. He ran two very solid races at the Indoor National Championships and I think his best race is the 10k. He could very well go for the 10k/5k double and will be a title contender in both. 1st Round Commentary Garrett: I really like the Klecker pick. I could see him dabbling in the 10k this season and attempting the 10k/5k double at Nationals. Outside of McDonald, I think he might be the most valuable pick from a scoring perspective. John: I debated between Fisher and Klecker with the third overall pick. Klecker had one hell of an indoor season and I think you’ll see the same during outdoor. Sam: The Obsa pick is intriguing to me. I think he has a really high ceiling, but I think the steeple is also very unpredictable this year. Garrett: Agreed on Ali. The steeplechase is so competitive this year that I’m not sure it’ll be easy for him to defend his title. Matt: I am also surprised it took so long for someone to take Hoare...did not think his “struggle” was too much to change him from being a large favorite in the 1500. Sean: I think seeing Hoare “struggle” and then not do well in 3K really hurt how he was perceived. John: I agree with Sean. He had a total of four races that weekend and we really saw the worst of it as he finished last in the 3000. If he just focuses on the 1500 during outdoors, he’s the favorite in my opinion. Sam: The 1500, like the 800, seems like it could be anyone’s game. Both events saw the favorites lose at Nationals and mid-distance events seem to always have a wild finish. Michael: Klecker is a great pick and not somebody to sleep on anymore. I also agree that Hoare can still be the favorite in the 1500 despite coming up short indoors. His plate was just too full for him and I imagine he will not be doubling (let alone tripling) come outdoors. If Ben didn’t draft him he was my first pick! Ben: I like Hoppel, but him going as the fourth pick makes me believe that Sean thinks he is a big favorite. Like Sam said, the 800 could be anyone’s to win. Matt: I think the 800 is so up in the air based on how the race is run that picking any of the perceived top guys is kind of scary. Sean: If Hoppel going 4th makes him seem like the favorite of the 800, what does picking Klecker 5th mean, or Clayton Young 7th mean? Ben: I think because Klecker and Young have two scoring opportunities they are safe bets to score well in at least one event while Hoppel has only the 800. I do like the Young pick. I was probably going to go for him in the second round if he had slid because of how consistent he has been this year. 2nd Round Selections Michael: Sam Worley. As only a sophomore he has great experience and multiple All-American finishes. He’ll be a serious threat in 1500 following his pair of national podium finishes over the past track seasons. Ben: After a 2nd place finish that earned me eight points during indoors, I am going with Marco Arop again. I think he is the safest bet out of everyone to finish in the top three. Losing to Hoppel hurt, but I think Arop will run much better during outdoors where he doesn’t have to worry about positioning as much. More space and less turns means Arop won’t have to lead as much of the race as he did indoors. Sam : Rory Linkletter is always someone to watch during championship season and I think many people forget he was 2nd in the 10,000 meters back in 2017. Last year we saw him double in the 10k/5k and insider information has me confident in his abilities this year. Sean : Rob Heppenstall. Might as well load up on people who I know will score. Banking on him going 8 for 8, especially since this indoor final went very well for him comparatively. John: Gimme Kyle Mau! Dude had a fantastic indoor season (see Garrett’s indoor draft). He helped IU to a 4th place finish in the DMR while finishing 10th in the mile and then 9th in the 3000. It wasn’t the greatest triple ever, but still impressive in my mind. I think whatever he picks during outdoor, he'll be successful. Matt: I know he did not have a good indoor season, but I am going to take a leap of faith here and take Vincent Kiprop. He has two chances to score and he was a Ben Flanagan kick away last year from being the 10k national champ. As the distance goes up, he gets better so I am going to have faith that he has a bounce back season. Garrett: I’ll take Connor McMillan. I like guys who have the potential to score on the 10k/5k double and McMillan is one of those guys. He’s a phenomenal regular season competitor who has shown that he is capable of earning All-American finishes (based on the past two national meets). I like the potential points he could score for me here. 2nd Round Commentary Michael: I thought about taking Heppenstall here. The 800 is always so difficult to predict, but Heppenstall ALWAYS scores points at NCAA's. Even if he doesn’t win, he is a great pick. Sam: I agree with Michael’s thoughts on the 800 being difficult to predict. Honestly, picking anyone in an event with prelims is always a bit of a worry as you never know what could happen. John: I will forever stay away from 800 meter picks after what happened with my indoor draft. But Michael is right in terms of Heppenstall always scoring points at NCAA's so it’s a great pick. As for Arop, he’s the next name in the 800 that I think we’ll have our eyes on the next couple of years. Garrett: I don’t like the 800 because of how unpredictable it is, but Heppenstall is literally a guarantee for points. Honestly surprised he didn’t go in the first round. Ben: John, I don’t blame you. It was stressful just watching prelims. I like the Vincent Kiprop pick by Matt. As someone who has been under the radar this year, he showed us at the indoor national meet that he is fully healthy. Kiprop at 100% can compete with anyone. 3rd Round Selections Garrett: Give me John Dressel. He has slowly been trending upwards after an injury from last year and his cross country season showed me that he can still compete at a very high level on the national stage. His indoor season may not have ended how he wanted it to, but I’m a believer in Dressel and I think he’ll refine his fitness as we progress through outdoors. Plus, he has the potential to run the 10k/5k double and, as you can tell, I’m a fan of that. Matt: After having a breakout indoor season and a “surprise” 2nd place finish, I am going to go with Casey Comber. I think he has proved that his race IQ is up there with anybody, and he will put himself in position to have a shot at winning the 1500 this outdoor season. John: Might be going out on a limb here, but I’ll take Robert Brandt of UCLA. Two 8th place finishes in the 3000 and 5000 this indoor season to go along with strong personal bests is very exciting. My guess is a 10k/5k double and I like the way the Bruin is trending after the indoor season. Sean: Steven Fahy of Stanford. I think he’s got a great chance to end up as the NCAA Steeplechase Champion and could even end up in the 5k if the steeplechase goes well. He’s performed well during both outdoors and indoors throughout his career (when healthy). Sam: Somehow, he has made it all the way until now. Tyler Day is a stud over 10,000 meters and he will add to my contingent of picks already in the event. He was 4th over that distance in 2018 and two of the four finishers ahead of him from last year's national meet are now gone. I don’t see McDonald running the 10k, so I think Day could sneak away with the win on the right day. Ben: After much deliberation, this team (of one) is happy to announce that they will be selecting Amon Kemboi from Campbell University with the sixth pick in the third round. Like Hoare, Kemboi did not have the greatest weekend Nationals, but he did have a great season. I think he will shake off the bad performance and come back strong during outdoors. Michael: Following up Sean’s steeple pick, I’ll take Aidan Tooker. He had a breakout indoor season, going under four minutes in the mile for the first time and that isn’t even his best event. Tooker might not have made the national meet during indoors, but he’s already proven he is at the top level of the steeplechase. 3rd Round Commentary Sam: Immediate reaction. Love the Dressel pick. He will show up big at NCAA's. Sean: Also love the Comber pick. He’s got a decent amount of range too. Garrett: Big fan of the Comber pick. I’m a bit biased, but he has really taken his fitness to a different level. He’s someone who could have the option of qualifying for Nationals in the 1500 or 5k, he’s that talented. Ben: We finally got our second steeplechase pick! I was wondering who it would be, but Fahy is a great pick. John: Fahy is such an underrated pick in my opinion. A+ pick for Mr. Collins right here. Matt: The Dressel pick is interesting because the end of his indoor season was not what we all expected, but it could be a steal here. In reference to the Fahy pick, he has only run three races since last outdoor season, so it will be interesting to see what kind of shape he is in when we get to see him for an entire season. John: I also love the Tooker pick here from Michael. Felt like he was in the shadow of Justyn Knight a bit at Syracuse in his first few years, but the dude is a gamer and he’ll be towards the top this spring. Garrett: The steeplechase is one of the most exciting events for me, but I’ll never trust an event where my draft pick could fall over a barrier or into a water pit. Too much risk that follows with their overall talent. Ben: I was really hoping Tooker was going to fall another round or two because of exactly what Garrett is saying. He should contend, but I was nervous using a high pick on a steeplechaser. Sam : Garrett, to be fair, guys could trip and fall in any event. Especially with the way people race mid-distance events at championships, seeing people fall isn’t super uncommon. Garrett: That’s true, and I would agree with that sentiment more during the indoor season, but the steeplechase is quite literally designed to trip you up and there are far more falls in the steeplechase than a regular distance event (I feel pretty confident I don't need to research that stat). I can’t help but think of what happened to Brian Barraza at last year's national meet as an example. I think this is more of my PTSD coming out from watching him in that final lap last year. Michael : That’s an excellent point about the steeplechase and Barraza’s fall shows that even the most experienced racers can be subject to bad luck over the barriers. It’s a bit of a risky move, but it’s a gamble I’m willing to take! Matt: You guys just had to bring up Brian’s race *cries internally* 4th Round Selections Michael: Edwin Kurgat of Iowa State is my team's fourth pick. I think he will end up running the 5k, but after a huge 3rd finish in cross country this fall, he could compete for a podium spot in the 10k as well. Maybe he’ll even go for both! Ben: Looking over the edge...doesn’t look too bad. Ok, I’m a little nervous about this pick but I’m going for it. Give me Geordie Beamish. I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that Indoor Nationals wasn’t a fluke and that Beamish will be back in contention for the 1500. Sam: My team is all true distance guys so to add in some diversity, the squad will welcome Oregon standout Charlie Hunter. This guy had the fifth fastest mile time during indoors this past winter and while he won’t be the favorite entering the 1500, he’s good enough to get himself into the race which is all it takes to potentially score major points at NCAA's. Sean: Heading back to the 800 for my team. Devin Dixon is coming off the board and I feel great about this pick. He’s still the only guy in the field to go sub 1:45.3 and while he maybe should be a top three performer normally, I like his ability to score consistently. John: YESSSS! Thank you Sean! I will now select Waleed Suliman of Ole Miss. I’m not worried about his performance at the indoor national meet where he finished 9th in the mile. He ran 3:56 this past winter season and ran 3:39 and some change last outdoor season. It feels like all upside here for the Rebel. Matt: I am rolling with my 1500 theme and going with Carlos Villarreal. This is purely based on this past indoor season and the momentum that he built up by running personal bests in both the mile and 3k. He has shown that he can run a tactically sound race, and I am just hoping that his kick can somehow hold up. Garrett: Give me Gilbert Kigen. The potential for a 10k/5k double comes into play here and I think he’s almost a lock to finish as an All-American in the 10,000 meters, an event that he is very consistent in. 4th Round Commentary Ben: Darn you Michael! You picked two of the guys I wanted in back-to-back picks. I would be shocked if Kurgat didn’t bounce back in a big way. Sam : Beamish. BOLD. John: I second Sam. Garrett: I feel dumb for missing out on Kurgat. Seems like a fairly obvious choice for an early round pick. Michael: I was looking through previous rounds to make sure I didn’t repeat a pick and was shocked I didn’t see his name already. I can’t believe we let him go that long. Ben: I was between Kemboi and Kurgat and just went with Kemboi for his consistency. I am also feeling very bold with the Beamish pick. Sean: John, you got a great pick in Suliman. I think his biggest limitation is getting through so many rounds, especially since Ole Miss utilizing team tactics in the regional rounds can get confusing. Ben: I have the same worry with Suliman. He's been unbelievable in the regular season, but was unable to make Outdoor Nationals last year. John: I was really picking between Dixon and Suliman here. I would have been excited with either pick. The limitation with Suliman is real, but he’s another year older and wiser and I’m hoping he learned something from the likes of Robert Domanic last year. Matt: Sean and John, I was set on either taking Dixon or Suliman *facepalm*...thanks guys. John: Garrett’s team is all 5k/10k guys and it’s one of those feelings that he knows something that we don't at this point.... Garrett: I’m kind of like the Fyre Festival guy. Just say things with a lot of conviction and people will think you know what you're talking about. Ben: This is what I want to hear from the admin of our site. Not worried at all... Sam : These pop culture references are lost on me, but I agree with Ben... 5th Round Selections (Rapid Fire) Garrett: James West, I like that he has options between the 1500 and 5k if really wants to. Matt: Joseph White...Please... John: Yared Nuguse...if he didn’t opt for the DMR he might be the mile champ. Sean: Conner Mantz! Someone from BYU has to score in the 5k/10k...right? Sam: Carlton Orange. I need an 800 meter runner and his name makes me think of the Fresh Prince. Ben: James Sugira. The Colonel will be back with a vengeance. Michael: I haven’t picked an 800 guy yet so I’ll take Cooper Williams. 5th Round Commentary Michael: I was set on Nuguse! I picked him during indoors which only gave me 2.5 points for his DMR anchor leg, but with no distance relay outdoors, he’ll probably just be in the 1500. He split 3:54 in the mile which makes him a title contender, so props to John for getting him this late. Matt: Sean, nice pick with Mantz, was hoping he would drop to the sixth round. Garrett: I knew there was a BYU guy I was missing. Mantz would have fit perfectly into my “just take all of the long distance guys” scheme. Sean: Was I supposed to have a strategy for this draft? Because at this point it’s “Pick Whoever I Feel Like” Ben: Completely forgot about Nuguse! Really bummed that I missed out on him. John: White falling into the fifth round seems a bit odd to me too. We were just talking about him being a title contender during the indoor season. Matt: John, I hope you are right, he scares me a little though... Michael: I’ve had my eye on White the whole draft. I picked him during indoors and think he is still a top contender outdoors, but the 800 meter is just so difficult to predict! John: The Nuguse pick was sparked by me flipping over to TFRRS and having my mind blown that I hadn’t seen his name yet. So I’m pumped about it. 6th Round Selections (Rapid Fire) Michael: Sleeper pick...Justine Kiprotich Ben: Another sleeper pick...Zach Long Sam: Nick Hauger. Portland represent. Sean: Alex Rogers John: Cole Rockhold. I won’t hop off the bandwagon. Matt: Shot in the dark...Lawrence Kipkoech Garrett: Tanner Anderson. 10k/5k. Veteran. Consistent. Fast times. Checks all the boxes. 6th Round Commentary Garrett: Big fan of that Justine Kiprotich pick. He is one of the most dangerous 1500 runners in the country when it comes to outdoors and he has proven that on a relatively consistent basis. Michael: For my last two picks I wanted Nuguse and Sugira, but they were taken and I had to get creative. Kiprotich had a quiet indoor season, but I think he’ll be back in form during outdoors. Sam : Random thought. When is the last time Kiprotich raced and didn’t wear sunglasses? Or is my memory terrible? Matt: Who wants to race without sunglasses? Sam : True. We had a guy in high school wear sunglasses for the 4x4 under the lights. Matt: That kid is a LEGEND! Garrett: USC's Isaiah Jewett has run multiple indoor meets with sunglasses on. I aspire to have that level of swagger and confidence. Sam : That is a really interesting pick Ben. Ben: I think he has a shot at competing with anyone in the 5k. He has qualified for Outdoor Nationals over the last two years and has the speed to hang in a tactical race. Sam: 100% agree. He won the 5k at the Stanford Invite last year if memory serves correct. Garrett: John, I can’t believe you stole Rockhold from me! Sean: Can I propose a 7th round? Maybe double points for the 7th round pick? Matt: Sean is your team that bad that you need double points and a 7th round? Sean: My team isn’t that bad! 7th Round Selections (Rapid Fire) Special Rules: Single points for anyone who has scored at an NCAA Championship track meet before. Double points for someone who has never scored at a (track) National Championship. Triple points for anyone who has never qualified for a National Championship on the track. Garrett: I won this one: Simon Grannetia. Never qualified for Nationals before due to injury. Thank goodness I just did the steeplechase preview... Matt: Luis Grijalva...y’all asleep John: Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse from Portland. Gimme those 5k/10k points! Sean: Thomas Ratcliffe of Stanford. Aiming for triple points! Sam: Kyle Burdick. South Dakota State stand up! Ben: Going with someone I picked in the indoor draft. ISAI RODRGIUEZ. He'll lead me to triple points and the promised land! Also, please run like you did at XC Nationals... Michael: Jaret Carpenter. He had a phenomenal cross country season leading up to a disappointing finish at Nationals. Good for double points if he scores. 7th Round Commentary Sean: I can’t believe I suggested something and now don’t know what to do. Michael: BOLD pick Sean. That could pay off big time though so I respect it. For all we know that could get you 30 points. Garrett: Sean could win the entire draft or lose the entire draft with that single pick. I don’t know how Ratcliffe could lose it for him, but the narrative sounds more fun that way. Sean: For clarity, I was stuck between Isai Rodriquez, Illias Aouani, and Ratcliffe for my final pick. But then, I thought I should pick Alex Ostberg instead and just go for single points but I got too nervous and attracted by the triple points John: Can I go back and pick Isai? That’d have been a damn good pick. Matt : Y’all wildin’ with these 7th round picks. Michael: I feel like the safe bet here was to pick somebody who has scored before, but the idea of double or triple points is just too attractive. I bet at least one of these picks will seriously pay off though.

Over the past few years, the steeplechase has been dominated by a select few names. Anthony Rotich, Stanley Kebenei, and Mason Ferlic come to mind when you think of heavy favorites and overwhelming talents. However, last year seemed like the first time where NCAA gold in the steeplechase could have gone to anyone. In 2019, that narrative is no different. Let's start with the defending champion, Obsa Ali. The Minnesota veteran is finishing up his eligibility on the track and is coming off of a huge indoor season where he qualified for Nationals and ran a personal best of 13:38 for 5000 meters (as well as 7:54 for 3000 meters). Although Ali will certainly be in the conversation to defend his title, there are a handful of men from around the country who could easily challenge him. In fact, most of his challengers may only come from two universities: BYU and Syracuse. As I mentioned in an article last week, BYU has been known for their absolute dominance in the steeplechase. The duo of Matt Owens and Clayson Shumway lit the NCAA on fire last year with clear improvement, encouraging consistency, and monster times well under the 8:40 barrier. After earning valuable experience at the national meet, it would come as no surprise if either of these men were at the top of the podium in June. However, those aren't the only Cougars capable of stealing the title from Obsa Ali. Guys like Daniel Carney, Jacob Heslington, and Porter Reddish have proven to be steady steeplechase contenders over the past few seasons and will likely be a serious problem for many of their opponents in 2019 as they enter (what should be) the prime of their college careers. There are a handful of other BYU men who have shown plenty of promise in the steeplechase and could find themselves having a breakout spring season. Outside of BYU, the Syracuse pairing of Aidan Tooker and Noah Affolder could be the most dangerous distance duo in the entire NCAA this season. Both of these men elevated their fitness to a very high level in 2018 which led to personal bests of 8:30 (Tooker) and 8:40 (Affolder). Tooker would later go on to finish 4th at the Outdoor National Championships and run that monster personal best of 8:30 at the USA Championships later that summer. With the learning curve behind them and the experience of championship racing now under their belts, the Syracuse men have the ability to do some scary things on the outdoor oval. Could the Orangemen go 1-2 at Nationals? It's not out of the question... One guy we haven't spoken much about is Steven Fahy, the Stanford ace who only raced twice during the indoor season. Although his winter season wasn't as strong as some of his teammates, it was encouraging to see him toeing the line after sustaining an injury during cross country. If he's able to stay healthy and return to top fitness, Fahy will have a chance to replicate his 3rd place steeplechase finish from last year's outdoor national meet. Tulane's Emmanuel Rotich is another name that has often come into the podium conversation. With an 8:36 personal best, the Green Wave veteran will likely be mentioned a few more times during the 2018 season. Unfortunately, Rotich has struggled a bit on the national stage. Despite toeing the line for six races at five different national meets, he has yet to come away with an All-American finish. Expect Rotich to be hungry to change that in 2019. Of course, we can't forget about Portland who might be the next-best steeplechase group in the nation after conference rivals BYU. Last year, we saw Simon Grannetia break on to the scene with three consecutive steeplechase wins and a personal best of 8:40 at Payton Jordan. He never ran slower than 8:49 in his four steeplechase races in 2018. Unfortunately, we never saw Grannetia toe the line for the West Regional Championships. The Dutch superstar seemingly sustained an injury prior to the meet and was unable to step on the track. However, much like Fahy, he will be a serious problem for his competitors if he's fully healthy. But when one man falls, another rises. As a freshman, Portland's Riley Osen was one of the more pleasant surprises in 2018, running three consecutive PR's (all in the postseason) to snag an All-American 8th place finish in a time of 8:41. Expect the sophomore to continue his improvement in 2019. Then we come to Bailey Roth, the Arizona veteran who has run some incredibly strong times, but has also lacked consistency in his performances throughout his career. He owns a personal best of 8:36, but that was from 2016 in an out of season meet (the Portland Track Festival). That said, this man has run under the nine minute barrier 15 different times. He's more than capable of securing an All-American finish if he has a good day at Nationals. The list of national contenders goes on. If you're looking for sleeper picks capable of challenging for All-American spots, be sure to keep an eye on guys like Texas ace John Rice, the Charlotte duo of Mihret Coulter and Tom Nobles, and Ole Miss junior Parker Scott. All of those men could shake up the podium at Nationals come June...

With the return of outdoor track comes the return of the steeplechase. This year’s field has the potential to be one of the most exciting in recent years as four of the top five finishers from 2018 are back in 2019. The name to beat this season is Allie Ostrander of Boise State. The redshirt junior is a two-time defending national champion in this event and currently sits at #8 on the NCAA all-time list with a mark of 9:38.57. After sitting out her freshman season, Ostrander has now won back-to-back titles and will be the clear favorite in 2019. Both of her wins at National Championships have been in relatively dominant fashion. Each time she's won, the runner-up has been at least five seconds back of Ostrander, a relatively large gap for a race that's only 3000 meters. While she did not have a great indoor season, her marks were similar to those from 2018 which gives good reason to believe she will enter outdoors ready to run fast. One reason to believe in the Boise State star this season is that she has never lost a steeple race outside of prelims. She has been a perfect six for six over her two years in the NCAA and it seems unlikely anyone can beat her this season if she stays true to form. However, one woman who could make a big jump and catch Ostrander in 2019 is Charlotte Prouse of New Mexico. Last season, she finished runner-up at NCAA's in her first-ever steeple season and ran a personal best of 9:45.45 which is just six seconds outside of the NCAA all-time top 10 list. Prouse is coming off of strong performances in cross country and indoor track and will be looking to carry this momentum into outdoors. She was 9th at the Cross Country National Championships this past fall and placed 5th in the 5000 meters at the indoor national meet. Both performances are improvements from her freshman season and if she can continue to improve, she has a chance to beat Ostrander this spring. Just behind Prouse at NCAA's in 2018 was Paige Stoner of Syracuse. Entering her senior season, Stoner will have one last shot at a national title after missing out on qualifying for the national meet this past indoor season. Stoner owns a personal best of 9:46.98 for the steeplechase which she set at the national meet last spring. Her 2018 season was a huge improvement, dipping under the 10 minute barrier five different times despite never having broken it prior. Despite finishing 3rd at last year's outdoor national meet, Stoner will still be a dark horse entering 2019. Her track personal bests don’t quite hold up against either Ostrander or Prouse, and not qualifying for the Indoor National Championships definitely hurts. While she should certainly be making a trip back to NCAA's this outdoor season, it is much easier to see her finishing similar to last year rather than winning it all. Someone who was not in the field last season was Madison Boreman of Colorado. As a freshman, Boreman finished 2nd behind Ostrander at the 2017 national meet when she ran her a personal best of 9:46.48. Since then, she has been largely absent from Colorado’s results, competing only twice since the 2017 cross country season. Boreman did not race at all this past indoor season, but made her 2019 track debut two weeks ago at the Jerry Quiller Classic in Boulder, CO. At that meet, she ran 2:15 for the 800 (converts to 2:14) which is roughly seven seconds off her personal best. With only one track race in over a year, it’s hard to gauge where Boreman will fall this season. On one hand, it is hard to rank her highly given her lack of racing. She also has only broken 10 minutes twice (both at NCAA's) which means she isn’t even a lock to qualify for Nationals. On the other hand, she finished runner-up as only a freshman and her personal best puts her among the best in the NCAA this season. This weekend should provide a better idea of her current fitness as she is entered in the 1500 meters at Stanford. While Ostrander appears to be a level-up on the competition, less than five seconds separated last year’s 2nd through 8th place finishers at the Outdoor National Championships. Notable names from that group include Cierra Simmons of Utah State, who was one of only three women to finish ahead of Prouse in 2018. Simmons has run 9:49 and broke 10 minutes for the first time last season. Val Constien and Sage Hurta of Colorado are two more Buffs that could be a presence at the national meet. Along with Boreman, Colorado has three women who are all capable of qualifying for NCAA's this season and Coach Mark Wetmore has a history of coaching talented steeplechasers (Jenny Simpson, Emma Coburn, Shalaya Kipp). The Stanford Invitational this weekend should provide the first real steeplechase action of 2019. One notable entry is Erica Birk of BYU who is coming off of fantastic cross country and indoor showings. Despite having never qualified for the national meet in the event, Birk owns a personal best of 9:58 and should be in contention for national qualifying this spring. Both Charlotte Prouse and Cierra Simmons are also entered which could make for a tight race between the three and push them to a trio of fast times. With so many unknowns, the women's steeplechase has the chance to the most entertaining distance event of the 2019 outdoor track season.

Women's commentary: Sean Collins Men's commentary: Michael Weidenbruch As we exit the indoor season, we lose one of the most interesting events of track and field, the DMR. The relay brings together the best of sprinting and middle distance and brings a needed team element to distance races after a cross country season almost entirely focused on team accomplishments. The 10k cannot replace all of that, but its addition into the outdoor season is crucial in creating a well-rounded, year-long distance cycle. Here is why the 10k could be one of the most suspenseful and interesting events of the season... There’s a Monopoly on Qualifying One of the biggest challenges with the DMR and most of the cross country season is how the results of a number of small meets can affect who qualifies for Nationals. For the 10k, that trend is no different. In fact, during the 2018 outdoor season, this was especially true in the 10k. For the men, 33 of the top 48 runners in the East Regional came from three meets: the Stanford Invite, Virginia Challenge, and the Raleigh Relays, while 39 of the top 48 in the West Regional came from the Stanford Invite and the Mt. SAC Relays. Of those 39, 30 of them came from Stanford alone. For some, this can be one of the more frustrating parts of the event, as it places importance on such a small number of meets to qualify. The women’s side of the qualifying picture is only slightly more spread out as the West holds steady at 39/48 coming from three meets: the Stanford Invitational, the PAC-12 Championships, and the Mt. SAC Relays. The East, however, slots in at 23 of 48 runners from two meets: Stanford and Raleigh. While this does mean that three meets still hold a near majority of the top 48 10k athletes in the region, there was no third meet that held a high percentage of East Regional qualifiers. A common argument about the 10k, just like the DMR, is that the event seemingly penalizes smaller schools if they can’t travel to one of the bigger races. On the flip side, the 10k can provide some great drama knowing that you have a handful of regular season races that can act as legitimate previews of what to expect at the national meet. Hopefully this year, there are some great races for qualifying in the early portion of the season as well as might even be some extra late-season qualifying shakeups. Championship Races Matter Looking at the NCAA qualifying picture for the 10k, conference championships do not become a major factor on the men’s side at all and only minimally on the women’s side, with most athletes qualifying from the Stanford Invite or the other meets mentioned above. What this means is that conference championships become strategic races. Coaches and athletes have to gauge levels of freshness, postseason goals, and the race for a conference title as they determine who is worth running in the grueling championship-style race. Coaches also have to factor in who might come back in the 5k the next day as a pacer, or as a championship contender and it gets even more confusing and intriguing as you factor in each conference’s unique procedures. Possibly even more fascinating is the way championship racing develops once you reach the regional meet. The 10k is the only event where all 48 regional qualifiers compete simultaneously, making it a hectic race for the top 12 spots. The regional meets also allow athletes to try and break away from the field while establishing a large enough gap to take home one of the 12 national qualifying spots. It also provides the fascinating scenario where top seeds can strategize how to finish within the top 12 while not fully exerting all of their energy. Mixing up these strategies during such a long, tactical race makes the regional 10k's one of the purest and most complex races in the NCAA season. Finally, the NCAA Championship final puts all 24 athletes on the line at the same time to determine the NCAA Champion. While the new format has the 5k set up the same way, the final race of the 10k season focuses on providing a straightforward race for the top step on the podium. This is one of the few races that displays so much parity from the front of the pack to the back, but it allows the best on that day to take home the crown. There’s no luck in grabbing the 10k title, just heart, grit, and fitness. That’s what makes 10K championship racing some of the most fun races to watch. Underdogs Emerge A 10k title is worth just as a much as any other event (well, that's debatable given sponsorship deals, but that’s for another article). With many of the biggest names continuing to opt for the 5k or steeple, underdogs can grab a national title or secure an All-American finish in the 10k. On the women’s side in 2018, you saw this in the way Sharon Lokedi finally broke through and how Dorcas Wasike cemented her name among the top athletes in the NCAA. Both had been considered good distance runners, but had never made their way to the top step until last year's national meet. For Lokedi, who had been All-American before, that race was an opportunity to no longer be viewed simply as a contender, but as a favorite and someone to truly watch out for. The underdog line also brought Kaitlyn Benner of Colorado and Jaci Smith of Air Force into focus. Benner has been All-American on numerous occasions, but had not been a name to watch for especially with the range of stars on the Colorado team including Makena Morley and Erin Clark who would have been the favorites for the Buffaloes in that race. Benner continues to hold this underdog narrative as she appears on the podium every other season or every third season to the surprise of some. Jaci Smith, on the other hand, used last outdoor national meet as her entry onto the NCAA stage. Smith had never earned All-American status before and had never reached an NCAA Championship on the track track. However, that all changed during the 2018 outdoor season when she skyrocketed into 8th for the Air Force Academy in the 10,000 meters. Smith used this past indoor season to push herself forward to All-American status in both XC and indoor track. Simply put, she established a strong reputation by using the 10k as her launch pad into national contention. Could 2019 be the year where Erin Finn secures her first-ever national title after numerous runner-up finishes? The 10k could give her a chance to alter her legacy... In last year’s NCAA 10k, we saw the ultimate underdog story play out. Ben Flanagan came into the race having finished 22nd at NCAA's the year before, and 20th in cross country in the fall. Flanagan had certainly made a name for himself prior to his final collegiate race, but hardly anyone considered him to be a contender for the title. Flanagan’s battle with Alabama’s Vincent Kiprop over the final 300 meters will go down as one of the most epic races the NCAA has ever seen, and when he crossed the line in 1st, nobody seemed more surprised than Flanagan himself. This sort of story is what championship races thrive on, as it keeps everyone on the edge of their seats. In 2017, we saw Marc Scott and Rory Linkletter go 1-2 in the 10k. Similar to Flanagan, these two were already established All-Americans in either track or cross country, but weren’t guaranteed locks like Edward Cheserek was. Marc Scott’s win wasn’t completely unexpected, but Rory Linkletter’s 2nd place finish broke him onto the stage of national contenders. Linkletter will be a name to watch this year as he tries to replicate that podium finish. Big Names Can (Try to) Assert Their Dominance While the 2018 10k discussion may act as a reminder of Sharon Lokedi’s upset victory, the fire-power of this race is often forgotten. 3rd through 6th place was earned by Karissa Schweizer, Alice Wright, Charlotte Taylor, and Anna Rohrer. Of that group, Anna Rohrer was likely considered the least accomplished despite owning a 3rd place finish in the 5k at the 2017 indoor national meet. Schweizer had already established distance dominance throughout the 2017 and 2018 seasons while Alice Wright was a consistent force for the New Mexico Lobos and had multiple 2nd place NCAA finishes. Charlotte Taylor was the defending 10K champion for that race. While none of those athletes won the 2018 10k final, their continued attempts to come away with another gold medal at this distance shows the level of importance the event holds. If any of those athletes had won, they would immediately be remembered as an NCAA champion in an era that is considered one of the best in collegiate history. When we think of recent dominance in the 10k for the men, Edward Cheserek stands alone with his accomplishments at the national meet. Cheserek won three 10k titles in three attempts and would have had a great shot at #4 had he not sat out of NCAA's during his senior year due to injury. During Cheserek’s reign as king of the NCAA distance events, he faced some challenges from athletes like Lawi Lalang and Eric Jenkins who handed him two of his three losses at NCAA's on the track, indoors and out (the other was to Josh Kerr). In the post-Cheserek era, nobody has risen to the level of being the single best athlete who enters every race as the favorite. This leaves the 10k relatively wide open this year, as it has been in the past two championship meets. Vincent Kiprop and Tyler Day come in as the top two returners, and will likely be the favorites for the 2019 outdoor season. Gilbert Kigen and Alfred Chelanga could be in there alongside Kiprop, which could create a very interesting dynamic in a championship race (although we saw that cohesion breakdown in the second half of last year's race). The biggest question, however, lies with Morgan McDonald. Historically, McDonald has opted for the 5k, having only raced 10k's in cross country. As the reigning cross country champion, it is safe to say McDonald will be able to compete with guys like Kiprop and Day. His performances at the indoor national meet also show promise for him in whatever event he chooses, especially in a year that is relatively wide open in the 10,000 meters. Whether McDonald runs the 5k, 10k, or both, he cannot be ruled out. A few more major factors could lie with Joe Klecker, Edwin Kurgat, James Sugira, and the entire BYU contingent. Clayton Young, Conner Mantz, Connor McMillan, and Rory Linkletter. The idea of four (or more) BYU guys in the 10k is pretty wild, but also very realistic.

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 Now that outdoor season is getting started, it’s time for another edition of The Stride Report's D2 rankings! This time, we are taking a look at the women. We are looking at last year’s outdoor season and of course this recent indoor campaign, along with the overall body of work to come up with 20 ranked runners. These rankings will change throughout the 2019 outdoor season. There will certainly be new athletes who pop up and showcase their abilities. Outdoor season is here, so let’s get to it! 20. Andra Lehotay | Walsh (JR) Lehotay is coming off of a solid indoor season where she finished 5th in the mile at the national meet and led the Walsh DMR team to a 5th place finish. She is now a six-time All-American and will look to add to that this spring as well as improve upon her 6th place finish in the 1500 from last year’s outdoor national meet. Her experience makes her a great candidate for our Top 20 rankings. 19. Olivia Woods | Western Oregon (SR) Woods has been a staple in the D2 800 group for years now. After being the last one into the finals at this year’s indoor meet, she finished 5th and has now been an All-American at five straight NCAA Championship track meets and has a total of six All-American finishes. During last season’s outdoor campaign, she set PR's in both the 800 and 400 and she will go into this outdoor season looking to build upon her 800 and 4x400 All-American performances from last year. Woods is consistently a factor among the top mid-distance women in the nation. 18. Bailey Sharon | Western Colorado (SO) Sharon is coming off of a pretty stellar indoor season where she picked up PR's in both the 400 and 800, the latter of which led her to a 4th place finish at the Indoor National Championships. She has already opened up this outdoor season with a provisional time of 2:09.26 which is currently the #2 time in the nation. 17. Chloe Cook | Colorado Mines (SR) After finishing 4th in the mile at last year’s indoor championship meet, Cook threw down PR's in the 800, 1500, 5k, and 10k during the outdoor season. She made it to NCAA's in the 1500, but failed to make the finals. She came back this indoor season and after having the fastest time out of the prelims, she once again took home a 4th place finish in the mile. Cook is a veteran who will continue to be among the best in the country this year. 16. Eileen Stressling | Azusa Pacific (SR) The six-time All-American comes into this outdoor season off the strength of a 5th place finish in the 5k, and a 10th place finish in the 3k this past indoor season. Stressling had a very good outdoor season last year, as she ran PR's in the 1500, 5k, and 10k. She ended the season with the 5k/10k double at Nationals where she got her fifth All-American honor by placing 5th in the 10k (I know, it's a lot fives being mentioned). Stressling should once again be a major player in the longer distance events this outdoor season thanks to her consistency and progression. 15. Emily Roberts | U-Mary (SR) After not competing at all last year due to injuries, the Southern Indiana transfer has had a fantastic comeback year. After finishing 3rd at Nationals during cross country, she rode that momentum into this indoor season with a 4th place finish in the 5k and an 8th place finish in the 3k. Roberts has placed as high as 2nd in the outdoor 10k during her collegiate tenure, and with the roll she is on, she may be able to get back to that level this spring. 14. Allie Ludge | Grand Valley State (JR) Coming off of a 7th place finish in the 1500 during last year’s outdoor national meet, Ludge returned this past fall with a 5th place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. That was followed up by a stellar indoor season, where she finished 3rd in the mile and 5th in the 3k, along with helping her team to a 3rd place finish in the DMR. Ludge can seemingly do it all and she can do it well. For that reason, she earned the #14 spot in our rankings. 13. Aneta Konieczek | Western Colorado (SO) We did not see Konieczek this past winter after having a stellar 2018 indoor campaign, but outdoors is here and with that, back to the steeplechase she will go. She finished 4th in that event at the national meet last outdoor season as a freshman. Prior to that, she was 3rd in the indoor 3K and helped DMR win the national title. A season off and another year of training with a two-time national champion could lead to big things this season for this sophomore. Don't be surprised if she's battling the top women in the nation come season end. 12. Carsyn Koch-Johnson | Cedarville (SR) After not seeing her for about a year and a half, Koch-Johnson reappeared this past indoor season with a 7th place finish in the 800, but we cannot forget what she has done all throughout her collegiate career. She is a four-time national champion, and has the fastest 800 and second fastest 1500 in Division Two history. If she can round back into that form this outdoor season, she will be a contender for yet another title. 11. Danielle McCormick | Alaska Anchorage (SR) After narrowly making the field for the NCAA meet this past indoor season, McCormick had her best races at the right time, as she easily made the finals and then ran to a 3rd place finish in the 800. She was also a part of the runner-up finish for her Alaska Anchorage DMR team. The 2018 indoor 800 meter national champion will be trying to improve on her 4th place finish from last year’s outdoor season. 10. Roisin Flanagan | Adams State (JR) Flanagan is coming into this outdoor season on the heels of a great indoor campaign. After running the fastest mile time in the country, she picked up a 2nd place finish in the same event at Nationals, along with a 4th place finish in the 3k and a national title for her DMR. Roisin Flanagan is racing at an incredibly high level right now and will be a serious problem for her competitors come May and June. 9. Kristen Metcalfe | Embry-Riddle (SR) Metcalfe really burst onto the scene last outdoor season, picking up huge PR's in both the 800 and 1500, and ending the season with a pair of 3rd place finishes in both events at the national meet. This past winter, she looked as good as ever as she ran the #4 fastest mile time in the country and ran the fastest indoor 800 meter time in Division Two history. After qualifying for finals in both the 800 and mile at Nationals, Metcalfe had to scratch from both events due to an injury. If she is healthy this outdoor season, she will be a contender for both titles. However, that uncertainty pushes her to the #9 position in our rankings. 8. Addy Townsend | Simon Fraser (SR) Townsend came into this indoor season trying to build off of her 2nd place finish in the 1500 last outdoor season. She ran the #2 fastest mile time in the country, along with the #4 fastest 800 time, but when the championship meet came around, she was not on the starting line for either due to illness. If she is healthy and ready to go this outdoor season, she is a real threat to win the 1500. 7. Leah Hanle | Mount Olive (JR) The first two seasons of Hanle’s junior year have been stellar, opening up the academic year with a 7th place finish at the national meet during cross country. She then had a breakthrough during indoors, picking up PR's in both the mile and the 3K, and ending the season by finishing 3rd in both the 3K and 5K. She has progressed upwards every single year, so after finishing 2nd in the 10K and 3rd in the 5K during last year’s outdoor season, she should have a real shot at being on top this season. 6. Eilish Flanagan | Adams State (JR) Flanagan has had a fantastic junior year thus far which she started with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. This indoor season, she only lost to one Division Two athlete, Caroline Kurgat, both of which came at the national meet in the 3K and 5K. Last outdoor season, she also claimed a runner-up finish in the steeplechase. She has had a history of running her best races at the most opportune moments, running personal bests in the 3k, 5k, and steeplechase in the previous two track and field championship meets. It's hard to dislike someone who runs their best when it matters the most. 5. Rachael Walters | Grand Valley State (SR) Walters has been so close to prominence so many times, finishing 2nd in the 800 at four straight NCAA Championship meets. She does, however, have an NCAA title stemming from the 2018 indoor national meet as a part of Grand Valley State’s 4x4 team. Along with finishing 2nd at this year’s Indoor National Championship, she led her 4x4 and DMR teams to a pair of 3rd place finishes, bringing her number of All-American performances up to 12. It would be a great way to end her collegiate career with finally getting that 800 meter title... 4. Stephanie Cotter | Adams State (FR) This freshman has opened up her collegiate career with a bang. After finishing 11th at Nationals during cross country, Cotter came back this indoor season and won gold in the mile, clocking a PR in the finals to do so. She also led her Adams State DMR to a national title. The young ASU star will be looking to continue her fantastic first year on the outdoor oval. 3. Skylyn Webb | UC Colorado-Springs (SR) Since transferring to UCCS, Webb has dominated the 800. After earning bronze at the 2018 indoor national meet, Webb would go on to win the national title during outdoors, running the second fastest 800 in Division Two history. She most recently won another title this indoor season. The UCCS senior has already opened up this season with a provisional time of 2:08.17 which is currently the leading time in the country. Webb has gained so much momentum over the past year and there are no signs that she'll be stopping anytime soon. 2. Alicja Konieczek | Western Colorado (SR) The eight-time national champion is back for her final season. Konieczek has the two fastest steeplechase times in Division Two history and is looking to take home her third straight title in the event. She also finished 2nd in the 5k last year and most recently finished 4th at the 2018 Cross Country National Championships. After a season off, we may see the best version of Konieczek that we ever have. 1. Caroline Kurgat | Alaska Anchorage (SR) I am not really sure how you could put anybody else here. Dating back to the 2017 cross country season, Kurgat has only lost two races to Division Two athletes. She was a national champion in the 2017 cross country season, is the defending champion in the 5k (defeating Konieczek) and 10k during outdoors, and most recently took home the titles in the 3k and 5k indoors, while also leading her DMR team to a runner-up finish. She will be looking to continue her dominance in her final outdoor season and we have no reason to think otherwise. 800 1. Skylyn Webb (UC Colorado Springs) 2. Rachael Walters (Grand Valley State) 3. Kristen Metcalfe (Embry-Riddle) 4. Danielle McCormick (Alaska Anchorage) 5. Carsyn Koch-Johnson (Cedarville) 1500 1. Stephanie Cotter (Adams State) 2. Addy Townsend (Simon Fraser) 3. Kristen Metcalfe (Embry-Riddle) 4. Roisin Flanagan (Adams State) 5. Allie Ludge (Grand Valley State) 3000 Steeplechase 1. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado) 2. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) 3. Aneta Konieczek (Western Colorado) 4. Hanna Groeber (Grand Valley State) 5. Hannah Wolkenhauer (Queens) 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. Eileen Stressling (Azusa Pacific) 5. Sophie Seward (Western Colorado)

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. Christian Noble, Lee (Tenn.) Noble was the fastest man in terms of time on the cross country course this past season. He redshirted indoors and after an early performance of 9:00 in the steeplechase, the redshirting certainly looks to have paid off. He’s likely already booked his ticket to the national meet and he should be a force when he gets there. 19. Jack Johnson, Chico State Johnson is the next highest returner from the 3000 meter steeplechase. The Wildcat was 7th at last year’s championships. He has run 8:59 before and he spent the winter training instead of racing. He should be a contender for the top spot barring some kind of injury. 18. Gidieon Kimutai, Missouri Southern Kimutai is another freshman who makes our list here. He finished 4th at the Cross Country National Championships as well as 4th in the 5000 meters at the indoor national meet. We’ve already seen success from a Missouri Southern freshman before (Vincent Kiprop), so this isn’t too much of a surprise. He’ll likely jump up to the 10,000 where I think he has the most success, and also run the 5000. He ran 14:10 at the national meet which was the best time of his career so far, meaning he’ll likely improve this spring. 17. Pierre-Louis Detourbe, Simon Fraser Detourbe ran for Cal Baptist last year when he finished 6th in the 3000 meter steeplechase at the national meet. He’s the highest finishing returner of the eight All-Americans. Individually, he didn’t have a successful indoor meet, but that was largely due to being in a volatile mile prelim. He was the 1200 leg for the DMR team that placed 2nd, though. He’s run 9:00 for the steeple before and I think he should be able to dip underneath that barrier if things go right training-wise. 16. Marcelo Laguera, CSU-Pueblo The cross country national champion had to find his way onto this list. He redshirted the indoor season, but has already made his mark on the outdoor season as he has run 14:31 in basically a solo effort at altitude. He was 7th in the 10,000 at the D2 National Championships last outdoor season and he should be one of the favorites in that event going into outdoors. 15. Ayman Zahafi, TAMU-Kingsville Zahafi was another surprise finisher when he crossed the line 3rd in the 800 at the indoor nation al meet. The sophomore ran his personal best at the perfect time and because of it, success has come his way. He has only ever run the 800 before, so it’s unclear if he will be trying anything different come outdoors. 14. Devundrick Walker, CSU-Pueblo Walker had one of the best DMR legs in the national meet as he brought his team into 2nd place through the 800 meter leg. He also came back to finish 6th in the 800. His career best of 1:48 has come during the outdoor season, but his best national finish in the event is 6th. He’ll be looking to better his placing in his final season as he continues to refine his talent. 13. Victor Moreau, Academy of Art Moreau finally got his first All-American honor by finishing 4th in the 3000. He set personal bests in the 800, mile, and 3000 during the indoor season. I think we will see that same success in the outdoor season. He should break the 3:50 barrier and find his way back to the National Championships. 12. Benoit Campion, American International The freshman finished 5th during the indoor campaign and gave us another American International athlete that is seeing immediate success within the program. He’ll likely be focusing on the 1500, but he has run 1:53 before in his young career so we could see him work on that as well. 11. Brett Meyer, Fort Hays State Meyer is only #11 on this list because others had stronger indoor championship meets than him. That being said, Meyer is still considered a mile/1500 favorite this outdoor season. He was 4th in the distance last year at Nationals, and he has the speed to even compete in the 800 if he felt like it. 10. Rowan Doherty, Simon Fraser Doherty is coming into his own in 2019. A strong mile anchor to help the Simon Fraser team finish 2nd in the DMR, followed by a 7th place finish in the 3000 the next day at the national meet, tells us that he is fit heading into the outdoor season. He’ll likely be focusing on the 1500 and we will see if there is a longer discipline that suits him even more. 9. Josh Hoskinson, Colorado Mines A surprise (to most people) was seeing Hoskinson finish 3rd in the 5000 meters at the indoor national meet. The result showed us that Hoskinson can be considered as a legitimate threat in longer events. Unfortunately, he didn’t bounce back in the 3000 the next day, leading us to believe that his ideal racing distances may be the 5000 or even 10,000 meters. Whether or not that move is made this upcoming outdoor season is unclear, but it is worth looking at early on in the season. 8. Taylor Stack, Western Colorado Stack walked away with two All-American honors. One came in the 5000 and the other came in the 3000. As we move into the outdoor season, Stack should focus on the same distances. He’ll likely be a threat in the 5000 while he looks to get stronger for the 3000 steeple. Stack was trending the right way before the indoor championship meet, and I think we will see that continue during outdoors. 7. Daniel Wallis, Queens (N.C.) Wallis shocked some people at the Indoor National Championships as he finished 2nd in the mile and then came back and was an 8th place finisher in the 3000. Wallis has run strong times before, so we were just waiting for him to race well at the championship level. Heading into outdoors, we should see him in the 1500 and possibly even the 5000 given his indoor success. 6. Dennis Mbuta, Grand Valley State This freshman came onto the scene in 2019 with a strong indoor campaign that helped show us that Grand Valley was not just a long distance program. He finished 2nd in the 800 at the indoor national meet behind Staines and ran 1:49.24 during the regular season. He didn’t have the same success in the DMR, as he was stalked by other teams while on the anchor leg. Regardless, Mbuta is poised for a strong outdoor season. 5. Felix Wammetsberger, Queens (N.C.) The current mile champion finally found his way into the final that ended with some good luck (and great tactics). He was able to find his way into the lead spot with 50 meters to go and held off his competitors, one including his teammate. You should see Wammetsberger back on the big stage in May as he looks to pull off mile/1500 double gold. 4. Zach Panning, Grand Valley State The reigning 5000 meter outdoor national champion is back to defend that title. He came up just short a few weeks ago, trying to hold off the talented Adams State stars. If we learned anything about Panning, it's that he’s in great shape and should run personal bests in both the 5000 and 10,000. 3. Elias Gedyon, Adams State Gedyon is fresh off his first national title in the 3000 and after a couple of 3rd place finishes (2018 outdoor, 2019 indoor) and a 5th place finish (2018 indoor), it’ll be interesting to see where he decides to place his focus on this outdoor season. After not winning the national title in the mile, maybe we will see him make a jump in distance? 2. Sydney Gidabuday, Adams State Gidabuday secured his seventh national title during the indoor season. I think the question at hand going into the outdoor season is what will he bring to the table in the 5000 and 10,000. He hasn’t won an outdoor national title since the 5000 meters as a freshman and hasn’t really come close to winning in the 10,000. I’m sure he’d love to rewrite that narrative. 1. Thomas Staines, CSU-Pueblo Fresh off of his third straight 800 meter title, there seems to be no stopping Staines at the moment. To go along with that third 800 title, he also added a DMR title to his collection after anchoring CSU-Pueblo to the win with a strong mile leg. There’s a wonder if Staines will move up in distances for the fun of it this season or just focus on the 800. Given that the World Championships are this summer and he’s the fastest British man so far, staying the course might be the best option for him. 800 1. Thomas Staines (CSU-Pueblo) 2. Dennis Mbuta (Grand Valley State) 3. Devundrick Walker (CSU-Pueblo) 4. Ayman Zahafi (TAMU-Kingsville) 5. Joshua Ajero (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. Benoit Campion (American International) 3000 Steeplechase 1. Pierre-Louis Detourbe (Simon Fraser) 2. Jack Johnson (Chico State) 3. Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.)) 4. Kale Adams (Adams State) 5. Grant Colligan (Colorado Mines) 5000 1. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) 2. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State) 3. Josh Hoskinson (Colorado Mines) 4. Gidieon Kimutai (Missouri Southern) 5. Eddie King (Chico State) 10,000 1. Marcelo Laguera (CSU-Pueblo) 2. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State) 3. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) 4. Jacob Klemz (Washburn) 5. Karim Achengli (NW Missouri)

Often times at TSR, we like to reminisce. We'll occasionally look back at old articles and either nod our heads in an expression of approval, or cringe at a dumb prediction or bold statement we made months (or even years) ago. So we thought "eh, screw it, let's make this an article series" where we revisit some of our old content and react accordingly to what we said way back when. 42 Q's was an article that we wrote in June of last year which asked numerous questions about what we should expect during the 2018-2019 seasons of competition. With cross country and indoor track all wrapped up, we thought now would be the best time to answer our old questions. Keep in mind that as of last June, we had not yet started covering women's distance running which is why the questions in this article are oriented towards the men. 2018 Outdoor National Championships Which distance runner had the greatest upset of the weekend? In retrospect, when we look back at this national meet, Ben Flanagan had the greatest upset. His final kick to take home the win was electric, especially since no one expected him to take home the title. Now that we've had some time to fully digest the performance, Flanagan's win still holds up as the greatest upset of that weekend. Is Ben Flanagan's win the greatest underdog story in NCAA Championship history? Back in June, that may have been the case, but the narrative has potentially changed since Geordie Beamish won the national title in the mile this past indoor season. The guy who never actually ran a mile faster than 4:06 won NCAA gold over one of the most dynamic distance running stars in recent memory. Between, Flanagan and Beamish, it's a tough decision to make. Is Sean McGorty's win the greatest comeback story in NCAA Championship history? For most people, it's hard to ignore what Morgan McDonald was able to accomplish this past fall. He essentially waited two years to win a national title on his home course. He may not have had to deal with the brutal injuries that McGorty had to endure, but McDonald came back in a big way after an extended absence to win with a fairytale ending. Future National Championships Does this mean Grant Fisher will be the favorite to win the 5k next year? The answer to that would be no. After evaluating the past two seasons, it's hard to say that anyone but Morgan McDonald is favored to take home the 5k outdoor national title in 2019. Is Obsa Ali automatically the favorite to win the steeplechase next year? We still don't know the answer and it depends on who you ask. I think Obsa is someone you can consider as a favorite, but I don't think he's the favorite. There are too many guys who can contend with the nation's best. I think, much like last year, the men's steeplechase will be wide-open. Or will guys like Rotich, Grannetia, the BYU men, and the Syracuse duo rise to the top? I'm a big fan of Emmanuel Rotich, but he is someone that has yet to prove that he can run well on the national stage. As for Portland's Simon Grannetia, he's coming off of a stress fracture from the fall, so I'm unsure how he'll be able to rebound. However, I do like the BYU men and Syracuse duo of Tooker and Affolder. I think it is more likely than not that someone from BYU or Syracuse wins the national title in the steeplechase this spring. Is Oregon the early favorite to win the indoor DMR title in 2019? Nope! That turned out not to be the case. After losing Mick Stanovsek and a high school recruit who ran 1:47 during indoors (Hoey), the Oregon men were no longer in the conversation to win any national titles. However, they quickly silenced the doubters (including myself) by putting six men under the four minute barrier this past winter. Still, I'm not sure there were a ton of people saying that the Ducks were favorites to win the DMR national title due to their lack of an established 800 leg. Is there any team that could realistically stop them? I'm not sure many people thought Notre Dame could repeat their Cinderella story from 2018. Obviously, that was an incredibly poor assumption. Grant Fisher rebounded into a top-tier closer for Stanford and was able to make up for not having Sean McGorty on the relay. Those are the two clear examples. Plus, there were a ton of other teams that were simply more well-rounded than the Ducks were in the DMR this past winter. Legacy Does Stanford's back-to-back 5k titles (with different runners) make up for the lack of a national title in cross country? I remember happily typing this question and breathing a mental sigh of relief that I would never have to actually answer it. Looks like I played myself on that one. As a fan of the sport, I can't help but think that Stanford should have done more with McGorty and Fisher on the same roster. Neither of them won a national title in the DMR and they were unable to secure a gold medal during cross country. They are both exceptionally talented, but in retrospect, I think they could've produced something special, especially when you look at the teams they were on. What does BYU need to do in order to avenge their struggles at NCAA's? In retrospect, all they needed to do was just not perform poorly at the national meet. Prior to the start of this academic year, the Cougars had really only seen Rory Linkletter post a handful of All-American finishes. Luckily, they were able to remedy that issue by having four different men become All-Americans during cross country. This past indoor season, they had four All-American finishes from three different men (and none of them were named Rory Linkletter). The Cougars have come a long way and I think it's fair to say that they have avenged their struggles. Despite not winning this past weekend, has Josh Kerr done enough to be considered the greatest collegiate 1500 runner ever? He won two national titles in the 1500/mile distances, beat Edward Cheserek, and broke the collegiate national record for 1500 meters. I'm not sure what else he could have done. I don't think it's a wild statement to say that he is the greatest collegiate ever for that distance. David Ribich is the greatest D2 runner in NCAA history...right? Gosh, both Thomas Staines and Sydney Gidabuday have made this debate incredibly hard. Both of those men broke collegiate records this past indoor season and the number of titles they are accumulating is hard to fathom. I think there is a debate for any of these three men. Or is it Thomas Staines after running 1:45 in early June? Looking back, I feel dumb for not even mentioning Gidabuday. Going pro? By the way, does this mean Staines will go pro now? Most of us knew that Staines wasn't going to turn pro last summer, but I would be shocked if he stayed in the NCAA after this year. He has nothing left to prove in the collegiate system. What else is left for Kerr to do in the collegiate scene? We mentioned this in the above question, but Kerr had nothing else left to accomplish. He had left his mark on the NCAA. Going pro was the right move to make. If the answer is nothing, does this mean he'll go pro? Bingo. Will Isaiah Harris go pro after this season? I was a bit more uncertain on this one than I was with a few others, but when Nike comes calling with a check and you already have a national title, it's hard to see a different outcome. Will Michael Saruni go pro after this season? I felt pretty confident that Saruni was going to turn pro, but it took him a lot longer to do it than I thought it would. He eventually signed with Adidas, but I felt almost completely certain that he would sign with Nike and train alongside former teammate Emmanuel Korir. Shows what I know... If both go pro, who is the favorite to win the 800 title next year? Bryce Hoppel may have won the national title this past indoor season, but I'm still not sure if we have a solid answer to that yet. It feels like anyone can win NCAA gold come outdoors, even after what we saw this past indoor season. Will Coach Fox really leave Syracuse to start a group with Reebok? You can tell by the way I phrased this question that I didn't really believe it would happen. Whoops... If he did, would Justyn Knight actually consider joining that group? As it turns out, Justyn Knight would actually consider joining Reebok. Who would've thought? Next year uncertainties How will Colorado State perform in 2018-2019 after losing both Mock and Fischer in a single year? I'm still in shock at how well this team ran last cross country season. Colorado State lost Jerrell Mock, Grant Fischer, and Wayde Hall to graduation last year, leaving the Rams with significantly less firepower. To make matters worse, their star runner Cole Rockhold sustained an injury as they entered the postseason. Yet, somehow, this team was able to finish 9th in the country without four of their best runners from the year prior. Man, that was impressive... How will Virginia Tech perform in 2018-2019 after losing Ciattei, Gourley, and Joseph in a single year? At this point in the summer, Coach Thomas had not yet left the program. That would ultimately be the biggest factor in this whole conversation. So far, the Hokies have held their own in the ACC, but they haven't made much noise on the national stage outside of Peter Seufer. Transfer talk How will Matthew Harding adjust to Virginia Tech after transferring from UNC-Asheville? The transition seems to have gone smoothly, but it hasn't necessarily been exciting. He ran 1:49 this past indoor season and will likely want something faster this spring. With an All-American finish now on his resume, has Robert Brandt validated his transfer from Cal to UCLA? Does he need to do more? If so, what exactly does he need to do? I consolidated this question to one line for the sake of simplicity. When I was writing this article, the answer was probably a no. Now, after back-to-back All-American finishes at the indoor national meet, I have to say yes. He has clearly become a national contender and can be a legitimate low-stick for the Bruins in the fall of 2019. Robert Brandt is likely better off at UCLA than he was at Cal. Which JUCO & D2 stars will transfer to D1 this offseason? Ashenafi Hatte from Oklahoma State was likely the biggest impact transfer in a sea of moving names. The JUCO product gave the Cowboys a lethal 1-2 punch when paired with Isai Rodriguez and he ended the cross country season as an All-American. The Campbell men brought in a few new names to their roster, but as a collective group, the Camels struggled to put together a cohesive lineup. What kind of impact will Arizona State's three newest transfers have? Garrett O'Toole and Fearghal Curtin have been relatively quiet in terms of performances, but William Paulson has evolved into one of the best milers in the country. He ran 3:58 this past winter and finished 5th at the indoor national meet. Be sure to keep an eye on him this outdoor season. Is Brody Smith, a transfer from Utah State, the missing piece Purdue needs to qualify for an NCAA Championship in cross country? The answer to this question was a resounding YES. Purdue might have been good enough to qualify without him this past fall (emphasis on might), but Smith gave them an edge that they desperately needed. He was a crucial scorer in the middle of their lineup who provided consistent value and stability in every race he toed the line for. He was a key pick up for the Boilermakers this past fall. Coaching Situations How long should we give Solinsky until we expect to see progress with Florida's distance runners? I still find myself asking this question. The men have struggled with Solinsky, making little to no progress in his two years with the program. The women, however, have made phenomenal improvements. The Lady Gators went from the bottom of the SEC to national qualifiers for cross country in basically a year. While there were a ton of factors to consider, Solinsky is likely a big reason why they've been so successful. Who will take over as the coach for Washington? The Powell's going to Washington may go down as one of the most Earth-shaking moves that the country has ever seen. They completely changed the coaching structure of the NCAA in a single summer. For Texas? Pete Watson taking over the distance program at Texas was an interesting move. I was super underwhelmed by the entirety of their cross country season, but we saw some pretty special things from Rodgers and Worley this past winter. In the long term, I think this will be a beneficial move for the Longhorns. Notre Dame? The Notre Dame athletic department made the right move to give Coach Matt Sparks the role of Director after Alan Turner departed from the program. He has done an incredible job with the women's program during his time there. EKU? I was a bit critical of Eastern Kentucky hiring Cory Erdmann in place of his father, but the move turned out to be a great one. The Colonels were one of the best cross country teams in the Southeast region this past fall and have continued to make some noise on the track. It also helps that they have a superstar in James Sugira leading their program. Will Greg Metcalf ever have a job in coaching again? I find it hard to believe that Metcalfe won't be coaching again. Coaches at that level are often too connected to not find themselves back with a team. There are a few rumors floating around that tie him to certain assistant coaching positions, but none of that means anything until it happens. Piecing Together Eligibility Will Colorado's John Dressel be healthy enough to compete for the Buffs this fall? He would! Not only would Dressel compete, he would finish 9th at the Cross Country National Championships and qualify for Indoor Nationals in the 5k. It was a great comeback season for the Colorado star. Joe Klecker just ran 13:30 at the Portland Track Festival. Did his redshirt season mean he was saving eligibility or recovering from an injury? Both? We don't have the answer to this, but it truthfully doesn't matter a ton. Klecker will be around for one more year after this where he'll be considered as the national title favorite in the eyes of many. Will we ever see Soren Knudsen on the collegiate scene again? Welp... WHERE IS MATTHEW MATON??? Oh, uh, about that... Why did Morgan McDonald use eligibility and run only one collegiate race (where he didn't qualify for NCAA's) at the end of the spring track season? Sometimes we make mistakes. This was one of them. McDonald still had the eligibility of a junior last spring so him racing at BIG 10's was a moot point. Future plans When will TSR start it's summer rankings? We went on to post our recruit rankings a week after we posted this 42 Q's article. Those rankings, along with our Top 50 and Top 25, would give life to TSR and jumpstart our growth.