Based on the performances lists, most weren't surprised to see such fast times come out of this past weekend. With huge meets taking place all over the nation, we were bound to have some strong results that would get us closer to what the NCAA qualifying picture is actually going to look like. As we look evaluate these outstanding runs, it may be tough to put some of them in perspective. That's where we comes in. We took some of the numbers from this past weekend and were able to make some interesting findings. Check out some fun stats below and see for yourself... ***Keep in mind that the data we are using for all of this is from TFRRS. That data only goes back to 2010. We do not have data from before then.*** JONATHAN DAVIS Prior to this weekend, the fastest flat-track converted mile run since 2010 was 3:57.44 from Patrick Joseph (Virginia Tech) in 2015. Now, Illinois' Jonathan Davis has the fastest flat-track time since 2010 with a converted time of 3:55.46. Not only is Davis the fastest flat-track performer in recent history, but he also accomplished something else pretty huge... Jonathan Davis is the first runner with freshman eligibility (since at least 2010) to own a time under the 3:56 mark . Justyn Knight of Syracuse originally held that top mark when he ran 3:56.87 as a redshirt freshman in 2016. Ironically, Knight is currently 2nd in the NCAA behind Jonathan Davis. OREGON MILERS The Oregon men accomplished something pretty special this past weekend by putting FOUR men under the 4 minute barrier. All of their athletes currently claim spots in the NCAA Top 10. Since 2010, there have been only five other teams that have accomplished this feat . Georgetown (2016), Oregon (2015), Georgetown (2015), and Oregon (2013) have all had four individuals run under the 4 minute barrier. Oklahoma State did the unthinkable in 2013 when they put FIVE men under 4 minutes. When you look back and consider how legendary some of these squads were, you can't help but be impressed with what the Ducks did this past weekend. Still, there's a bit more to this story than just that... The 2018 Oregon men now join the 2015 and 2016 Georgetown squads as the only teams to put four men under 4 minutes in the same weekend. However, no team has ever done it as early as this Oregon team has . Georgetown was only able to put four men under 4 minutes at the same Boston University meet that takes place the weekend before or on Valentines Day. MICHAEL SARUNI NCAA #2 All-Time In case you didn't know, UTEP's Michael Saruni is really good... Saruni ran a time of 1:45.19 this past weekend at the Texas Tech Classic. That time alone is the fastest 800 time in the NCAA since 2010 by .74 seconds . However, because Saruni was running at 5000 ft of altitude, he actually earned a converted time of 1:44.89. If you count altitude conversions into the equation, Saruni is the 2nd man in NCAA history to EVER run under the 1:45 mark. Even without the conversion, he is still #2 All-Time . The only other NCAA athlete to run under the 1:45 mark during indoor track? Saruni's head coach, Paul Ereng , with a time of 1:45.84 set back in 1989... THE FAST 5K's ARE COMING SOON So far this season, only two men have gone under the 14:00 barrier (Ben Veatch & Emmanuel Rotich). After the NCAA failed to produce another sub 14 minute result this past weekend, I became interested as to when we have historically seen those fast 5K's begin... From 2010 to 2017, there have been 301 men that have run under the 14 minute mark. Of those 301 men, only 37 of them (or 12.3%) have run under the 14 minute barrier before the beginning of February . Basically, this means that a heavy portion of fast 5K's should be coming within the next week or two... However, 2018 now joins 2017 and 2013 as the only years since 2010 to not have someone run under the 14 minute barrier between January 20th and January 31st. In addition to that statistic, the average number of men under the 14 minute mark from 2010 to 2017 before the month of February is 4.6 men. Right now, we are only at 2. Of course, it's important that we don't get caught up in arbitrary numbers and averages. Those numbers, in the grand scheme of things, probably won't make any difference. Still, it at least gives us a perspective that this year may be a little slower than usual in the 5000 meters... OREGON's 9:31 DMR PROBABLY WONT BE ENOUGH Back in late December / early January, we released a TSR Mailbag article that reviewed some of the averages and numbers that individuals (and relays) would need to hit if they wanted to secure themselves a spot to Nationals. In that article, we projected that the time needed for the 12th and final eligible DMR to qualify for Nationals in 2018 was going to be 9:30.31 . Obviously, that is just a projection. However, our trend-line suggests that the NCAA DMR's need to be within that range if they want to be safe against the numbers this season. Projections are all well and good, but let's put those aside for now. Let's take a look at some averages. From 2010 to 2017, the average time it took for a team to earn the 12th open (and final) qualifying spot to NCAA's in the DMR has been 9:32.07. Naturally, it's easy to jump to conclusions and say that Oregon's time of 9:31.87 is faster than that average and, therefore, should be enough to get them to qualify. That may be true, but if we cut out the first three years of our average (2010, 2011, 2012) and just took the averages from 2013 to 2017, you will find that that time becomes 9:31.33. The Ducks will most likely pursue another fast DMR before the season's end. However, if history continues to stay on it's projected path, then Oregon's current time won't get them into NCAA's. #gzatlin #analysis #indoortrack #digits

Illini Invite Mile This weekend held a variety of huge performances. The UW & the John Thomas Invites produced solid performances across the board, while the Armory gave us some wicked fast miles. Yet, at a small meet where no one broke 1:55 in the 800, Jon Davis was the biggest star of the day. The redshirt freshman threw down a MONSTER mile time of 3:58 on a flat-track. Not only is that time an impressive solo performance, but the result also gets a very nice flat-track conversion 3:55.42, an NCAA #1 time. I think we all knew that Davis was good, but to run a time like that in his first indoor track season as a collegiate? That is another level... Texas Tech Classic 800 The great thing about this weekend is that there were exciting results at nearly every meet. The Texas Tech 800 was an exciting one that put one of the best athletes in the nation back on the track. UTEP's Michael Saruni was originally NCAA #1 before this weekend. He still is #1, but that time has only improved. Saruni threw down an unreal time of 1:45.19 at altitude to take the win and improve upon his time. However, the best part is that because he was running at altitude, he gets a converted time of 1:44.89! Remember when I said that I think Harris could still take the NCAA title? I might have to reconsider that thought after today... The runner-up in this race was Vincent Crisp (Texas Tech) who crossed the line in 1:48.01. That time gets a conversion of 1:47.70, good for NCAA #2. Admittedly, the 800 hasn't been as deep as I thought it would be so far. There are only three men who have dipped under 1:48 and there are only 22 men who have gone under 1:50. Obviously, the overall leaderboard will get faster. Still, after such a big weekend, you would expect the 800 field to be a bit faster. Penn State National 800 Isaiah Harris was the focus of this meet as he was set to run his marquis event (the 800). Sure enough, Harris ran an NCAA #3 time in 1:47.79. I think it seems clear that Harris was just trying to get a decent time in and secure his spot to NCAA's. I'm not guaranteeing that he could have run faster at that specific meet, but don't assume that this is the best we could see from Harris this season. Securing a 2nd place finish was Monmouth's Dylan Capwell who is reemerging as a legitimate contender in the NCAA. After a few up and down seasons, Capwell looks like he's back for vengeance after running an NCAA #7 time of 1:48.47. He was able to beat out an established sophomore in Domenic Perretta (Penn State) who was 3rd in 1:49.81 Mile Monmouth's Christopher Marco took the win in a time of 4:06.49 over Army's Kegan Smith and Binghamton's Eric Holt. 3000 After a very solid mile a couple of weekends ago, Colin Abert (Penn State) was able to show off his range with an 8:05 time that appears to be soloed when you consider that his teammate Tim McGowan was 2nd in 8:16. 5000 Patrick Hanley (Maryland) was able to secure the win in a time of 14:47 while Dylan Titon (LaSalle) was runner-up in 14:52. DMR Every year, regardless of who is on their roster, Penn State is capable of producing some very strong DMR's. Sure enough, the Nittany Lions did that once again as they were able to break away from the field and run an NCAA #3 time of 9:36. What was interesting was seeing Harris run the 1200 and Perretta run the 800. I would have thought that a switch with those two would have been a bit more beneficial. Maybe we'll see that combo at another time.... Dr. Sander / Columbia Challenge (Armory) 800 (Invite) In a field of elite-level professionals, Abraham Alvarado (BYU) was able to earn a 3rd place finish with a time of 1:48.70 (NCAA #8). Alvarado may have lost to Sowinski and Prince, but he did finish ahead of guys like Garn, Murphy, Andrews, and Loxsom. Mile (Invite + Open) In what may have been the deepest event of the weekend, we got to see a total of nine men under the 4 minute barrier. Of those nine, four of them were collegiates. Of those collegiates, all of them were from Oregon... The Oregon men went to work this past weekend as Mick Stanovsek, Reed Brown, Cooper Teare, and Sam Prakel all dipped under the 4 minute mark. Prakel was in the invite section along with teammate Blake Haney where they each ran 3:59 and 4:01, respectively. In the open section, Mick Stanovsek was the big name of the day as the redshirt sophomore threw down a HUGE performance of 3:57 which was good enough to be the top finisher in his heat. He was able to bring his two freshmen teammates under the 4 minute mark as well as both Teare and Brown each finished with times of 3:59. At this point, Oregon now has the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 8th best milers in the NCAA right now. The Ducks are beginning to reestablish their depth, build their future, and putting guys like Stanovsek into the All-American conversation. Remember that article Life After Cheserek that we wrote two weeks ago? So far, it seems like some of those assumptions weren't too far off after all... 3000 (Invite + Open) Much like the mile, the 3000 held a slew of professionals who would eventually go on to take the top four spots in this race. However, the 5th place finisher and top collegiate was Wisconsin's Oliver Hoare who ran an excellent time of 7:54.91 (NCAA #4). He was able to edge out BYU star Rory Linkletter (7:55.10) (NCAA #5) and teammate Joe Hardy (7:57.11) (NCAA #9). Right now, you have to be impressed with Wisconsin. Without Morgan McDonald this season, they are still producing some excellent results with Eric Brown dipping under 1:50 in the 800 (thanks to a conversion) while Hoare and Hardy are running sub 8 minute 3k's by significant margins. This program has come under a lot of fire as of late with questionable redshirting decisions and questions as to how much of an impact their freshmen should be having. That, of course, is just background noise for a program that has a history of success on their side. The 4th collegiate in this race was James West who completed the 2nd race of his career in an Oregon singlet with a time of 7:58.26. That time matches his PR from his time in the UK which is a good sign for things to come in the future. At the moment, he is currently ranked 10th in the NCAA. Other notable results included Daniel Carney (BYU) and Robert Brandt (UCLA) both running 8:01. Conner Mantz and Clayson Shumway (both of BYU) finished the day with an 8:02. In total, 20 men were at 8:05 or faster. DMR It's finally time to run some fast DMR's and the Oregon Ducks made sure to do just that. With the combination of Haney, Stone, Stanovsek, and Prakel, the Ducks were simply too much to overcome as they finished the day in 1st with an excellent time of 9:31.87 (which should be enough to qualify them for NCAA's). They are currently 1st in the nation. What's scary about the Ducks is that they could potentially get even faster. This was just one relay combination that didn't include Reed Brown, Cooper Teare, James West and many more. Yes, this relay combination is probably the best in terms of experience, but I would be interested to see what else this squad could put together. The 2nd place finishing team was BYU who put up a nice time of 9:36 (NCAA #2). The Cougars actually had a slight lead going into the mile leg thanks to a nice split from Abraham Alvarado on the 800 leg. However, Prakel's 3:58 split was too much for Rory Linkletter to handle as he ended up splitting 4:03. Still, this is a great time and I'm not even convinced that Linkletter is BYU's best miler. I'm sure they could probably find someone who is closer to the 4 minute mark. Rounding out the top three was Georgetown who finished the day with a time of 9:38 (NCAA #4). Overall, you have to be pleased with their performance, especially when you consider that neither Joe White, Jack Salisbury, Jonathan Green, nor Scott Carpenter were on this relay. Do not sleep on the Hoyas as they could surely drop something faster later on this season. Clemson Bob Pollock 800 It may not have the flashy times that you saw elsewhere, but we did get to see a nice matchup between Georgia Tech's Avery Bartlett and Wake Forest's Robert Heppenstall. Coming into this race, most would say that Heppenstall was the favorite when you consider his 1:46 PR and multiple All-American honors. Yet, even with all of those accolades, it didn't really matter as Bartlett was able to get the win over Heppenstall, 1:49.76 to 1:49.78. We mentioned in December that Bartlett could be a potential sleeper pick this season. Although their times this past weekend weren't super fast, we still have to give some credit to Bartlett who just took down a very established name in the NCAA. Is this a sign for things to come? You never know... Mile Former NC State and Elon standout Luis Vargas was the winner of this race as an unattached athlete. He was able to secure the win in a time of 4:o4 and helped drag Wake Forest's Sebastian Fischbach and Daniel Viegra to times of 4:07 and 4:08, respectively. 3000 We were treated to a great matchup among two SEC rivals. Tennessee's Zach Long battled the Alabama duo of Vincent Kiprop and Gilbert Kigen with Long securing the overall win in a very underrated time of 7:59. Kiprop was 2nd in 8:07 while Kigen was 3rd in 8:12. When you consider that this was a smaller race compared to the Armory, Washington, or Boston, Long's time of 7:59 is pretty impressive. At the moment, that performance is the 15th fastest time in the nation right now. If Long can get into a bigger and faster race, watch out for what he could do in the future. UW Invite 800 Overall, the race played out about as expected with Clay Lambourne taking the win while Stanford's Brandon McGorty was 2nd. Unfortunately, the times weren't as fast as many were hoping as Lambourne ran 1:49.94 while McGorty was 1:50.99. By no means are these times bad, but I think we definitely expected something a little bit faster. Mile The mile was a super exciting race mainly because of all the different types of athletes that we got to see. Before winning the 5k, Nike's Yomif Kejelcha took the win in this event with a time of 3:56. The 2nd place finisher was when we saw our first collegiate. Andy Trouard (NAU) was ready to prove that his sub 4 from this past summer wasn't just a fluke. Sure enough, the Lumberjack senior threw down an excellent time of 3:58 to defeat D2 star David Ribich who also clocked a 3:58 for 3rd overall. As we continue down the results, I was very excited to see Carlos Villareal (Arizona) run under 4 minutes for the first time in his career with a time of 3:59. Not only did he run under 4 minutes, but he did so in the 2nd fastest heat (not the invite section). He's been one of the more underrated milers over the past few years so it's nice to see that he actually has the PR's to back up his tactical racing skills as well. Villareal was the 3rd and final collegiate to break the 4 minute barrier as Kasey Knevelbaard ran a near identical time of his converted mile from last week with a finish of 4:00.15. He was the 4th collegiate in the race. How about Bradley's Daniel Gagne? We mentioned him as a name to watch in our preview article and I like to think that he was reading because he just ran an excellent time of 4:00.39. Hopefully we'll see him make one or two more hard efforts and get under 4 minutes later this season. Steven Fahy (Stanford) ran a very solid 4:00.60 while teammate Jack Keelan followed with a 4:02. That performance is great for Fahy, but just ok for Keelan who ran 3:58 last year. It's not a bad performance by any means, but I can't help but think that Keelan could be faster. The same goes for Colby Gilbert who finished the day with a 4:02. Again, this is not a bad time, but Colby Gilbert is a 3:58 miler and is running on his home track. His career numbers say that he should be better. Also how about Matthew Baxter running 4:02? We may dismiss Baxter as more of a long-distance guy (which he definitely is), but he also has plenty of speed to boast as well. 3000 When you look at all of the different athletes with unique racing styles and strengths, you could just feel that this was going to be a fast race. Sure enough, that was the case as Dillon Maggard (Utah State) blasted a 7:52.99 to take the win over a strong field. Does Maggard have the best range in the NCAA? It would be hard to argue against him... Yet, if Maggard doesn't have the best range in the NCAA, then Cameron Griffith certainly does. The Arkansas Razorback finished 2nd overall with a time of 7:54 while teammate Jack Bruce finished 3rd with a 7:55. Arkansas has mainly been led by Alex George and Jack Bruce, but the emergence of Cameron Griffith gives the Razorbacks another weapon to work with. So far this guy has run 2:23, 4:03, and now 7:54. For me, he's definitely in the All-American conversation. Rounding out the top five was Mike Tate (Southern Utah) and Andrew Jordan (Iowa State), both with times of 7:56. Honestly, those are about the times that I would expect from guys like these. When you look at Tate's 13:34 5k PR and Jordan's 15th place finish at XC Nationals this past fall, 7:56 seems to be a reasonable time for both of them. The top five may have been relatively predictable, but outside of that group is where things get interesting. Finishing 7th overall was Bradley's Michael Ward who ran a huge PR of 7:58. I don't know what Bradley is doing, but their development of Ward and Gagne is keeping the small school relevant on a very crowded stage of powerhouse programs. Another nice surprise was San Francisco's Jack Rowe also running 7:58. Ever since they had Alex Short, this team has quietly put together some very solid performances. This is most likely due to the combination of great recruiting, great coaching, and great team culture. The last NCAA athlete under the 8 minute barrier was Boise State's Addison DeHaven with a time of 7:59. As seen by his performances in the postseason, DeHaven can thrive on the big-stage. If he can get into another big race this season, I wouldn't be surprised to see his time drop even more. 5000 Yes, the professionals in this field were entertaining, but the collegiate results were very underwhelming. Alejandro Cisneros (Portland State) was the top NCAA finisher with a time of 14:19 while Luke Beattie (Utah State) was the next collegiate finisher in a time of 14:31. Razorback Invite 800 In what may have been the tightest race of the weekend, we got to see Devin Dixon (Texas A&M), Jaymes Dennison (Iowa State), and Jack Wilkes (LSU) battle it out in a thrilling 800 meters. Dixon and Dennison had the best resumes in the field (by far), but it was Jack Wilkes pulling off the upset win. Wilkes barely edged out Dixon with a time of 1:49.94 while Dixon was 1:49.95. Dennison was right there as well with a time of 1:49.98. Mile Dan Curts (Iowa State) was the winner in this one with a solid time of 4:03. He was able to out-run the rest of the field which included Jack Guyton (Florida), Bryan Kamau (Georgia), and Waleed Suliman (Ole Miss) in that order. All three of those men finished the day with an identical time of 4:04. DMR Over the past few weeks, we've mentioned that Texas could be a legitimate threat in the DMR. That may be so, but we have to see that actually come to fruition. In the meantime, their in-state rivals (Texas A&M) were producing solid relay results this past weekend. The Aggies threw down a very solid time of 9:39 (NCAA #5) to defeat the Florida Gators who were close behind with a 9:40 (NCAA #6). Indiana Relays Mile It took him a while, but after his 7th mile attempt, Indiana's Kyle Mau can now say that he is a sub 4 minute miler. With a time of 3:59, Mau is now 6th in the NCAA. However, that time will most likely not be enough qualify for NCAA's within the next month and half. Still, the idea that Mau could qualify for NCAA's is now becoming more and more realistic with each passing day. John Thomas Terrier Invite 800 At the front of the race, Sam Ellison and Eliud Rutto battled it out and earned an exciting finish. They were able to drag Sacred Heart's Trevor Guerrera to a fast time as well. Guerrera's time of 1:48.41 is good enough for 6th in the NCAA and now puts on the cusp of potentially qualifying for NCAA's. If he wants to secure himself a spot, he may want to get lower to that 1:48 flat mark, but this year seems unusually slower than most. 1000 The top collegiate in the field was Dartmouth freshman Nick Feffer who crossed the line in 2:26.65. He was followed by Daniel Schmith of UMass Lowell who also finished the day with a time of 2:26.96. Mile In a field filled with high-level professionals, Justyn Knight still emerged as one of the top entries. Shadrack Kipchirchir would barely edge out Knight in a tight battle to the line. However, both could walk away satisfied with the fact that they ran 3:55. Knight's time of 3:55.82 is now NCAA #2 (after conversion) and it also makes him a heavy favorite to win the mile title should he choose to forgo the 3000 and/or 5000 meters. The real question now is, will he? Unfortunately, Knight was the only collegiate in this meet who went under the 4 minute mark. However, the Syracuse men still put up some solid results. Freshman Noah Affolder and sophomore Aidan Tooker threw down solid times of 4:02 while veteran Philo Germano ran 4:03 to edge Iona ace Chartt Miller (who also ran 4:03). Overall, you have to be impressed with Syracuse's depth. Most of those guys are long-distance oriented and were able to run very fast times for dropping down in distance. I say this every year, but if Syracuse wanted to produce a top ranked DMR, they definitely could... 3000 While top pros like Kipchirchir, Bor, and Erassa battled at the front, Martin Martinez was having the race of his life. The Brown University senior finished the day as the top collegiate with a time of 7:59, his first time under the 8 minute barrier. Syracuse's Iliass Aouani was right behind Martinez with a time of 7:59. A time like that is about what we would expect from a talented long distance guy like Aouani. Colin Bennie also finished the race in a time of 7:59, but he was running unattached. It appears that he'll be redshirting this indoor track season. We should also note that Boston U's Paul Luevano finished the day as the third overall collegiate in a time of 8:02. 5000 This field may not have had the firepower that the mile and 3000 did, but Kevin James (Syracuse) did lock down a win and an NCAA #12 time of 14:17. #gzatlin #ncaa #analysis #recap #weekendreview

Vanderbilt Invite 800 One of the deepest events of the weekend was the Vandy Invite 800. The two highlights of this event were... a) the freshmen and b) Mississippi State. The win was taken by Mississippi State's Marco Arop, a freshman who ran a very strong time of 1:48.21. As if that wasn't impressive enough, Ole Miss' freshman Waleed Suliman was 2nd in 1:48.94. Dejon Devroe (Mississippi State) was 3rd overall in 1:49.13 while Missouri freshman Christopher Conrad was the last man under 1:50 with a time of 1:49.84. Sophomore Daniel Nixon (Mississippi State) rounded out the top five with a time of 1:50.10. If I'm the Mississippi State Aggies, I'm very excited about these performances. Not only is this early on in the season, but they have three underclassmen who can run 1:50 or faster. Could one of these guys be the next Brandon McBride? You never know... Mile The mile was won by former Oklahoma State Cowboy and current Asics pro, Craig Nowak with a time of 3:58. Derek Gutierrez, an Ole Miss veteran running unattached, finished runner-up in 4:01. It wouldn't be until 3rd place that we saw the first collegiate cross the line: Kigen Chemadi. The MTSU junior finished the day with a 4:03 while Alabama junior Gilbert Kigen was 4th in 4:05. In total, 10 men were under 4:10. One notable performance out of that top 10 was Cade Bethmann. The Mississippi Rebel finished the day 7th overall with a solid time of 4:07. Not a bad time for the true freshman. 3000 Emmanuel Rotich (Tulane) and Vincent Kiprop (Alabama) had a nice battle with Rotich taking the win, 8:03.17 to 8:03.91. Nahom Solomon (Georgia Tech) rounded out the top three with a time of 8:04. In total, six men were under the 8:10 mark. 5000 Belmont's Kaleb McLeod took the win with a time of 14:23 while Auburn's Coleman Churitch was runner-up in 14:32. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Invite 800 Josh Kerr, the 1500/mile champion from last year, went back to work this past weekend and secured the win with a time of 1:48. For most athletes, that time would be a huge mark. For Kerr, it's a simple rust-buster time in preparation for what should be a monster winter campaign in the mile. Mile After an up and down sophomore year, Jonah Koech (UTEP) was able to come out with a strong performance and grab the victory with a time of 4:05. However, when you factor in altitude conversions, Koech's time gets converted to a 4:00 mile. Runner-up was taken by sophomore John Carter-Blunt (UCLA) in a time of 4:13. With a conversion, that time becomes a 4:07. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Invite 800 Sam Coleman (Utah State) was the first to cross the line with a time of 1:53.95. With an altitude and flat-track conversion, Coleman earns a time of 1:51.73. Mile Dillon Maggard (Utah State) is showing that he is entering the prime of his collegiate fitness. With a winning time of 4:08, Maggard's conversion becomes an NCAA #1 time of 4:00.03. Teammate Body Smith was runner-up in 4:12 which gets a conversion of 4:03 (NCAA #10). Larry Wieczorek Invite 1000 The top attached collegiate finisher was Kansas State's Lukas Koch with a time of 2:24. Dan Curts (Iowa State) was the next man in with a time of 2:25. Mile Arizona's Carlos Villareal came out with a strong performance and established himself at the top of the NCAA with a time of 4:02. Andrew Jordan (Iowa State) was runner-up in 4:08. Nathan Mylenek (Iowa) rounded out the top three with a time of 4:09. Samford January Invite Mile In a field of professionals, Arsene Guillorel (Samford) stood out among the best. He finished 5th overall, but he was able to grab a time of 4:01. That is a pretty solid early-season performance for a guy who is known as a 3k/5k guy. Clemson Invite 800 Ian Jones (Kentucky) earned a nice win over some underrated mid-distance talent. The Wildcat senior earned the win in a time of 1:50. Malik Epps (Clemson) and Otis Jones (South Carolina) finished 2-3 and were also under the 1:51 mark. Mile After finishing his rabbiting duties at the Nittany Lion Challenge last week, Domenic Perretta (Penn State) was able to earn himself a win this past weekend with a time of 4:10. He out-ran Kentucky's Matthew Thomas who also ran 4:10. 3000 Statement. Race. Kentucky's Jacob Thomson has always been one of the better long-distance runners on the east coast, but after this weekend he is certainly in the conversation as one of the best in the nation. In fact, that is actually the case as Thomson erupted for an NCAA #1 time of 7:53 in the 3k this past weekend. The Wildcat senior was able to separate himself from a field of underrated and talented individuals which included Jaret Carpenter (Purdue), Ben Young (Kentucky), and James Quattlebaum (Clemson). Unfortunately, recent history has shown that 7:53 may be just a little too slow to qualify for NCAA's. Still, a time like that this early in the season is a nice way to put the NCAA on notice. Jacob Thomson is for real. Michigan Simmons-Harvey Quad Mile (Invite) Much like Guillorel, Cameron Griffith (Arkansas) and Jack Bruce (Arkansas) were the few collegiates put into a field full of professionals. The result was Cameron Griffith running a time of 4:03 while Jack Bruce was 4:05. It may not seem like a lot, but Cameron Griffith is slowly putting together some very underrated performances when you factor in his 2:23 1k earlier this season. Mile (Open) Michigan State's Morgan Beadlesbomb was the winner in a time of 4:08 while Ohio State went 2-3 with Luke Landis and Kevin Blank crossing the line with times of 4:09 and 4:11. 3000 Michigan's Micah Beller earned a hard-fought win over Michigan State's Clark Ruiz, 8:12.96 to 8:12.99. Texas A&M Quandrangular 800 The ending of Texas' cross country season was a tough one mainly because Sam Worley was a DNF and a DNS in the final two meets of their season. However, any uncertainty surrounding his health was put to rest this past weekend as Worley took the win in an excellent time of 1:50.62. Could he go sub 4 in the mile this winter? Mile Alex Rogers (Texas) took down rival Alex Riba (Texas A&M), 4:07 to 4:08. With Worley and Rogers both taking wins, you can't help but think of what the Longhorns could do in the DMR... Lumberjack Team Challenge Mile / 3000 Kasey Knevelbaard (Southern Utah) made a statement this past weekend by blowing away the field and taking the win in a time of 4:09. That may not seem all that special, but with an altitude conversion, that time is 4:00.40 and an NCAA #3. It's hard not to think that Knevelbaard could be an NCAA qualifier this year. As if that time wasn't impressive enough, Knevelbaard would later go on to win the 3k with a time of 8:44. With a conversion, that time becomes 8:22. Gladstein Invite Mile In a field of Midwest distances powerhouses (EKU, Indiana State, Indiana), Taylor FloydMews (Bradley) was the winner with a surprisingly strong time of 4:04. We have seen Bradley produce some great runners and this is just another name to add to their growing distance crew. 3000 It was a big day for the Indiana men in this event as freshman Ben Veatch unleashed a 7:58 to take the win while teammate Kyle Mau was runner-up in 8:03. In just two races this season, Veatch already has two wins with two excellent times of 13:57 and 7:58. If he gets put into a field of elite-level NCAA runners, he could definitely earn a spot to Nationals. Meanwhile, Kyle Mau is showing off some impressive range... Placing 3rd and 4th overall was Butler's Daniel Garcia and Barry Keane, both with times of 8:08. Slowly but surely, Butler is building a high-level distance group that could battle with some of the best in the near-future. Don't sleep on the Butler Bulldogs. Keydet Invite Mile The Campbell and Virginia Tech men clashed in the mile this past weekend. The top collegiate to cross the line was Lawrence Kipkoech (Campbell) in 4:06 while Virginia Tech's Daniel Jaskowak and Jack Joyce rallied to cross the line in 4:07 and 4:08. Campbell's Amon Kemboi rounded out the top five with a time of 4:09. 3000 Virginia Tech flexed their talent in the 3k as they took the top four spots overall (all under 8:20). Patrick Joseph was the winner in a time of 8:13. #gzatlin #analysis #recap #weekendreview #ncaa #indoortrack