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 15. Victor Moreau, Academy of Art (0 / 15) Idle. 14. Daniel Wallis, Queens (N.C.) (Unranked) Wallis ran his way to a personal best in the 3000 meters this weekend at the JDL DMR Invitational. He ran a raw time of 8:17.58 which, after the track conversion, converted down to 8:11.86 which is the #11 time this year. 13. Devundrick Walker, CSU-Pueblo (+1 / 14) Idle. 12. Felix Wammetsberger, Queens (N.C). (+1 / 13) Looks like pacing duties for Wammetsberger this past weekend. 11. Rowan Doherty, Simon Fraser (+1 / 12) Doherty ran at his conference meet where he saw himself become a double champion. He helped Simon Fraser win the DMR in a time of 9:58.18. The next day, Doherty was able to take home the 3000 meter title in a time of 8:31.30. He was a two second winner over that of his teammate Pierre-Louis Detourbe. The ability to double in a championship setting and produce quality times is a big plus in our book. 10. Benoit Campion, American International (+1 / 11) Campion also competed at his conference meet this past weekend. He tripled up and ran the DMR, 4x800 (an interesting event for indoors), and the mile. He helped both relays to victory as the DMR ran 10:05.00 and the 4x800 ran 7:49.97. He was 2nd in the mile behind that of Lucas Taxter and ran 4:10.93. Overall, he was very solid and (maybe more importantly) consistent. 9. Taylor Stack (Western Colorado) (+1 / 10) Stack continues his strong 2018-2019 season. He ran 8:40.50 to win the Western Colorado Alumni Open. Due to the altitude, his time converts down to 8:08.80 and he now sits comfortably in the #7 spot in the NCAA rankings. He has times in both the 3000 and 5000 and should be competitive in both of those (loaded) events come March. 8. Josh Hoskinson, Colorado Mines (+1 / 9) It was simply pacing duties for Hoskinson this past weekend as he helped his teammates get a few national times. 7. Dennis Mbuta, Grand Valley State (+1 / 8) Idle. 6. Brett Meyer, Fort Hays State (+1 / 7) Meyer made his way over to Nebraska for the appropriately named Nebraska Tune-Up. He ran the 800 and the 4x400. In the 800 he was able to take home the victory in 1:52.38. The time is just a bit slower than what he ran earlier in the year. Still, the consistency is a nice aspect to see. He’ll be heading into Nationals taking aim at the mile. Their 4x400 team also finished 4th and ran 3:21.58. 5. Austin Anaya, Adams State (+1 / 6) Idle. 4. Elias Gedyon, Adams State (+1 / 5) Idle. 3. Zach Panning, Grand Valley State (0 / 3) Idle. 2. Sydney Gidabuday, Adams State (0 / 2) Idle. 1. Thomas Staines, CSU-Pueblo (0 / 1) Idle. 800 1. Thomas Staines (CSU-Pueblo) 2. Dennis Mbuta (Grand Valley State) 3. Hugo Arlabosse (Franklin Pierce) 4. Devundrick Walker (CSU-Pueblo) 5. Juman Randall (Western State) Mile 1. Elias Gedyon (Adams State) 2. Brett Meyer (Fort Hays State) 3. Austin Anaya (Adams State) 4. Benoit Campion (American International) 5. Felix Wammetsberger (Queens (N.C.)) 3000 1. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) 2. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State) 3. Elias Gedyon (Adams State) 4. Rowan Doherty (Simon Fraser) 5. Daniel Wallis (Queens (N.C.)) 5000 1. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) 2. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State) 3. Josh Hoskinson (Colorado Mines) 4. Taylor Stack (Western Colorado) 5. Tom Goforth (Saginaw Valley State)

Click the picture to view Scratch Tracker projections...

Men Lone Star Conference 800 We had two new times enter the sub-1:50 group of Division 2. Ayman Zahafi of Texas A&M Kingsville ran 1:49.96 to edge out Jaylen Tryon of Lubbock Christian who ran 1:50.27. Zahafi saw his time move to 1:49.64 after the track conversion while Tryon saw his time dip under the 1:50 plateau to 1:49.95. It’s nice to see more and more athletes get into a group that will be competitive at Nationals. However, the big question at hand is if anyone can actually give Thomas Staines a challenge. These two have thrown their names in the hat for now and we’ll see how they handle that task come early March. NCC F. Lee Slick Track and Field Invitational 800 John Partee of Lewis ran the #6 time in the country after his 1:51.64 performance this weekend. His time converts down to 1:50.07. Before last weekend, Partee had not run any faster than 1:53 in his career and then had a breakthrough as he ran 1:51.75 only to improve by another tenth of a second. He’ll be making his first appearance at the National Championships in March. Northeast-10 Indoor Track and Field Championships 800 Hugo Arlabosse led the trio of athletes that competed this weekend. The Franklin Pierce sophomore ran 1:52.08 which dropped to 1:50.50 after conversions and now has him sitting at #9 on the NCAA list. In 2nd place was Stonehill’s Stephen Vercollone who ran 1:52.99 and with the conversion has a qualifying time of 1:51.40. Nick Fenton from American International was the 3rd place finisher and had a time of 1:53.22. His time sits at #16 after his conversion brings it to 1:51.63. Mile Lucas Taxter improved upon his NCAA standing after his convincing four-second victory at his conference meet. His 4:06.69 converts down to 4:03.39 and places him at #3 in the country. He’s a lock for the national meet and could be a major player for the title as well. Benoit Campion was the 2nd place finisher at NE-10’s, but his time wasn’t faster than his mark currently on the list (4:07.32). He sits at #10 on the NCAA list. 3rd place was sophomore Terrell Patterson from Southern Connecticut State. He ran 4:11.30 and is now #16 on the list with a converted time of 4:08.14. For Taxter, he ran a two second PR and for Patterson, it is a five second PR. Both look to be peaking at the correct time. Patterson, however, may need another race this upcoming weekend to solidify his spot to Nationals. GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championships 800 There’s only one time from the meet that should be in consideration for the national meet and that comes from Western Washington’s Kyler Sager. He was the conference champion and ran 1:53.29 to win by almost two seconds. His time converts down to 1:51.70 and is good enough for #17 on the performance list. Western Colorado Alumni Open 3000 Taylor Stack of Western Colorado ran 8:40.50 to win the meet handily. It’s an improvement from his converted time from the Colorado Invitational a few weeks ago. He now currently sits at #7 on the national list with a converted time of 8:08.80. Stack has had a phenomenal season and looks to be a major player in the 3000 and 5000 this year. Mines vs CSU-Pueblo vs MSU-Denver Mile Josh Evans found his way inside the top 10 of the performance list after his effort of 4:17.72 at this meet. He earned an 11-second conversion which brought his time down to the #6 fastest mark in the NCAA (4:06.20). His teammate Luke Julian was behind him in 4:18.94. He saw his time drop to 4:07.36 and is now tied for #11 on the performance list. 3000 We had three converted times from this meet that are all inside the top 20 on the provisional list. All three are also Colorado School of Mines athletes. Luke Julian heads the list with his 8:35.39 raw time which converts down to 8:11.58. His time is now the #9 fastest result in the country. He recorded a very strong double which indicates that he is in great shape and could be a threat in both races. After him was teammate Luc Hagen who ran 8:36.50 and saw his time convert down to 8:12.63. He is currently sitting at #14 and looks to be safe going into conference weekend. The last Oredigger is Jake Mitchem who is currently sitting at #19 on the list after his 8:40.44 converts down to 8:16.39. Mitchem will be on the bubble going into conference weekend and could be on the outside looking in come March. JDL DMR Invitational 3000 Queens (N.C.) Daniel Wallis stepped up in distance this weekend to run the 3000 and he ran a very solid race. He won the event in 8:17.58. After the track conversion, his time is the #11 fastest mark in the NCAA (8:11.86). With Wallis racing the 3000 this close to his conference meet, it might be fair to assume that he is going to at least attempt a double between the DMR, Mile, and 3000. If he really feels up to it, he could go ahead and try the triple. The question is whether or not his legs could handle a total of four races. Women GNAC Indoor Track and field Championships 800 Addy Townsend of Simon Fraser and Olivia Woods of Western Oregon battled out a close race for the GNAC title this weekend. Townsend ran 2:10.12 to edge Woods who ran 2:10.13. Both of those times convert down to 2:08.64 and 2:08.65, placing them at #4 and #5 in the country. There are only three women with automatic qualifying times leaving the 800 really wide open. Both Townsend and Woods have run sub-2:07 for their personal bests and are likely to be in the final if they both choose to run this race at Nationals. Mile Caroline Kurgat continues her legendary 2019 season and as she capped off her regular season in style with a 10-second victory in the mile running 4:47.86, a six second best for the Seawolf. Due to the track size, her time converts to 4:45.04. She likely won’t run this race at Nationals given her strength is at 3000 and 5000 meters, but her time still sits at #4 in the country. Also in the race was Seattle Pacific’s Kate Lilly. She was runner-up behind Kurgat in 4:57.85. Her time converts down to 4:54.94 and is now currently #16 on the national list and will likely find herself sneaking into the national meet, especially if Kurgat decides to drop the event. Titan Challenge 800 Northern Michigan’s Shayla Huebner is now ranked at #15 in the country for 800 meters after this weekend. She ran 2:12.57 to win the meet by five seconds and with the track conversion, her time went to 2:11.06. Huebner is looking to get back to the National Championships where she ran her personal best last year. USC Open Indoor 800 This race was won by Kristen Metcalfe from Embry-Riddle in 2:06.22. That in itself is an automatic qualifying mark, but Metcalfe already has a faster time in 2019 from the Camel City Invite two weeks ago. In 2nd place behind her was Dawnel Collymore from Benedict who ran 2:11.57. That time is good enough for the #18 spot. It’s also a three second personal best for Collymore who ran 2:14 earlier this year. The cutoff time last year for Nationals was 2:11.53 and it looks like we are trending that way once again this year. Depending on who drops out in the coming weeks, it’ll be interesting to see where we stand and if this race from Collymore was good enough. Mile We mentioned Metcalfe earlier, and she was also a winner in the mile at this meet. She ran 4:45.00 and now holds the #3 fastest time in the country. It’s a 17-second improvement from earlier this year for Metcalfe. It’s an interesting move for the Embry-Riddle athlete as she’ll likely be racing multiple at events during her conference weekend. As well as the 800 at this meet, she ran the 4x400 so it’ll be interesting to see how she handles the workload moving forward. JDL DMR Invitational 800 Flagler’s Heloise Duffie De Tassigny ran 4:53.57. Her time converts down to 4:50.60 and is inside the top 10 at #9. She should be a lock to get back to the national meet where she ran a real time of 4:50 last year and made the final. Charlee Boxall from Lee (Tenn.) was three seconds back of Tassigny at the meet in 4:56.81. Her time converts down to 4:53.91 and is the #14 ranked time in the country. Boxall should be safe where she currently sits barring a strong effort in the mile at conference championship meets. Mines vs CSU-Pueblo vs MSU-Denver 3000 Chloe Cook of Colorado Mines did the inexplicable as she ran 10:10.05 as the only athlete to finish the race. She had a teammate pace her and Cook was left to finish the race on her own. Her time converts down to 9:45.23 and places her at #18 on the provisional list. It was a personal best for Cook and she looks to be ready to compete in two events at Nationals for the first time. She’ll be choosing between the DMR, mile, and 3000 most likely.

To read up about all of the DMR action that happened this past weekend, click here MEN Last Chance College Elite It’s that time of year where many college runners are scrambling to run last second qualifying times for NCAA's, knowing that many conference meets will feature more tactics than time-trialing. As has been the case all season, the University of Washington once again played host to a handful of fast races at the Last Chance College Elite meet this past weekend. Four events saw qualifying marks posted, including five men in the mile and potentially four men’s DMR squads. Any mark posted this weekend still has the chance to be surpassed in the next week or so, but there is a good chance you will see many of these runners at NCAA's in two weeks. Mile The biggest event of the meet was easily the men’s mile. The race saw six collegiates break the 4:00 barrier, five of whom are now in NCAA qualifying positions. Carlos Villarreal of Arizona was back for redemption after being tripped up a week ago at the Dempsey. He posted a time of 3:57.27 which currently sits at #3 in the NCAA, only behind Oliver Hoare of Wisconsin and Waleed Suliman of Ole Miss. Behind Villarreal was a slew of Oregon Ducks with Charlie Hunter, James West, and Blake Haney all running qualifying times as well. Between West and Haney was former Oregon star Mick Stanovsek (now of Washington) who now also sits in qualifying position. Right now, both Stanovsek and Haney are in a bit of a dangerous position, sitting at #14 and #15 in the NCAA. There is a chance they could fall out of qualification if two or three men run fast at conference meets, but they will more than likely both move through to NCAA's. At this point in the season, most of the men who would be in contention for a spot have already claimed one. Luis Grijalva of Northern Arizona currently sits in 17th, but would bump Alex Rogers of Texas out before either Stanovsek or Haney. Oregon's Jackson Mestler also earned a sub-four performance of 3:59 to complement his impressive 13:46 for 5000 meters last week. DMR The other men’s race which featured national qualifying times was the distance medley relay (DMR). Both Washington and Oregon broke into the top 10 by running 9:28.14 and 9:28.62, respectively. The two teams sit at #7 and #8 and should be considered locks for the national meet. Oregon’s roster featured West on the 1200 leg with Cooper Teare as the anchor for the 1600 meter distance. Teare just missed out on qualifying for NCAA's in the mile this weekend, but is already qualified in the 3000. Washington had Stanovsek anchor their team and relied on his huge 3:55 split to beat the Ducks. Alex Wilson Invite 800 Indiana's Cooper Williams had a strong start to his indoor season, but had yet to really throw down a big performance prior to this past weekend. The Hoosier senior ran 1:47.24 (NCAA #8) to hold off Ohio State's Frank Hayes who ran 1:47.90 (NCAA #10). For Hayes, this is a huge result. After a few quiet seasons at Iowa State, the mid-distance ace transferred to Ohio State and has clearly flourished since going there. Behind those two were another pair of big performances. Miami-Ohio's Sean Torpy had one of the best races of his career, running 1:48.44 to earn what is now the #16 spot in the NCAA (TFRRS has incorrectly omitted Torpy from their rankings). Close behind Torpy was Kevin White from Loyola (Ill.) who ran a big 1:48.53 of his own. He currently sits at the #17 spot, but is in serious danger of not qualifying for Nationals since no one in the top 16 is expected to scratch. Rounding out the sub-1:50 performers was Indiana freshman Jalen Royal (1:49.65) and Butler's Johnny Leverenz (1:49.87). WOMEN Last Chance College Elite 800 On the women’s side, Kristie Schoffield of Boise State was able to capitalize on an 800 meter heat of mostly professionals who pulled her to a 2:04.34, currently #6 in the NCAA. The time not only broke her outdoor personal best of 2:05.18, but it completely destroyed her previous indoor mark of 2:12.47 from 2018. Not too far behind Schoffield was Bronco teammate Alexis Fuller, clocking a 2:05.93 to move into #17 on the NCAA leaderboard. Fuller currently sits on the outside looking in, but has a good chance to make the national meet with Danae Rivers likely opting to focus on the mile. The biggest concern for Fuller will be the chance for someone to clock a faster time at one of the conference meets next weekend. The 800 meter is an event that can produce qualifiers more readily than a longer, rabbitted distance (think 3k or 5k), and as such leaves Fuller’s mark vulnerable to contention in the next week. Mile The hometown Washington Huskies got their second individual qualifier on the women’s side this weekend when Katie Rainsberger ran 4:35.15 to jump to #13 in the NCAA for the mile. Rainsberger has struggled a bit at Washington compared to her past performances while at Oregon, but is now slated to compete in two events come NCAA's (the DMR is the other). Another Husky to watch at the MPSF Championships next weekend will be Lilli Burdon. After sitting out much of the fall, Burdon made a strong comeback to earn All-American honors in cross country but has since underwhelmed a bit on the track. Like Rainsberger, she transferred from Oregon and will also be competing in the DMR at Nationals. After Rainsberger was BYU's Whittni Orton who ran 4:36.14 to finish as the 2nd overall collegiate. Orton was likely trying to better her qualifying position for Nationals and might have done enough after running a time that puts her at #19 on the NCAA leaderboard. Roughly two seconds behind Orton was Washington's Allie Schadler who ran a strong time of 4:38 to finish as the 3rd overall collegiate collegiate on the day. Fastrack Last Chance 800 The Ocean Breeze facility offered a handful of east coast talents the chance to run another fast time before they began their championship seasons. Nia Atkins was one of those athlete's who took full advantage of the opportunity, running a big personal best of 2:04 to earn the #8 time in the NCAA. The Penn junior has kept her name relevant among the top ranks this year and has now done enough to race at the Big Dance in March. Alex Wilson Invite 800 Western Michigan's Sarah Anderson had the biggest race of her life, running a personal best of 2:05.74 to earn the #15 spot in the NCAA. It was arguably one of the most clutch performances of the weekend and it's a result that could easily send her to Nationals. Ohio State's Aziza Ayoub ran a respectable 2:06 for 2nd overall.

It happens every year. After running fast times the week before at Iowa State and Washington, nearly all of the top programs in the nation assemble a distance medley relay with hopes of earning one of the 12 qualifying spots to Nationals. The frenzy of fast times are crammed into a single weekend, forcing the national rankings to be rewritten and our Scratch Tracker projections to be adjusted. Sure enough, that's what happened. Below, we took a look at all of the DMR performances from late Friday, early Saturday and tried to make some sense of them. Let's see what we've got... Men Let's start first with the battle we saw at the Alex Wilson Invite where Notre Dame and Wisconsin battled to the top two times in the country. Notre Dame's Yared Nuguse nipped Wisconsin's Oliver Hoare at the line, giving each relay times of 9:26.10 and 9:26.24, respectively. For the Badgers, this didn't come as much of a surprise. We saw what they were able to accomplish in the DMR last year without Morgan McDonald, but now they have added him to the 1200 leg. The Wisconsin men seem to resemble the Stanford men from last year's indoor season who had arguably the best 1200/mile legs in the NCAA. Will that be enough to win Wisconsin the national title this year? It didn't workout for Stanford, but that could change. Of course, it wasn't Wisconsin who won the meet. Notre Dame pulled off the surprise upset on their home track with a shocking NCAA #1 time. I think we knew that the Fighting Irish had a very good chance of being competitive in the DMR this year after a breakout runner-up finish at Nationals from 2018, but this season hadn't given us any indication that they were going to run like this. Nuguse has yet to break the four minute barrier this winter and the middle distance legs just didn't seem reliable enough to show up as national contenders. Obviously, I was mistaken as freshmen Dylan Jacobs and Samuel Voelz clearly stepped up and got the job done. Can they repeat last year's Cinderella performance at Nationals in 2019? Let's talk about the Illinois men who were easily the most surprising result out of anyone this weekend. The men from Champaign, Illinois have been relatively quiet over the past couple of years. Jonathan Davis has clearly been an exceptional talent, but it didn't seem like they had enough firepower or mid-distance speed to produce a fast DMR. Clearly, they did have enough as Jesse Reiser was likely able to keep things close early-on before Davis brought them back for a top finish. The BYU men put together a very respectable 4th place finish in a time of 9:30.14 (likely NCAA #13) which would almost definitely qualify them for Nationals during any other year. For a team that is known for their long-distance prowess, they had a great performance Let's switch over to the JDL Fast Track where the Ole Miss men continue their reign of dominance in the distance medley. It should come as no surprise that the Rebels are back to the top of the NCAA leaderboard in this event after the 3:56 and 3:58 mile times we saw Waleed Suliman and Derek Gutierrez one week ago. Mississippi took home the win at JDL, running 9:34 which converts to an NCAA #3 time of 9:26.73. After winning the national title in event two years ago, it seems impossible to count out the Ole Miss men regardless of who they graduate. It just goes to show that Coach Vanhoy has been able to develop mid-distance talent better than any other coach in the country. Maybe one of the most unsurprising results of the weekend came from the Texas men who might be able to contend with Wisconsin for having the best leadoff and anchor legs in the NCAA right now. The Rogers/Worley duo finished 2nd at JDL with a converted NCAA #5 time of 9:27.58. I like the speed that they bring to the table which can be useful in a race that often has a series of fluctuating paces. Iowa State and Georgetown unsurprisingly secured two qualifiers on their own. Both programs have plenty of depth in the middle distance events and own capable anchors. The Cyclones may have one of the best all-around DMR's in the country when you evaluate all four legs. I'm not sure they have a glaring weakness. As for Arkansas, they've always had enough pieces to be competitive and having Cameron Griffith on the anchor helps as well. They are currently sitting at the #11 spot in the country. At Washington's Last Chance Invite, we saw the Oregon vs Washington matchup come to life. In an ironic twist of fate, it was Mick Stanovsek dropping a huge split of 3:55 to pull away from his former teammate-turned-rival Cooper Teare to take home the win. Although they didn't cross the line in 1st, I like the options that the Oregon men have this season. Between Teare, Haney, Brown, West, and a handful of others, they can field whatever lineup works best for them. Nearly every man on the Duck's roster is capable of contributing to that relay in one way or another. Let's briefly talk about Stanford who had the NCAA #2 spot before this weekend. Their time of 9:29.35 would have been an NCAA lead in certain years, but now it puts them at #12. For a powerhouse team that was expected to cruise into the National Championships, they cut it awfully close. It just goes to show fast 2019 has been... Women Luckily, there isn't as much craziness to evaluate with the women as their is the men. Most of the top times in the NCAA were already run at the UW Invitational earlier this year (in mid-January). Of course, that doesn't mean that there weren't a lot of great performances. The Michigan women continue to show that depth and consistency is just as good as low-sticks and firepower. The Lady Wolverines were known for their depth this past cross country season and they were able to harness that positive aspect of their team and turn it into a podium finish. Fast forward to now, and Michigan continues to thrive with seemingly infinite options. They've had 15 women run under the five minute barrier this season and Hannah Meier has quietly grown into one of the top distance runners in the nation this year. This led to an NCAA #1 result of 10:54 this past weekend at Alex Wilson which is also a BIG 10 conference record. The 1200/800/mile trio of Hill, Rynda, and Meier bring a lot of stability to the table while other teams may have to rely on a big anchor leg. After the Michigan women, the DMR rankings didn't see too much change. Oklahoma State, Boise State, and BYU are still sitting at #2, #3, and #4 in the NCAA right now while Villanova and Washington have settled in at the #9 and #11 spots. Out of that quintet, I really like the depth and speed of Villanova. Rachel McArthur is on the verge of a breakout race and owns a 4:37 mile PR from earlier this season. With Nicole Hutchinson looking like one of the best women's distance runners in the nation this year, it's hard to dislike the Wildcats. They are a lineup that is simply loaded with talent. The same goes for Boise State who, on paper, should be the best relay through all three distance legs. When it comes to accomplishments and personal bests, Ostrander, Fuller, and Shoffield are at the top of their respective events, individually. In my mind, they might be the favorites to win the national title. Let's shift our focus to the Arkansas Razorbacks and Indiana Hoosiers. These squads ran the #5 and #6 times in the NCAA this season, respectively. The Razorbacks may have the most elite group of milers in the country this season, so it's not surprising that they were able to run a time of 10:57. As for the Hoosiers, I love their lineup combination of the Harris sisters and Katherine Receveur. Kelsey and Haley Harris have been on an absolute tear this season, consistently running top times and rapidly picking up momentum throughout the season. I like the mid-distance speed they bring to the 1200 and 800 legs and I think that can put someone like Receveur in a very comfortable position at Nationals. I'll admit, Kansas surprised me. I was unsure if Lokedi had enough speed to be a productive anchor and I wasn't sure if the rest of the lineup would have enough of the right pieces to run a national qualifier. Clearly, I was wrong as they earned the #7 spot in the NCAA with a time of 10:58. I imagine Lokedi produced a big result on the anchor leg while Eubanks likely offered a considerable boost on the 800 leg. As for Wisconsin, I have slowly come to learn that you should never doubt Alicia Monson. She continues to generate exciting results in the most clutch moments of her career. The Badger men have gained plenty of recognition this season, but this DMR time of 10:59 proves that the ladies from Wisconsin are near the top of the NCAA as well. Wrapping up the last two mentions are Virginia Tech (NCAA #10) and Ohio State (NCAA #12). This result from Virginia Tech is hardly surprising when you consider that they might have the best middle distance duo in the NCAA this season (between the 800 and mile). Sarah Edwards and Rachel Pocratsky are essentially the Texas Longhorns of the women's DMR. They may be the best leadoff and anchor legs in the country this season. And Ohio State? They surprised a few people with their performance (11:02), but Sean Collins mentioned earlier this season that Ohio State had the potential do some sneaky good things in the DMR . Sure enough, he was right.

The Mailbag is back and so are the plethora of questions that we have received from our readers. We were able to address most of the questions this time. If you haven't already, be sure to read up on our last TSR Mailbag . Let's get started... Is Klecker the favorite in the 5000? We had a similar conversation about Dustin Nading in our last TSR Mailbag and the answer will be the same. I would say that Klecker is a favorite to win the national title in the 5000 meters, but I'm not sure he's necessarily the favorite. Amon Kemboi has run 7:44 and 13:33 unconverted this season which is the best 3k/5k double in the NCAA right now. He also has a 3:59 mile which shows that he is developing more of his mid-distance speed. I think Kemboi has all of the tools to win a national title this year. Tyler Day has a converted 13:31 from December and although he recently struggled in the Iowa State 3k, he's still a top name in the country who is due for a big performance. Would anyone really be shocked if he beat Klecker? Clayton Young and Edwin Kurgat have also run faster than Klecker has for 5000 meters this season, but I'm not sure they've shown the same amount of control in their performances that Klecker has. The Colorado ace has shown some impressive poise and comfort in his past two wins. So can Klecker win the national title? Yes. Will I be surprised if he doesn't win? No. Maybe someone will debate me on this, but I think it's a valid argument... What happened to the podcast? The 2nd Wind podcast was mainly for the cross country season which is why things have been relatively quiet on our end. However, we are making plans to bring back (multiple?) podcasts this spring! It's still in the works and we are still trying to establish a timeline, but expect something new within the next two months or so. As for Capella Athletics, those guys are entering championship season for indoor track. Once they wrap up there, expect a few more episodes coming your way! I can personally say that the lineup of guests they have will not disappoint. If anyone has any recommendations, ideas, or suggestions for podcasts, let us know! Which star runners are in the most danger of not qualifying for Nationals? *We'll avoid relays for the sake of this conversation* For the men, I think the obvious answer(s) has to be Mick Stanovsek and Carlos Villarreal. Both were expected to be contenders in the mile this year, but neither are in position to qualify as of right now. Of course, you can't necessarily blame them for falling in the first lap of last week's Husky Classic mile. Luckily, both men have the MPSF Championships to secure a qualifying spot. They will likely push each other to run faster than the current #16 time of 3:59.39. Arkansas' Cameron Griffith is also in a tricky spot. He is currently ranked #22 in the mile and #17 in the 3000. If no one scratches from the 3k (which is possible and has happened before), then a 7:49 3k runner from 2018 will not be appearing at the National Championships in March. As for the women, Villanova's Rachel McArthur may be the biggest name to not be in qualifying position right now. Her 4:37 is strong, but will it be enough? Our current Scratch Tracker projections have her qualifying for Nationals in the mile. That said, all it takes is one of those women to not scratch the mile and leave McArthur as the First Woman Out of NCAA's. Who are your favorite milers and why are they the MoSo guys (Missouri Southern)? Anyone who reads the site is on equal footing of being our favorites. That said, it helps your case if you follow us Twitter and Instagram so keep that in mind... What [time] gets into Nationals for the women's 800? Slowest it's been in years... Yes, I would agree that the women's 800 this year is lacking in depth and is significantly slower than most years. The current top 16 cut-off time for the women's 800 right now is 2:06.12. In the past four years, the top 16 cut-off time has been 2:04 (and some change). Since TFRRS began gathering results in their database (2010), that cut-off time has never been slower than 2:05.70. For perspective, the #11 time in the NCAA right now (which is tied between two women) is 2:05.71. Although this year has been exceptionally slow, keep in mind that we have seen three women run under 2:03 which is very strong. We are also witnessing the best year ever in women's distance running when it comes to the 3000 and 5000 meter distances. I suppose we have to have a trade off somewhere... Between league championships and last chance meets, I'm going to estimate that we see two more times crack the top 16 for the women's 800. If that were the case, then the fastest top 16 cut-off time we could see is 2:05.90 (the slowest cut-off time in the TFRRS era). Which contributor is the best basketball player? This is a great question. However, with so many writers, we all bring a unique skillset to the hardwood. Here are a few quick bio's to give you an idea of who you would want on your team... Garrett Zatlin Led his 6th grade basketball team in shots missed and minutes on the bench. Also the league leader in hard fouls. Sean Collins + Ben Weisel Both played Catholic School basketball, but that's because they needed a Higher Power to win. Sam Ivanecky Steph Curry, but with two broken arms. Elliott Portillo "Not gonna lie, I had a pretty good jump shot in 8th grade". Ben Simmons has likely said the same thing and look how that turned out. John Cusick John actually played two years of varsity basketball, but do you really want the guy who constantly reminds you that he played on varsity? Plus his high school had like 400 kids, so does it really count? Zach Kughn Zach has run over 200 miles in a single week, but James Harden has traveled more in a single game so take that as you will. Quenten Lasseter When asked if he can dunk, Quenten said "If you lower that baby to 9 feet, then I'm practically Vince Carter". Michael Weidenbruch You know the movie Benchwarmers? That was actually a true story based on Michael's basketball career.

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 15. Victor Moreau, Academy of Art (Unranked) Moreau ran two personal bests this weekend. One at 3000 meters and another at 800. The 3000 stands out because he ran 8:11 and it’s a 17 second improvement over his last 3000 that he ran more than a year ago. He came back the next day and ran 1:54 in the 800. Moreau now sits at #9 in the 3000 and #8 in the mile with his time of 4:07. 14. Devundrick Walker, CSU-Pueblo (Unranked) Walker ran the #3 time in the 800 for D2 this season with a time of 1:50.00. He was a part of a race that saw the five fastest times in the country. Walker has run 1:48 during the outdoor season and has been an All-American. That being said, Walker also plays a huge part in the Thunderwolves distance medley relay team and their aspirations of winning the national title in that event. 13. Felix Wammetsberger, Queens (N.C). (Unranked) Wammetsberger got off to a rough start after Christmas break. He eventually fell out of these rankings due to his performances, but he seems to be back on track after this weekend. The Queens athlete competed at The Big Meet and ran 4:06.61 to finish 2nd place. This is the race we expected Wammetsberger to race at Nationals and he’s solidified that spot for March. Wammetsberger was also the lead leg for the Queens distance medley relay team that finds themselves sitting at #5 on the national list after their 9:52.12 time was run at The Big Meet’s Saturday edition. 12. Rowan Doherty, Simon Fraser (+2 / 14) Doherty ran another 3000 this weekend at the Husky Classic. This one was not as fast as the one two weeks ago (8:12), and it likely served as the last chance to improve upon that time before the conference and the national selections. Still, it's nice to see some consistency from him. He currently sits at #10 on the NCAA list and looks to be a lock for the 3000. He is also in line to qualify for the mile. 11. Benoit Campion, American International (+1 / 12) Campion participated in two events at the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational this past weekend. He ran 1:53 for 800 meters, and also anchored the Yellowjackets distance medley relay team to a 9:52.93 mark. That result is good enough for the #6 time in the country and should have them heading back to Nationals in the event once again. Campion is likely racing the mile and the DMR at Nationals so the, 800 here looks to be just for speed work. 10. Taylor Stack (Western Colorado) (+3 / 13) A big performance from Stack this weekend at Husky has him moving up in the rankings. He ran 14:06.65 and now sits at #4 on the NCAA list. His time is a 20 second personal best from a year ago to the date where he ran 14:26. Stack ran both the 3000 and 5000 last year at Nationals, and he’s currently set up to do the same thing this year as he sits at #12 in the 3000 right now. 9. Josh Hoskinson, Colorado Mines (+3 / 12) Also present at the Husky Invitational was Hoskinson. He ran his first 3000 of the year and made it known that he is in shape. He ran 8:08.00 and cut eight seconds off of his personal best from last year (set at Nationals). That time moves Hoskinson up to the #5 position on the NCAA list. He is also sitting at #6 from his 5000 performance before Christmas break, essentially making him a shoo-in for both events in March. 8. Dennis Mbuta, Grand Valley State (+3 / 11) Mbuta gets to move up a few spots once again this weekend after his strong performance at his home meet. Mbuta ran an automatic qualifying mark of 1:49.24 for 2nd place. Mbuta has continued a very strong 2019 and has seen personal bests every time he’s stepped out on to the oval office. He was also the lead off leg for the Lakers DMR this past weekend as they recorded the #3 fastest time this year in 9:57.55. 7. Brett Meyer, Fort Hays State (0 / 7) Idle. 6. Austin Anaya, Adams State (+3 / 9) Anaya was one of the few Grizzlies that made their way up north in an attempt to run fast (and that is what he did). After running 4:06 at altitude last week, Anaya bounced back and ran 4:03 this weekend in a very loaded field at Husky (albeit, he was not in the fastest heat). Anaya is one of two athletes with an automatic qualifying mark in the mile and when March rolls around, he’ll be one of the favorites. 5. Elias Gedyon, Adams State (+1 / 6) Gedyon joined teammate Austin Anaya by traveling north and he had an even better weekend. Gedyon finished 6th overall (from the same heat as Anaya) and ran 4:01 to back up what his altitude conversion said he could run from last week. Gedyon was a contender last year at the national meet, and he’s certainly in that conversation once again. 4. Enael Woldemichael, Grand Valley State (+1 / 5) Idle. 3. Zach Panning, Grand Valley State (0 / 3) Panning came back this week after his strong mile last week to run an automatic qualifying time of 8:01.12. It’s the #3 fastest time in the country currently and is the only raw time (read: unconverted) with the automatic mark. Panning has another auto mark in the 5000 that he set earlier in the year and is likely running both of these races at Nationals unless something changes between now and then. 2. Sydney Gidabuday, Adams State (0 / 2) Idle. 1. Thomas Staines, CSU-Pueblo (0 / 1) Another week, another unreal performance from Staines. Last week was a British national record, this week it’s the fastest 800 meter performance in Division II history. It breaks Drew Windle’s record from 2014 by three-tenths of a second which was ironically set at the same meet. Staines won the race by three seconds and proceeded to help the CSU-Pueblo team take 1st in the 4x400 the next day. Staines looks to be a lock for his third-straight 800 meter title. 800 1. Thomas Staines (CSU-Pueblo) 2. Dennis Mbuta (Grand Valley State) 3. Hugo Arlabosse (Franklin Pierce) 4. Devundrick Walker (CSU-Pueblo) 5. Juman Randall (Western State) Mile 1. Elias Gedyon (Adams State) 2. Brett Meyer (Fort Hays State) 3. Austin Anaya (Adams State) 4. Benoit Campion (American International) 5. Felix Wammetsberger (Queens (N.C.)) 3000 1. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) 2. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State) 3. Enael Woldemichael (Grand Valley State) 4. Elias Gedyon (Adams State) 5. Rowan Doherty (Simon Fraser) 5000 1. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) 2. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State) 3. Enael Woldemichael (Grand Valley State) 4. Josh Hoskinson (Colorado Mines) 5. Taylor Stack (Western Colorado)

Honorable Mentions Casey Comber (Villanova) Earning his first mention in our rankings, Comber threw down a big mile at the David Hemery Valentine Invite to run 3:57 and finish right behind Waleed Suliman. Mick Stanvosek (Washington) Carlos Villarreal (Arizona) Both Stanvosek and Villarreal faced some bad luck by getting tripped up in the mile at the UW Husky Classic, but they are still strong contenders in the mile. I just worry that they do not have qualifying times yet. Once that happens expect to see them back in the Top 25. Alex Ostberg (Stanford) I really wish this list was for 26 people because it was really hard to keep out Ostberg. So far this season, he has run run 7:51 and run sub 4. I’ll see if I can get him in the Top 25 next time around... 25. Sam Worley, Sophomore, Texas (Unranked) Worley had his breakout race of the season to beat a fast field and run 3:57 at the Husky Classic. After being one of the preseason favorites in the mile, he had not run up to his standard. This race puts Worley right back into the spotlight. 24. Cameron Griffith, Senior, Arkansas (-13 / 11) Griffith was ranked highly by most of the TSR writers at the beginning of the year, and he has run solid all season. The worry that I have is that even though he has run 3:59 and 7:52, he currently has not qualified for Nationals yet (at least, he's not guaranteed). Once he earns a qualifying mark, I will feel much better about Griffith’s chances. 23. Andrew Jordan, Junior, Iowa State (-4 / 19) Jordan hasn’t run since he was the top collegiate in the 3k at the UW Invitational a few weeks ago. No reason to drop him out of the rankings as I still expect him to be in contention in the 3k at BIG 12 and/or Nationals. 22. Waleed Suliman, Sophomore, Ole Miss (Unranked) One of the best races of the weekend was Suliman winning the mile in 3:56. Suliman burst onto the national scene last spring by running 1:47 for 800 meters and 3:39 for 1500 meters. He hadn’t done much indoors yet, but we knew that the talent was there. He proved his talent this past weekend and if he continues to run like that, then he could score points at Nationals. 21. Connor McMillan, Rs. Senior, BYU (-1 / 20) McMillan is one of the few qualified for both the 3k and 5k after he ran 13:38 at Iowa State. Look for him to continue his good form as he races with his teammates. 20. Alex Rogers, Senior, Texas (Unranked) Who said Alex Rogers was just a miler? The Texas senior has been on fire for the past two months. After running under four minutes for the first time at the beginning of the season, he improved upon that time to run 3:58 and recently followed that up with a huge 7:51. He can be an All-American in whatever event he chooses to run at Nationals. 19. Isaiah Jewett, Junior, USC (-2 / 17) Jewett did not finish in the 800 at the Tyson Invitational, but did contribute to USC’s 4x400 running 3:06. With the 800 being so deep, Jewett will have to maintain his fitness to be an All-American candidate. 18. Tyler Day, Rs. Junior, Northern Arizona (-4 / 18) It was a bit of a disappointing performance from Day at Iowa State as he ran 8:01 for 3000 meters. Nothing to make a big deal about, but hopefully we see a better race from him before Nationals. 17. Kasey Knevelbaard, Rs. Junior, Southern Utah (-7 / 10) Knevelbaard moves back a few spots after a disappointing race at the Husky Classic where he ran 4:00 and lost to Worley and Reed Brown. I still see him as one of the top contenders in the mile, but this performance is a little concerning. One bad race won’t make me overreact, but another will worry me. 16. Robert Heppenstall, Senior, Wake Forest (0 / 16) Heppentall ran a season best of 1:48 at Iowa State finishing right behind Hoppel. This race is a step in the right direction for Heppenstall, but hopefully we see him run a bit faster before Nationals. 15. Cooper Teare, Sophomore, Oregon (+8 / 23) It was another impressive weekend for Teare who won the 3k at the Husky Classic in 7:50. It will be interesting to see how he does at the MPSF Championships competing with some of the top long distance runners in the country. 14. Bryce Hoppel, Junior, Kansas (+10 / 24) Hoppel moved up the most in this week’s rankings after his win over Heppenstall at Iowa State to run 1:48. Two weeks ago, I mentioned that Hoppel needed a good performance to stay in the rankings, and he definitely delivered. Beating Heppenstall shows that Hoppel deserves to be considered as a favorite to earn a top five spot at Nationals. 13. James Sugira, Freshman, Eastern Kentucky (Unranked) Sugira now has qualifying marks in both the 3k and 5k after he ran a very nice time of 13:37 at Washington this past weekend. The EKU ace finished 2nd to Klecker and walked comfortably into the national qualifying ranks. The newcomer boasts international racing experience, so it will be interesting to see how he does in his first indoor national meet. 12. Johnathan Davis, Rs. Sophomore, Illinois (-3 / 9) Davis moves down a spot after an underwhelming performance in the Iowa State 3k running 8:03. I still have confidence in Davis being one of the top contenders in the mile, but this race wasn’t a great sign. As I have said, I won’t overreact to one bad race, but another will worry me. Like Kurgat, it will be interesting to see if Davis tries to get himself into another fast 3k. 11. Edwin Kurgat, Junior, Iowa State (+4 / 15) As someone who drafted Kurgat in our fantasy draft, I breathed a sigh of relief to see him run 13:34. Kurgat’s blend of endurance and a strong kick gives him a good shot at racing with anyone in the country. We saw him nearly take down Fisher and McDonald in cross country, but he never had that type of race indoors until this past weekend. Keep an eye on Kurgat the next few weeks to see if he tries to run another fast 3k to qualify in both the 3k and 5k at Nationals. 10. Clayton Young, Rs. Senior, BYU (+11 / 21) One of the biggest movers in this week’s rankings is Clayton Young after a huge performance in the Iowa State 5k. Young held off a hard charging Edwin Kurgat to run 13:34. The BYU Cougar now has qualifying times in both the 3k and 5k. He can occasionally get lost in the clump of elite runners from BYU, but he shouldn’t be forgotten. 9. Kyle Mau, Junior, Indiana (-1 / 8) If there was one person that I regret not taking in our fantasy draft, it is Kyle Mau. He is having an outstanding season so far as he has run 7:50 and 3:57. Oliver Hoare is the only one who has been able to put up similar times so far. The Hoosier will become a household name in the running community if he can replicate these performances at Nationals. 8. Devin Dixon, Junior, Texas A&M (-3 / 5) 7. Joe White, Senior, Georgetown (-3 / 4) 6. Marco Arop, Sophomore, Mississippi State (+6 / 12) Arop earns the top 800 spot in this week’s rankings because of his impressive 1:45.90 which was enough to beat the next best competitor by four seconds. When Dixon won his 800, he had plenty of people chasing him down. Arop did not have that luxury which makes me believe that he still has another gear left which is incredible to say considering he just ran 1:45. The reason why Arop jumps ahead of Dixon, even though the Aggie has a better time, is because Arop has proven that he can finish in the top three at Nationals. He convincingly beat Dixon outdoors last year and, while they both ran poorly at the indoor national last year, Arop beat Dixon in their prelim. To put it simply, I trust Arop as a tactician a hair more than I do Dixon. Arop ahead of White is a tough choice, but it came down to the fact that Arop has run almost a second faster than White this season. White had the opportunity to run fast this past weekend (and he did with a time of 1:46), but he wasn’t able to match Arop or Dixon’s times. White is an experienced runner who I trust will put himself in a good position at Nationals, but if the race goes out ultra-fast, then I worry about his ability to keep up with the likes of Dixon and Arop. I believe that one of these three will bring home the 800 title, so I am simply splitting hairs at this point. 5. Joe Klecker, Rs. Junior, Colorado (+1 / 6) The #5 spot goes to Klecker because the man has been on fire the last two weeks running a converted 7:48 and then following that with a convincing victory over James Sugira to run 13:35. His 5k time is especially impressive because it’s the fastest time we have seen in 2019. The other two times (by Day and Kemboi) were run right after cross country season. 13:35 says that Klecker is in shape and trending in the right direction. Klecker, behind Kemboi, has to be the biggest threat to break up the McDonald, Fisher duo in the 5k if either of them try to earn a qualifying time. 4. Amon Kemboi, Junior, Campbell (+3 / 7) The #4 spot was definitely one of the hardest spots to pick. Klecker, Arop, White, and Dixon all have some kind of claim to the #4 spot. Kemboi gets the nod because, while everyone was freaking out about McDonald and Fisher’s performances, Kemboi silently ran 7:44 which beat the previous top mark by 4 seconds. Every race he has run so far has been impressive, and he seems to be getting faster every week. Continue to be amazed by everything McDonald and Fisher do, but don’t forget to watch Kemboi as he continues to challenge them. 3. Morgan McDonald, Rs. Senior, Wisconsin (-2 / 1) I promised that I would keep McDonald in the #1 spot until he got beat and that finally happened this past weekend after he was barely edged out by Grant Fisher. You might say, “Ben, if he has only been beaten by one person the entire year, then how can he be #3?” To that I would say keep reading. However, I would also say that it is more of an assessment of how deep the 3k and 5k are this year. McDonald is definitely the favorite or co-favorite in both of these races, but there are so many challengers that include not only Fisher, but also Klecker and Kemboi. He easily could make me look wrong by scoring 18 points at Nationals, but I think he has a lower percent chance of doing that compared to the top two partly because of the strength of the 3k and 5k fields. 2. Grant Fisher, Rs. Junior, Stanford (+1 / 3) Okay, you can admit it. You skipped to the bottom of the most powerful power rankings (say that five times fast) in track and field to make sure that Grant Fisher now rightfully owns the top spot. I’m sorry to disappoint the Fisher and Stanford fans. Fisher ran one of the best collegiate 3k's ever, taking down McDonald and a loaded pro field in the process. This race was a really good sign for Fisher as we look forward to his rematch with McDonald at Nationals. I am of the belief that Fisher has a better kick then McDonald, so it was huge to see Fisher beat McDonald in a race that was fast from the gun. So why is he not #1 then? Read below... 1. Oliver Hoare, Junior, Wisconsin (+1 / 2) I’m not here to toot my own horn or take an early victory lap, BUT you remember when I put Hoare at the #2 spot at the beginning of the year and everyone thought I was crazy? Ok, no one told me I was crazy (at least not to my face), but the point is that it was weird to see Hoare ahead of someone like Fisher. Well it just got a little less weird after Hoare’s last two races. The Aussie followed up his 7:48 (which was the best time in the country at the time) with an NCAA #1 mile time of 3:54! The reason why Hoare gets the first spot over Fisher is his status as the favorite in the mile as well as one of the top contenders in the 3k. While the mile field is very good, it isn’t quite as good as the 3k and 5k fields. If Hoare decides to do both the 3k and the mile, then there is a chance (albeit a small one) that he finishes as a double champion. Even if he doesn’t, I think he has a great shot of winning the mile and earning a top three finish in the 3k (or at least helping Wisconsin to a top spot in the DMR). You can’t go wrong with either Fisher or Hoare at #1, but for now, a new Badger is at the top of this week’s power rankings.

25. Dorcas Wasike, Rs. Sophomore, Louisville (-11 / 14) She hasn't done a whole lot since running 15:25 at Boston a couple of months ago. She ran 4:48 in mid-January, but the lack of results makes it hard to gauge her fitness. Still, she has a top-tier time this season and that is a big reason why she will stay in the rankings. 24. Jessica Pascoe, Junior, Florida (-1 / 23) She hasn't run poorly since her 15:34 from December, but a 4:43 mile and 9:21 3k show that Pascoe may not have the same foot speed that others on this list do. Regardless, she is still a top runner in the NCAA. 23. Susan Ejore, Junior, Oregon (+1 / 24) Ejore remains as one of the more underrated runners in the NCAA, but isn't moving much from her previous position in the rankings thanks to so many phenomenal performances from others on this list. So far this season, Ejore has produced times of 2:05, 2:44, and 4:35. I think she's a very realistic All-American candidate in whatever event she decides to run. 22. Katie Rainsberger, Rs. Sophomore, Washington (-9 / 13) Rainsberger isn't dropping in the rankings based on her performances. It just happens to be one of those years where everyone is at another level. After running 4:36 earlier in the season, Rainsberger went on to run 9:02 at the Husky Classic this past weekend. She was the first woman to miss going under the nine minute barrier (finishing 7th overall). It's hard to penalize her for not running under 9:00, but I would have like to see her mix it up a little more with the top group. 21. Fiona O'Keeffe, Rs. Sophomore, Stanford (+4 / 25) Her 4:39 personal best earlier this season was encouraging, but finishing as the top collegiate in the Husky Classic 5k was very impressive. With a time of 15:35, O'Keeffe has entered the All-American conversation in what has to be one of the deepest years for the 5k that the NCAA has ever seen. I also like that she has a strong mile time on her resume. That's usually an indicator that she can compete in tactical championship meets. However, if the Cardinal opt to go all-in for the DMR later this season, then O'Keeffe may try to qualify for the 3000 meters at the MPSF Championships. That way, Stanford can have O'Keeffe scratch from the 5000 and attempt the DMR / 3k double. 20. Makena Morley, Junior, Colorado (Unranked) Yes, I know O'Keeffe beat Morley in the Husky Classic 5k this past weekend, but Morley has yet to disappoint in the 2018-2019 academic calendar. Finishing at 8th the Cross Country National Championships, running an altitude converted 9:04 at the Colorado Invite, and running 15:37 this past weekend is not something that happens a lot. In simpler terms, Morley will produce big results regardless of where (or what) she has to race. 19. Carina Viljoen, Junior, Arkansas (0 / 19) We haven't seen her run anything since her 4:33 mile at the Arkansas Invite, but I'm still a believer in her talent. When you look at the predicted scratches, she could be in contention to do something special in the mile come NCAA's. 18. Elly Henes, Junior, NC State (+4 / 22) Henes has quietly put together one of the better seasons in the NCAA this year. She's run 4:38 for the mile and earned flat-track conversions of 9:01 and 15:34 this season. The NC State veteran knows how to handle the big stage has picked up a lot of momentum since the season began. 17. Sharon Lokedi, Senior, Kansas (-5 / 12) We are likely dropping Lokedi far too much in these rankings, but I haven't been wowed by her like I have with other athletes in her our top 25. Her 9:06 at Iowa State this past weekend was respectable, but Erica Birk beat her soundly by six seconds. With the best women in the country running well under nine minutes, Lokedi isn't necessarily in the conversation when it comes to the 3k. 16. Karisa Nelson, Senior, Samford (-6 / 10) It was an ugly race for Nelson at Millrose as she struggled to stick with the blistering fast pace that was set. Her time of 4:44 isn't indicative of her actual fitness, but it certainly didn't help her in the rankings. Much like Paladino, she has incredible range from 800 to 3000 meters. Still, I'm not sure this is the same Karisa Nelson who the 2017 national title in the mile two years ago. 15. Millie Paladino, Senior, Providence (+3 / 18) 2:08, 4:33, and 9:13 is incredible range for someone who also ran 2:42 for 1000 meters earlier this year. The Providence ace had (arguably) the best performance of her season last week in Boston where she was the top collegiate finisher in the mile. It's hard not to like a veteran who has succeeded on the national stage multiple times before and has elite range. 14. Sinclaire Johnson, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (-7 / 7) Johnson's 9:10 for 3000 meters this past weekend was respectable, but it wasn't enough to stay inside our top 10. Still, her time of 2:43 for 1000 meters earlier this season, as well as her remarkable DMR/mile double at the UW Invitational, is hard to forget. She is still the real deal. 13. Allie Wilson, Senior, Monmouth (Unranked) My goodness, Allie Wilson has been at another level this season. She may be the most consistent runner on this list. In her past four meets, she has run 2:06, 2:06, 2:05, and 2:02. That kind of improvement and those kind of times spell danger for her opponents in March. She hasn't always been the top collegiate in all of her races, but confidence and momentum is an underrated aspect of indoor track. 12. Martha Bissah, Junior, Norfolk State (Unranked) Bissah has been a steady performer this indoor season. She started off running 2:47 for 1000 meters before shaving two seconds off of that time and running 2:45 one week later. Fast forward to the end of January, and Bissah ran 2:04. After taking her talents to Camel City, Bissah ran 2:03.99 which converted to 2:02.58 (NCAA #1). There's a lot to like about Bissah who already has an All-American finish under her belt from last spring. 11. Taylor Werner, Junior, Arkansas (Unranked) We've only seen Werner in two 3k's this season, but both have been super impressive. She comfortably won the Arkansas Invite 3k in 9:08 before dropping a huge time of 8:56 in a wild Husky Classic 3k this past weekend. It's only been two races, but Werner has shown us a lot of good things so far. 10. Erica Birk, Senior, BYU (Unranked) It was a statement race for Birk who comfortably took care of Sharon Lokedi at Iowa State in a time of 9:00 (six seconds better than Lokedi). If Birk had been in a faster race (i.e. Husky Classic), then I have no doubt that she would have been able to dip under the nine minute barrier. She's an aggressive runner who will fight with anyone for a top spot, and that is a big reason why she's #10 on our list. 9. Rachel Pocratsky, Senior, Virginia Tech (+2 / 11) I love the versatility that Pocratsky owns. Her wicked fast 1k's, flat-track converted 4:33, and winning time of 2:05 at Iowa State this past weekend makes her the full package. She's consistent, constantly improving, running fast, displaying range, and earning top finishes/wins. There's not much more you could want. 8. Lauren Gregory, Rs. Freshman, Arkansas (+11 / 19) Gregory owns a lethal blend of speed and endurance that most runners simply can't develop. Her 4:32 mile from the Arkansas Invite beautifully complements her 8:55 from the Husky Classic 3k where he placed 4th overall. She even ran 2:44 for 1000 meters earlier this season. For a redshirt freshman in her first season of competition, she has been wildly impressive. I'm always a bit cautious of youngsters on the national stage, but Gregory has shown a lot of poise in her past two races when facing Jessica Hull. If anyone knows how to handle a championship race, it's Gregory. 7. Nicole Hutchinson, Senior, Villanova (+10 / 17) I am a big fan of runners who can be competitive in both the mile and 3000 meters. Unsurprisingly, Hutchinson belongs to that group. Hutchinson displayed a lot of confidence in her aggressive push to the front in the Husky Classic 3k this past weekend. She was eventually rewarded with a huge personal best of 8:55. I like the way she attacked the race near the front of the pack and never relinquished a relatively favorable position. Hutchinson is ready to go for Nationals this year. 6. Ednah Kurgat, Senior, New Mexico (-2 / 4) Is it just me or did Kurgat's 8:59 from the Husky Classic feel underwhelming? I hate saying that for anyone who runs that fast, but then again, Ednah Kurgat isn't just "anyone". With a lap to go, Kurgat wasn't near the top group and she simply didn't have enough leg speed to cover the gap. She's still a national title contender in the 5000 meters, but I'm not sure I see her doing the same in the 3k. 5. Allie Ostrander, Junior, Boise State (+4 / 9) I really liked the race we saw from Ostrander at the Husky Classic this past weekend. She put herself in the top pack relatively early on and kept that position for the entire race. The Boise State junior didn't have the finishing speed that Hull had, but she was able to fend off a number of top talents (Hutchinson, Gregory, and Werner) who all have better mile PR's than her. With the exception of a better kick (in an already fast race), I'm not sure she could have done much more. 4. Weini Kelati, Sophomore, New Mexico (+1 / 5) A number of fans were so distracted by a handful of different results that they failed to acknowledge the 6th place finisher in the Millrose 3k. Weini Kelati had a phenomenal race as she clung to a fast pace and let the field bring her to a time of 8:53.98 (NCAA #3). With a handful of high-level professionals in this race, the most you could ask for was Kelati to run a fast time (and she did just that). 3. Alicia Monson, Junior, Wisconsin (+18 / 21) It's hard to put into words just how incredible Monson's performance at Millrose was. The Wisconsin junior held her own against a field of elites, leaving the Armory with a legendary win and an NCAA #3 All-Time result of 8:45. It's the best time for 3000 meters in the NCAA by nearly eight seconds this season. We knew Monson was among the top-tier of women in the NCAA, but we didn't know where in that top-tier she stood. Clearly, her Millrose performance showed us that she is one of (if not the) the best collegiates in the country. Unfortunately, I have to be a critic by asking some (fair) questions. Will Monson ever be able to replicate that performance again? Can she win a tactical race at Nationals? I'm not saying that I have the answers to those questions, but I'm not quite ready to hand Monson the national title just yet. 2. Jessica Hull, Senior, Oregon (0 / 2) Yes, Monson may have run the fastest 3k in the NCAA this past weekend, but Jessica Hull has done too much to not earn the #2 spot. She can win fast races, she can win tactical races. She can win a mile, she can win a 3k. In other words, she can do it all. Her 8:53 win at the Husky Classic showed that Hull still has the best kick in the country even when you make the pace fast. I'm not sure I see a scenario where she isn't a national champion next month. 1. Danae Rivers, Junior, Penn State (+2 / 3) As good as Hull might be, Rivers has matched all of her 2019 accolades. So far this season, Rivers has shattered the collegiate record for 1000 meters (2:38.58), owns the #3 time in the country for 800 meters (2:02.94), and just ran an NCAA #10 All-Time mile at Millrose (4:29.47). Between a collegiate record and an All-Time performance, I can't find an argument to not put Rivers at the #1 spot in our rankings.

Men: Elliott Portillo Women: Quenten Lasseter MEN GVSU Big Meet In this case, the term “Big Meet” is a bit of an understatement. This meet was the undisputed highlight reel of the weekend, as an astounding 35 NCAA qualifying marks were set in the distance events. 800 The 800 ended up as the deepest event of the weekend. 12 men dipped under the provisional standard. Of those 12, half came from the host school as Grand Valley State flexed its middle-distance muscles. They have what appears to be, at first glance, the most loaded 800 crew in all of Division II. What is also astonishing is that the five fastest times so far this season all came from the same heat. Seb Anthony of Queens, Juman Randall of Western Colorado, Devundrick Walker of CSU-Pueblo, Dennis Mbuta of Grand Valley State and Thomas Staines of CSU-Pueblo all ran sub 1:50.5 in what could be a precursor to an exciting National Championship final. Of those five, two (Mbuta and Staines) ran sub-1:50 and hit NCAA auto times. Mbuta’s mark of 1:49.24 was good enough for an impressive 2nd place, but was still nearly three seconds behind Staine’s time of 1:46.27. Staines maintains his position at the top of the NCAA leaderboard and looks like a sure-fire pick to win the event in March. At this point in time, the race for 2nd place looks wide open. Outside of the first heat, there were many other noteworthy performances. Nick Salomon (1:51.13), Jonathon Groendyk (1:51.36), and David Jones (1:51.4), all Grand Valley State, ran times good enough to place within the top 10 in the nation. Lewis’s John Partee (1:51.75), Lubbock Christian’s Jaylen Tryon (1:51.8), and Grand Valley’s Tyler Walters and Patrick Scoggins (1:52.99, 1:53.07) all ran provisional qualifying marks as well. Mile The Queens (N.C.) duo of Felix Wammetsberger and Daniel Wallis finished 2nd and 4th in the mile with times of 4:06.06 and 4:06.64, respectively. These marks vaulted the Royals pair to spots #4 and #5 on the NCAA leaderboard. Woodrow Murray-Wood of Western Colorado and Justin Crosswhite of Western Oregon also ran qualifying marks. They finished in 4:09.42 and 4:10.47, respectively. 3000 Zach Panning ran only the third auto qualifying time for this event so far this year. His 8:01.12 was good enough to edge out Michigan State’s Morgan Beadlescomb for the victory. Behind him, four other men ran 8:20 or faster. Victor Moreau of Academy of Art (8:11.88, NCAA #9), Joseph Humes of Hillsdale (8:14.26), Freddie Hessian of Academy of Art (8:14.88) and Tanner Chada of Grand Valley (8:20.05) finished 5th, 6th, 7th, and 12th overall. 5000 Like a volcano that’s been lying dormant since some fast times in December, the Men’s 5k finally exploded with this weekend as 16 new qualifying marks were hit in the already stacked event. Of those 16, eight came from the Big Meet. Jacob Klemz of Washburn led all D2 runners with his time of 14:12.49, good enough for the #10 on the NCAA leaderboard. Behind Klemz, Carson-Newman’s Luke Greer and Charleston’s Jack Mastandrea both ran times good enough to crack the top 20 nationally. Their times of 14:16.82 and 14:17.2 rank #17 and #18, respectively. George McCartney of Malone and Stetson Rayas of Dallas Baptist both ran sub 14:30 with times of 14:23.2 and 14:27.9. Concord’s Jason Weitzel (14:33.3), Grand Valley’s Ben Zaremba (14:36.94), and Northwood’s Dylan Rocha (14:39.49) closed out those who earned provisional times. So far this season, 35 men have gone 14:30 or under in the 5k while almost 50 have achieved a provisional qualification. It will be interesting to see what people choose to focus on at Nationals and how far down the list qualifiers are pulled based on scratches. DMR The host Lakers’ success didn’t end at the conclusion of the Friday meet. On Saturday, Grand Valley demonstrated just how far their team depth goes as they ran two qualifying times in the DMR. Grand Valley’s A-squad beat Marquette by two seconds to run an NCAA D2 #3 time of 9:47.55. Behind them, Queens ran 9:52.17, Grand Valley’s B-squad ran 9:53.05 and Northwood (Mich.) ran 9:53.12 to all earn NCAA top-10 times. Western Oregon (9:54.85, NCAA #12) and Walsh (9:55.57, NCAA #13) rounded out the top finishers. 2019 Husky Classic Despite inclement weather affecting travel plans for some teams, the 2019 Husky Classic saw some of the fastest times yet at the Dempsey. If the Big Meet showcased the Mid-Distance talent of Division II, then Husky goes the other route with nine new marks run over the 3k and 5k distances. 3000 Four men ran marks fast enough to land in the top 15 nationally. Josh Hoskinson of Colorado Mines led the charge with an NCAA #5 time of 8:08. Adams State’s Kale Adams (8:10.34, NCAA #7), Colorado Mines’ Luke Julian (8:13.14, NCAA #11) and Simon Fraser’s Pierre-Louis Detourbe (8:14.88, NCAA #15) all improved their chances for national’s bids in March. 5000 Five RMAC runners dropped down from altitude to join a stacked 5k lineup in Seattle. Taylor Stack of Western Colorado ran 14:06.65 while Dalton Graham of Adams State ran 14:09.25. Both times are ranked #4 and #7 in the nation as of this week. Charlie Sweeney of Western Colorado and Dane Blomquist of Adams also dipped into the top 20 nationally with times of 14:13.02 and 14:16.7. Adams’ Joshua Joseph also ran a provisional time with his 14:31.93 (NCAA #36). BU Valentines Invitational 800 Nick Fenton of American International was the first Division II athlete behind a slew of various Division I and professional athletes. His time of 1:52.42 is ranked #22 in the nation. Behind him, Stephen Vercollone of Stonehill ran close with a time of 1:52.81. This puts him at #28 on the national leaderboard. DMR In the DMR, the Yellow Jackets of American International won the DMR by nearly 14 seconds with a time of 9:52.93, which currently ranks #6 in D2. 2019 Bearcat Invite 800 Benjamin Allen of Concordia-St. Paul ran 1:52.55 to finish runner-up behind Luke Skinner of St. Mary’s (Kan.) Behind him, Central Missouri’s Noah Larsen (1:53.11) and Emporia’s Muray Baheyadeen (1:53.17) finished #4 and #5. 5000 Nebraska-Kearney’s Corbin Hansen finished 2nd with a time of 14:39.64, good enough for #47 on the NCAA leaderboard. Indoor Gorilla Classic 800 TAMU-Kingsville’s Ayman Zahafi finished 2nd with a time of 1:51.67. Joining him with new bests on the qualifying list were Colin Webber of Pittsburg State (1:51.77, NCAA #15) and Ero Doce of Lindenwood (1:52.77). 3000 Gidieon Kimutai of Missouri Southern finished three seconds behind Nathan Wickoren of Wichita State to finish 3rd overall in the 3k. His time of 8:21.47 currently ranks #26 in the country. DMR Lindenwood edged out Wichita State to finish 1st overall in the DMR with a time of 9:58.2 (NCAA #15). Missouri Southern finished 4th with a time of 10:04.38, good enough to make it onto the qualifying list. SDSU Indoor Classic 800 Josh Barrow ran 1:52.14 to secure runner-up in the 800 behind U of Manitoba’s Simon Berube. Mile The men’s Mile saw three individuals go sub 4:10. Zach Lundberg of Sioux Falls, Austin Pasch of Minnesota State, and Jonah Theisen of Black Hills State ran 4:07.76 (NCAA #11), 4:09.02, and 4:09.9 this past weekend. 3000 Following his impressive showing in the mile, Black Hill State’s Jonah Theisen doubled back with an 8:19.33 3k, good for 2nd place on the day. His mark sets him at #19 on the NCAA qualifying list. 5000 Derek Myers of U-Mary continues running well. The Senior beat Sioux Falls’ Steven Brown by nearly 12 seconds to win the 5k in a time of 14:26.64. However, this time just barely misses the top 30. Myers will need another fast 5k and maybe a couple lucky scratches if he is to make it to the National Championships in March. Adams State NCAA Qualifier Mile The only major meet this weekend where altitude/track conversions apply saw two more Grizzlies hit qualifying times, as Adams State’s James Freeman and Ro Paschel ran converted mile times of 4:08.52 and 4:10.78 to land on the qualifying list. 3000 Isaiah Rodarte of Adams hit a top 15 time with his converted mark of 8:13.98 (NCAA #13). St. Thomas Showcase 5000 Minnesota-Duluth’s Luke Lahr won the 5k by eight seconds to run a 14:30.44 after track-size conversions. This is the #35 time for 5000 meters this year. Colorado Running Company Mountain Lion Open DMR After altitude conversion, MSU Denver ran the #24 DMR time in the nation this year with a 10:03.51. They edged out 2nd place Rocky Mountain by three seconds. WOMEN GVSU Big Meet 800 The 800 at the GVSU Big meet was filled with fast times. The race had nine women run provisional times and also had four women in the top five on the national list. Allie Ludge of Grand Valley St. led the charge with a time of 2:08.91, putting her at #5 in the nation. The #6 and #7 times in the nation came from Carsyn Koch-Johnson of Cedarville and Olivia Woods of Western Oregon. Those two women respectfully ran 2:08.93 and 2:09.35. Western Colorado’s Bailey Sharon ran the #9 time in the country in 2:09.60. Aside from Skylyn Webb and Kristen Metcalfe, the 800 is relatively wide-open this year when it comes to All-American spots. Don't be surprised if a few of these women throw their names into that conversation come March. Andra Lehotay from Western Colorado University ran a time of 2:10.61, putting her at #11 in the nation. The #16, #17, #20, and #21 fastest 800 times were also run in this loaded event. At #16 in the nation, Abbie Porter from Hillsdale ran a time of 2:11.23. Bianca Bryant from San Francisco St. ran 2:11.62, putting her at #17 on the list. Shayla Huebner of Northern Michigan and Yajaira Salinas of Stanislaus State ran times of 2:11.93 and 2:12.50, respectively, putting the two women on the national list at #20 and #21. Mile The mile also had fast times with Stefanie Parsons of Edinboro breaking the 4:50 barrier. Parsons ran a time of 4:48.51, giving her the #4 fastest time in the nation. Following Parsons was Elysia Burgos from Southwest Baptist running a time of 4:50.74, putting her at #7 in the nation. Right behind Burgos was Allysen Eads running the #8 time on the national list with a 4:52.10 mile. Abbey Crouch from Grand Valley St. ran a time of 4:54.39 ranking her at #11 in the nation. It's hard to dislike what we've seen from Parsons so far this season. In just the month of February, Parsons has run times of 2:11, 4:48, and 9:53. Not only does she have range, but she's peaking at the right time. 3000 Hannah Thompson from Malone broke into the top 10 on the national list running 9:40.06, putting her at #9. Right behind Thompson were teammates from Grand Valley St. Hanna Groeber, Jessica Gockley, and Stacey Metzger. The three Lakers ran times of 9:42.11, 9:41.40, and 9:45.02. Those times put the three teammates at #11, #13, and #17 in the nation. Hasna Kaarour from the Academy of Art broke the 9:50 barrier running a time of 9:48.45, which put her at #20 in the nation. Stefanie Parsons returned from her fast mile performance and ran the #25 fastest time in the nation at 9:53.06. 5000 The 5000 was paced by Grand Valley St. teammates Gina Patterson and Madison Goen. Two Lakers ran times of 16:42.50 and 16:53.46. Patterson’s time put her at #9 in the nation and Goen’s time put her at #15 in the nation. Allison Dorr from Saginaw Valley ran 16:53.60, just .14 seconds behind Goen which puts her #16 on the national list. The #18, #20, #22, and #23 fastest times in the country were run by Lauren Bailey of Indianapolis at 16:55.44, Malea Teerman of Grand Valley St. at 17:07:05, Clarissa Morales of Stanislaus State at 17:10.78, and Kelsey Chambers of Wheeling Jesuit at 17:14.81. 2019 Husky Classic 800 In a loaded field stacked with DI schools and professional runners, Stephanie Cotter from Adams State held up well and ran a time of 2:09.49. Cotter’s time placed her at #8 on the national list. 3000 Roisin Flanagan from Adams State ran the#2 time in the nation with a 9:18.24 3000. Flanagan’s teammate Tiffany Christensen ran a time of 9:33.39 placing her on the national list at #7. Watch out for these two Adams State teammates when it comes down to championship season. 5000 Just like her sister in the 3000, Eilish Flanagan of Adams State threw down the NCAA’s second fastest time with a 16:19.45. With Flanagan’s fast pacing, she led teammate Malena Grover, Western Colorado's Kennedy Rufener, teammate Kaylee Bogina, and Central Washington's Alexa Shindruk with times of 16:38.88, 16:39.26, 16:40.74, and 16:48.43, respectively. Those four times were the #6, # 7, #8, and #14 fastest performances in the NCAA this year. Adams State continues to impress with such incredible depth. If they somehow find a way to qualify enough women in the distance events, they could end up scoring a handful of points at Nationals. SDSU Indoor Classic 800 Monique McPherson from U-Mary ran a time of 2:11.12, putting at #15 on the national list. Carly Rahn (Augustana (S.D.)), ran a time of 2:12.83 putting her at #22. Haleigh Reindl and Bobbi Patrick from the two Minnesota schools of Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota State, ran times of 2:13.66 and 2:13.75, respectively. The times from Reindl and Patrick placed the two at #25 and #26 in the NCAA. Mile Bree Erickson from U-Mary and Taryn Ceglowski from Sioux Falls broke into the nation’s top 20 times in the mile. Erickson and Ceglowski respectfully ran 4:56.92 and 4:57.74. 3000 U-Mary runner Jaiden Schuette ran the NCAA’s #22 time with a 9:50.45. 5000 The #5 fastest time in the NCAA was run by Emily Roberts from U-Mary. Roberts time was 16:37.74. Also, in the 5000 race was teammate Ida Narbuvoll running a time of 16:54.38, giving her the nations #17 fastest time. Roberts is a great sleeper pick to keep an eye on in March. Caroline Kurgat may steal the spotlight, but Roberts is a veteran who is starting to run well at the right time. She could very easily find her way on to the podium. Winter Relays 2019 Mile Leah Hanle from Mount Olive broke into the NCAA’s top 10 list for the mile running an impressive 4:52.81 (NCAA #9). Her consistency is turning into momentum which can be dangerous for her competition in March. I think she's a great pick to become All-American. 2019 Bearcat Invite 800 Allison Johnson of Winona State got her name on the national list with a time of 2:13.94, putting Johnson at #28, respectfully. Mile Johnson’s teammate from Winona State, Anna Rogahn broke the 5-minute barrier with a performance of 4:58.73 (NCAA #24). 5000 Cynthia Togom from Central Missouri got the win in the 5000 with a time of 17:21.72. This performance by Togom places her at #24 in the nation. Colorado running Company Mountain Lion Open Mile From MSU Denver, Erica Ruiz ran a time of 5:09.15, which then converted to a sub-5 performance of 4:56.47, putting her on the national list at #14. Adams State University NCAA Qualifier Mile HaLeigh Hunter-Galvan from Adams State got the home win with a time of 5:13.23, converting to 4:57.08. The performance from Hunter-Galvan placed her at #16 in the nation. 3000 Kianna Darioosh-Bonnet of Adams State had a strong outing running a converted time of 9:50.82, putting her at #23 in the NCAA. Adams State teammate Piper Meuwissen ran a converted time of 9:57.38, breaking the 10-minute barrier and putting her at #31 in the NCAA. 4th Annual Indoor Gorilla Classic 5000 Claire McCune from Drury broke into the top 25 spots in the nation with a #24 outing in a time of 17:15.19.