Coffee? Check. 13 different TFRRS tabs open? Check. An unfathomably long list of emails that I still haven't read? Also check. It's now Division Two's turn to get a "way too early" preview for the still-distant 2024 cross country season. Feel free to join me as I throw around some thoughts about what we could potential expect in the D2 realm later this fall... NOTE: Any analysis offered in this article is not meant to be an indication of where an athlete or team will or will not be ranked in our preseason lists as new information is constantly flowing in. Any eligibility mentioned below is based off of TFRRS and any feedback that coaches have been able to offer us. We also could not get to ALL nationally relevant teams in this article. Just because a team was not mentioned does not necessarily mean that they are less relevant than other teams which were highlighted. Do we potentially have an NCAA title rematch for the ages on our hands? I say that because both the Wingate men and the Colorado Mines men seemingly return many of their core distance stars from last fall. In fact, when it comes to the former squad, they return everyone (per TFRRS) from last year's national meet lineup which gave them NCAA gold. And while the Orediggers do lose a pair of backend veterans in John O'Malley and Andrew Kaye, their top-four from the national meet seemingly remain. Coach Chris Siemers at Colorado Mines has shown time and time again that he can develop some of the best depth in the nation. If there's a team not to worry about this fall when it comes to finding backend lineup replacements, it's Colorado Mines. And yet, despite having four All-Americans from last fall, three of whom were in the top-16, the overwhelming firepower of Wingate looks like it could be even BETTER than it was last year! That's because the Bulldogs return all five of their All-Americans, two of whom were top-10 national meet finishers. It also feels fair to say that guys like Titouan Le Grix and Ricardo Barbosa have only gotten better since then. But let's take this another step further: What would happen if Coach Pol Domenech were to continue adding more international distance stars this offseason like he has in past years? Are we now looking at all-time elite Division Two cross country team? I don't think that's entirely out of play right now. Speaking of teams returning tons of firepower, the East Central men should continue to be a massive problem for their opponents this fall. Strictly according to TFRRS, the Tigers return their top-six men from the national meet and five of those returners finished in the top-43 of the national meet (four being All-Americans). The East Central men came out of nowhere last fall as a handful of international names flooded their roster, many of whom came from the JUCO ranks during the prior winter season. Now, with a small army of All-Americans expected to return, what should we expect from Coach Steve Sawyer? Does he have the room/resources to add another name or two? If so, how impactful could those new names be? And even if East Central doesn't add any new high-impact men, then how much better can we expect their returning scoring core to be in 2024? * * * Let's chat about the 4th place team from last year's national meet: West Texas A&M. The Buffaloes lose one All-American, Louis Moreau, from their 2024 podium squad. And for a team that had a significant gap after their five scorers last fall (beyond just the national meet), having just one gap in their top-five could be pretty challenging to fix. There is no denying that Enrico Oddone improved on the oval this past year. His projected progression should help West Texas A&M chip away at the lost scoring of Moreau. But if there are no major additions to this team in 2024, then Adrian Legarreta (who placed 114th at last year's national meet) is going to have to be the guy who takes that next step up. Thankfully for West Texas A&M, that's a realistic possibility. Legarreta did, after all, run 29:43 for 10,000 meters this past spring. It absolutely blows my mind that we have already discussed four teams and none of them were Adams State, Grand Valley State or Western Colorado. If you had told me that five years ago -- heck, maybe even three years ago -- that none of those three teams would be on the podium at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships, I would have shamelessly laughed at you. And now, not only did those teams not make the podium last fall, but two of them lose at least one major low-stick ace from last year! Long-time powerhouse Adams State loses their top-three men from last year's national meet (which featured two All-Americans) as well as James Dunne, the 12th place finisher at the RMAC XC Championships. Western Colorado, meanwhile, loses their superstar distance talent, Simon Kelati, to a graduate transfer situation. Now, in fairness to both of those teams, there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about upcoming fall campaigns of these two RMAC stalwarts. Adams State still has a true superstar in Romain Legendre and Kidus Begashaw had some underrated performances over the last year. And while we don't know the exact details of their recruiting class (yet), we do know that it's supposed to be one of the Grizzlies' better incoming groups of the last few years. As for Western Colorado, they still return most of their core from last year. That includes two All-Americans and three men who finished in the top-75 at the NCAA XC Championships. And given Coach Jen Michel's history of development, it's hard to see this team going backwards from last year. As for Grand Valley State, they lose two scorers in Andrew Hylen and Cal Yackin (per TFRRS) which is far from ideal. Even so, the Lakers should have more than enough reinforcements to make up for any major lineup gaps. And based on their history (as well as their current roster), depth is probably the least of this team's worries. That said, the GVSU men MUST find greater firepower going into 2024. If they don't, then they simply won't be able to scare for the podium. The Lakers had two All-Americans last year, but no one cracked the top-30 at the national meet. And frankly, that wasn't all too surprising when the national meet results were tallied last year. * * * Alright, now that we have discussed the traditional powers and last year's podium teams, let's jump around to a few other programs that I think could be fairly interesting. I don't necessarily believe that these are the next-best teams for this fall, but I do think that they are fun groups to chat about. I really like the Lewis men this year. Just like I mentioned with the Butler men and the Utah women , I think the Flyers have a chance to boast a very complete lineup. They are my personal sleeper team for this fall. Yes, it's true, Lewis struggled at last year's national meet, fading to 21st place overall. But if you followed that team throughout the 2023 season, then you'd realize that this squad was closer to the top-10 than they were the fringe of the top-20. Despite what TFRRS may suggest, the Illinois-based distance program only loses Daniel Arimi and Payton Goudreau from last year's national meet squad. Not only that, but they have also added Gavin Jenkins to the team, an 8:44 steeplechaser who originally joined the team last year (as a transfer) with an injury. That latter name is a big-time addition. If Jenkins can end up providing some firepower to this team -- and Lewis certainly needs it -- then there's a good chance that the Flyers can be a top-10 squad come November. The depth and much-needed experience that Lewis gained last year should give them a fairly high floor for this fall. However, their ceiling for success will mostly rely on how much upfront scoring potency that Coach James Kearney can develop. Another team that I really like this fall is Augusta. They finished in 15th place at last year's national meet, significantly outperforming our expectations at The Stride Report. And the best part? They return all but one man from their lineup, including their entire top-four. And you know what else? All six of those men are expected to be seniors (per TFRRS) going into this fall. That fact alone makes me feel like the Jaguars will be a fairly safe and reliable team in our pre-meet predictions come October and November. Of course, just like Lewis and Grand Valley State (albeit, to different extents), Augusta must find more firepower and identify one or two true low-sticks. Avery Jaynes and Brandon Martin are really solid lead scorers, but they'll need to graduate to a new tier this fall if this squad is going to be among the top-10 in the country. There is one additional team I found that largely follows the same "numerous returners, tons of depth, needs more firepower" blueprint: Western Washington. The Vikings will return six men from their national meet lineup which placed 16th overall at the 2023 NCAA D2 XC Championships. And just like Lewis, this team was probably better than what their season finale from last fall suggested. Losing Andrew Osin, one of their top scorers from last fall, is a tough hit for a team that needs the firepower. He provided some great value alongside Ryan Clough and Kevin McDermott. And yet, there is good reason to believe that this team will just be as talented as they were last year -- maybe even more so. Part of that is because McDermott had a tremendous year on the track. He looks like he has reached a new tier of fitness. Ttruthfully, it would be a surprise if he was not an All-American later this fall. But the other, and arguably more important, development is that George Karamitsos is set to return to this lineup in 2024! He sat out of Western Washington's 2023 fall campaign, but he did place 83rd at the NCAA XC Championships back in 2022. We're still waiting on a handful of coaches to get back to us regarding the eligibility of their upcoming team. So for now, let me close out this one-sided conversation with a few rapid-fire thoughts about a few other teams... Colorado Christian's scoring is probably going to be carried by three or four men like usual. And somehow, Coach Jon Poag is going to make that select group a top-10 team at some point this fall. I feel like you can just pencil that in now. I wish I had time to go more in-depth on the Alabama-Huntsville men. They are going to be sneaky-good this fall. I actually think they'll be just as good as their squad from the 2020 COVID season which trounced a strong Lee (Tenn.) team twice that year. The Catawba men are going to be better than you expect this fall...despite them losing their top runner from last year. They just need one breakout name to give them a scoring spark. If you want to follow a deep sleeper team, then I would monitor Florida Southern. They do lose a few names, but their upside seems fairly high now that their younger guys have gained some valuable experience.

Yes, I know. You all want to see our preseason summer rankings, huh? But have no fear! Those rankings are coming very soon. In the meantime, I wanted to review another set of transfers so that we have a greater understanding of where each name is at before we dive into the team rankings in August. And yes, just like our other "Transfer Market" articles, we will be exercising our "three sentences or less" rule when it comes to analyzing each of these names. Otherwise, we would be here all day. Let's begin, shall we? Dominic Serem (Oklahoma to Toledo) This is a sneaky-great pickup by the Toledo men. Dominic Serem showed great consistency this past spring, running 3:41 (1500) three different times despite only being a freshman. With a clear aerobic base to build off of (he holds a 13:52 PR for 5k), don't be surprised if Serem ends up getting out of the Great Lakes regional meet and into the national meet later this fall. Mary Munga (Akron to Toledo) As just a freshman, Mary Munga put together a resume that is much better than what her times on the track would suggest. Last fall, she placed 4th at the MAC XC Championships and was victorious in the "Gold" race at the Joe Piane Invitational. She will be an excellent addition for a Toledo team that features plenty of women with nationally competitive high school pedigree. Mary Ellen Eudaly (Arkansas to Virginia) One of the more underrated names to hit the transfer portal, Mary Ellen Eudaly is taking her talents to Virginia. On paper, this is an outstanding fit for both sides. Eudaly is a great miler who can contribute on the grass, an identical skillset that we've seen from current Virginia star Margot Appleton and former Cavalier, Mia Barnett. Heidi Nielson (Arkansas to Rice) The Rice women may have a future cross country national qualifier in Heidi Nielson. The now-former Razorback placed 20th at the South Central regional meet last fall and has run 16:02 for 5000 meters. She'll remain in the (admittedly weak) South Central region where her experience could help her return to the NCAA XC Championships. Yordanos Zelinski (Tennessee to Missouri) The Missouri men have been plenty active when it comes to recruiting as of late. However, many of the runners who they have added are largely developmental talents. That's still the case for Yordanos Zelinski, but after seeing him run 14:16 for 5000 meters, there's clearly potential for him to contribute to the Tigers' cross country lineup (at least in some capacity) as soon as this fall. Joe dosReis (Wisconsin to Rhode Island) Joe dosReis has gone from Davidson to Wisconsin and now to Rhode Island. With a 3:58 mile PR, great experience and solid turnover, he'll likely be the focal name to watch in the middle distance events upon joining the Atlantic 10 Conference. Dugion Blackman (Hampton to Iowa State) The rich are getting richer now that Dugion Blackman has joined Iowa State. The now-former Hampton talent ran 1:46 for 800 meters this past spring and qualified for the 2023 outdoor national meet. With tons of valuable experience, Blackman will give the Cyclones yet another national-caliber weapon to utilize over the 800-meter distance come the winter and spring. Heidi Demeo (Oklahoma State to Syracuse) Landing a talent like Heidi Demeo is great for a Syracuse program that needs to bolster their support scoring on the grass. The former Cowgirl has been to the national stage before and has finished as high as 12th place at the BIG 12 XC Championships (albeit, when the conference wasn't quite as loaded). With veteran experience and solid mile chops, the Orange are getting a great value pickup in Demeo. Will Daley (Dartmouth to Virginia) There is a lot of subtly great value scattered throughout Will Daley's resume. Times of 4:02 (mile) and 13:57 (5k) make him a solid name on the track, especially with more development. However, it's his 15th place finish at last year's Pre-Nationals meet which suggests that he can be a very impactful cross country scorer when he's firing on all cylinders. Emily Chaston (Colorado State to Utah) The Utah women continue to get stronger with the addition of Emily Chaston, a 10:12 steeplechaser who has also offered solid value on the grass. While some of her performances have been better than others, Chaston has still been to the cross country national meet multiple times and has cracked the top-162 on all three occasions. She is an excellent depth piece who certainly raises the floor of this already-great Utah squad. Davis Helmerich (Missouri to Arkansas) The Arkansas men are adding more depth to their middle distance group by picking up Davis Helmerich. The SEC veteran has run 1:49 (800) and 3:43 (1500), making him someone who can legitimately score at future SEC Championships, something that he proved this past spring. Joshua Allison (Southern Illinois to Missouri) As just a freshman, Joshua Allison was able to post an 8:58 (steeple) PR at the tail-end of his outdoor track season. In theory, that makes him a nice long-term developmental name who could offer conference-level scoring value in the next year or two. The bigger aspect to monitor, however, is how he'll translate that fitness to the grass. Garrison Shindler (Abilene Christian to Southern Utah) With marks of 1:51 (800) and 4:07 (mile), Garrison Shindler should provide plenty of conference meet points for Southern Utah at future WAC Championships. After all, that's a conference that he was already racing in. Jack Higgins (Bucknell to Boston College) While his marks may not be super flashy, Jack Higgins is a still-rising distance talent with two years of eligibility remaining. With respectable range and an overall talent level that is beyond what he has shown, Higgins could be a strong scorer for the Golden Eagles by the time he's a senior. John Riley (UMass Lowell to Providence) With personal bests of 14:02 (5k) and 29:16 (10k), John Riley should provide some really nice scoring stability on the grass for Providence this fall. Don't forget, this guy was 18th at the 2022 Northeast Regional XC Championships and was the 2022 A10 cross country individual champion. His impact as a scorer this fall will likely extend beyond what his times on the track would suggest. Sophie Coughlin (UConn to Oklahoma) With a 10:23 steeplechase PR, Sophie Coughlin should be a great name to pair with incoming graduate transfer and 2024 NCAA D3 steeplechase champion, Megan Johnson. Together, those two women could rack up a nice handful of points over the barriers and water pits at next year's SEC Outdoor Championships. Kiera Snyder (East Tennessee State to Oklahoma) While there is still work to be done at the regional level, Kiera Snyder has put together some very solid performances on the grass. The soon-to-be Sooner has been a three-time top-20 finisher at the Southern Conference XC Championships and was 20th at the Louisville XC Classic. When paired with Oklahoma's other additions, Snyder gives the Norman-based women a fairly solid core of cross country runners to build around this fall.

Back in May, Colorado Christian announced that head coach Jon Poag has been elevated to an Athletic Director role at the university. The former head track and cross country coach will now hand off his duties to Evan Verbal who will oversee both men's and women's programs. Since being hired as CCU's head coach in 2015, Poag has transformed the Cougar men into a perennial top-10 team at the Division Two level. Despite competing in the ultra-stacked Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and South Central region, the Cougars have emerged as a mainstay atop of the D2 cross country rankings. Under Poag, the CCU men earned their first-ever national meet berth in 2019. The women's team followed suit with their first-ever national meet qualification in 2021. Both teams have been able to advance to the NCAA XC Championships each year since then. In 2022, the Colorado Christian men threw down a monster 3rd place podium finish at the national meet while the women secured a 10th place result. The Cougar men have finished in the top-10 of the national meet over the last three years. The rise of the CCU men has no doubt been a collective effort. However, the lineups constructed by Poag over the years have seemingly been centered around a handful of top-tier low-sticks who have maximized their scoring output. That, in turn, has led to the rise of All-American standouts such as Matthew Storer, Josh Pierantoni, Trent Cochran and Ryder Searle. The recent rise of the Colorado Christian women can, in large part, be attributed to a handful of excellent recruiting classes going into the new decade. Their lineups have still featured great low-sticks (think Paige Tack), but have also been more balanced compared to their male counterparts. Now taking over the reigns of the program is Evan Verbal, a 2018 graduate from CCU who earned numerous Division Two All-American honors during his time with the Cougars. He previously served as the head coach at Regis University and was an assistant coach with Colorado Christian from 2019 through 2022. Verbal will now take over a men's cross country team that is looking to capitalize on the return of nearly all of their 2023 national meet members who placed 8th as a team at last year's NCAA XC Championships. The women's team will return vital pieces from last year's 16th place national meet squad, but they will also need to overcome the loss of veteran scorer Paige Tack and a couple of others.

Earlier today, Clemson announced that they have signed Judy Kosgei from the transfer portal. The now-former South Carolina star is expected to have three full years of eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition. Kosgei was one of the top transfer prospects in the NCAA this summer, boasting fantastic range as well as national meet success. On the track, the future Tiger has posted marks of 2:01 (800) and 4:07 (1500). She was also a 19th place All-American at the NCAA XC Championships last fall. Admittedly, Kosgei's decision to join the Clemson women is a bit of a surprise. The Tigers are predominately known for their investments in the sprints and the middle distances. And while Kosgei does boast excellent turnover, having a top-tier miler with nationally competitive cross country credentials is not something that we have often seen from this program. Of course, rising sophomore Gladys Chepngetich is the most obvious counterpoint to that argument. The 23-year old from Kenya was fantastic in her first year with the Tigers, dropping outstanding marks of 1:59 (800) and 4:13 (1500). And just like Kosgei, she too was a cross country All-American last fall, placing 24th at the NCAA XC Championships. On paper, the pairing of Kosgei with Chepngetich is brilliant. Both women complement each other beautifully with skillsets that are almost identical to each other. The range from just one of those women would provide tons of scoring value for any team in the NCAA. But to now have two women who can theoretically attack most distances at a nationally competitive level, while still boasting three entire years of eligibility, is almost unheard of. And yet, despite that likely lethal duo, the Clemson women still have tons of work to do if they are going to be anywhere close to a competitive team on the grass. While Kosgei and Chepngetich should carry this group with their low-stick efforts, the depth of their lineup will need to be far stronger moving forward. Last fall, the Tigers finished in 14th place out of 15 teams at the ACC XC Championships. But possibly the biggest winners of this transfer move are the women of South Carolina. Yes, the same team that Kosgei transferred out of. There's no denying that Kosgei's departure from Columbia, South Carolina is a brutal loss for a team that has rarely had a star-caliber distance runner like her. However, Kosgei ending up in the ACC rather than the SEC means that she won't rack up conference meet points over the next three years against the very program that first introduced her to the NCAA. And given the insatiable appetite that Florida seemingly has for transfer stars, the Gamecocks can breathe a sigh of relief after plenty of speculation suggested that Kosgei had the potential to be a Gator.

Disclosure: The author of this article is a Virginia Tech alum. Earlier this week, Illinois announced that Eric Johannigmeier, the former head distance coach at Virginia Tech, was being hired as the team's next head distance coach. Johannigmeier is an Illinois alum, graduating from the university back in 2011. The Stride Report has also confirmed that Helen Lehman-Winters, the former Oregon coach who was hired as Illinois' distance coach last summer following the departure of Coach Sarah Smith (née Haveman) to Texas, is no longer with the program. Johannigmeier's rise among the NCAA coaching ranks has stemmed from a series of significant coaches changes over the last six years. In the summer of 2018, Coach Ben Thomas left Virginia Tech to join the Oregon men as their lead distance coach. In turn, Johannigmeier was tabbed as the Hokies' next distance coach. Since then, Coach Jerry Schumacher has taken over the Ducks' as the team's newest Director, leaving Coach Ben Thomas without a distance team to coach. But with long-time Virginia Tech Director Dave Cianelli recently retiring, Thomas has returned to Blacksburg, this time as the Hokies' newest Director. Naturally, Thomas' reintroduction to VT sparked questions as to what would happen with Johannigmeier given the theoretical overlap in their coaching roles. Those questions, of course, have now been answered now that the latter coach is venturing to Champaign, Illinois. Despite the incredibly high bar set by Thomas during his tenure with the Hokies, Johannigmeier was still able to effectively recruit top names and develop national-caliber standouts, specifically in the middle distance events. Lindsey Butler, for instance, was an NCAA indoor 800-meter champion and earned numerous All-American honors. Nick Plant, who was one of the most coveted high school middle distance recruits from the Class of 2022, has now evolved into a 1:46 (800) runner who has earned multiple All-American honors. At one point, the Virginia Tech men had five runners (one racing unattached) crack the four-minute mile barrier in one race. Admittedly, neither side of Virginia Tech's roster has had much success on the cross country course since Ben Thomas left the team (although Peter Seufer was brilliant in the fall of 2019 and Sarah Freix cracked the top-100 of the national meet that same year). The Hokies have also not had a contingent or set of individuals who have come all that close to the juggernaut 2018 men's group that lifted Ben Thomas to national prominence. Even so, most NCAA fans recognize this Blacksburg-based program as a middle distance stalwart. And under the guidance of Johannigmeier, the Hokies were still able to produce nationally competitive DMR lineups while their overall 800/mile depth seemingly stood the test of time. Johannigmeier will now be tasked with reviving an Illinois women's distance program that has faltered from the once-great heights established by Coach Sarah Haveman back in 2019 and 2021. The men's team, however, has not finished higher than 5th place at the BIG 10 XC Championships since 2017 (where they placed 4th). They have only cracked the top-three of their conference meet once in the new millennium (2015). They last qualified for the national meet in 2016. As the BIG 10 Conference becomes even more competitive with the introduction of Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC, Johannigmeier will have his toughest coaching challenge yet. Even so, few coaches seemed to be a better fit for Illinois than a returning alum who kept Virginia Tech as a middle distance power despite the initial departure of a superstar coach.

Podcast production via Wyatt Barnsley We are back with a fan-favorite episode this week! Ben and Garrett begin the podcast by discussing the moves made by David Mullarkey and Alex Millard. The guys then list off the NCAA runners who gave them the most challenges when crafting our preseason XC rankings! Be sure to subscribe, listen and review! (2:12) David Mullarkey Transfers to Northern Arizona (7:20) Alex Millard Switches Commitment from Boston College to Providence (15:11) Karrie Baloga (Northern Arizona) (17:41) Silan Ayyildiz (Oregon) (19:37) Maggie Condon (Northern Arizona) (22:35) Ashley Jones (Tennessee) (25:03) Emily Covert (Notre Dame) (28:04) Jenna Hutchins (BYU) (33:41) James Corrigan (BYU) (36:14) Sanele Masondo (Iowa State) (39:29) Peter Maru (Arkansas) (42:38) Colin Sahlman (Northern Arizona) (46:03) Carter Solomon (Notre Dame) (49:19) Devin Hart (Oregon) (52:15) Sophie O’Sullivan (Washington) (55:53) Carmen Alder (BYU) (58:37) Yasin Sado (Virginia) You can listen to that episode (and others) on our PODCASTS page! You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Soundcloud. If you like it, be sure to leave us a rating and a review! Note: If you're having issues loading the episode on the site via mobile, try refreshing the episode page. We will look into this issue for future episodes.

Earlier today, the University of Washington announced that they have signed Cole Lindhorst, a now-former middle distance star for Texas. Based on his TFRRS profile, he is expected to have at least one full year of eligibility across all three seasons of competition as well as the possibility for a second year (the latter of which is speculation). Here is what we previously said about Lindhorst in a recent "Transfer Market" article... "When Cole Lindhorst is healthy, he is one of the more underrated and consistently competitive middle distance talents in the NCAA. With times of 1:46 (800), 3:40 (1500) and 3:59 (mile), it's clear that this current Longhorn is a half-miler first as well as someone who can effectively move up in distance if needed. In recent seasons, Lindhorst had consistently ripped off multiple 1:47 marks for 800 meters. In fact, between the winter and spring months, the Texas runner posted five separate 1:47 efforts before running a 1:46 PR. In both seasons, he individually qualified for national meet. He also qualified for 2022 indoor national meet over 800 meters. While Lindhorst has dealt with injuries and continuously ending his season in the prelims of the national stage, there is no denying that he is still realizing his full potential. In his latest year of racing, Lindhorst had never been as consistent as he was and he had never cracked 1:47 (800) until last month." That same runner will now be heading to Seattle, Washington to join a team mostly known for their mile and 1500-meter prowess. However, Coach Andy Powell has begun to add a large handful of nationally competitive half-milers to his program over the last year or so. Columbia's Justin O'Toole signed with the Huskies during the winter (although he will make the move this fall) and more recently, UNC's Kyle Reinheimer also opted to sign with the Washington men. Those two transfers own 800-meter personal bests of 1:47 and 1:48, respectively. Of course, it's Lindhorst who is the prized pickup of this group. With a 1:46 personal best over 800 meters, an ability to be a decent miler and a proven resume as a nationally competitive half-miler, Andy Powell's job just got easier. Not only can Lindhorst focus on the 800 meters while Nathan Green attacks his primary distance (the mile/1500 meters), but he could also be a pivotal piece for the Huskies in the DMR. In theory, his introduction to this roster gives Washington a bit more flexibility with who they can substitute in and out of that lineup. Let's also not forget that Lindhorst has proven on multiple occasions to be an outstanding doubler. At the 2022 Alex Wilson Invite, for instance, Lindhorst split 1:47 on the 800-meter relay of the Longhorn's DMR. He then doubled back not too long after that to finish 2nd place in the open 800 meters with yet another 1:47 mark. Yes, it's true, Washington's newest conference (the BIG 10) is known for being loaded over the half-mile distance. But with Abdullahi Hassan recently transferring to Mississippi State and Rivaldo Marshall entering the transfer portal earlier this year, there is seemingly room for Cole Lindhorst to rack up a significant amount of conference meet points for the Huskies come the winter and spring of 2025.

Oh? What's that? A "First Thoughts" article on a random Tuesday in the middle of the summer? Yes, it's true! An article series often reserved for NCAA competition is coming back out for a somewhat broad review of collegians who have been racing overseas. But which races are we going to talk about? And how good does the performance have to be to get mentioned? Well, there was plenty of USA Olympic Trials coverage across the entire media sphere and June is well past us. For that reason, we'll be covering any notable collegiate result that was produced in the month of July. Here are some key pieces of action that recently caught our attention... Providence's Shannon Flockhart Posts Strong 4:04.98 (1500) PR to Win Morton Games I think most people who consistently read our content know that we're big fans of Providence ace, Shannon Flockhart. She has often thrived on the outdoor oval, has been sneaky-good in tactical settings, brings underrated value on the grass and has continued to improve each and every year. For the most part, Flockhart's 2024 outdoor track season (within NCAA competition) was a success. She won the Raleigh Relays 1500-meter title over fellow teammate Kimberley May and she finished 6th place overall in the 1500-meter finals at the outdoor national meet, earning All-American honors and producing a then-PR of 4:05.99 in the process. But for as much momentum as Flockhart has had, it seems fair to say that her latest effort at the Morton Games was her best performance to date. The Friar star looked unbelievably poised throughout her 1500-meter effort in a more-than-respectable field featuring a handful of great pro athletes. She shadowed the leaders, positioned herself beautifully and looked to be in far greater control of her fitness than anyone else in field as she pulled away over the final 100 meters. Oh, and she ran a new 1500-meter PR of 4:04.98. Flockhart is only absolute fire right now. She can seemingly do no wrong each and every time she toes the line. Now, admittedly, it's also fair to point out that Flockhart's metric mile prowess, while plenty impressive, isn't guaranteed to translate to great races on the grass. But Flockhart has proven before that she can be a nationally competitive name during cross country. She has, after all, finished 69th at the NCAA XC Championships on two separate occasions. And even though middle distance turnover isn't often correlated with aerobic-centric strength, it's hard to ignore that Flockhart was in complete control of her fitness last week. Sophie O'Sullivan's 4:05 (1500) Effort at Morton Games Headlines Encouraging Performances From Washington Women In that same 1500-meter race as Shannon Flockhart were a pair of Washington women, each of whom had great outings! Sophie O'Sullivan had an excellent race. When it seemed like she was fading, the Husky veteran came through with a brilliant last lap and a big kick. That wasn't enough to catch Flockhart who had another gear, but she did pull ahead of a strong field that struggled to keep pace with the collegians. In the end, O'Sullivan was able to post a time of 4:05.99 for 1500 meters. That wasn't a personal best, but it was another highly encouraging step in the right direction after she dealt with an injury last winter. Since then, she has been slowly working her way back into top form. What this performance, as well as her recent 2:00 PR over 800 meters, tells us is that O'Sullivan's peak fitness isn't out of reach. In fact, she'll likely enter the cross country season with some of the best momentum that she has ever had -- and that's precisely what the Washington women need if they are going to make the podium come November. Speaking of Washington, this race also featured Chloe Foerster who ran a small PR of 4:07.66. That's not exactly a stunning result for someone who had barely cracked 4:08 at the Bryan Clay Invite back in April and ran 4:28 mile PR as well. And truthfully, her execution in more tactical scenarios (i.e. the prelims of the national meet) are the bigger points of emphasis for her moving forward. Even so, it's the cross country season that we're focusing on the most. And when you pair that result with a very solid 8:58 (3k) PR with her latest effort, then it's hard not to be encouraged about Foerster potentially being an All-American later this fall. In fact, the even more encouraging development was seeing teammate Julia David-Smith run a 3000-meter PR of 8:59 in the same race! Sure, an outdoor track is almost always faster than the indoor oval, but in this context, that doesn't really matter. Simply seeing that she is near her best-ever form likely gives Coach Maurica Powell one less scorer to worry about. The biggest thing that we have learned about Washington is that the Huskies' top-three women from last year's national meet, each of whom finished in the top-60 on that stage, are all proving to be incredibly fit. And sure, November is a long ways out, but I'd much rather see these positive developments than the alternative. Nathan Green & Finley McLear Battle at Morton Games, Both Run 1:46 Over 800 Meters I admittedly don't have too much to say about this result. This was a super unsurprising pair of performances that made us shrug our shoulders and say, "Yeah, seems about right." Did I think that McLear could have run 1:45 for 800 meters and gotten the better of Green? Yes, that was my expectation. Even so, Green is no pushover when it comes to the half-mile distance and this race wasn't exactly the tactical game of chess that McLear has often excelled at (although he did have a heckuva kick after being at the back for so long). Seeing Green extend his outdoor track season to the summer isn't too surprising, especially given the excellent spring campaign that he had. That leads me to believe that he'll likely make a very late season debut (just like he did last fall) as he transitions from speed training to aerobic development. Oregon's Tomas Palfrey Runs 3:38 (1500) PR, Nathan Green Runs 3:53 (Mile) to Win Cork City, Adam Spencer Runs 3:53 (Mile) at Morton Games While Sean Donoghue Runs 3:55 (Mile) at Morton Games Speaking of Nathan Green, the Washington middle distance star was excellent at the Cork City Invitational in Ireland. The Husky star ran 3:53 over the mile distance to secure a strong summer season win against some well-established pro and his now-former teammates (such as Joe Waskom and Luke Houser). Was Green's final time surprising? No, not really. Was his win surprising? Honestly, no, I can't say that I'm totally shocked. Of course, just because we're not surprised doesn't mean that we're not impressed. After a rocky month of March, Green has rallied beautifully, putting together one of the best overall outdoor track seasons of any distance runner in the NCAA this year. We may not have learned anything new about the Husky ace, but running this fast and beating this field three days before running 1:46-low over 800 meters is applause-worthy. Let's chat about Tomas Palfrey, the Oregon runner who has clearly been brimming with potential for the last few seasons, but is only now beginning to showcase his full talent. After running 1:48 for 800 meters during the indoor track season and posting a pair of 3:40 marks over 1500 meters (one of which got him to the outdoor national meet), Palfrey opted to extend his season overseas. The Aussie middle distance runner first posted a head-turning 1000-meter time of 2:19 back in June. Palfrey has since gone on to run 3:38 for 1500 meters not once, not twice, but THREE times since then! That is tremendous consistency and an obvious sign of peaking for June (although he seemed to be a couple weeks too late for the NCAA Championships). Regardless, this is a fantastic development for the Oregon men. Palfrey has now shown that he can be a nationally competitive name in the NCAA when he's firing on all cylinders. And if he can translate those efforts to the indoor and outdoor ovals in 2025, then the Ducks are going to have quite the contingent of middle distance standouts scattered throughout their roster. Moving back to the Morton Games, Wisconsin's Adam Spencer was the top (still active) collegian in the field. The Badger superstar placed 5th overall in that race with a strong time of 3:53. And yet, you can't help but feel like he should have placed a bit higher. Of course, if you go back and watch the race, then you'll find that Spencer made a fairly ambitious move with 650ish meters to go. That jump to the front inherently carried risk, but that's something that Spencer likely understood as he chased after a fast time. And frankly, without Spencer, this race probably wouldn't have been quite as fast as it was. In other words, I wouldn't use this race as a gauge of his tactical know-how or even his fitness. There were probably better ways for Spencer to execute in that race, but it's better to experiment now than in Paris. We finally come to Villanova's Sean Donoghue, a guy who we've known to be a talented miler for the last few seasons. Prior to the summer months, Donoghue was 3:58 miler who had actually qualified for the 2023 outdoor national meet over 1500 meters. Even so, we weren't quite expecting the Irish miler find so much success this month within the span of three days. After running 3:56 in the mile at the Cork City Sports meet, the rising Wildcat standout ventured to the Morton Games three days later where he ran a 3:55 mile PR! Seeing Donoghue make significant improvements is a big development for a Villanova team that just lost veterans Sean Dolan and Charlie O'Donovan. While Liam Murphy is a true national-caliber star, having at least one secondary middle distance ace to lean on has been a luxury that the Wildcats have had for the last few years. And thanks to Donoghue, he will seemingly give his team another national-caliber middle distance runner while this still-young roster continues to develop.

Earlier this week, Joshua Grenade first reported that the Villanova men have signed NCAA D3 mile champion, Bennett Booth-Genthe (via Pomona-Pitzer), as a graduate transfer. The Stride Report has independently verified the transfer. Grenade also contributed to an announcement where Abdullahi Hassan (formerly of Wisconsin) announced that he was transferring to Mississippi State (as a graduate transfer). Both men are expected to have one season of outdoor track eligibility remaining as well as one season of indoor track eligibility remaining. At first glance, Hassan's decision to join Mississippi State may come as a bit of a surprise. Madison, Wisconsin and Starkville, Mississippi could not possibly be more different, at least geographically speaking. It's also a bit atypical of the Bulldog men to land high-octane transfers in the offseason. Instead, they have traditionally established their middle distance success via the JUCO ranks or through the internal development of their recruits. But when it comes to producing true 800-meter superstars, very few programs have been able to match what Mississippi State has accomplished. Men such as Brandon McBride, Marco Arop and Navasky Anderson were superstar-caliber half-milers during their time in the NCAA. It also doesn't hurt that Tyrese Reid just ran 1:45 (800) earlier this spring. The other connection, which may not be as obvious, is the fact that both Brandon McBride and Marco Arop are Canadian -- just like Hassan. Those two men were truly elite middle distance stars during their time in the NCAA and they both later became Olympians. In fact, Arop is one of the best overall 800-meter runners in the world right now. Those two men were (or are) coached by Chris Woods, the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Mississippi State. If Woods is able to refine Hassan's middle distance talent in the same way that he did for McBride, Arop and Anderson, then this former Wisconsin star could go from being an All-American contender to a legitimate national title threat. * * * We then come to Bennett Booth-Genthe, a guy who was arguably the best overall distance runner at the Division Three level this past winter and spring. Not only did the former Pomona-Pitzer runner win the NCAA D3 title in the mile this past winter, but he also went on to record marks of 1:48 (800) and 4:00 (mile). On paper, Booth-Genthe makes perfect sense for the Villanova men. The Wildcats have been known to develop numerous upper-tier milers throughout the years. Many of those same men have also displayed excellent turnover when stepping down in distance to the 800 meters. With at least some semblance of tactical know-how, Booth-Genthe looks like a high-upside miler who can score plenty of points for Villanova at future BIG East Championships. And if the regional rounds break in his favor, then he could potentially sneak his way into the outdoor national meet come next spring.

Earlier today, The Stride Report confirmed that Alexandra Millard, a long distance superstar from England, has decided to flip her commitment from Boston College to Providence. Millard initially signed with the Golden Eagles back in April, but has since changed her decision. While it's unclear how much eligibility Millard is expected to have upon her arrival to the NCAA, the English distance ace will still be revered as one of the more valuable offseason additions of any college team this year. With jaw-dropping personal bests of 4:05 (1500), 8:52 (3k) and 15:18 (5k), each of which were run in 2024, Millard's fitness has reached a level that could put her in contention for future NCAA titles and likely multiple All-American honors across multiple events. However, the more important aspect to consider with Millard's flipped commitment is that the Lady Friars now have an extremely lethal low-stick to pair with a team that was already boasting fairly strong firepower. Despite last year's national meet results, Kimberley May proved that she could be an All-American talent on the grass. She'll be a fantastic complement to Millard later this fall, especially as Providence aims to negate the firepower of Georgetown's lead scorers at the BIG East XC Championships. Veteran Shannon Flockhart has come within reasonable striking distance of an All-American honor in prior seasons (twice finishing 69th at the cross country national meet) and will likely give herself a shot to reach the top-40 later this year. Not only that, but the Friars' newly-recruited transfer, Kenzie Doyle, has been a top-90 finisher at the NCAA XC Championships before (she has also run 15:27 for 5000 meters). Providence isn't necessarily a perfect squad this fall -- they'll need to solidify what the backend of their lineup is going to look like as they attempt to support the above-mentioned quartet. Even so, there are a handful of women on this roster who have the potential to take noticeable steps up in their fitness this fall. The biggest x-factor for Providence will likely be Jane Buckley, a key low-stick for this squad in 2022. If she is able to return to her top form later this fall, then the Friars could end up having one of the more complete scoring fives in the entire NCAA. In theory, that would put the Friars in contention to be a top-10 team this fall. And if everything breaks their way, a podium spot wouldn't be totally out of the realm of possibility, either.