Rocky Hansen’s 3:50.22 DMR Anchor: Could He Be a Sub-3:50 Miler? Could he win the NCAA 5,000m? Is he a dark horse?

Enough with the “optimal” run times. They will never replace actually running the time, or racing in a championship setting.

Hansen passes the eye test. In the 5,000, he ran much of it alone from the front and Drew Bosley could not hang on at all. In this 1600, he ran the 3:50 split racing — it was not some flying relay carry. The first 200 and last 400 were far from optimal. I don't think he's more than a second worse than Gary Martin in a time trial mile if that's how we want to think about it. His problem has been staying healthy, and his absence from ACCs is a bit of a cause for concern. But he has flashed low 7:30s, sub-13:10 and sub 3:50 ability this indoors season if he gets in the right race.

He's an incredible talent, really could have placed top 15 at xc nationals fall of '23 if he was healthy. Now hearing rumors he is injured yet again, please don't be true.

Assuming that he’s healthy, he will win the 5000 at NCAAs.

If he’s not healthy, it’ll be Liam Murphy.

I think he'd have a great shot at sub-3:50, and has a good shot at winning the 5k (assuming he's healthy). Strand has run 3:48, and split 3:49 for 1600 when Hansen outkicked him with his 3:50. I haven't looked at his 13:14 5k splits or whatever he ran, but from what I heard from Thoughtsleader, he left time on the table. Yaseen Abdalla is the 3rd fastest this year with his 13:09.99, so in a championship race, with 3:50 mile speed, I think Hansen stands a good shot at winning, although I don't think he's the favorite still.

Isn't the 5k shortly after the DMR at nationals? How will he handle doubling back on the same night? My money would be on Samuel or Liam Murphy as neither of them are running the DMR.

I'm always rooting for Yaseen, but he just can't keep up in the end of a slow race. His sprint form is just horrible with no knee lift. Also he ran a marathon last year so he's obviously been slightly affected by that.

I agree that in that relay anchor he was in shape to run sub-3:50 under the right circumstances. He looks like a guy with a great future in the sport. However, I have my doubts about his championship performances coming up because he did not look very good in the ACC 3000m, where he was easily dropped by Tewalt and Martin well before the last lap.

Hansen did not run the ACC 3000m.

How does statsgansta not have a Mile dropdown option?

Clearly they dropped him right at the start.

Seriously, incredible talent. He's a threat to win at anything 1500 to 10k!

...but so are 10 others! What an epic period for ncaa running!

Yes he did. Check again.

Rocky Hansen did NOT run the 3k at ACC. Not sure if you are talking about another Hansen.

In reality another graphic showed Hansen as a dns.

Hansen, surely did not run. He was up on the graphic, but I knew he was not going to be in, and did not see him on starting line. I wonder what his physical status is, he has been in and out all year, I thought he might go for 3Kq and run the DMR 3K double, which is doable. I see Sahlman taking up space in the mile 3K double which in now way for him is doable, it is an hour after mile final. Sometimes folks enter both in case of a train wreck in mile heats.

They deleted my post in which I described why I thought he was in the race. The telecast for the ACC 3k had two heats. In the second heat at the start, they showed two athletes, Dewalt and another guy that an on-screen graphic labeled Rocky Hansen as the commentator described Hansen as one of the best young runners in the NCAA. Later on, a graphic comes on to say that Hansen was a dns. A second watch of the tape shows that that guy, who was dropped, was Va Tech's George Coutie. So, that's why I thought it was Hansen. Interesting sense of humor on the part of the moderators to delete my post in which I explained this.

Not a big deal, not a criticism, I saw his name up and was like...how do they not know such a big star had scratched days earlier?