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This past weekend, LSU middle distance superstar, Michaela Rose, announced that she has signed a “Name, Imagine and Likeness” (NIL) deal with Adidas. The signing came just days after NC State phenom, Katelyn Tuohy, who was originally on an NIL deal with Adidas, officially signed a professional contract with the Three Stripe brand.
It should be noted that on Saturday, the day of the Foot Locker XC National Championships, HOKA (the meet's sponsor) announced that they have signed three current collegiates, Natalie Cook, Kole Mathison and Karrie Baloga, to NIL deals of their own. Those three athletes were all recent Foot Locker national champions.
Rose, who was a true standout star as a prep runner, had a strong freshman campaign with LSU. However, she truly broke out as an all-time star as a sophomore. Last year, the Tiger middle distance talent ran phenomenal personal bests of 53.42 (400), 1:59.08 (800) and 4:11.98 (1500). That half-mile mark sits at NCAA #2 all-time behind only Athing Mu on the outdoor oval. Her 800-meter indoor track PR of 2:00.18 sits at NCAA #4 all-time.
Last winter, Rose battled with the Stanford rookie duo of Roisin Willis and Juliette Whittaker at the NCAA Indoor Championships, taking bronze in the 8000-meter finals. But at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Rose earned redemption, going wire-to-wire to win NCAA gold for the 800-meter national title.
It should also be noted that during the same weekend that Rose ran her NCAA #2 all-time 800-meter mark, she also ran her current 4:11 (1500) PR. In total, the LSU star ran under two-minute barrier three separate times last spring.
By signing an NIL deal with Adidas at this point in time, Rose’s likelihood of staying in the NCAA, at least for this current academic year, seemingly grows stronger. The LSU junior now joins Northern Arizona’s Drew Bosley and Texas' Olivia Howell as fellow collegiates who have signed NIL deals with Adidas. In turn, the German-based sports apparel brand will likely remain in the public eye in an NIL space that is becoming increasingly more saturated with track and field signings.