Production via Wyatt Barnsley On this week’s episode of the Blue Oval Podcast, Ben and Garrett break down TSR’s 2025 D1 Indoor End of Season Award nominees and give out some of their own votes! From “Best Freshman” to “Most Improved” to our prestigious “Most Valuable Runner (MVR)” awards, the guys debate the top contenders and highlight the biggest performances of the season. But before all of that, Ben and Garrett discuss Tabitha Ngao’s provisional suspension and it’s potential impact. Tune-in for all the analysis and standout moments from the 2025 NCAA indoor track season and be sure to subscribe and review! (2:33) Tabitha Ngao Provisionally Suspended By ADAK (13:57) Best Freshman Nominees (Men) (18:30) Best Freshman Nominees (Women) (25:10) Most Improved Nominees (Men) (32:41) Most Improved Nominees (Women) (38:21) Best Performance Nominees (Men) (44:10) Best Performance Nominees (Women) (49:02) Best Distance Coach Nominees (Men) (52:54) Best Distance Coach Nominees (Women) (59:54) MVR Nominees (Men) (1:02:36) MVR Nominees (Women) 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.

Last week, Azusa Pacific University announced that they will be transitioning from Division Two to Division Three starting in the fall of 2026. The move will allow the Cougars' to bring back football as a sponsored sport. Women’s flag football and another women’s sport will also be added. APU dropped football from their athletic offerings in 2020 due to financial and restructuring challenges. Azusa Pacific will eventually join the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) in 2028 after finishing their transitionary periods. Their future conference rivals will feature programs such as Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, two established powerhouses in Division Three distance running. Of course, the Cougars have developed a reputation of their own for being a talented middle and long distance group. The Azusa Pacific men preparing for the 2024 Lewis XC Crossover // Photo via Griffin Forberg The Azusa Pacific men have qualified for the last three NCAA D2 XC Championships, placing 10th at the 2023 national meet. The Cougar men have also been known to develop a handful of individual stars, the most recent being Felix Perrier and Ben Sumner. The women, meanwhile, have lit up the middle distances on the track, at least over the last few years. Athletes such as Olivia Alexandre, Jessica Kampman, Sofia Camacho, Philippine de la Bigne and Briseida Garcia Meza (to name a few) have either produced national-caliber marks or have thrived on the national stage (or both). However, the Division Three level does not allow for the distribution of athletic scholarships. That could potentially be a limiting factor in how the Cougars opt to recruit in the future, specifically in regards to international athletes.