Armstrong leaves Boise State for BYU, Princeton’s Lundy and Yale’s Siegler depart Ivy League to complete careers at North Carolina, with Rizzo heading to Georgetown after just one indoor track season at Stanford

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The defending NCAA Division 1 champion Brigham Young men’s cross country team helped bolster its roster Thursday, confirming the transfer of Boise State talent Elijah Armstrong to join the Cougars for the 2020-21 school year.

Armstrong was one of four significant male distance runners to announce transfers Thursday, with Princeton’s Conor Lundy and Yale’s Allen Siegler both deciding to conclude their collegiate careers at North Carolina after the Ivy League maintained its tradition of not allowing graduate student-athletes to compete despite the NCAA Division 1 Council agreeing March 30 to provide an extra year of eligibility and potential scholarship relief for seniors participating in spring sports.

After only competing in indoor track during his freshman year at Stanford, Matt Rizzo announced he is transferring to Georgetown.

Armstrong, who missed time during 2017-18 at Boise State to complete his two-year mission trip, placed 70th at the 2015 NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships, 112th in 2018 and 168th in November.

He has also won Mountain West Conference titles in the 10,000 meters in 2016 and the 5,000 meters last year.

Armstrong will look to provide depth for BYU, which graduates All-Americans Daniel Carney and Jacob Heslington, along with NCAA finalist Michael Ottesen, who placed 87th as the Cougars’ No. 6 runner at the championship meet in Terre Haute, Ind.

Despite having only one season of eligibility remaining for cross country, Armstrong still has two seasons left for both indoor and outdoor track.

Lundy, who finished 70th in his third career appearance at the Division 1 cross country final after placing 62nd in 2017 and 101st in 2018, was also an NCAA outdoor finalist for Princeton with a 15th-place effort in the 5,000 in 2018.

Although Lundy has exhausted his cross country eligibility, he will be able to compete for North Carolina in both the indoor and outdoor track seasons next year.

Siegler will have both indoor and outdoor seasons remaining as far as eligibility as well. The middle-distance specialist, who placed second in the IC4A/ECAC indoor mile in March, adds veteran depth for new coach Chris Miltenberg in his efforts to build the Tar Heels program.

Lundy and Siegler should be the first of many Ivy League student-athletes currently in the NCAA transfer portal to conclude their collegiate careers at another school.

Rizzo, who was recruited by Miltenberg when he was still at Stanford, trained during the fall and winter under the guidance of first-year Cardinal men’s coach Ricardo Santos.

Rizzo’s decision to transfer to Georgetown helps the Hoyas offset the departure of graduate student-athlete Spencer Brown and fifth-year senior Nick Wareham among their top middle-distance runners.

Rizzo, who won the Millrose Games high school mile in 2019 during his senior year at Bronxville, N.Y., still has four seasons each of eligibility in cross country and outdoor track, along with three seasons available in indoor track.