Following three Great Northwest Athletic Conference titles, Ahl enters NCAA Division 2 Indoor Championships in Kansas ranked in top six all-time in division in mile, 3,000 and DMR for rising program based in British Columbia, Canada

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

The results were a long time coming for the Simon Fraser University track and field program.

At the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Championships held Feb. 21-22 at The Podium in Spokane, Wash., Simon Fraser made history with its women’s team claiming the title, a first for the program since joining the NCAA in 2011-12, with the men producing a runner-up finish, their highest ever.

GNAC MEN'S INDOOR MILE | GNAC MEN'S INDOOR 3,000 | GNAC MEN'S DISTANCE MEDLEY RELAY

“They have just been like horses in the gates,” Simon Fraser head coach Brit Townsend said. “They’ve been like that for the last year and a half and just exploded.”

With nearly a two-year wait to resume competition and be able to cross the border due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon Fraser – based in British Columbia, Canada – has taken full advantage this season.

One athlete in particular who has embraced the spotlight is Aaron Ahl.

The junior middle distance runner has made a name for himself on the national scene, currently ranking second in NCAA Division 2 in the mile (3:57.95) and 3,000 meters (7:53.89).

His mile time ranks No. 3 all-time in Division 2, with his 3,000 performance No. 6 all-time in the division on all indoor surfaces, since Ahl achieved his mark on the oversized track at the Dempsey Indoor facility in Seattle.

He heads into the NCAA Division 2 Indoor Championships on March 11-12 at Pittsburg State in Kansas, with a chance to earn his first All-America accolades and a national title.

“It kind of seems like I made a huge jump after the years of COVID and not racing at all, and some people wouldn’t have seen that coming, but it was a very steady improvement over the time with Brit’s program,” Ahl said. “Finally being able to show the results, and it’s paying off, which is really awesome.”

A soccer player growing up, Ahl didn’t start running until middle school.

As a senior at William Aberhart High in Calgary, Alberta, he placed second in the 800 (1:57.24), 1,500 (4:08.79) and 3,000 (9:09.17) at the Provincial Championships.

With a desire to continue the sport and get better, he said he was drawn to Simon Fraser because of the program’s Division 2 status, allowing him a full track and field schedule (indoor and outdoor) in Canada, as well as an opportunity to train under Townsend, who has a impressive running and coaching resume, including competing in the 1984 Olympic Games in the 1,500.

“She was an exceptional athlete in her own right, but also (as a coach) developing athletes, especially in the middle distance,” Ahl said.

Initially focused on the 3,000-meter steeplechase at Simon Fraser, including a 14th-place showing (9:23.47) as a sophomore at the 2019 NCAA Division 2 Outdoor Championships, Townsend said the steeple was a natural fit with Ahl’s toughness and strong aerobic base. Still running the middle distance events, those didn’t become a focal point for Ahl until the pandemic struck.

“Through COVID it was pretty impossible to do the steeplechase, just getting the pits and we couldn’t get any competition for sure,” Townsend said.

With a competitive mindset and full force ahead, Townsend did not stray away from what she would normally do in a season, sticking with the annual training plan and gearing up for races. This included the same training phases but sprinkling in mini, in-house time trials for the student-athletes to gauge where they were at, but also provide a competitive atmosphere and something to look forward to.

“Initially with COVID it was very frustrating, but it kind of gave us the time to really hunker down and focus on just improvements without many distractions,” Ahl said.

For Ahl, this also was a period where he was able to zero in on the middle distance events with a solid group of training partners.

From 2019 – the last time he competitively ran pre-pandemic – to 2021 during the outdoor season’s SFU Spring Series meets, his 1,500 time went from 3:51.14 to 3:42.23.

“We just kept running 1,500s and 800s and kept running them over and over and the times kept coming down,” Townsend said. “He’s pretty self-driven and quietly motivated, and I think sticking to my annual training plan and the organization made a huge difference in what we are doing this year.”

After a solid spring and summer of training, Simon Fraser was allowed to start up competitions again in the fall. During the cross country season, Ahl won the GNAC Championship (24:21.8), but failed to qualify for the NCAA Division 2 Championships, as he was battling low iron issues, which was later diagnosed as anemia.

“He was really excited about training and just did too much without my knowledge and all of a sudden had no energy,” Townsend said. “And I think he’s learned a bit from that and knowing to trust in what you’re doing, trust that it’s enough, and trust it’s going to get you where you need to go, because if you overdo it, it’s way worse.”

With a reset to begin the indoor season, Ahl did not waste any time. In the season opener Jan. 15 at the University of Washington Preview, he ran the second fastest 3,000 in conference history, clocking 7:53.89.

Two weeks later at the John Terrier Classic at Boston University, he went sub-four in the mile for the first time, running 3:57.95, becoming only the second athlete in conference history to do so.

“It was awesome,” Ahl said of his 3,000 time and finally going under 4 minutes. “It was something I knew I could do and results from last summer showed that I was capable of that, but it’s always something else to go out and do it, especially so early in the season.”

He won his first two ever indoor GNAC individual titles Feb. 21-22, securing victories in the mile (4:01.78) and the 3,000 (8:21.23), as well as being named the male athlete of the meet after also contributing to a victory in the distance medley relay (10:09.88). His mile time broke the conference record held by Western Oregon’s David Ribich, a professional athlete now representing Brooks.

“I have a lot of respect for David,” Ahl said. “I hope to follow in those footsteps; it’s not too common that a runner out of D-2 goes on to sign a professional contract and have a career.”

Along with the individual success, Ahl has been a part of an historic season for the team.

At the Terrier Classic, he also ran the anchor leg on the distance medley relay that placed third (9:38.04). Teammates Ephrem Mekonnen, Callum Robinson and Aiden Good were part of the quartet that now ranks No. 3 in Division 2 indoor history.

“We’ve had a lot of recent team success and I think that just because over the break we really bought into Brit’s training and just really dedicated ourselves,” Ahl said. “Especially seeing the success on the women’s side, with Lindsey (Butterworth) and Addy (Townsend), it just shows that Brit’s training is working and if you stay focused, embrace the training we can have those big results.”

The next big results Ahl hopes to come are in two weeks at Division 2 Indoor Nationals, where he’ll look to double in the mile and 3,000, as well as running the DMR.

With what Ahl has been able to do during his time at Simon Fraser, Townsend believes he’s more than ready to challenge division record holder Christian Noble of Lee University in Tennessee in both individual events.

“The one thing with Aaron is he usually produces what he’s capable of,” Townsend said. “He doesn't have these big disasters. He’s quiet, determined, but quietly, and just hard-working. He’s a good team person, too. That’s been great to have him as part of our program.”