T'Mars McCallum is accustomed to running in a tough collegiate conference — the SEC — and boldly proud of being one of the leaders of Tennessee's track and field squad.

But his world shifted a bit last weekend at the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis when he ran the world lead in the 200m in 19.73. The eyes of the sport suddenly looked his way and he was far from a face in a crowd of sprinters. And in a few weeks he could be among those competing for a world title in Tokyo.

In this episode, McCallum talks about his whirlwind weekend, team camaraderie and even coaching himself in high school as he tried being a sprinter and jumper.

During in the beginning of a pandemic era that rattled the world in 2020, Isabella Whittaker saw her own beginnings as a student at the University of Pennsylvania. But it was after those days at Penn — after enrolling at Arkansas in 2024 as a graduate student — that Whittaker kickstarted the current state of her place in the track landscape.

Her times in the 400m fell and fell again with her 50.48 performance at the 2024 U.S. Olympics trials propelling her to the women's final. And while she finished sixth, the time earned her a slot in the American relay pool — with her biggest moment coming as her collegiate career was coming to a close.

On March 1, she hurled herself to seventh all-time on the women's 400m world indoor list with a 49.90 at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships.

And suddenly, Whittaker progressed, with the pace of the professional ranks — and her performances — ensuring that she will likely be a factor as world championships approach.

In her own words, she illustrates her own great progression.

The pivot from the classroom to lining up with the top pro runners in the world was an adjustment Graham Blanks had to quickly figure out after announcing last December that the signed with New Balance. His remaining time at Harvard was still a priority, but Blanks knew a portion of the bigger stage was reserved for him.

Blanks spent his collegiate years stacking up the kinds of accolades that shifted the spotlight to his conference, becoming the first Ivy League runner to win the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in November 2023. Later that month he set the collegiate mark for the indoor 5,000m in 13:03.78.

More was always part of the plan as Blanks punched his ticket to the Paris Olympics in the 5,000m in 2024 and getting a glimpse of the competition he will face for rest of his career. In June, just before he posted a 12:48.20 personal best in the 5,000m at the Bislett Games, Blanks spoke with me about his journey within a journey as we all witness him leveling up in real time after walking the graduation stage at Harvard.