By Garrett Zatlin
Reminder of the list so far...
50. Graham Crawford, Senior, NC State
49. Jordy Williamsz, Senior, Villanova
48. Wes Gallagher, Senior, Mississippi
47. Jake Leingang, Junior, Oregon
46. Grant Fisher, Freshman, Stanford
45. Ryan Walling, Senior, Mississippi
44. Chartt Miller, Junior, Iona
43. Sam Wharton, Junior, Stanford
42. Colin Bennie, Sophomore, Syracuse
41. Matthew Schwartzer, Senior, Indiana
40. Mike O’Dowd, Senior, Iona
39. Kyle King, Senior, Virginia
38. Dan Lennon, Senior, Syracuse
37. Brian Barraza, Junior, Houston
36. Brandon Doughty, Senior, Oklahoma
35. George Parsons, Junior, NC State
34. Jerrell Mock, Sophomore, Colorado St.
33. Amos Bowen, Senior, Wyoming
32. MJ Erb, Junior, Mississippi
31. Jefferson Abbey, Junior, Colorado St.
30. Joel Hubbard, Junior, Syracuse
29. Joe Hardy, Sophomore, Wisconsin
28. Fabian Clarkson, Senior, Oklahoma St.
27. Craig Nowak, Junior, Oklahoma St.
26. Kevin Dooney, Senior, Yale
25. Caleb Rhynard, Senior, Michigan St.
24. Morgan Pearson, Senior, Colorado
23. Chris Walden, Senior, California
22. Marc Scott, Senior, Tulsa
21. Justyn Knight, Sophomore, Syracuse
20. Pierce Murphy, Senior, Colorado
19. Joe Rosa, Senior, Stanford
18. Thomas Awad, Senior, Penn
17. Ernest Kibet, Senior, Louisville
16. Edwin Kibichy, Junior, Louisville
15. Connor Winter, Senior, Colorado
14. Martin Hehir, Senior, Syracuse
13. Erik Peterson, Senior, Butler
12. Matt McClintock, Senior, Perdue
11. Jim Rosa, Senior, Stanford
Here are the best of the best...
10. Mason Ferlic,
Senior, Michigan
“He's
a bit inconsistent, but when he's on, he's ON.”- Alex Fox. That was really the
best reason to put Ferlic at the 10th spot here on this list.
Fox
couldn’t have been more correct. Ferlic has been an animal in his past two
years at Michigan. The two-time All-American has established himself as one of
the best runners in the loaded Great Lakes region. He has dominated at big
invitationals by grabbing two consecutive 12th place finishes at
Wisconsin and winning the prestigious Notre Dame invite in 2014. Ferlic is a
lethal competitor, but hasn’t found the same success in the post season against
his BIG 10 rivals. He placed a respectable 4th at BIG 10’s this past
year and followed that up with a less impressive 7th place at the
Great Lakes regional. At that point, it seemed like Ferlic had peaked
mid-season. Where was the guy who won the Notre Dame invite by nearly 10
seconds? Ferlic answered that question by ending his season on a high note and
placing 13th at the national meet.
There’s
every indication that Ferlic could have a top 5 finish at NCAA’s this year. He
dominated at Notre Dame’s extremely fast course, which could be a good sign for
him considering NCAA’s are on a hill-less course this year. However, his inconsistent
performances in the post season is the only that worries me and has made me put
him in the 10th spot.
9. Sean McGorty,
Junior, Stanford
When you live in Virginia for 9 months out of the year, you
begin to get to know the state and the people around there. Having met multiple
people from Chantilly high school, I had to ask if they knew Sean McGorty. I
was told, “Of course I know him! That kid is a legend in Virginia!” at least
five times.
The rising junior has had solid success so far in his career
but is just as inconsistent as Ferlic. McGorty’s first ever collegiate race
(according to TFRRS) was at Pre-Nats in 2013 where he placed an unsuspecting 5th and leading the Stanford team. His stunning take down of top runners in
their prime made McGorty the new name to watch. He would end up finishing a
very solid 12th at regionals (West), but failed to make a good
impression at nationals when he placed 161st. McGorty would lay low
for the 2014 season making his first appearance at PAC 12’s (13th)
and skipping over regionals to race at nationals. This time around, McGorty
would have experience and use it to claim an All-American spot by
finishing 20th.
I’ll acknowledge that McGorty doesn’t have the cross-country
resume to earn a top 10 spot. But when you look at the bigger picture, McGorty
hasn’t had the easiest way to the top. He has to face the best conference and
region in the NCAA every year and has gained experience from that. He hasn’t
had a regular season of cross country since his freshman year and his track
times show that he is a top 10 talent (3:40 1500, 7:54 3k, 13:37* 5k). I’m not
hoping McGorty shows up this fall, I’m expecting it.
*Thank you to the commenter who corrected this stat.
8. Ammar Moussa,
Senior, Colorado
When I first told the writers that I had created a (rough)
top 50 list, Fox began asking where I had placed certain individuals on the
list. Eventually he asked where I would be placing Moussa on the list. Now at
this point in the process, I had done very little research on him and only
remembered his 2013 season where he placed 27th at regionals and 95th
at nationals. After telling him that Moussa was at 21st, Fox
politely commented, “You’re crazy. He’ll be top five again.” which really means
“Check his results and don’t be an idiot”. Point taken.
I am unfair to a lot of runners, but Moussa might be the
most poorly treated by me in my rankings. I always felt like Moussa was injured
or not meeting expectations. I knew the guy had talent, I just never saw
it…Then I checked his stats. Moussa never placed over 9th the entire
season. His final stretch of last season was ultra impressive with an 8th
place finish at Pre-Nats, 6th at PAC 12’s, and 9th at
regional. Colorado entered NCAA’s last year as the overwhelming favorites. All
the Buffs had to do was run a conservative and solid race and they would be the
champion. Moussa did that and more by acting as the nail in the coffin for any
other team’s title hopes by placing 5th at NCAA’s.
7. John Mascari,
Senior, Indiana St.
John Mascari is the next man on our list and takes the 7th
spot in my rankings. The rising senior is a standout talent who has competed
against the best guys in the nation. Mascari attends Indiana State which is not
an established program. For that reason, many people may overlook him…which
would be a big mistake.
Mascari is a two-time All-American during cross and adds
another All-American honor during the 2014 outdoor track season. What makes him
such a threat is the fact that every race last year was a top 10 finish (just
like Moussa). His ability to consistently perform at the top level on the big
stage is absolutely amazing. Those top 10 finishes included 3rd at
Notre Dame, 5th at Pre-Nats, a gold medal at Great Lakes (second
regional title), and 8th at NCAA’s. That’s some flat-out excellent
racing.
Obviously Mascari is the best in the business, so to put him
at 7th was tough for me to do. Unfortunately, Mascari can only
improve so much and the guys above him either have too much potential or a
national championship. I wont expect Mascari to improve his place at every meet
this year. If he can do the exact same thing as last season, then I’ll move him
down to the top five.
6. Malachy
Schrobilgen, Junior, Wisconsin
I’ve been waiting to put Schrobilgen down for a while now. Malachy
Schrobilgen takes the title as my favorite runner because, c’mon…how can you
not love that name? Besides his name, the Wisconsin Badger had some pretty excellent
performances last fall, which made me even more of a fan.
Schrobilgen cruised through the first meets with his
teammates by treating them like workouts. It was at the Louisville Classic
where Malachy asserted his dominance by crossing the line as the top D1
finisher (2nd behind Silos Too of Shorter University). In that race,
he would beat out names like Kibet, Kibichiy, Gallagher, and teammate
VanVoorhis. Malachy race his first big meet of the season in his own backyard.
It was there that he placed a respectable, but unexciting 20th
place. As BIG 10’s fast approached, Schrobilgen was overshadowed by names like
McClintock, Ferlic, and Rhynard. By the end of BIG 10’s, everyone knew who
Malachy was after he grabbed the BIG 10 title. Schorbilgen headed into Great
Lakes with massive confidence and used that confidence to be the regional runner-up
behind Mascari. Schrobilgen ended his on
a high note with an excellent 10th place finish at nationals.
Schorbilgen had an outstanding breakout season, becoming the
ace that the Badgers desperately needed. He has entered the upper echelon of
the NCAA’s best. Now, I expect him to continue his success as well as improve
on his Wisconsin Invite and national races. Hopefully, he wont let me down.
5. Ben Saarel,
Junior, Colorado
Saarel is the fifth and final Buffalo to make the list (and
for good reason). Since joining the legendary program, Saarel has made an
argument to be considered as a top 5 best runner in school history. It also
helps that he’s never had a truly terrible race.
Saarel was part of one of the best recruiting classes the
NCAA has seen in a while. While most freshman took a year to adjust, Saarel
powered to the front the rankings. He placed 9th at Pre-Nats, 5th
at PAC 12’s, and 7th at regionals. While those are all incredible
races, it was at national’s where he had his statement race by finishing 8th.
After a year of success, many wondered if Saarel could match those performances.
While his PAC 12’s and regional performance weren’t as good (8th and
13th) the sophomore answered the doubters with a 4th
place finish at Pre-Nats and 7th at NCAA’s.
Saarel has never had a bad race in high entire XC career. Just
as the Colorado program has been known for, he was surprisingly consistent
despite his youth. The only reason he gets put at 5th is because he
has not yet won a collegiate XC meet yet. If Saarel can get a win, then he’ll
be able to contend with the men ranked better than him.
4. Patrick Tiernan,
Junior, Villanova
Patrick Tiernan is something else. Just like Saarel, Tiernan
has had a massive impact on the Villanova squad since the day he entered the
program. His wins and lack of poor races are what allow him to be in the top
five.
Tiernan’s first seaon at Nova was impressive as he won
invitationals like the Main Line Invite, Princeton Invite, Big East’s, and
Mid-Atlantic regionals. Tiernan was taking the NCAA by storm and capped off
that fantastic season with a 9th place finish at NCAA’s. The next
year he didn’t slow down grabbing wins at the Washington Invite and repeating
as the Big East champion. Tiernan did lose his title at regionals by placing
second, but it was far from a poor race. However, Tiernan did have his first
“bad” race at NCAA’s as he faltered to 18th in the race.
Although Tiernan’s second go at NCAA’s wasn’t as strong, this
past season proved that he could consistently win against top runners like Awad
and Peterson. Tiernan will have his arms full with those two individuals and
the rest of his Villanova teammates. If he can fend them off, he will keep his
spot in the top five.
3. Anthony Rotich,
Senior, UTEP
You know that song “All I Do Is Win” by DJ Khaled? That song
was actually about Anthony Rotich. All joking aside, Rotich is a winner as well
as extremely durable when you consider how many races he has run in his career.
A strong background and success in every season is what earns Rotich the honor
of being in the top three.
The three-time XC All-American has countless conference
titles as well as a regional title (Mountain) followed by two runner-up
finishes. Did I mention that he’s also a four time national champion? (3xSteeplechase, 1xMile).
Trying to go through every race and stat that Rotich has
would be impossible. All you need to know is that the guy has been absolutely
killing it in nearly every race. The only thing holding him back are that his
of his three NCAA All-American finishes, only one was in the top 10 (4th
in 2012). Plus the two names ahead him are just simply too talented to be any
higher.
2. Futsum
Zienasellassie, Senior, Northern Arizona
What is there to say about Futsum Z? I could go on and on
about his consistency. Or how he’s a three time All-American. Or maybe even how
the fact that he only has one recorded win…
What I love about Futsum is that he has no fear. He runs
against the toughest competition week in and week out. That experience against
so many outstanding runners from all over the country (Tiernan, Rotich, Korolev,
Cheserek, etc.) are what has allowed Futsum to improve each year at Wisconsin,
regionals, and nationals. Yet, how could a guy who has never won a regional or
national meet be ranked as the second best man in the NCAA? That’s because
Zienasellassie’s lowest finish last year was 3rd place at nationals.
The rest of Futsum’s races were where he placed 2nd or won his
conference.
Futsum in my mind was the clear number two position. He has
improved throughout each year in the post season and enters this season knowing
what he must do if he wants to get a gold around his neck. Maybe a win at
Wisconsin will give him the confidence to do just that…
1. Edward Cheserek,
Junior, Oregon
Surprising, I know. If you’re reading this blog, you know
who he is and why he’s at number one…but in case you forget, here’s a reminder.
2013 XC (freshman)
2014
XC (sophomore)
PAC 12’s: 1st PAC 12’s: 1st
West Regionals: 1
st West Regionals: 2
nd
NCAA’s: 1st NCAA’s:
1st
On the track
1xMile
National titles
2x3000m National titles
2x5000m National titles
2x10,000m National titles
The Oregon Duck has already done all the talking I ever could.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of the Etrain NCAA
Top 50 List! A review of the list will be coming soon! So tell me where I
messed up and what guys you would’ve had where.
Your loyal ranker,
Garrett
