NCAA Top 50 List: #30-21

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.

This is the part of the list that starts to get entertaining. Read, discuss, and enjoy!

30. Joel Hubbard, Junior, Syracuse

Hubbard is the hidden gem on this 2015 Syracuse team. The man was consistently solid all of last season. He stepped up when his teammates failed to do so and eventually worked his way from the “B” team to a scorer in the post season.

Syracuse started their season last by taking their “B” team to Harry Groves where they would face squads like Penn State and Georgetown. It was there that Hubbard raised some eyebrows and grabbed a surprising second place finish behind Matt Fischer of Penn State (the eventual Mid-Atlantic champ). After a disappointing finish at Beantown, Hubbard would earn back the privilege to run with the varsity guys following a win at the Wisconsin open race. Hubbard entered ACC’s prepared not to lose his spot by placing 9^th overall and running as the Orangemen’s 4^th guy. At regionals, he was the Syracuse x-factor when he earned 7^th overall behind four eventual All-Americans. Despite great performances, his postseason magic didn’t last much longer and his lack of NCAA experience got to him when he finished 165^th.

Growing confidence is so crucial for a runner and Hubbard displayed that last season. If he can start where he left off and continue his progression of moving up within the team, Hubbard will be in the podium conversation when he enters his senior year. But just like most of the guys on this list, that conversation is contingent on if he can perform at nationals.

29. Joe Hardy, Sophomore, Wisconsin

The third rising sophomore to make this list is the youngster out of Wisconsin.  Yes, I’ll confess, I acknowledge that the numbers on his file aren’t as impressive as the guys ranked above him. Hardy is young, inexperienced, and unproven on the trails. So how could this kid be ranked at 29^th?

History plays a bit of a role here. Wisconsin sophomores have pretty amazing success in their second year at Wisconsin. I’m not sure what Mick Byrne and Jerry Schumacher did to get such dramatic results, but whatever it’s is, it’s working…

All-American Finishes for Wisconsin Sophomores at NCAA’s (Since 2000)

Malachy Schrobilgen (2013): 33^rd place

Mohammed Ahmed (2010): 12^th place

Stuart Eagon (2005): 17^th place

Matt Withrow (2005): 24^th place

Chris Solinsky (2004): 16^th place

Simon Bairu (2003): 9^th place

Matt Tegenkamp (2001): 7^th place

Josh Spiker (2001): 8^th place

That is a list of Badgers who were true sophomores at the time. It doesn’t even include guys that had eligibility as sophomores but were actually juniors (think Maverick Darling). Joe Hardy can have comfort in the fact that history is on his side. Do all sophomores at Wisconsin go through this kind of transformation? Of course not. However, I’ll take my chances with Hardy who was able to make it out of regionals this past spring in one of the deepest 1500 fields ever seen. It also doesn’t hurt that he now has a year of experience at NCAA’s (where he had a mediocre finish of 111^th).

While history indicates that Hardy may experience monumental growth, there are still plenty of aspects that he can improve on. The competition he faces at regionals will still be some of the toughest in the nation. He will need to show up at NCAA’s and compliment Badger leader, Malachy Schrobilgen if Wisconsin is to be a team contender. I’ve been generous to Hardy, now lets see if he returns the favor or makes me look stupid.

28. Fabian Clarkson, Senior, Oklahoma St.

OK State has been a powerhouse on the track and trails for years now. Craig Nowak was the team leader at NCAA’s finishing 16^th last year. Erassa was a Big 12 and Midwest region champion. Chad Noelle went on to win the 1500 title during outdoors. All of these guys have been overshadowing the talent Clarkson has.

Last year was a quiet year for Clarkson. After sweeping the Cowboy Jamboree with him teammates, Clarkson didn’t run until BIG 12’s where he surprised the field with a fourth place finish besting guys like (teammate) Craig Nowak and Brandon Doughty (OU). After not competing at regionals, Clarkson would end up finishing 52^nd at nationals. His uneventful cross-country season was not what got him to #28 though. The sub-4 miler would eventually run a huge PR of 7:50 in the 3k. In my eyes, it also helps that Fabian is a steeplechaser when you consider the great success steeplechasers have had on the XC courses recently (Kebenei, Rotich, Ferlic, Winter, etc.).

Clarkson has the talent to be lower than 28^th. However, he will need to run more than one regular season meet to prove that to me. He will also need to live up to expectations and win BIG 12’s considering he is the top returner from a year ago. With influential training partners (Noelle, Nowak, Erassa*) as well as a prestigious and established coach, Clarkson has no excuse to not live up to those expectations.

*Erassa still has track eligibility, but not cross-country.

27. Craig Nowak, Junior, Oklahoma St.

Craig Nowak had a lot of eyes on him last year. With so many top guys leaving, the pressure was on for him to lead the Pokes to another team podium spot. While the team did suffer from graduating, Nowak did his best to make up for it.

Like Clarkson, Nowak didn’t have much of a competitive schedule this past year. However, Nowak has proven himself in the past  with a 23^rd place finish at Pre-Nats during the 2013 season. Unfortunately, OKST didn’t take any trips to big invites and had to show their strength at BIG 12’s and regionals where Nowak placed 9^th and 8^th respectively. Now usually this is the part of the list, I tell you about a poor NCAA race that they’ll need to rebound from. Luckily, that is not the case with Nowak. The OKST Cowboy finished his season with a shocking 18^th place at nationals and earning the title of All-American.

Nowak has become the leader for a traditional powerhouse. His postseason, especially his national race, are worthy of praise. Unfortunately, his regular season races are going to have to improve if he is move down this list.

26. Kevin Dooney, Senior, Yale

As we get to number 26, some of the faster and more notable names begin to pop up. Enter Kevin Dooney of Yale. Dooney has made great strides throughout his career to get where he is today. He is now well respected around the Ivy league and gathering attention on the national scene.

While Dooney’s freshman and sophomore years were uneventful, it was his junior year that gained him the role of a national contender. Dooney started his season strong with a second place finish in an Ivy tri meet and a 7^th finish at Paul Short. His 27^th place finish at a very deep Pre-Nats was solid but not thrilling. His Ivy league was performance can be argued as the only sub-par race he had when he placed 5^th in a race where he should’ve finished second. Dooney made up for that iffy Heps race by crushing the Northeast regionals course and beating out an entire Syracuse team by placing 3^rd. Now usually this is the part of the list, I tell you about a poor NCAA race that they’ll need to rebound from. Luckily, that is not the case with Dooney. The Yale Bulldog finished his season with a strong 34^th place at nationals and earning the title of All-American.

Dooney clearly has talent and is beginning to show consistency. However, he’ll need to clean up a couple aspects of his racing style if he wants to get consistent wins this fall. Especially, against an Ivy league that is beginning to grow stronger each season.

25. Caleb Rhynard, Senior, Michigan St.

Caleb Rhynard is one of the guys who I expect to contend for the Great Lakes regional title this year. The MSU gets put at number 25 for his big race experience and scattered success in the post season.

Rhynard has made the trip to NCAA’s three times in his career and has ended up one for three in his All-American attempts (34^th in 2013). However his regional performance has been an impressive one by placing 4^th the past two years against top tier competition. His BIG 10 races have been just as impressive the past two years placing 4^th in 2013 and 5^th in 2014. While his excellent performances in the post season are nice, Rhynard is also one of the first runners on this list to have an impact on the Wisconsin results by placing 19^th his sophomore year and 18^th a year later.

I’m a fan of Rhynard and his consistency is superb. I believe he’s one of the very few that can compete with the Schrobilgen, McClintock, Ferlic trio. However, his poor nationals performances (158^th in 2012. 161^st in 2014) makes me worry about where I should put him in these masses of talent.

24. Morgan Pearson, Senior(5), Colorado

Yes ladies and gentlemen, Morgan Pearson is the first Buffalo to make my list at number 24 (scary to think where the rest of them are, huh?). Pearson is seen as a leader among this legendary Buffalo squad. The 5^th year senior will attempt to emulate his past success after redshirting the 2014 cross country season.

When you run for the Buffalos, you are held to a different standard. Silent dominance is expected of you constantly. Pearson has been extremely consistent in his cross-country races, but not to the level you would expect. In his two seasons during XC, Pearson only has one top 10 finish during XC. In 2013, Pearson placed 7^th in a field full of esteemed and respected talent. Besides 2013 Pre-Nats and 2012 regionals, Pearson consistently placed between 11^th and 18^th (17^th at 2013 NCAA’s).

Pearson has been crucial to the success of Colorado the past few years. However, Pearson will need to be have an explosive top 10 finish if he is to move improve on my list and leave a legacy in a crowded Colorado history book.

23. Chris Walden, Senior, California

Much like Amos Bowen, Chris Walden is easily forgotten in a talented region that includes Oregon, Portland, and Stanford. While people often get caught up in the firepower that these powerhouse programs have, Walden is often overlooked.

Last season, Chris Walden basically came out of nowhere. The California Bruin had a very irrelevant freshman season and only raced once during his sophomore year. Walden was just another runner in a loaded PAC 12 until he exploded onto the scene last fall. Walden went on a hot streak placing 4^th at Roy Griak, 20^th at Pre-Nats, 10^th at PAC 12’s, and a shocking 5^th place at West regionals. Walden ended up beating guys like Aaron Nelson (Washington), the Rosa twins (Stanford), and anyone with an Oregon jersey not named Ches or Jenkins. Walden continued his hot streak into nationals where he received All-American honors thanks to his 17^th place finish.

California seems to be developing major breakout stars. Walden became a star last fall but was forgotten by the spring season when his teammate Thomas Joyce wrecked havoc on the track. While last fall would usually merit a higher ranking than the 23^rd spot, the competition he’s facing is not getting easier and trying to replicate last season will be a challenge of it’s own.

22. Marc Scott, Senior, Tulsa

Scott has contributed to Tulsa becoming a recognized program among running programs. Like others on this list, Scott has slowly gained the respect of competitors around the nation throughout the past couple of seasons. He has run outstanding times on the track and has defeated multiple guys on this list.

Like most top guys, Scott started out his freshman year as an unknown. He was able to make NCAA’s that year but only finished 93^rd. His first breakout race occurred at the 2013 Notre Dame invite where he placed 5^th by defeating teammate Chris O’Hare, and the entirety of Princeton and Columbia (two top-tier teams at the time). Although Scott would struggle once more at NCAA’s placing 193^rd, he entered his junior ready to make sure people remembered him. His Notre Dame performance wasn’t as strong (29^th) but his Pre-Nats made up for that when he placed 11^th in a prestigious field. Scott would cruise through the AAC conference and place second at regionals to the very talented Kirubel Erassa. The Brit from Tulsa entered NCAA’s with valuable experience and took advantage with a phenomenal finish of 14^th.

Scott has amazing talent and no one can argue that. He is a leader for a growing Tulsa team and has shown that he can threaten anyone he faces. Unfortunately, his conference and regional aren’t very deep. That is a bit of an unfair analysis, but it is sadly the truth. It will be harder for Scott to become worse in the rankings, but it will also be harder for him to improve.

21. Justyn Knight, Sophomore, Syracuse

So much to say and such little room…Knight is the fourth and final rising sophomore to make the list. In my eyes, he is a special talent. I would argue he could be the next Eric Jenkins. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to agree with me, which is why I’m here to make my case.

Knight’s first collegiate cross-country season last fall was unusual and inconsistent. He finished his first race at Beantown in 20^th place, but came back three weeks later to get 14^th at Wisconsin! Experienced talents like Rhynard (Mich St.), Schrobilgen (Wisconsin), Miller (Iona), and all of his teammates (except Hehir) were defeated by some freshman from Syracuse. From that point on there was little debate about who the top freshman in the NCAA was. As Knight entered ACC’s, the expectations were high. That explain why most people were disappointing by solid, yet unexciting, 8^th place finish at the conference meet. Still, all eyes were on Knight to step up at nationals and give Syracuse the bump it needed to contend Colorado and Stanford. Sadly, Knight would collapse under the pressure and end the race in 143^rd.

When I first began writing for the blog, the Penn State invite during indoors was a meet I knew I had to watch. By the end of the race, I was asking “Who is that?” when Knight’s name appeared on screen with the time 3:59 next to it. Fast forward to the future, and the Syracuse freshman ended with PR’s of 3:39 (1500) and 13:34 (5k).

Based strictly on Knight’s cross country numbers, he doesn’t deserve this spot. You know that, I know that, and he knows that. Luckily for Knight, I don’t base my solely on XC. Knight clearly needed a season to adjust. His times on the track were just too good and to leave him off the list because of an inconsistent fall would be criminal. It is not a matter of if Knight will improve, but rather, how much will he improve? That is to be determined.

As usual, the next set of 10 will be released top at 11:11pm. Only 20 names remain to be listed! Can you guess all of them?

I'll be a stats major by the end of this list,

Garrett