NCAA Top 50 List: #20-11

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

The top 20 is here...

20. Pierce Murphy, Senior, Colorado

Murphy enters the top 20 as the second Buffalo to make the list. The man is a proven leader of this team and has been the focal point of a Buffalo squad that could be called a dynasty after this year. So what got him to 20^th on the list?

Just like Pearson, Murphy has been consistently solid every year that he has raced. In his three years of racing, Murphy has gone from…

22^nd to 24^th to 12^th at Pre-Nats

14^th to 7^th to 7^th at PAC 12’s

45^th to 39^th to 35^th at NCAA’s

The man is an absolute machine and knows how to run on the big stage. His experience is vital and there is almost no reason to believe that Murphy will have a bad race this season. Still, Murphy has yet to prove that he can be a low-stick threat at a meet other than PAC 12’s (much like Pearson). I’ll be waiting to see if he can take it to the next level.

19. Joe Rosa, Senior, Stanford

*See #11

18. Thomas Awad, Senior, Penn

The King of the Ivy League has finally arrived. The Penn Quaker has been all the talk these past few seasons after scorching the track with PR’s like 7:54 (3k) and 13:33 (5k). Coach Dolan and Awad seem to be working extremely well together. This fall will show the final result of what Dolan and Awad have accomplished together.

Awad had a big XC season last fall. After a couple smaller meets, Awad headed out to Notre Dame and used the flat course to his advantage. Awad would place 4^th mixing it up with top guys from the Great Lakes. That race would arguably be considered the best he has cross country race he has ever had. Awad followed his Notre Dame performance up with his first ever XC win of his collegiate career when he won the Princeton invite. His wins didn’t stop there as he eventually went on to win the Heps title as well. His final two races could be considered just as excellent with a third place regionals (Mid-Atlantic) and 27^th at nationals to receive All-American status.

Awad has shown that he can play with the big boys. While he may have talent, he has yet to prove he can out run Patrick Tiernan of Villanova (0-3 last season). If Awad can beat Tiernan once this year in an honest race, he’ll improve on the list.  

17. Ernest Kibet, Senior, Louisville

16. Edwin Kibichy, Junior, Louisville

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about these two at the same time. The two Cardinals have been outstanding together and have become one of the best duos in the nation. They are often so close in the results that it seemed only appropriate to pair them together. However, better finishes at Pre-Nats and NCAA’s gives Kibichiy the edge over Kibet.

The duo started last fall with a pair 2^nd and 3^rd place finishes at the Commodore and Louisville Classic (each taking turns as the top guy). It wasn’t until Pre-Nats where that separation occurred and Kibichy got the best of Kibet by nine spots (15^th to 24^th). The notable Pre-Nats results put the duo in the ACC title conversation. At ACC’s neither would get the title, but Kibet would make up for his less-impressive Pre-Nats performance with a runner-up finish. Kibichy ended up in 6^th. The expectations were still high for both Cardinals at Southeast regionals a week later. Although neither individual got gold, the duo did not disappoint and went into nationals with silver (Kibichiy) and bronze (Kibet) regional medals. While the pair had been impressive all season, many questioned how they would fare at NCAA’s. Kibet was the only one with experience at the national meet and didn’t run so well when he was there (144^th). However, all doubts were erased after both men obtained All-American status finishing 23^rd (Kibichiy) and 32^nd (Kibet) respectively.

The Louisville duo are an outstanding pair of athletes and have proven that they can compete at any level against anyone. However, the real challenge is securing a conference and/or regional title as well as breaking into the top 20 at nationals.

15. Connor Winter, Senior, Colorado

Fox and I debated where to place this guy. Winter was everywhere from 12^th to 25^th on my list until I felt that 15^th was nice enough. Had he been on any other team than Colorado, Winter may have been closer to 22^nd.

Last season, Colorado waited until Pre-Nats to show what their team truly had. It was there that Winter powered through the Terre Haute course and crossed the line in 14^th. Winter would beat experienced and established names, but be the 6^th man in for Colorado! Two weeks later, Winter would end up as a scorer at PAC 12’s by dominating the competition in 5^th place overall. Although he ended up as Colorado’s number two guy, his teammates were right on his back grabbing 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th. A week later at regionals was a bit different when Winter earned 4^th behind esteemed stars like Rotch, Zienasellassie, and Jewkes. Although Winter was on a hot streak, it was tough to guess where he would end up at NCAA’s considering Colorado had a new number one guy every week. Could Winter lead the Buff’s for the second straight week? That question was answered when he finished at the fourth guy for CU. Nonetheless, Winter still achieved All-American status by finishing 24^th and exceeding his 2013 finish of 177^th.

It’s clear that Winter has cemented himself as one of Colorado’s top guys. However, with so many Buffalo’s (including Pearson) returning, and a PAC 12 conference not short on talent, Winter will have to find new ways to continue his success and consistency.

14. Martin Hehir, Senior, Syracuse

Martin Hehir is one of my favorite collegiate racers (when he’s not facing Curtin of VT). The guy has guts and come to win every race. I first watched Hehir this past winter during the ACC’s 3k where he overcame a 50 meter gap and nearly hawked Curtin for the win. From that point on I knew the kid had mad talent.

Hehir’s second year of racing at Syracuse was really his breakout year. In 2012, the then sophomore placed 3^rd at Beantown, 26^th at Wisconsin, 3^rd at ACC’s, and another 3^rd at regionals (Northeast). Like most guys experiencing their first true season of success, Hehir failed to meet expectation and fell to 113^th at nationals that year. With that in his mind, Hehir attacked last season with vengeance when he placed a miraculous 7^th at Wisconsin ahead of guys like Rosa, Ferlic, Rhynard, and multiple other names on this list. Hehir took that momentum to ACC’s where he was able to secure the conference title (his second conference title after winning Big East his freshman year). Considered as one of the biggest names to watch, Hehir left Northeasts with a disappointing 6^th place. While it wasn’t his best race, many still looked to Hehir to lead Syracuse with a top 15 finish. Unfortunately, most of the Hehir and most of the Orangemen folded under the pressure. Hehir ended up in 38^th barely making All-American.

Hehir is extremely talented and has the track times to prove it. It also doesn’t hurt that he has three years of experience at NCAA’s and two conference titles. Still, Martin’s failure to perform in the post season doesn’t help his ranking. He’s deserved the 14^th spot but unless he wins a major meet, I can’t see him going too far up or down the list until regionals.

13. Erik Peterson, Senior, Butler

What’s a surprise to me is that not many people have heard of the Butler standout. Peterson joins Schwartzer, Bowen, and Walden as one of the most underrated guys on this list. I actually struggled to put him this high. In my mind, he could’ve ended up as low as 9^th.

Peterson had his first breakout race in 2013 at the Notre Dame invite where he placed 18^th. Although he wouldn’t replicate a performance like that for the rest of his sophomore season, Peterson showed a glimpse of the talent he had. That talent became more apparent last season when he opened his junior year with a shocking 2^nd place finish at Notre Dame losing to only Mason Ferlic (Michigan).  Peterson had the attention of the nation now. He eventually followed up his tremendous Notre Dame performance with a 10^th place finish at Pre-Nats and eradicated any accusations of being a “one race wonder”. Peterson entered the post season with all eyes on him…but failed to deliver. Peterson finished 4^th at Big Easts behind a trio from Villanova. Peterson brushed himself off and headed to Great Lakes regional where he finished 5^th in a field of elite athletes that included Mascari, Schrobilgen, McClintock, and Rhynard. Peterson was losing to names he had beaten all regular season and needed to correct that during nationals. While his NCAA performance still ended with an impressive 22^nd place, it wasn’t enough to match Big East rival Tiernan and the Great Lake studs.

Peterson obviously has exceptional talent. He’s shown that he can compete with the best, but he can’t beat the best. Much like Hehir, Peterson can’t move much on this list until the post season unless he bombs or wins a major race. If he breaks up the trio at Great Lakes, then I have confidence he’ll use that momentum for a top 10 finish at NCAA's.

12. Matt McClintock, Senior, Perdue

I am a huge fan of Matt McClintock (just like every other guy on this list). McClintock caught my eye this past spring after he consistently pulled off wins at Mt. Sac, Big 10’s, and regionals. From that point on, I knew McClintock was the real deal.

McClintock’s biggest advantage is having competed at NCAA’s all three years. He has been 2/3 in his All-American attempts going 103^rd, 37^th, and 19^th. At Great Lakes, he’s gone from 8^th to 2^nd to 3^rd. Since he first started competing at the Notre Dame Invite, McClintock finished 3^rd his sophomore year and 5^th his junior year. Since first competing at Pre-Nats, he’s placed 6^th both times. The numbers speak for themselves…the guy is an absolute beast.

McClintock has matured in one of the fastest regions in the NCAA. He has learned what it takes to compete at the top level and is one of the most experienced veterans that the nation has to offer. I can only say good things about McClintock, but I would also like to see him take down Ferlic or Mascari to really cement himself as an NCAA all-star.

11. Jim Rosa, Senior, Stanford

Yeah, that’s right, I put the Rosa twins out of my top 10…and I don’t regret it. The Rosa twins are legends around the running world. They have made Stanford a powerhouse for the past few years now and have helped McGorty become the face of that program. They are valuable assets to Stanford.  

After uneventful freshman years, the Rosa twins truly began to display their talent  in 2012. The twins impressed at Wisconsin and regionals (West), but suffered at nationals. Joe had a similar performance to his freshman year placing 112^th. Jim struggled with no experience placing 166^th. As 2013 rolled around, many were still watching to see how the Rosa’s would fare in their third year. Unfortunately, the spectators would only see Jim race that season as Joe was redshirted. While Joe was on the sidelines, Jim was torching the NCAA placing 14^th at Pre-Nats, 2^nd at PAC 12’s, 2^nd at regionals and 5^th at nationals. One brother was among NCAA royalty. The other was forgotten in the masses. Ironically, the roles would be switched in 2014. Jim was redshirted and Joe was given his chance. Joe would end up finishing 8^th at Wisconsin, 3^rd at PAC 12’s, 6^th at regionals, and 33^rd at nationals. Not as impressive as Jim’s 5^th place national run, but impressive nonetheless.

Clearly, these two are jaw-dropping runners with talent beyond what most dream of. Still, there are reasons as to why they didn’t make the top 10. Jim’s recent absence from the XC racing scene leaves me worrisome about he’ll rebound this fall. A lot can change in 21 months. As for Joe, he simply needs to perform better at NCAA’s. Not often can you be this low on the list and never have broken 30^th at nationals. In their final year on the collegiate scene, I’m eager to see what legacy the Rosa twins will leave on the historic Stanford program.

The top 10 will be released tomorrow! Who knows? Maybe the early release will be on Twitter throughout the day...Feel free to discuss and give your top 10 order!

Yours truly,

Garrett