Etrain Team Power Rankings: #2 Stanford Cardinals

By: Garrett Zatlin

Reminder of the list so far...

#25 Eastern Michigan Eagles

#24 Penn State Nittany Lions

#23 Minnesota Gophers

#22 Cornell Bears
#21 Furman Paladins
#20 Florida State Seminoles

#19 Colorado State Rams

#18 Tulsa Golden Hurricanes

#17 NC State Wolfpack

#16 Penn Quakers

#15 Virginia Tech Hokies

#14 UCLA Bruins

#13 BYU Cougars

#12 Louisville Cardinals

#11 Michigan Wolverines

#10 Virginia Cavaliers

#09 Oregon Ducks

#08 Oklahoma State Cowboys

#07 Iona Gaels

#06 Mississippi Rebels

#05 Villanova Wildcats

#04 Wisconsin Badgers

#03 Syracuse Orange 

#02 Stanford Cardinals
#01 Colorado Buffalos

2. Stanford Cardinals

Flotrack’s #2: Stanford Cardinals

Coach: Chris Miltenberg

Notable Departures: Maxim Korolev, Michael Atchoo
Notable Additions: Grant Fisher, Alex Ostberg, Will Lauer, Colin Leibold (transfer)

Projected Scoring Five: Sean McGorty (JR) [ET#9], Jim Rosa (SR) [ET#11], Joe Rosa (SR) [ET#19], Sam Wharton (JR) [ET#43], Grant Fisher (FR) [ET#46]

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Is it any surprise that Stanford is #2? In my mind, they are the most dynamic team in the nation based on the individuals they have. So many of their top guys have such a big back story to them and have so many different racing styles. They’ll keep things very interesting this season dangerous scorers and a freshman prodigy.

Stanford entered last season also ranked at #5. The expectations were high with McGorty getting over his freshman year hump, and the Rosa brothers both ready to go.  The men in red started their fall campaign off at the San Francisco Invite where California would make the Cardinals work. Despite packing all five of their guys in spots 4 through 8, California’s 1-2-3 finish gave the Bears a five-point edge over Stanford. Jim Rosa and Korolev did not race. Stanford certainly wasn’t expecting to lose, but with the long season ahead of them they weren’t all that worried. After letting some of the younger guys get a race in at the Stanford Invite, Stanford headed over to the Washington Invite where the team ran without McGorty, the Rosa’s, Korolev, and Wharton. Even without the top guys, Keelan, Sweatt, and Atchoo led the rest of their squad to third place overall, losing to only NAU and UCLA. That was an excellent performance with so many of their top guys out especially considering that Stanford was 20 points away from a UCLA team that was running completely stacked. It was impressive, but many wanted to see them run with a full A-squad before making any assumptions. That means it would make sense for that A-squad to make their appearance at Wisconsin right? Wrong. Jim Rosa and McGorty both did not run and kept the rest of the nation wondering what they really had. Still, Stanford showed some strength with Korolev getting the title and Rosa placing 8^th. However, the absence of McGorty and Jim Rosa was obvious and the third man (Garrett Sweatt) fell all the way to 58^th. Cameron Miller and Michael Atchoo would end the scoring at 78^th and 81^st. The Cardinals would place 5^th as a team overall. The team that was once 5^th in the country started to drop in the rankings and the confidence that some fans once had, began to diminish. That diminishing confidence only accelerated when news broke that Jim Rosa, 2013 NCAA 5^th place finisher, was hurt and would be done for the season. It was a massive blow to a Cardinals team that was entering the postseason. The Stanford team that was once ranked 5^th in the nation, eventually fell to 9^th. With PAC-12’s on the horizon, Stanford would need to step up and quickly find someone in their depth to make up as much of Jim Rosa as they could. Coach Miltenberg took his team to Berkeley, California where the Cardinals would have to face Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and UCLA. It would not be an easy test for a team that would be running stacked for the first time all season. Although Jim Rosa wasn’t there, his brother Joe stepped up. Joe led the Stanford Cardinals by placing third overall behind only Cheserek and Jenkins. Korolev had a bit of an off day by falling to 9^th, but McGorty and Atchoo ran a hard 13^th and 14^th to earn some much needed low-sticks. Sweatt rounded out that top five by placing 21^st. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do. Colorado easily cruised through the field by scoring only 30 points. Oregon and Stanford battled close, but the Ducks outdueled Stanford by only three points, 57 to 60. It was better, but still not great. The West region was up next, and even though Colorado was out of the picture, Portland entered the regional looking to spoil Stanford’s plans of an auto-bid. Once again, Oregon would defeat Stanford and steal the team title. However, it was Korolev that got first place overall while Rosa placed 6^th. Atchoo did what he could and finished 21^st while Sweatt and Wharton placed 29^th and 40^th. Portland, on the other hand, simply had too many low-sticks with their entire top four placing in the top 15 and their fifth man placing 34^th. It was simply too much for Stanford to handle. Portland finished second with 71 points while Stanford ended in third with 97 points. The short-comings for Stanford just kept coming. They had nice power up front, but without any consistency at the 4^th/5^th man how could this team possibly compete for a podium spot at the biggest meet of the year? And the biggest question on everyone’s mind was where is Sean McGorty?! With so many struggles, inconsistencies, and questions that still needed to be answered, many spectators didn’t even know if the Cardinals could place in the top 10. But when the team stepped to the line, we finally saw what we had all been waiting for: a fully stacked top seven. However, even with the fully stacked team, Stanford would need some close-to-miracle performances to make the podium…and miracles they got. While Korolev and McGorty unsurprisingly placed 4^th and 20^th, it was the rest of the pack that shocked the entire nation. Atchoo, Rosa, and Wharton stepped up from what had been unexciting seasons, to All-American finishes. Rosa’s All-American status was expected. Atchoo was on the cusp. But Wharton? That was entirely new. The last three ended up finishing 29^th (Atchoo), 33^rd (Rosa), and 39^th (Wharton). The swarm of All-Americans boosted Stanford’s team score dramatically and kept the Cardinals only 33 points out from Colorado. The once unstable Cardinals turned around what could’ve been a terrible season, into one of the best falls in the program’s history. Stanford went home with silvers around their necks and the satisfaction of proving the nation wrong.

As I said above, I believe Stanford is the most dynamic team out there. You’ve got a strong leader in McGorty who cemented himself as a captain last season by stepping up when he was called upon. He has made amazing strides during track season and continues to show progression in every season of racing. His 20^th at NCAA’s this past year is huge and it’s the first time he has had that kind of success in that race. That jump from sophomore to junior year is encouraging, and I believe that’s why he warrants the 9^th spot in my top 50 rankings. Behind him (in the rankings) is a pair that will go down as arguably the best sibling duo in the NCAA cross-country history. Both Jim and Joe Rosa return to their final year at Stanford fully healthy. The success they’ve had has been unbelievable and to get Jim back essentially replaces Korolev in the scoring. A motivated Joe Rosa is also someone I see improving. The only concern I have with these guys is if Jim can return to the same talent level he was at in 2013 (where he placed 5^th) and if Joe can match his conference and regional races by placing better than 33^rd at NCAA’s. Not only are these very realistic, but I whole heartedly believe it can happen. While those top three are great to have around, they essentially mean nothing if they aren’t backed up properly. Sam Wharton is a big name on my list because I believe he is the biggest X-factor in the NCAA. To be honest, Wharton gave no indication during his regular season races that he was capable of an All-American finish. Some might say it was a fluke, while others will argue that it was breakout race. Whatever it was, one thing is for sure: Sam Wharton will be the reason Stanford either bombs NCAA’s, or dramatically upsets Colorado. That’s how big of an X-factor I believe he is. Of course, no one is more unpredictable than the legend himself, Grant Fisher. The high school sub-4 miler and two-time national Footlocker champion enters this season with heavy expectations on his shoulders. Most of the two-time FL champions (five total including Fisher) have had great success in the NCAA (Cheserek, Verzbicas, Ritzenhein). To think Fisher won’t find the same success if very unlikely. Of course, it’s fair to say that he’s still just a freshman with a heavy amount of pressure. Fisher has the potential to be amazing and could be as good as a top 20 during NCAA’s this year. However, he will need to adjust to the new pressures around him if he is going to succeed. As for the rest of the depth, it’s pretty exciting. Although Korolev and Atchoo graduate, Keelan, Sweatt, and Georgetown transfer Colin Leibold, all display qualities that could put them in the top seven. Keelan and Sweatt are two very reliable runners who both have experience at the big meets. They know what to expect and their success during track this past spring also indicates that they are going to improve*. This year could not be better for Stanford. They have experienced veterans healthy, established depth and returners that are all entering the peak of their collegiate careers, and a legendary recruit that could be the next big star in the NCAA. The only issue now will be if Stanford can execute in the post-season like they did at NCAA’s last year. I’ll be eagerly waiting to see if they do.

*Keelan ran a 13:45 (5k) PR while Sweatt recorded a 13:54 (5k) and a 28:51 (10k) PR

It's no surprise that Stanford was Flotrack's #2 team. It's clear that the top three this year completely separate themselves (in terms of talent) from the rest of the teams out there. The top three are simply too powerful at all scoring positions to be any worse in the rankings. I'm not so sure what approach Stanford will take this year with so many fragile seniors as well as an incoming freshman. If I had to guess, we won't see their fully stacked squad for a long time. Although they might drop a little in the beginning of the season, look for them to bounce back in the top three come November.