By: Garrett Zatlin
PAST RANKINGS THIS SEASON
PAST RANKINGS THIS SEASON
KEY
· Bold: Had performances that influenced a strong change in the rankings
· (#/#): First number indicates how much the team has moved in the rankings. A plus means they have improved in the rankings. A minus means they have regressed in the rankings. The second number indicates where they were ranked the week before
· (Wasn’t Ranked): Was not ranked the week before.
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#25 Dartmouth Big Green (-1/24)
#24 Southern Utah Thunderbirds (-4/20)
-The Thunderbirds dropped to 4th overall at the Notre Dame Invite. The pack they had relied on at Roy Griak did not show up as shown by only having two guys in the top 20. I still believe they can be competitive, but they haven't impressed me all that much. Hawkes seems to be a great leader, but there is only so much he can do. Hopefully they can close the gap between their top two and bottom three scorers.
#23 Colorado State Rams (-1/22)
-CSU grabs third overall at the Notre Dame Invite which is an improvement on their fifth place finish at Roy Griak. Still, the only truly notable team they beat was SUU and this time they had a full squad to work with. A heavy portion of their team is freshmen and their is still some slight inexperience with Mock up front. I worry that that inexperience might come back to hurt them come post-season. This team might be one year out from being big-time contenders. However, third place is third place so I'm content with leaving the Rams here.
#22 Furman Paladins (+1/23)
#21 Oklahoma Sooners (0/21)
#20 Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (-1/19)
-Tulsa opened up their season at the Chile Pepper Festival where they met up with the Arkansas Razorbacks. It's tough to say if Tulsa actually went all out for this meet or cruised it. Four of their five scorers were there, but they were much further back than I expected (especially Elijah Silva). I can't really take much away from this, but Tulsa will be moved back slightly until I figure out what what they're doing.
-Tulsa opened up their season at the Chile Pepper Festival where they met up with the Arkansas Razorbacks. It's tough to say if Tulsa actually went all out for this meet or cruised it. Four of their five scorers were there, but they were much further back than I expected (especially Elijah Silva). I can't really take much away from this, but Tulsa will be moved back slightly until I figure out what what they're doing.
#19 UCLA Bruins (-5/14)
-Yes, UCLA did move back four spots despite losing to some outstanding competition. The issue here is that not only was UCLA 40 points out from third place (BYU), but they were running a fully stacked team against a BYU squad without Nelson, Oregon without Leingang, and Stanford without Fisher, McGorty, or Jim Rosa. Imagine if those guys did run! UCLA would be much further back in the scoring. With all that said, I'm still encouraged by Werley's solid racing. He is the key to how this UCLA squad will fare this season. Don't forget that this is (essentially) the same UCLA squad from last year that rallied back from losing a heavy portion of their 2013 team and finished 18th at nationals.
#18 Michigan State Spartans (-2/16)
#17 Georgetown Hoyas (Wasn't Ranked)
-New coach, new scorers, same result. The Georgetown Hoyas are just as good this year (if not better). They surprised everyone around the nation by upsetting Villanova at the Paul Short Invite. Georgetown put four in the top 10 while Nova only had three in the top 10. The final Hoya scorer came in at 13th place and sealed the deal for a 37 point performance! The Hoyas not only beat the Wildcats, but did so by a difference of 19 points. That should be a huge indicator of what's to come from this Gtown squad. However, I'll be more curious how they fare at the bigger meets with more top-tier competition. I'm not completely sure that pack can stay that close in a field with multiple nationally ranked-teams. Still, this race was encouraging and the Hoyas had to have gone home feeling good about this one.
#16 Louisville Cardinals (-4/12)
-Yes, Louisville did place 4th overall at their own meet (Great Louisville Classic). However, when you consider how far they've come, you have to be impressed. The Cardinals were only 1 point from third place Mississippi and had pulled away from the rest of the teams in the field (besides the ones ahead of them). Although Kibet didn't have his best day, Kibichiy made up for it. It's also important to note how huge of an impact Japhet Kipkoech has had on this squad! He placed 5th overall and has brought down the scoring tremendously by being another much needed low stick rather than just a "decent third man". The biggest issue everyone was watching for, would be the new transfer Louisville brought in. Calvin Chemoiywo was a solid 4th man (placed 17th) and is a huge improvement on the 4th man they had last season. The only issue is that their 5th man is still a big issue. Matt Stephenson was their 5th man at 52nd place and that really hurt the scoring. The Cards need to fix that problem or else their chances of getting past a very deep regionals field will be will be difficult. However, George Yator, one of the top Kenyan recruits Louisville picked up this past summer, did not compete at the GLC. No one is quite sure as to what impact Yator can have, but if he's as good Chemoiywo (or even slightly worse) then this team goes from competitive to contenders. They fall in the rankings because of how crucial that 5th man is to the success of their team. So until I see an improvement there, I'm ok with pushing them further and further back.
#15 NC State Wolfpack (+3/18)
-The Wolfpack impressed this past weekend at the Notre Dame Invite where they soundly beat teams like CSU and Southern Utah. Meron Simon, the transfer from Washington, played a major role by placing 4th overall. A little bit behind was a big surprise in Sebastian Hanson who was a spot ahead of his teammate Sam Parsons (8th and 9th). Bakri Aboushouk also had an outstanding race and placed 13th. Simon and Parsons were expected to be the low scorers of this team. However, now Hanson and and Aboushouk have stepped up and surprised many with their fitness. The NC State squad that was once worried about finding more low-sticks now don't have that issue. However, the separate issue now lies at the 5th man spot. After Aboushouk, there is a massive drop until NC State's final scorer. Sam Roberson was the next man in and placed 63rd overall...a spot which absolutely crushed any hopes of a team title. Many will argue that this 5th man problem will make NC State irrelevant on the big stage as their fifth man falls towards the back of high-caliber meets. The only flaw in that argument, is the fact that Graham Crawford did not race. Crawford entered this season ranked 50th in my preseason rankings. If he runs, Crawford would easily do better than 63rd and propels the team to a win over UTEP. The only issue is that we haven't seen him yet this season and that's slightly concerning. If he's injured then my argument essentially goes down the drain. Hopefully we get that answer soon.
#14 UTEP Miners (Wasn't Ranked)
-Out of all the teams to win the Notre Dame Invite, how many chose UTEP? The Miners came out of nowhere to steal the Notre Dame title and cement themselves as contenders. It also helps when you have Rotich taking the win and a surprise new-comer (Jonah Koech) taking third overall. With Boit at 14th and the rest of the scorers finishing at 29th and 42nd, UTEP was able to take advantage of NC State's sub-par 5th man to take the win. That is a massive win for these guys and not only puts them into the nationals conversation, but marks them as a potential top 10 team finisher. The only question I have is how much will their 4th and 5th man hurt them in the scoring? They will need to step up if they are going to improve on the rankings.
-Yes, UCLA did move back four spots despite losing to some outstanding competition. The issue here is that not only was UCLA 40 points out from third place (BYU), but they were running a fully stacked team against a BYU squad without Nelson, Oregon without Leingang, and Stanford without Fisher, McGorty, or Jim Rosa. Imagine if those guys did run! UCLA would be much further back in the scoring. With all that said, I'm still encouraged by Werley's solid racing. He is the key to how this UCLA squad will fare this season. Don't forget that this is (essentially) the same UCLA squad from last year that rallied back from losing a heavy portion of their 2013 team and finished 18th at nationals.
#18 Michigan State Spartans (-2/16)
#17 Georgetown Hoyas (Wasn't Ranked)
-New coach, new scorers, same result. The Georgetown Hoyas are just as good this year (if not better). They surprised everyone around the nation by upsetting Villanova at the Paul Short Invite. Georgetown put four in the top 10 while Nova only had three in the top 10. The final Hoya scorer came in at 13th place and sealed the deal for a 37 point performance! The Hoyas not only beat the Wildcats, but did so by a difference of 19 points. That should be a huge indicator of what's to come from this Gtown squad. However, I'll be more curious how they fare at the bigger meets with more top-tier competition. I'm not completely sure that pack can stay that close in a field with multiple nationally ranked-teams. Still, this race was encouraging and the Hoyas had to have gone home feeling good about this one.
#16 Louisville Cardinals (-4/12)
-Yes, Louisville did place 4th overall at their own meet (Great Louisville Classic). However, when you consider how far they've come, you have to be impressed. The Cardinals were only 1 point from third place Mississippi and had pulled away from the rest of the teams in the field (besides the ones ahead of them). Although Kibet didn't have his best day, Kibichiy made up for it. It's also important to note how huge of an impact Japhet Kipkoech has had on this squad! He placed 5th overall and has brought down the scoring tremendously by being another much needed low stick rather than just a "decent third man". The biggest issue everyone was watching for, would be the new transfer Louisville brought in. Calvin Chemoiywo was a solid 4th man (placed 17th) and is a huge improvement on the 4th man they had last season. The only issue is that their 5th man is still a big issue. Matt Stephenson was their 5th man at 52nd place and that really hurt the scoring. The Cards need to fix that problem or else their chances of getting past a very deep regionals field will be will be difficult. However, George Yator, one of the top Kenyan recruits Louisville picked up this past summer, did not compete at the GLC. No one is quite sure as to what impact Yator can have, but if he's as good Chemoiywo (or even slightly worse) then this team goes from competitive to contenders. They fall in the rankings because of how crucial that 5th man is to the success of their team. So until I see an improvement there, I'm ok with pushing them further and further back.
#15 NC State Wolfpack (+3/18)
-The Wolfpack impressed this past weekend at the Notre Dame Invite where they soundly beat teams like CSU and Southern Utah. Meron Simon, the transfer from Washington, played a major role by placing 4th overall. A little bit behind was a big surprise in Sebastian Hanson who was a spot ahead of his teammate Sam Parsons (8th and 9th). Bakri Aboushouk also had an outstanding race and placed 13th. Simon and Parsons were expected to be the low scorers of this team. However, now Hanson and and Aboushouk have stepped up and surprised many with their fitness. The NC State squad that was once worried about finding more low-sticks now don't have that issue. However, the separate issue now lies at the 5th man spot. After Aboushouk, there is a massive drop until NC State's final scorer. Sam Roberson was the next man in and placed 63rd overall...a spot which absolutely crushed any hopes of a team title. Many will argue that this 5th man problem will make NC State irrelevant on the big stage as their fifth man falls towards the back of high-caliber meets. The only flaw in that argument, is the fact that Graham Crawford did not race. Crawford entered this season ranked 50th in my preseason rankings. If he runs, Crawford would easily do better than 63rd and propels the team to a win over UTEP. The only issue is that we haven't seen him yet this season and that's slightly concerning. If he's injured then my argument essentially goes down the drain. Hopefully we get that answer soon.
#14 UTEP Miners (Wasn't Ranked)
-Out of all the teams to win the Notre Dame Invite, how many chose UTEP? The Miners came out of nowhere to steal the Notre Dame title and cement themselves as contenders. It also helps when you have Rotich taking the win and a surprise new-comer (Jonah Koech) taking third overall. With Boit at 14th and the rest of the scorers finishing at 29th and 42nd, UTEP was able to take advantage of NC State's sub-par 5th man to take the win. That is a massive win for these guys and not only puts them into the nationals conversation, but marks them as a potential top 10 team finisher. The only question I have is how much will their 4th and 5th man hurt them in the scoring? They will need to step up if they are going to improve on the rankings.
#13 Indiana Hoosiers (Wasn't Ranked)
-Was I wrong about Indiana or what? I'll admit, I didn't think they would have the supporting scorers to help them succeed this season. I wasn't sold on Rory Hunter and there were plenty of questions as to how their 4th and 5th men would hold up. Yet, the Hoosiers held their own and dominated at the Princeton Interregional meet by placing five in the top 15. The best part of all of this? Front-man Matthew Schwartzer didn't even compete! Although it worries me that he hasn't raced yet, it excites me more when I think about what this Indiana team is capable of when he races (at full health of course).
#12 BYU Cougars (+1/13)
-The Washington Invite was an exciting race that consisted of some top PAC 12 teams that will be meeting each other in the post-season. Oregon ran away with the title while Stanford and BYU were left to fight it out for second place. Even without some of Stanford's top guys, the men in red still defeated BYU by 1 point (69-70). The next closest team was UCLA at 117. There honestly isn't much to say here. Had Jonathan Nelson run, then BYU gets the win over Stanford and gets awfully close to Oregon (who was running without Leingang to be fair). I would like to see the pack become a little tighter, but besides that BYU is heading in the direction I expected them to.
-The Washington Invite was an exciting race that consisted of some top PAC 12 teams that will be meeting each other in the post-season. Oregon ran away with the title while Stanford and BYU were left to fight it out for second place. Even without some of Stanford's top guys, the men in red still defeated BYU by 1 point (69-70). The next closest team was UCLA at 117. There honestly isn't much to say here. Had Jonathan Nelson run, then BYU gets the win over Stanford and gets awfully close to Oregon (who was running without Leingang to be fair). I would like to see the pack become a little tighter, but besides that BYU is heading in the direction I expected them to.
#11 Mississippi Rebels (-5/6)
-I think everyone got a little too excited about Mississippi this season whether that be me, Flortack, or USATFCCCA. MJ Erb has been a great addition, but they still don't quite have the firepower upfront. The Rebels finished third overall behind Iona and Michigan. MJ Erb did his job by placing 4th overall while Tobin and Domanic did their roles by finishing 9th and 18th respectively. The last two scorers were from individuals that no one expected: the milers. Manahan placed 24th while Engels was 30th. They weren't flashy finishes, but it does show that there is plenty of depth and talent there. It's also important to realize that Wes Gallagher didn't run this past weekend. I'm hoping he's not injured because if he is then a top 10 finish for this team is essentially gone. I was also a little disappointed by the racing of Trevor Gilley who dropped way back to 80th place. I imagine it was just a very off day for him and I believe he could be where the two milers were. Hopefully we see him again regrouped and refocused.
-I think everyone got a little too excited about Mississippi this season whether that be me, Flortack, or USATFCCCA. MJ Erb has been a great addition, but they still don't quite have the firepower upfront. The Rebels finished third overall behind Iona and Michigan. MJ Erb did his job by placing 4th overall while Tobin and Domanic did their roles by finishing 9th and 18th respectively. The last two scorers were from individuals that no one expected: the milers. Manahan placed 24th while Engels was 30th. They weren't flashy finishes, but it does show that there is plenty of depth and talent there. It's also important to realize that Wes Gallagher didn't run this past weekend. I'm hoping he's not injured because if he is then a top 10 finish for this team is essentially gone. I was also a little disappointed by the racing of Trevor Gilley who dropped way back to 80th place. I imagine it was just a very off day for him and I believe he could be where the two milers were. Hopefully we see him again regrouped and refocused.
#10 Michigan Wolverines (+1/11)
-Ferlic got a big W for the Wolverines and was followed by More and Flanagan in 12th and 13th. The next pair of two would be Posada and Smoraiewicz who placed 20th and 21st to end the scoring. Although it was a strong performance, the Wolverines were outmatched by Iona. Still, Michigan held their own and performed right around where their ranking indicated. I'll be interested to see if the 2-3 and 4-5 men can close the gap between them, but besides that, there's not much to say about this squad.
-Ferlic got a big W for the Wolverines and was followed by More and Flanagan in 12th and 13th. The next pair of two would be Posada and Smoraiewicz who placed 20th and 21st to end the scoring. Although it was a strong performance, the Wolverines were outmatched by Iona. Still, Michigan held their own and performed right around where their ranking indicated. I'll be interested to see if the 2-3 and 4-5 men can close the gap between them, but besides that, there's not much to say about this squad.
#09 Virginia Cavaliers (0/10)
#08 Oklahoma State Cowboys (0/8)
#07 Villanova Wildcats (-2/5)
-The top-ranked Wildcats took a big loss this weekend at Paul Short. Nova lost to Georgetown by 19 points despite having Tiernan and Williamsz going 1-2. The dominance upfront was outmatched by Georgetown's depth. Villanova's depth was the only questionable aspect of team I had as they entered this season. While it is a surprising loss, I think it's important to note that Wetzel has yet to run this season while Marston and Comber have been running extremely well (despite running unattached). I imagine this loss will have Coach Sullivan thinking more and more about running his secret freshmen weapons as the season begin to draw towards post-season. I'm not completely ready to dismiss Villanova, but if that depth isn't fixed soon, they will further and further away from that podium spot.
#08 Oklahoma State Cowboys (0/8)
#07 Villanova Wildcats (-2/5)
-The top-ranked Wildcats took a big loss this weekend at Paul Short. Nova lost to Georgetown by 19 points despite having Tiernan and Williamsz going 1-2. The dominance upfront was outmatched by Georgetown's depth. Villanova's depth was the only questionable aspect of team I had as they entered this season. While it is a surprising loss, I think it's important to note that Wetzel has yet to run this season while Marston and Comber have been running extremely well (despite running unattached). I imagine this loss will have Coach Sullivan thinking more and more about running his secret freshmen weapons as the season begin to draw towards post-season. I'm not completely ready to dismiss Villanova, but if that depth isn't fixed soon, they will further and further away from that podium spot.
#06 Oregon Ducks (+3/9)
-Oregon continues to dominate on the XC course even though they lost nearly their entire squad. The Ducks put together a convincing 52 point performance to beat an unstacked Stanford squad by 17 points. Although Stanford wasn't running stacked, I still really like the fact that Oregon was able to establish themselves as realistic threats to the podium. They ran without Jake Leingang and still one by 15+ points. The absence of JL makes me wonder what the Ducks are capable of when he does race. It also has to be a good sign to see the depth stepping up and running well when called upon. Somehow, Oregon does it year after year...
-Oregon continues to dominate on the XC course even though they lost nearly their entire squad. The Ducks put together a convincing 52 point performance to beat an unstacked Stanford squad by 17 points. Although Stanford wasn't running stacked, I still really like the fact that Oregon was able to establish themselves as realistic threats to the podium. They ran without Jake Leingang and still one by 15+ points. The absence of JL makes me wonder what the Ducks are capable of when he does race. It also has to be a good sign to see the depth stepping up and running well when called upon. Somehow, Oregon does it year after year...
#05 Iona Gaels (+2/7)
-I'll be honest. When I entered this season, I was not at all on the Iona bandwagon. I thought they were an overrated team with no strong individuals. I suppose I gave into peer pressure and ranked them better than I really thought they should've been...Then this weekend happened. My conceptions about the Gaels were completely eradicated and I became forced to recognize them as the powerhouse team they deserved to be. Iona stepped into GLC unfazed by the top ranked teams around them and took care of business by taking spots 4, 7, 11, 14, and 16. No team had more than three individuals in the top 15 while Iona had four. Chartt Miller erased any doubt I had about him after he surprised the nation (and probably even his own team) by placing 3rd overall. It looks like Iona is for real this season and we should give them the respect they deserve.
-I'll be honest. When I entered this season, I was not at all on the Iona bandwagon. I thought they were an overrated team with no strong individuals. I suppose I gave into peer pressure and ranked them better than I really thought they should've been...Then this weekend happened. My conceptions about the Gaels were completely eradicated and I became forced to recognize them as the powerhouse team they deserved to be. Iona stepped into GLC unfazed by the top ranked teams around them and took care of business by taking spots 4, 7, 11, 14, and 16. No team had more than three individuals in the top 15 while Iona had four. Chartt Miller erased any doubt I had about him after he surprised the nation (and probably even his own team) by placing 3rd overall. It looks like Iona is for real this season and we should give them the respect they deserve.
#01 Colorado Buffalos (0/1)
-Yes, the Buff's did debut this past weekend but there simply wasn't much to note. Moussa did not run and the rumor behind that is injuries (which given his past would be a reasonable rumor to believe). I'm not sure what the deal is there, but until there is an substantial report, I won't look into it too heavily. It seems that depth for Colorado will come from Dressell and Klecker this year. There haven't been any rumors, reports, or indications of having these two guys redshirt this season, so it's very realistic that one of them could step up and play a role if Moussa is in fact injured. Of course, this is all speculation. I don't want to get too caught up in what "could be". Colorado is still Colorado and they'll hang out at the top spot for a while.
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Just Missed
California Golden Bears
Cornell Bears
Virginia Tech Hokies
Princeton Tigers
California Golden Bears
Cornell Bears
Virginia Tech Hokies
Princeton Tigers
Who To Watch
Purdue Boilermakers
Arkansas Razorbacks
Texas Longhorns
Penn Quakers
Penn State Nittany Lions
Purdue Boilermakers
Arkansas Razorbacks
Texas Longhorns
Penn Quakers
Penn State Nittany Lions
Kicked Off
Penn State Nittany Lions (Last Ranked 25)
Penn Quakers (Last Ranked 17)
Virginia Tech Hokies (Last Ranked 15)
Penn Quakers (Last Ranked 17)
Virginia Tech Hokies (Last Ranked 15)
New Additions
Georgetown Hoyas
UTEP Miners
Indiana Hoosiers
Georgetown Hoyas
UTEP Miners
Indiana Hoosiers
Biggest Surprise of the Week
UTEP Miners
UTEP Miners
Team of the Week
Iona Gaels
Iona Gaels
Notes
-North Texas recently got a win over Texas by 1 point. It's unclear as to what the plan was for Texas in this race, but just know that they beat North Texas by 35 points at the Texas A&M invite. I'll be watching that matchup more carefully now.
-Penn State gets kicked off the list for their poor performances that have been outside the top five. The glaring miss is Burkhardt. Where is the captain that was supposed to lead them through this season? If he's injured then that's a massive blow to this team.
-Penn State gets kicked off the list for their poor performances that have been outside the top five. The glaring miss is Burkhardt. Where is the captain that was supposed to lead them through this season? If he's injured then that's a massive blow to this team.
Great post as always! A couple things I've noticed:
ReplyDelete1. Gtown showed some excellent depth at Paul Short and Nova definitely did not. This meet was far from stacked with talented teams/individuals as it has been in the past so it was really something of a two team race between these squads. Nova's top 3 was great, but Gtown hung tough with it and then their depth took over. The key thing to remember is that Gtown has spent the last few weeks/months having to deal with a lot of crap about their program, transfers, doubts, etc. They had to be supremely motivated and eager to show what they could do this week and that motivation/extra energy won't necessarily be there every weekend.
2. Letsrun reported that UTEP only has 6 guys on their entire roster. That's super risky long term.
3. The Wisconsin drama? Personally, I could care less what they did. They wanted to see the course in a race like setting. They went and tempoed. They saved themselves for the big meets and added experience. They paid to enter the meet, their season will be judged purely on how they do at nationals. If this is the strategy they believe is best why not go for it? Other thoughts?