Updated Etrain Top 50 List: Week 3 (10/5)

By: Garrett Zatlin

PAST RANKINGS THIS SEASON

Preseason

Week 1 (9/21)
Week 2 (9/28)

KEY

·      Bold: Had performances that influenced a strong change in the rankings

·      (#/#): First number indicates how much the individual 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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50. Jordy Williamsz, Senior, Villanova (-2/48)

-Jordy continues his string of great performances on flatter courses. Williamsz placed 2nd overall at Paul Short, one spot behind his teammate Patrick Tiernan. It was about the performance I expected considering the field wasn't all that full of top individuals. Still, it was a nice performance and solidifies his spot on the list. 

49. Matthew Schwartzer, Senior, Indiana (-8/41)

-Did not run with team this weekend.

48. Lane Werley, Senior, UCLA (Wasn't Ranked)
-I think the only reason I was hesitant to put Werley in my top 50 in the beginning of the season is because he was showing a lot of the same signs Kyle King was showing last season. Had an outstanding sophomore year where they unexpectedly led their team to success, and then underperformed their junior. King has continued that regression. Werley has not. The UCLA Bruin came back with vengeance and finished a strong 3rd place overall at a very deep and competitive Washington Invite that was essentially a future matchup of PAC 12's. Werley seems to be back in his old groove. Once he shows me consistency he'll continue to improve on the list.  

47. Jacob Burcham, Junior, Oklahoma (-1/46)

46. Michael Vennard, Sophomore, Boise State (-2/44) 

45. Dan Lennon, Senior, Syracuse (-2/43)

44. Joel Hubbard, Junior, Syracuse (-5/39)

43. Hayden Hawkes, Senior, Southern Utah (Wasn't Ranked)
-Another solid race by the Thunderbirds lead man. Hawkes had another excellent race this past weekend by placing 5th overall at Notre Dame. He's been running very well so far and I really like his consistency. He doesn't quite have that low-stick spark that most top-50 guys seem to have, but he's a strong, reliable leader which is the most essential part of it all. 

42. Meron Simon, Senior, NC State (Wasn't Ranked)
-There were many questions as to how Simon would fare with a new program at NC State. However, the Washington transfer has made the most of his opportunities after placing an outstanding 4th place overall at Notre Dame. He's that extra piece the Pack was missing and it showed in the team scores after they placed 2nd overall. I'm eager to see how much Simon thrives in this new program that seems to be working out for him.

41. Chartt Miller, Sophomore, Iona (Wasn't Ranked)

40. Kevin Dooney, Senior, Yale (-3/37)

39. George (Sam?) Parsons, Junior, NC State (-3/36)
-First off, let's just clear the burning question on everyone's minds...Is his name Sam or George? Results say George but everything else like interviews, articles, rankings, and the team roster say Sam. Clearly you can see what my daily worries are. Anyways, Parsons finished 9th behind a pair of teammates and a strong field at Notre Dame. The guys ahead of him were good, and 9th place is pretty solid, but I'm unsure if that place is strong enough to keep him at the 36th spot. Still, it was a great race and I'm hoping he can keep that up and at least stay consistent. 

38. Brian Barraza, Junior, Houston (0/38)

37. Joe Hardy, Sophomore, Wisconsin (-2/35)
-As I mentioned with Schrobilgen, Wisconsin tempoed the Great Louisville Invite and left a lot of fans very disappointed. No matter though. Wisconsin will be going all-out at their own meet next weekend. 

36. Brandon Doughty, Senior, Oklahoma (-2/34)

35. Fabian Clarkson, Senior, Oklahoma St. (-2/33)

34. Craig Nowak, Junior, Oklahoma St. (-5/29)

33. MJ Erb, Junior, Mississippi (-1/32)
-Mississippi really needed a true front-running leader and it seems like they have found that front-runner with Erb. He finished 4th at the Greater Louisville Classic by losing to a pair of top-20 ranked opponents and a surprise finisher in Chartt Miller. His ranking and placement are right around where I expected so I'm content with his performance and the the general ranking he's at now. 

32. Chris Walden, Senior, California (-4/28) 

31. Colin Bennie, Sophomore, Syracuse (-1/30)

30. Jonah Koech, Freshman, UTEP (Wasn't Ranked)
-When Anthony Rotich first ran in a small opening invitational, he finished side-by-side with a name very few knew. That name was Jonah Koech. Many disregarded the small meet finish as just a harder workout and no true indication that this kid could be anywhere close to the all-powerful Rotich. However, Koech pounced on the opportunity to prove himself this past weekend...and prove himself he would. Koech placed third overall behind only Rotich and McClintock. It was an outstanding performance and a performance that made UTEP that invitational winners. Koech is for real. The only reason I don't have him lower is because I simply want to see more from him. Plus, can you imagine the verbal assaults if Fisher was ranked worse than Koech? Actually there probably wouldn't be any notice of it but I like to imagine there would be. Watch for Koech to crack that top-20 later this season. 

29. Grant Fisher, Freshman, Stanford (+2/31)

28. Thomas Awad, Senior, Penn (-9/18)
-It seems that this was the weekend where the top individuals struggled to have an impact in the major meets. Coach Dolan and his squad took a different approach this year by opting for Notre Dame over Paul Short. The result was a collapse of their top star and which led to a chain reaction for the rest of the team. Awad fell all the way to 17th overall and simply couldn't hang with the top guys despite a very flat course that favored strong milers (AKA Awad). Like I've said with Mascari and Kibet, I won't penalize off-races too much, but I need to start seeing some consistency. 

27. Jerrell Mock, Sophomore, Colorado St. (0/27)
-It was a slightly off day for the youngster who placed 11th at the Notre Dame Invite. I'm sure it was tough for Mock to adjust to a faster race after coming off a second place finish at Roy Griak where the pace was pretty slow (about 5min pace). Adjusting to races like that is something that comes with experience so hopefully he makes that fix by the post-season. 

26. Shaun Thompson, Senior, Duke (Wasn't Ranked)
-I know what you're thinking...who's Shaun Thompson? I asked myself that same question when I saw that he not only beat Curtin, but CRUSHED him by over 30 seconds at the Princeton Interregional meet to get the win. It was an extremely impressive performance that catapulted him onto the list. There will be arguments that since he beat Curtin so much that he should be ahead of him. However, I would like to see if he can replicate that kind of performance again. Races like that don't just pop out of nowhere. If he has another race like that, I feel confident that he can get a top-20 spot in the rankings.

25. Jefferson Abbey, Junior, Colorado St. (+1/26)

-Abbey continues to use his big-meet experience to his advantage and create some consistency. He placed 6th this past weekend at Notre Dame and was right around some names I expected him to be with. Still, the race didn't play out to be as tactical as it was at Roy Griak and that may have been what dropped him out of the top five. I'm still unsure just how good this guy is, but at least he's consistent so he gives me a little more time to consider his spot.

24. Caleb Rhynard, Senior, Michigan St. (+1/25)

23. Ernest Kibet, Senior, Louisville (-7/16)
-I don't ever want to say that placing 10th in such a high-caliber meet qualifies as a bad day...but when you're (or were) ranked 16th in the nation, I kind of expect better. Kibet fell to 10th place at the Greater Louisville Classic despite racing on his home course. I'm pretty lenient with having off days, but I gotta push Kibet back in the rankings until I see him rebound with something more impressive. 

22. Morgan Pearson, Senior, Colorado (+2/24)
-Pearson makes his return back to the cross country course after red-shirting last season. He placed 2nd overall at the Rocky Mountain Shootout and seems to be in solid shape. Like his teammates, this meet doesn't hold much weight, but it's nice to see how a year away from XC hasn't had too much of an effect on him. 

21. Thomas Curtin, Senior, Virginia Tech (0/21)

-Curtin and the Hokies took on the Princeton Interregional meet this past weekend. Curtin fought hard but would end up getting trounced by Shaun Thompson of Duke who beat Curtin by over 30 seconds. Curtin still held onto second place by a solid five seconds, but you have to wonder how that race played out. Is Thompson that good or did Curtin have an off day? What does that mean about the rest of the field? Regardless, Curtin still ran well but didn't do anything better than his ranking indicates. 

20. Lawrence Kipkoech, (Rs.) Freshman, Campbell (+3/23)

19. Marc Scott, Senior, Tulsa (+3/22)
-Scott cruises to a win (at the Chile Pepper Festival) over a relatively light field that included an Arkansas squad that seemed to be working on their pack running. A win is a win even if it's not very exciting. I'm looking forward to seeing what damage he can do at the bigger meets. 

18. Pierce Murphy, Senior, Colorado (+2/20)
-Murphy grabs a win at the Rocky Mountain Shootout in a field that was essentially his entire team. I'm not looking that deep into this race, but it's good to see that he's healthy and capable of getting a win off of a moderately fast time. 

17. Martin Hehir, Senior, Syracuse (-3/14) 

16. Jim Rosa, Senior, Stanford (-6/10)
-Did not race with team this weekend. 

15. Connor Winter, Senior, Colorado (-1/14)
-Winter opened up his season with his teammates at the Rocky Mountain Invite and placed third to Murphy and Pearson. Like the rest of the Buffalo's, I'm not looking too much into this race and will be waiting to see them unleash their best efforts at a big time invitational. 

14. Edwin Kibichy, Junior, Louisville (+1/15)
-There were a lot of takeaways from the Greater Louisville Classic and it seems to be Kibichiy will be that leader to once again guide a Louisville squad that will be most likely be over looked. Kibichiy ran a great race placing second overall and holding off Chartt Miller and MJ Erb. There's not much to say besides that he's fit. I imagine he'll be sticking around this spot in the rankings for a while until the post-season rolls around. 

13. Joe Rosa, Senior, Stanford (+6/19)
-The Rosa's return! Well...at least one of them. The questions and speculations about the fitness level and health of the Rosa's was put to rest at least for Joe as he scorched a strong Washington and finished second overall only 5 seconds off from Cheserek. This is a great sign for a Stanford squad that will need every ounce of firepower to hold off a surging Syracuse team and take advantage of a Colorado squad that has very unreliable rumors of injuries. I'm eager to see where Joe will race next and how much more he's capable of doing. 

12. Erik Peterson, Senior, Butler (+1/13)

11. John Mascari, Senior, Indiana State (-5/6)
- Just a straight up rough day for Mascari at the Notre Dame Invite. He placed 10th in a talented field with top-ranked individuals and teams. That 10th place performance was definitely not what he was capable of and I won't hold that too heavily against him. However, he will not have much lee-way now in my mind. Another off-race like that could send him tumbling down the rankings. 

10. Matt McClintock, Senior, Purdue (+2/12)
-Once again Matt McClintock impresses...and once again Matt McClintock falls short. The Purdue senior ran another impressive race this weekend by just missing out on the win. He finished second to Anthony Rotich and out paced a field that included the CSU duo, Mascari, Awad, and more. I would love to give him a better spot in the rankings, but the guys ahead of him simply have more raw talent and, more importantly, have wins. 

9. Ammar Moussa, Senior, Colorado (-2/7)
-No Moussa at the Rocky Mountain Invite. There are apparently rumors that he's injured? I don't know how reliable that is, but it does make you wonder why he was absent. His injuries have  been an issue in the past...

8. Justyn Knight, Sophomore, Syracuse (+3/11)

7. Mason Ferlic, Senior, Michigan (+2/9)
-Mason Ferlic just continues to impress. Last year he won the Notre Dame Invite in a blistering fast time. This year, Ferlic and company went over to the Greater Louisville Classic where he pulled away from guys like Kibet and Kibichiy, MJ Erb, and the entire Iona squad. Throw in the fact that he just matched Alan Webb's 1k hill record that Michigan does for workouts and this guy is clearly in some mad fitness. 

6. Sean McGorty, Junior, Stanford (+2/8)
-Did not race with team this weekend.

5. Malachy Schrobilgen, Junior, Wisconsin (0/5)
-Malachy and the rest of Wisco caused quite a stir this weekend by treating the Greater Louisville Classic as a workout. I was a little disappointed (as was everyone else) but I imagine we'll be seeing their first truly hard effort next weekend. 

4. Ben Saarel, Junior, Colorado (0/4)
-Colorado made their debut at the Rocky Mountain Shootout and although there wasn't much to talk about, Saarel was one of the few that was running unattached. Not sure what's going on there, but maybe just a cautionary measure for an injury? I'm not looking too much into this, but I'll be eager to see him truly race at one of the big invites. 

3. Patrick Tiernan, Junior, Villanova (0/3)
-Tiernan grabs the title at Paul Short by going 1-2 with his teammate Jordy Williamsz. Honestly, it's nothing all that impressive. There weren't too many elite individuals that could've truly threatened Tiernan so this win was an expectation I had for him. Nice win, but on to the next one. 

2. Anthony Rotich, Senior, UTEP (0/2)
-Like Cheserek, Rotich gave his first true hard effort this season and got a win under his belt. Rotich barely beat out McClintock of Purdue 23:49.1 to 23:49.5. Still, a win is a win and it was an impressive at that considering the field he was facing. Cheserek may be a in a league of his own, but Rotich will at least make him work for the title come NCAA's. 

1. Edward Cheserek, Junior, Oregon (0/1)
- The King gave his first hard effort of the season this past weekend by crushing a fast pace and getting a win at the Washington Invite. It was exactly the kind of race you expected from him. Fast and convincing. It's early on in the season, but it might be time to just give him the title now...

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Just Missed

Cerake Geberkidane, Sophomore, Oklahoma State

Jacob Thomson, Sophomore, Kentucky
Jack Keelan, Sophomore, Stanford
Patrick Corona, Senior, Air Force
Japhet Kipkoech, Senior, Louisville
Dylan Lafond, Junior, Illinois

Who To Watch

-Andrew Marston, Freshman, Villanova*

-Casey Comber, Freshman, Villanova*

-Frankline Tonui, Junior, Arkansas

-Trevor Hopper, Sophomore, Virginia

-Tanner Hinkle, Junior, Furman
-Garrett Sweatt, Junior, Stanford
-Aaron Nelson, Senior, BYU
-Matthew Maton, Freshman, Oregon
-Cameron Villareal, Junior, Texas A&M

*Both are currently running unattached. It is unclear as to whether or not they are redshirting or not.

Kicked Off
Amos Bowen, Senior, Wyoming (Last Ranked 50)
Nick Tuck, Senior, Penn (Last Ranked 49)
Wes Gallagher, Senior, Mississippi (Last Ranked 47)
Sam Wharton, Junior, Stanford (Last Ranked 42)
Mike O’Dowd, Senior, Iona (Last Ranked 40) 

New Additions

Lane Werley, Senior, UCLA
Hayden Hawkes, Senior, Southern Utah
Meron Simon, Senior, NC State 
Chartt Miller, Sophomore, Iona
Jonah Koech, Freshman, UTEP
Shaun Thompson, Senior, UNC

Biggest Surprise of the Week
Shaun Thompson, Senior, Duke

MVP of the Week
Edward Cheserek, Junior, Oregon

Notes

-A lot of guys that haven't raced yet moved up and/or off the list. Moussa, Clarkson, Schwartzer, Wharton, and Gallagher all haven't raced yet this season, so it's unfair to keep them there until they prove themselves (Rhynard is the lone exception).
-Big surprises and new additions to the rankings (think Thompson and Koech) are very encouraging, but I want to see them be more consistent before they improve on the list.
-I tried not to move anyone who didn't race this weekend. However, with so many changes in the rankings it's tough to make sure everyone's spot is consistent with last week's rankings.
-MVP of the week goes to Cheserek because he simply had (what I thought) was the toughest and most established field to beat. Rotich and Ferlic were also heavily considered.