The rest of the list...
50. Nick Tuck, Senior, Penn
49. Jake Leingang, Senior, Oregon,
48. Michael Williams, Junior, Washington State
47. Brian Barraza, Senior, Houston
46. Joel Hubbard, Senior, Syracuse
45. Chase Weaverling, Junior, Virginia
44. Jack Bruce, Junior, Arkansas
43. Jaime Perales, Senior, Eastern Kentucky
42. Luke Traynor, Senior, Tulsa
41. Matthew Schwartzer, Rs. Senior, Indiana
30. Philo Germano, Senior, Syracuse
29. Kieran Clements, Rs. Senior, Iona
28. Gilbert Kirui, Junior, Iona
27. Amon Terer, Senior, Campbell
26. Cerake Geberkidane, Junior, Oklahoma State
25. Lawrence Kipkoech, Rs. Sophomore, Campbell
24. Chartt Miller, Junior, Iona
23. George Parsons, Senior, NC State
22. Kyle Eller, Senior, Air Force
21. Morgan McDonald, Junior, Wisconsin
20. Jacob Thomson, Rs. Junior, Kentucky
19. Henry Wynne, Senior, Virginia
18. Dylan Lafond, Senior, Illinois
17. Ben Saarel, Senior, Colorado
16. Edwin Kibichiy, Rs. Senior, Louisville
15. Jacob Burcham, Senior, Oklahoma
14. Jerrell Mock, Junior, Colorado State
13. Jefferson Abbey, Senior, Colorado State
12. Malachy Schrobilgen, Senior, Wisconsin
11. John Dressel, Sophomore, Colorado
10. Colin Bennie, Junior, Syracuse
9. Jonah Koech, Sophomore, UTEP
8. Jonathan Green, Senior, Georgetown
6. Grant Fisher, Sophomore, Stanford
5. Sean McGorty, Senior, Stanford
4. Justyn Knight, Junior, Syracuse
3. Futsum Zienasellassie, Rs. Senior, NAU
2. Patrick Tiernan, Rs. Senior, Villanova
1. Edward Cheserek, Senior, Oregon
40. Andrew Rafla, Rs. Sophomore, Boise State
Boise State entered the 2015 season with the expectation that Rafla would be their top-runner and leader. But like Matthew Schwartzer, Rafla would sustain an injury during the summer of 2015 and his cross country season was over before it even started.
In 2014, we saw Rafla start his collegiate career as just another freshman struggling to adjust to D1 competition. He was 32nd at Roy Griak and 104th at Wisconsin which left a lot of room for improvment. Two weeks after Wisconsin, no one expected Rafla to finish 10th at the Mountain West conference championship and then throw down an 11th place finish in the all-powerful Mountain region. Although Rafla would end his freshman season by placing 83rd at nationals, it would be his conference and regional performances that showed his true potential.
Admittedly, his cross country resume is far from flashy. He wasn't all that consistent and still needed to improve in a couple areas. However, I believe we're going to see a breakout season from Rafla who will want to be part of a Boise State squad that returns to nationals. His performances on the track showed that he is still in great shape. PR's of 7:57 (3k) and 14:01 (5k) paired with a strong training partner in Michael Vennard make Rafla and the Boise State Broncos a dangerous opponent for anyone in NCAA.
39. Travis Neuman, Senior, Oregon
Neuman marks the second man from Oregon that has made it into the top 50. The rising senior was one of the more underrated talents during cross country, and threw down some very solid times during his first track season at Oregon this past spring.
Neuman seems to be Mr. Reliable for the Ducks as he held his own in nearly every race last fall. After he cruised through the Bill Delinger Invite with his teammates, Neuman settled for a modest 17th place finish at Washington. Things got better at Pre-Nats where he finished a respectable 29th place. It seemed as if Neuman was picking up momentum and that momentum was used at PAC-12's where he finished 13th overall. At regionals, a tactical race ended up being favorable for Neuman as he finished 4th overall. Neuman would end the season with a clutch 46th place finish at nationals which helped secure the Ducks a team medal.
Travis Neuman constantly held his own last season and came up big when it mattered. PR's of 13:55 and 29:09 this past spring shows us that he's got the ability to be another low-stick for Oregon. He's made solid improvements across the board and it's not crazy to thing he could be top 10 at Pre-Nats and PAC-12's.
38. Darren Fahy, Rs. Senior, Georgetown
Looking back at last season, I worried about Georgetown's ability to bounce back from a controversial offseason which resulted in many of their teammates transferring. Yet, it was the composure of experienced guys like Fahy that made them so successful during 2015.
After a rust-buster meet against Navy, Fahy and the rest of his teammates traveled to Lehigh's Paul Short invitational where Fahy finished a respectable 5th overall. Two weeks later, Fahy had the best race of his season by throwing down a 19th place finish at Pre-Nats. He would come across the line with big-name runners like Mock and Kipkoech and out-ran guys like McClintock, Mascari, Eller, and the entire Arkansas squad. Fahy kept things going at BIG East's where he finished a slightly less impressive 7th place overall. Still, Darren Fahy was hitting his prime and ready for a big race at regionals. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and Fahy ended up finishing a disappointing 34th place. After his Georgetown teammates secured a spot to nationals, Fahy was able to shake off the poor performance and lock down a solid 49th place finish at nationals to end his season.
Unlike a lot of the names on the list so far, Fahy has shown that he can perform during the regular season. That's not to say he hasn't done well during the championship meets, but I would like to see some improvements in his post-season performances during 2016. I'm fully expecting Fahy to end his season in November with the status of All-American.
37. MJ Erb, Senior, Mississippi
An All-American on the track and grass, Erb has shown that he is a big time threat on the national stage. Unfortunately, complications during last fall didn't allow him to show off his true potential.
Erb was expected to be the savior of the Ole Miss Rebels last fall and he started off strong with a 4th place finish at the Greater Louisville Classic. Of course, that great performance was quickly overshadowed by a sub-par race at Wisconsin (47th) and a much worse race at SEC's (114th). Questions and concerns about Erb's health began to spread, but those concerns were quickly scratched after Erb placed respectable 6th place at regionals (south). His inconsistency confused many fans, including myself. Erb entered nationals with many fans uncertain about how he would perform. Unfortunately, he would end his season with a 187th place finish, way out of being a scorer for an already hurting Mississippi squad. So how on earth does Erb make the list, much less the top 40?
Erb's last cross country season may have been rough, but he's has shown up to play in nearly every other season. When he was at Syracuse, Erb was 23rd at Wisconsin, 11th at ACC's, 9th at regionals (northeast), and 37th at nationals. On the track, Erb was an All-American steeplechaser for Ole Miss and threw down a nasty PR of 8:34. When Erb is at the top of his game, he is a tough guy to beat. His poor cross country season last fall does make me cautious of how he'll perform this season, but this guy is too talented to not be ranked.
36. Frankline Tonui, Senior, Arkansas
Fun fact: the Razorbacks had a different number one runner in all six of the meets they raced in last season. Some guys were more consistent than others, but Tonui was the man that consistently put himself at the top of the results.
Tonui started last season with a bang as he got a win at Iona's Paddy Doyle Invite. Admittedly, it was a slow race where many of the top names didn't go all out. The first hard effort would be at the Chile Pepper Festival (yes, that is the name of a meet) where Tonui finished a respectable 4th. Tonui, a community college transfer student, would keep up his strong start at Pre-Nats where he placed 26th and helped the Razorbacks to a third place team finish. At SEC's we saw Tonui battle it out with teammate Christian Heymsfield and Alabama's Antibahs Kosgei. Tonui would finish 3rd and defeat Kentucky's breakout star Jacob Thomson in the process. Tonui once again held his own at regionals where he placed 4th in a less-than-exciting field. It would be at nationals where Tonui would place 40th and grab the last All-American spot.
Sure, Tonui was consistent throughout 2015 and even grabbed All-American, but what really got me excited was what he did on the track. As you can probably tell by now, I feel that steeplechasers can often best translate their success on the track to cross country. At outdoor NCAA's, he had a breakout race at outdoor nationals where placed 2nd with an amazing time of 8:30. There are plenty of signs that Tonui is set for a breakout season and could even end up as a top 20 runner if things go his way. He'll need to establish himself as Arkansas' consistent front-runner, but Tonui have shown that he deserves to be ranked 36th in the nation.
35. Ben Flanagan, Senior, Michigan
Last season, Flanagan made a name for himself as he was the crucial number two man that helped win Michigan the BIG 10 and Great Lakes titles. His consistency throughout the regular and post-season puts him in the top 50 this season thanks to a history of consistent performances.
Unlike some other names on this list, Flanagan has been a national-caliber athlete since the day he stepped onto the collegiate scene. His BIG 10 finishes have been 12th, 13th and 8th while his Great Lakes regional finishes have been 10th and 11th*. However, it was last season where he showed that he could compete in more than just the post-season after he placed 29th at Wisconsin and 12th at the Greater Louisville Classic.
*Didn't run at regionals his freshman year
Like Tuck, Flanagan will now be looked at as the leader of this Michigan team. However, he'll need to up his game from being a 'crucial number two man', to being a front-runner at big time meets. Luckily, his experience from three NCAA championships will give him a huge advantage. If he puts a win on his resume, expect him to enter the top 25 in the rankings.
34. Joel Reichow, Senior, South Dakota State
For Reichow, running in the Mid-West region might have been one of the more beneficial aspects of his collegiate running career. The Mid-West is often competitive and filled with big-names, but isn't so deep that guys like Reichow get lost in the talent pool. Although Reichow loses his teammate and training partner Trent Lusignan, he is experienced and talented enough to repeat as an All-American.
The beginning of Reichow's 2015 season wasn't very exciting as he placed 39th in a slower-than-usual Roy Griak race. After getting an unimportant win at SDSU's home invite, Reichow went on to Wisconsin and placed 30th overall. Wisconsin was a clear improvement from Roy Griak and that may have been the confidence boost he needed as he headed into the post-season. After placing 2nd at conferences (Summit League), Reichow went onto regionals and pleasantly surprised everyone with a 6th place finish ahead of guys like Traynor and Lafond. Reichow would end his season with a bang as he finished 36th at nationals to earn the status of All-American.
Despite his smaller school status, Reichow is the real deal and he's certainly not a one-season wonder either. He put up PR's across the board this past outdoor season which included a 28:55 10k. He'll need to improve his performances at Roy Griak and Wisconsin, but don't be surprised if Reichow repeats as an All-American.
33. Colby Gilbert, Junior, Washington
Colby Gilbert might be the most under-appreciated runner in the NCAA. Gilbert was a big reason for Washington's sudden success in the post-season last year, and he kept that going during indoors and outdoors as well.
Gilbert's freshman year was a year filled with big meet competition and big meet experience. He went on to earn PAC-12 freshman of the year honors and even got some experience of running at nationals. But in 2015, Gilbert had only one regular season meet which was an early season rust-buster against Seattle University. We wouldn't see Gilbert return to competition until PAC-12's where he finished a modest 18th place. Things got a little better at regionals where he placed 12th in a tactical affair, but it wasn't until nationals that we saw the real Colby Gilbert in action. Gilbert thrived off of the fast pace that was set early on. He crossed the line with a 32nd place finish and earned All-American honors.
I could end the story there, but what Gilbert did during track is just as impressive. He exploded on the track with times of 2:25 (1k), 3:40 (1500), 3:59 (mile), 7:50 (3k), and 13:35 (5k). All but the 3k were PR's (he ran 7:49 his freshman year).
Gilbert is one of most versatile runners in the NCAA and the scary part is that he could be even better in 2016. I don't often like to bring track times into the discussion during cross country, but his improvement was too drastic to disregard. Assuming he stays healthy, Gilbert could contend for a top 5 finish at both conferences and regionals.
32. Michael Vennard, Junior, Boise State
When Boise State got the news that their young star Andrew Rafla was out for the season with an injury, many assumed that the Broncos wouldn't be a factor in 2015. But that assumption quickly changed when we saw Michael Vennard toe the line.
Vennard came into the 2015 season ready to run hard from day one. He began his season with an outstanding 3rd place finish at Roy Griak behind conference rivals (and eventual All-Americans) Jefferson and Mock. Two weeks later, Vennard put together an equally impressive performance at Wisconsin as he placed 17th overall as just a sophomore. The breakout star later went into the Mountain West championships and settled for 5th place overall in what seemed to be a tactical and strategic race. As Vennard went into regionals (west), his youth and inexperience began catching up with him. Another deep and tactical race didn't play favorably for Vennard and he fell to 17th overall. Although the Broncos were still able to advance, Vennard's inexperience continued to play more of a role at nationals as he ended up finishing 93rd to end his season.
It's clear that Vennard's inexperience got the best of him in crunch time which is why I'm keeping him at 32. However, he showed us at Roy Griak and Wisconsin that he can run with some of the best. With Andrew Rafla healthy, Vennard will have an excellent training partner for his upcoming junior year. He'll know how to handle the pressure of being on the big stage and he'll know how to handle being a leader. Throw in the fact that he has a 13:56 PR (as a freshman) and we can expect big things from Vennard in 2016.
31. Dallin Farnsworth, Sophomore, BYU
BYU is competitive every year no matter who they graduate. They always put together a team that can hang with the best programs in the nation and they often produce top-notch individuals. However, I don't think anyone expected freshman Dallin Farnsworth to lead the Cougars during the 2015 season.
While everyone was distracted by freshman standouts Grant Fisher, John Dressel, and Jonah Koech, no one seemed to notice the freshman from BYU wrecking havoc from the moment he stepped onto the cross country course. Farnsworth's first race resulted in a win at a small tune-up meet called the Erik Anderson invite. Farnsworth wouldn't have his first true challenge until he got to the Washington Invite. It was there that he caught many by surprise and placed 9th overall defeating established runners like Izaic Yorks, Kyle Eller, and teammate Connor McMillan. Things just kept getting better for Farnsworth as he went on to Wisconsin and finished 16th overall to help his team place 2nd behind the eventual national champions (Syracuse). When it came time for the post-season, Farnsworth kept his foot on the gas with a 3rd place finish at the West Coast Conference championships and a 9th place finish at the deep Mountain region. Yet, it was at nationals when his inexperience would get the best of him and he would finish 74th overall.
Even when taking his less-than-stellar nationals performance into consideration, Farnsworth was still one of top guys in the nation who consistently led a top 10 team as just a freshman. With a year of leadership and experience now under his belt, Farnsworth should be able to capitalize at the major meets, win a conference title, and become an All-American. There is a lot of upside for him in 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment