The rest of the list...
40. Andrew Rafla, Rs. Sophomore, Boise State
39. Travis Neuman, Senior, Oregon
38. Darren Fahy, Senior, Georgetown
37. MJ Erb, Senior, Mississippi
36. Frankline Tonui, Senior, Arkansas
35. Ben Flanagan, Senior, Michigan
34. Joel Reichow, Senior, South Dakota State
33. Colby Gilbert, Junior, Washington
32. Michael Vennard, Junior, Boise State
31. Dallin Farnsworth, Sophomore, BYU
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
50. Nick Tuck, Senior, Penn
The last man to make our list is no other than Penn's Nick Tuck. I really wasn't sure whether or not he deserved a spot in the top 50, but he had a pretty significant impact on last year's national qualifying team. We saw him make big improvements and it's not too crazy to think that he will do it again.
When we look back at last season, Tuck never really had an off day. Except for nationals, Tuck never placed outside of the top 30. His 25th place finish at Notre Dame was arguably his 'worst' race despite still beating some solid names. His clutch racing at Heps (13th) and regionals (6th) was the reason why Penn was so successful and able to lock down a spot to NCAA's. Tuck would eventually go on to place a respectable 73rd place at nationals.
But things are different now. In 2016, Tuck will be looked at as the leader of this team and he knows that. He will need to make another aggressive jump in improvement if he wants to help his team return to nationals and become an All-American. However, we've seen him trending upwards recently and I can always trust that a steeplechaser will do well on the XC course.
49. Jake Leingang, Senior, Oregon
For the past few years, Leingang has been a staple name for the Oregon Ducks. He's been a crucial piece of the puzzle on the track and has developed into a very nice 3k/5k runner. Still, his cross country finishes aren't as impressive as I had hoped they would be.
Last season, Leingang didn't impress me as much as I wanted him to. I ranked him at 47th in the pre-season rankings, but he failed to stay in the top 50 as the season went on. His 24th place finish at Pre-Nats was a nice start, but nothing too exciting. Unfortunately, the next two races didn't deliver many fireworks for Leingang as he placed 23rd at PAC-12's and 39th at regionals. He had placed better in both of those races previously in his career. Luckily, Leingang ended his XC season on a high note with an excellent 50th place finish at nationals which helped get the Oregon Ducks a team medal.
His name, track times, and importance to his team tells me that he should be ranked in the top 30. His stats tell me he shouldn't even be ranked. Yet, with the pressure now on Leingang to guide the Oregon Ducks to become a championship contending team, I believe he will find the extra gear needed to make an improvement and become an All-American. We saw glimpses of that talent at Pre-Nats and NCAA's, now he just needs to deliver.
48. Michael Williams, Junior, Washington State
The West region is filled with talent and often times certain individuals can be forgotten or overlooked. Some may argue that Williams falls into that category.
It was tough to say whether or not Williams should make the list or not, but an impressive string of races in the post-season puts him on this list. Despite only running two races in 2014, Williams came out ready to perform in 2015 as he ran in a total SEVEN cross country races. That's a lot of racing in one season at any level. Of course, racing at big-time meets like the Washington Invite (placed 35th) and Pre-Nats (placed 36th) prepped him for a breakout post-season where he placed 12th at PAC-12's, 3rd at regionals, and then 57th at nationals. It was an outstanding end to a cinderella post-season.
Now, Williams will be entering his junior year with experience and confidence. Improvements this past track season and clutch racing during championship time were good enough to put him in the top 50. However, being more consistent during the regular season will be how he improves in the rankings.
47. Brian Barraza, Senior, Houston
One of the rare South Central individuals to make the rankings is Brian Barraza. Due to his weak region, it's tough to decide where to place him in the rankings. However, his talent stands out enough to get him on the list.
Barraza's had a strong start last season as he began by grabbing wins at Rice and Texas A&M. Although he had some decent competition there, he wouldn't face his first true challenge of the season until Pre-Nats. It was there that Barraza placed a respectable 25th place overall and beat some very talented names in the process (like McClintock and Mascari). Unfortunately, he would have a less than ideal performance at AAC's where he placed 4th overall (he was projected to place second). Instead of just Scott, Barraza was outmatched by Traynor and Preisner of Tulsa. Luckily, Barraza would redeem himself at regionals (South Central) by grabbing a win and securing his spot to nationals. At NCAA's, Barraza would end up finishing 60th, 20 spots away from being an All-American.
Barraza is far from perfect, but he is someone that can repeat as regional champ and should be an All-American. Unfortunately, Pre-Nats and NCAA's will be the only times we get to see him against the stronger competition his region and conference can't offer. If he can do what he did last year and improve on those two races, then watch for Barraza to improve in the rankings.
46. Joel Hubbard, Senior, Syracuse
When Syracuse won the national title last fall, no one was surprised to see their top three run as well as they did. It was actually the performances from their fourth and fifth men (Germano and Hubbard) that secured the upset win over Colorado. Hubbard's clutch running in the post-season and strong improvement on the track puts him at number 46 in the rankings.
Hubbard had a rollercoaster season during 2015. He had an unexciting 6th place finish at Spiked Shoe, but hung tough against a deep field in Beantown to place 7th. Later, he finished 28th at Wisconsin, but didn't even crack the top 30 at ACC's (he was 35th). Luckily for Hubbard and the rest of the Syracuse team, he found his groove in the post-season and placed 11th at regionals. When it came to nationals, Hubbard was only seven spots off from being All-American (47th) and helped secure the Orangemen their first NCAA cross country title.
Like Barraza, Hubbard was pretty inconsistent throughout last season. Still, he came up big in the post-season and showed us moments that proved he could hang with the big boys of the NCAA...and not just during cross country. Hubbard established himself as one of the top milers in the nation this past season and was able to throw in a 14:06 5k in his first attempt at the event. He may not be a clear cut pick like some of the others on this list, but his clear progression gives me no reason to leave him out of the top 50.
45. Chase Weaverling, Junior, Virginia
For the past 9 months, Henry Wynne has been the face of UVA's XC and track team thanks to some massive PR's and a NCAA title. Of course, there is plenty more talent on that team that deserves some recognition. Enter Chase Weaverling.
Last season, many weren't aware of who Weaverling was. The rising junior began his season at a small meet called Panorama Farms where he placed an unexciting 15th overall. Weaverling would later go on to Wisconsin where he once again underwhelmed with a 41st place finish. That would be the last race where Weaverling would go unnoticed. At ACC's Weaverling had a huge breakout race finishing 8th overall and defeating names like Meron Simon, Michael Clevenger, and teammate Henry Wynne (to name a few). From there, Weaverling rode his confidence into regionals (southeast) and finished 14th overall. That momentum he had built up in his past two races wasn't good enough to get him All-American at nationals, but he was able to place 55th overall. Not bad for a guy who was 174th the year before.
This will be a big year for Virginia as they return their entire varsity squad that ran at last year's NCAA championship. While that's a great sign, they will still need to find another low-stick if they want to contend for a team medal and Chase Weaverling could be that additional low-stick. Although he's been great in the post-season, I'll need to see some significant improvement at meets like Panorama Farms and Wisconsin to improve his ranking. Luckily, we'll get to see those meets pretty early on in the season.
44. Jack Bruce, Junior, Arkansas
Jack Bruce was probably the toughest name to place in the rankings. He bounced everywhere from the top 30 to not even making the rankings. When you look at his 2015 results, it's easy to understand why.
Overall, Jack Bruce wasn't all that impressive during the fall of 2015. He was 67th at Pre-Nats, 10th at SEC's, and 13th at South Central regionals. Despite being in a less competitive region and conference, he couldn't crack the past 10th place at either of those meets. But in one of the most unprecedented races of the year, Jack Bruce ran a near unbelievable race at nationals as he finished 23rd overall and led his talented Arkansas team. Rarely does a performance like that ever happen. His All-American seemed too good to just be a fluke, but he had no race prior to nationals that indicated he would have ever finished that well. His outdoor track season helped solidify his talent level as he ran PR's of 3:41 and 13:54.
Bruce was excellent on the track and had a killer race at nationals. I felt like he had too much potential and upside to leave him off. He may not have been the consistent grinder we've seen from some of these guys, but I think we're going to see Bruce have a breakout year and contend with some of the best.
43. Jaime (Escriche) Perales, Senior, Eastern Kentucky
It seems as if number 43 in the rankings lives a double life. His profile on EKU's roster is under the name of Escriche, but his times on TFRRS are under the name of Perales. Why is this the case? I have no idea, but let's just go with Perales.
On EKU's roster, Perales is a senior. However, I can only find his last season of cross country and track on TFRRs and nothing more. Although there isn't a lot to go off of, Perales should still be considered a top 50 runner nationally. Last season, Perales had a slow start with unimpressive runs at the Greater Louisville Classic (finished 30th) and the Wisconsin Invite (finished 34th). He didn't catch anyone's eye until regionals (southeast) where he had an outstanding race and finished 8th overall. Perales didn't stop there as he went onto nationals and put together another big race to place 37th overall and become an All-American.
So why is it that an All-American who was top 10 in one of the deepest regions in the nation ranked at only 43? For me, I just need to see more than two solid races. Perales is clearly talented, and even boasts a PR of 13:56 on the track. However, I need to see if he can transfer his post-season magic to regular season meets like Louisville and Wisconsin. If he can do that, then expect Perales to stay on this list for a while.
42. Luke Traynor, Senior, Tulsa
Much like Perales, Traynor only has this past year of track and cross country results listed on his profile. Yet, what's even more odd is that Traynor's 2015 cross country season matches Perales' 2015 season almost exactly.
Like Perales, Traynor had a rough start to the beginning of his season. He was a disappointing 21st at the Chile Pepper Festival and then finished 50th at the Wisconsin Invite. It wasn't until the post-season that Traynor broke out with a 3rd place finish at AAC's, a 7th place finish at regionals (Mid-West), and a stunning 34th place at nationals to become an All-American.
Traynor's success during the championship meets was certainly a surprise and something that catapulted him into the top 50. It also helped that he qualified for the 10k at nationals this past track season where he placed 13th. Of course, just like most of the name's in the 40 to 50 range, his regular season performances will need to improve. I believe Traynor can bring a lot to the table, but he needs to prove that he's more than just a post-season hero.
41. Matthew Schwartzer, Rs. Senior, Indiana
Different year, same ranking. Despite sustaining an injury and having to redshirt his 2015 cross country season, Schwartzer has proven throughout his career that he's only going to get better with time. Don't believe me? Just read last year's ranking.
Although he has no 2015 races to look at, his 2014 races speak for themselves. Schwartzer had a slow start in 2014 when he placed 16th at Washington and 49th at Wisconsin. It wasn't until the post-season where Schwartzer would step up and lead his Indiana Hooisers to a national championship appearance. It was during the post-season that he was 10th at BIG 10's, 12th at Great Lakes, and 43rd at nationals. All of those were big time performances. But how can we rely on results that are nearly two years old now? Can he do the same thing, if not better, during the 2016 season?
The numbers say yes. Schwartzer was able to run big PR's during the past two track seasons with a 13:56 5k and a 7:59 3k. I don't always like to use track times to gage where someone should be ranked during cross country, but those times are a positive sign that Schwartzer is in great health. If Schwartzer stays on the level of progression that he's been on, then history says that he'll be an All-American by the end of this season.
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