25. Illinois Fighting Illini
24. Villanova Wildcats
23. Eastern Michigan Eagles
22. Iowa State Cyclones
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys
20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
19. Michigan State Spartans
18. Boise State Broncos
17. Washington State Cougars
16. Indiana Hoosiers
15. Washington Huskies
14. Eastern Kentucky Colonials
13. BYU Cougars
12. Wisconsin Badgers
11. Furman Paladins
10. Virginia Cavaliers
9. Colorado State Rams
8. Norther Arizona Lumberjacks
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
6. Colorado Buffaloes
5. Iona Gaels
18. Boise State Broncos
Flotrack’s #18: Oklahoma Sooners
Flotrack's Ranking of Boise State: 19th
Coach: Corey Ihmels
Flotrack's Ranking of Boise State: 19th
Coach: Corey Ihmels
Notable Departures: Elijah Armstrong (mission trip)
Notable Additions: Albert Meier (transfer via Butler Community College)
Projected Scoring Five: Michael Vennard (JR) [ET#32], Andrew Rafla (SO) [ET#40], Yusuke Uchikoshi (JR), Louis McAfee (JR), Chandler Austin (SO)
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What an exciting year it should be for the men in blue. Boise State showed what they could do last year with a slew of young guys and no Andrew Rafla. To finish 16th in the nation when most people thought they wouldn't even make nationals is a pretty outstanding accomplishment.
As mentioned above, Boise State started last fall one step behind everyone else when their number one man (Andrew Rafla) sustained an injury and would be kept out for the rest of the season. That, of course, did not matter thanks to Michael Vennard.
Things started off slow and unexciting at Roy Griak when the Broncos placed 6th overall despite Vennard's 3rd place finish. Things got a little better at Wisconsin when Boise State placed 11th among an elite group of teams and showed that they didn't need Rafla to run with some of the top programs. Boise State stayed consistent throughout the post-season as they were 3rd in the Mountain West conference (three points behind CSU, seven points behind Air Force) and an excellent 5th place at West regionals. By that point, Boise State had wracked up enough points in the Kolas Calculator to get a bid to nationals where they would eventually finish 16th overall.
It was an exciting to think of just how good the Boise State Broncos would be in 2016 with all of their young stars returning...well, almost all of them. Unfortunately, the biggest reason why Boise State isn't better in the rankings is because their top finisher at NCAA's (Elijah Armstrong) will be going on a mission trip this year. That's a huge hit for a team that could've potentially had another low-stick to compliment Vennard and Rafla.
But when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade and that is exactly what Boise State has done in the past. According to Flotrack, the Broncos will bring in Japanese star Yusuke Uchikoshi who signed with Boise State last winter. After bouncing around a few places, Uchikoshi will have junior eligibility and a 13:59 PR from high school to work with. How good he ends up being on the grass is hard to tell, but his talent is for real with a PR like that.
There is little to no doubt that Vennard and Rafla will cause havoc with other low-sticks around the nation, but what about the other scorers? The last two scorers could certainly change as Boise State has a nice cushion of depth thanks to their young talent coming off of their redshirt seasons. However, I would guess that Louis McAfee and sophomore Chandler Austin will return to Boise State as consistent scorers once more. McAfee is maybe the most underrated of this bunch as he was top 40 at Wisconsin and top 30 at the West region last fall. Austin and McAfee will provide reliable and consistent support for their aces battling up-front.
So why only 18th for Broncos? Right now, I don't know what Uchikoshi is capable of doing during cross country and he is probably the biggest decider of whether or not this team ends up as a contender or a bust. I also don't love that they lost Elijah Armstrong for the season. It's a big sting even with Rafla returning.
That said, Rafla's return does give Boise State plenty of upside. They've got a lethal 1-2 punch, an x-factor in Uchikoshi, experienced and proven runners at the four and five positions, and plenty of young depth for insurance.
But the best part? Their entire top five, as well as Elijah Armstrong, will return next year.
What an exciting year it should be for the men in blue. Boise State showed what they could do last year with a slew of young guys and no Andrew Rafla. To finish 16th in the nation when most people thought they wouldn't even make nationals is a pretty outstanding accomplishment.
As mentioned above, Boise State started last fall one step behind everyone else when their number one man (Andrew Rafla) sustained an injury and would be kept out for the rest of the season. That, of course, did not matter thanks to Michael Vennard.
Things started off slow and unexciting at Roy Griak when the Broncos placed 6th overall despite Vennard's 3rd place finish. Things got a little better at Wisconsin when Boise State placed 11th among an elite group of teams and showed that they didn't need Rafla to run with some of the top programs. Boise State stayed consistent throughout the post-season as they were 3rd in the Mountain West conference (three points behind CSU, seven points behind Air Force) and an excellent 5th place at West regionals. By that point, Boise State had wracked up enough points in the Kolas Calculator to get a bid to nationals where they would eventually finish 16th overall.
It was an exciting to think of just how good the Boise State Broncos would be in 2016 with all of their young stars returning...well, almost all of them. Unfortunately, the biggest reason why Boise State isn't better in the rankings is because their top finisher at NCAA's (Elijah Armstrong) will be going on a mission trip this year. That's a huge hit for a team that could've potentially had another low-stick to compliment Vennard and Rafla.
But when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade and that is exactly what Boise State has done in the past. According to Flotrack, the Broncos will bring in Japanese star Yusuke Uchikoshi who signed with Boise State last winter. After bouncing around a few places, Uchikoshi will have junior eligibility and a 13:59 PR from high school to work with. How good he ends up being on the grass is hard to tell, but his talent is for real with a PR like that.
There is little to no doubt that Vennard and Rafla will cause havoc with other low-sticks around the nation, but what about the other scorers? The last two scorers could certainly change as Boise State has a nice cushion of depth thanks to their young talent coming off of their redshirt seasons. However, I would guess that Louis McAfee and sophomore Chandler Austin will return to Boise State as consistent scorers once more. McAfee is maybe the most underrated of this bunch as he was top 40 at Wisconsin and top 30 at the West region last fall. Austin and McAfee will provide reliable and consistent support for their aces battling up-front.
So why only 18th for Broncos? Right now, I don't know what Uchikoshi is capable of doing during cross country and he is probably the biggest decider of whether or not this team ends up as a contender or a bust. I also don't love that they lost Elijah Armstrong for the season. It's a big sting even with Rafla returning.
That said, Rafla's return does give Boise State plenty of upside. They've got a lethal 1-2 punch, an x-factor in Uchikoshi, experienced and proven runners at the four and five positions, and plenty of young depth for insurance.
But the best part? Their entire top five, as well as Elijah Armstrong, will return next year.
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