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
20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
Flotrack’s #20: Portland Pilots
Flotrack's Ranking of Tulsa: 28th
Coach: Steve Gulley
Flotrack's Ranking of Tulsa: 28th
Coach: Steve Gulley
Notable Departures: Marc Scott
Notable Additions: Henry Pearce (transfer via England)
Projected Scoring Five: Luke Traynor (SR) [ET#42], Ben Preisner (JR), Henry Pearce (JR), Adam Rodriguez (JR), Jeremiah Ort (SO), Adam Rodriguez (JR)
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Like many of the teams in the "Just Miss" category, Tulsa took a big hit to their varsity scoring when they lost their low-stick (Marc Scott) to graduation. However, the emergence of Luke Traynor and Ben Preisner gives the 'Canes some power up front which will allow them to stay competitive.
The 2015 season was a roller coaster ride for Tulsa. After falling to Arkansas at the Chile Pepper Festival (yes, that is the name of a meet), Tulsa marched into the Wisconsin invite with a mission. Scott's big win matched with Traynor and Preisner in the top 50 pushed the Hurricanes into the 8th overall spot in the team scoring. They would defeat established programs such as Washington, Boise State, Michigan State, and Eastern Kentucky (to name a few). However, that high did not last last forever. After an easy win at AAC's, Tulsa went into the Midwest region as possible title contenders...but did not leave that way. Tulsa fell to 4th overall and barely made it into nationals. The Hurricanes would end their season finishing 20th overall at nationals with Scott and Traynor both grabbing All-American honors.
Now, Tulsa will be looking to improve on last season's up and down performances. Traynor seems like he could be a proven ace while Preisner should be right next to him. They could end up as one of the better 1-2 punches in the NCAA.
However, it's behind the top two where things get interesting. Henry Pearce becomes a big addition to the Tulsa squad. He was 25th at last year's Euro XC championships, and provides some depth on a team that doesn't have a lot of back-up. Coach Gulley has always done an excellent job with european runners (especially those from the UK), so this seems to be a great fit.
Others like Adam Rodriguez and Jeremiah Ort will need to be the ones that step up their game. They will be the deciding factor as to whether or not Tulsa can go after the Midwest title (which is wide open). I think the most potential lies in Jeremiah Ort who is coming off of a respectable freshman year. With plenty of base training and experience on his side, Ort should be able to improve his performances and become a crucial scorer for Tulsa.
Tulsa has enough talent to win the Midwest title. However, they're depth is a bit lacking and they will need to develop that as the season goes on. If they can stay healthy and consistent, watch for Tulsa to improve on a ranking better than just 20th.
Like many of the teams in the "Just Miss" category, Tulsa took a big hit to their varsity scoring when they lost their low-stick (Marc Scott) to graduation. However, the emergence of Luke Traynor and Ben Preisner gives the 'Canes some power up front which will allow them to stay competitive.
The 2015 season was a roller coaster ride for Tulsa. After falling to Arkansas at the Chile Pepper Festival (yes, that is the name of a meet), Tulsa marched into the Wisconsin invite with a mission. Scott's big win matched with Traynor and Preisner in the top 50 pushed the Hurricanes into the 8th overall spot in the team scoring. They would defeat established programs such as Washington, Boise State, Michigan State, and Eastern Kentucky (to name a few). However, that high did not last last forever. After an easy win at AAC's, Tulsa went into the Midwest region as possible title contenders...but did not leave that way. Tulsa fell to 4th overall and barely made it into nationals. The Hurricanes would end their season finishing 20th overall at nationals with Scott and Traynor both grabbing All-American honors.
Now, Tulsa will be looking to improve on last season's up and down performances. Traynor seems like he could be a proven ace while Preisner should be right next to him. They could end up as one of the better 1-2 punches in the NCAA.
However, it's behind the top two where things get interesting. Henry Pearce becomes a big addition to the Tulsa squad. He was 25th at last year's Euro XC championships, and provides some depth on a team that doesn't have a lot of back-up. Coach Gulley has always done an excellent job with european runners (especially those from the UK), so this seems to be a great fit.
Others like Adam Rodriguez and Jeremiah Ort will need to be the ones that step up their game. They will be the deciding factor as to whether or not Tulsa can go after the Midwest title (which is wide open). I think the most potential lies in Jeremiah Ort who is coming off of a respectable freshman year. With plenty of base training and experience on his side, Ort should be able to improve his performances and become a crucial scorer for Tulsa.
Tulsa has enough talent to win the Midwest title. However, they're depth is a bit lacking and they will need to develop that as the season goes on. If they can stay healthy and consistent, watch for Tulsa to improve on a ranking better than just 20th.
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