2016 Etrain Team Power Rankings: #22 Iowa State Cyclones

By: Garrett Zatlin

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

4. Stanford Cardinals

3. Georgetown Hoyas

2. Oregon Ducks
1. Syracuse Orangemen

22. Iowa State Cyclones

Flotrack’s #22: Oklahoma State
Flotrack's Ranking of Iowa State: 29th
Coach: Martin Smith

Notable Departures: Brian Llamas, Daniel Nestor

Notable Additions: Kevin Hoyos (transfer via Syracuse), Andrew Jordan, Robert Wagner

Projected Scoring Five: Nathan Rodriguez (JR), Christian Delago (SR), Kevin Hoyos (SR), Toby Hardwick (JR), Andrew Jordan (FR)

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If ISU returned only the same guys that ran on last year's team then I'm not sure I would put them in the top 25. However, an impressive number of quality recruits as well as a key transfer gives ISU just enough firepower and depth to make the top 25.

Last fall, the nation patiently waited to see when the Cyclones would make their season debut. The men's team would finally make their first appearance at Wisconsin. However, the lack of racing earlier in the season hurt them big time. Iowa State finished a forgettable 28th out of 36 teams. Not the kind of race you would see from a top 25 team.  ISU regrouped and after a 4th place finish at BIG 12's, they surprised many with their 5th place finish at regionals. It wasn't a flashy race, but it was a respectable finish.

After a rough season in 2015, it would be tough to find an argument to put a team like ISU in the top 25. However, there are plenty of bright spots and encouraging signs on this team.

Coach Smith must be doing something right. He was able to obtain two key recruits in Kevin Hoyos (transfer via Syracuse) and high school star Andrew Jordan. Hoyos was one of Syracuse's top 10 runners during cross country and was able to put together solid PR's of 14:04 and 29:38. Meanwhile, Andrew Jordan was the second fastest 3200 high schoolers in the nation with a PR of 8:46, only three second behind Andrew Hunter's 8:43.

Although the addition of these two gives ISU some much needed firepower, I'm staying cautious on how good they'll be in 2016. Jordan will be an inexperienced freshman while Hoyos will be busy adjusting to a new team, program, and environment.

Then we have Christian Delago and Nathan Rodriguez who switched the role of top finisher throughout last season. Add in a very consistent Toby Hardwick, and the Cyclones have an experienced and reliable pack. However, they must step up and improve. Iowa State struggled last season because they failed to have guys contending towards the front. Delago, Rodriguez, and Hardwick don't necessarily need to be aces or low-sticks, but they need to shift their entire pack up in the results.

The Cyclones have a lot of upside as they enter 2016. Their core group of returners are experienced and showed improvement during track season. Hoyos and Jordan will bring an x-factor aspect to a team that was missing a spark. There is also plenty of depth to back up these five scorers. A deep group of freshmen recruits, Pollard and Dolezal no longer redshirting, and a promising miler in Dan Curts leaves ISU with an arsenal of runners to pick and choose from.

ISU will be one of the more underrated squads this season. They have finally found the pieces of what could be a national qualifying team. I'm banking a lot on someone stepping up and leading the charge, but with the amount of talent on this team I think it's a safe bet.