2016 Etrain Team Power Rankings: #23 Eastern Michigan Eagles

Flotrack’s #23: Michigan Wolverines
Flotrack's Ranking of Eastern Michigan: N/A
Coach: John Goodridge
Notable Departures: Willy Fink
Notable Additions: Chaz Jeffres
Projected Scoring Five: Nicholas Raymond (SR), Hlyuner Andresson (JR), Csaba Matko (JR), Lahsene Bouchikhi (JR), Abel Flores (JR)
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Last year, they were 25th in the our preseasons rankings. This year, they are moving up two spots thanks to six of their seven runners returning from Great Lakes regionals.

EMU was the underdog in many high-profile meets. Their 6th place team finish at Notre Dame and 15th place team finish at Pre-Nats were respectable, but failed to provide fireworks. It wasn't until Great Lakes that the Eagles would put together strong performances up front and place third overall in the team standings defeating Notre Dame, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Despite the excellent performance, the Eagles were one of the first teams out of nationals and sent only Nicholas Raymond to the big dance.

Now, the Eagles return their entire squad from last year...except one. Now graduated Willy Fink was a great low-stick last year that raced closely with Raymond throughout most of last season. It's a big loss for the men in green who leaned on Fink throughout his time at Eastern Michigan.

The loss of Fink is unfortunate, but not devastating. EMU's projected top five will all be juniors with the exception of Raymond who will be a senior. They will enter the 2016 season as one of the most experienced and seasoned squads in the Great Lakes region. Raymond is a strong leader and Hlyuner Andresson looks like a great number two to compliment him. The remaining scorers will need to tighten up their time-spread and improve on their finishes from last year. However, they will provide very reliable depth for the overwhelmingly large meets likes Notre Dame and Pre-Nats.

Experience and depth are great, but the pressure will be on Raymond and Andresson to provide firepower up front while Matko, Bouchikhi, and Flores provide as much support as they can. They may not have the flashy recruits or the big school appeal, but don't dismiss the EMU Eagles. They will not go away quietly this season.

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