PAST RANKINGS THIS SEASON
Preseason (7/29)
Week 1 (9/12)
Week 2 (9/19)
Week 3 (9/28)
Week 4 (10/3)
Week 5 (10/10)--No changes
Week 6 (10/17)
Week 7 (10/24)--No changes
Week 8 (10/31)
Week 9 (11/7)--No changes
Week 10 (11/14)
Week 11 (11/21)
KEY
· Bold: Had a performance or important piece of news that influenced a change in the rankings
· (#/#): First number indicates how much the individual has moved in the rankings. A plus (with green) means they have improved in the rankings. A minus (with red) means they have regressed in the rankings. The second number indicates where they were ranked the week before
· (Wasn’t Ranked): Was not ranked the week before.
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50. Michael Williams, Junior, Washington State (-9/41)-Williams has been a roller coaster ride of performances this season. He was 24th at PAC-12's which is a bit off where I thought he would be.
Although he hasn't quite been the low-stick for Washington State I thought he could be, he has still been very consistent. His 15th place finish at Wisconsin paired with a few other decent performances is just barely enough to keep him in the rankings.
49. Connor Lundy, Freshman, Princeton (-10/39)
-After a 19th place finish at Wisconsin, it was easy to get excited about the potential this kid has. While he had certainly done better in the big race, he would have to go up against an experienced senior in James Randon to earn the Heps title.
In the end, the more experienced Randon got the best of Lundy. The Princeton frosh fell to 3rd overall in what was still a very impressive finish.
48. Connor Mora, Senior, Michigan (-11/37)
-After his 13th place finish at Pre-Nats, I was convinced Mora would succeed in the post-season. That was unfortunately not the case as faltered to 19th overall at BIG 10's. Like Chemoiywo, I'm going to need another strong performance to know that he's capable of more than one great race.
47. Calvin Chemoiywo, Senior, Louisville (-18/29)
-Compared to Pre-Nats, it was a rough outing for Chemoiywo who placed 14th overall at ACC's. In my previous rankings, I had concerns about Chemoiywo's consistency. Sure enough, his ACC result turned out to be not nearly as impressive as his Pre-Nats performance. I'll need another big race from Chemoiywo to show me that he's not just another one-race-wonder.
46. James Randon, Senior, Yale (Wasn't Ranked)
-The young guy and new faces may be exciting to talk about, but experience and consistency almost always triumphs in the end. I am of course referring to the Heps matchup between Randon and Lundy that resulted in Randon earning the Ivy League title while Lundy faded to 3rd. Randon has now earned 3 wins this season while also placing 42nd at Notre Dame.
Obviously, Randon will need to figure out how to run well at big races like Notre Dame. However, he just pulled out a big post-season win and will now have plenty of confidence heading into regionals. If he is anything like his former teammate Kevin Dooney, then he'll thrive during championship season.
45. Brent Demarest, Sophomore, Virginia (Wasn't Ranked)
-Time and time again, Demarest has impressed me. With Wynne yet to debut and Weaverling not running quite how I thought he would, Virginia needed another low-stick to step up. Of all potential low-sticks, who would've thought that a sophomore would be their ace?
Demarest has slowly improved throughout the season by placing 11th at Panorama Farms, 6th at Penn State National Open, and now 7th at ACC's. He's done enough to show me that he is for real.
44. Jonathan Harper, Junior, BYU (0/44)
-Ran with teammates to secure Mountain West team title. Placed 2nd overall.
-He was 4th place at the Mountain West conference which right around where I thought he'd end up. It will be interesting to see how Maggard handles his first ever regionals race in two weeks. According to TFRRS, he has never run at regionals before.
42. Jack Bruce, Senior, Arkansas (+5/47)
-We're starting to see some consistency from Bruce as he placed 4th at SEC's in a wicked fast race. This performance compliments his 12th place Pre-Nats finish quite nicely and shows that he is capable of running more than just one great race.
41. Antony Kosgei, Sophomore, UTEP (-10/31)
-At Conference USA's, Koech and Boit chased Choge and left Kosgei struggling to handle the pace. He eventually finished 5th overall in a race that wasn't his best. I question if I was initially too high on the UTEP guys after Pre-Nats...
40. Tyler Day, Sophomore, NAU (-2/38)
-Cruised with teammates to sweep Big Sky conference.
39. Malachy Schrobilgen, Senior, Wisconsin (+11/50)
-Wisconsin fans breathed a sigh relief as Schrobilgen was able to finish 5th at BIG 10's. He isn't as strong as he used to be, but this past weekend was a good sign that he's healthy and still fit.
38. Chartt Miller, Senior, Iona (Wasn't Ranked)
-I only took Chartt Miller out of the rankings because I wasn't sure if he would be runing this season. Luckily, he made his season debut at conferences where the Iona men swept the competition.
I can't give a ranking much better than this (for now). Once I see how he does against real competition, I'll adjust his spot.
37. Jason Crist, Senior, Indiana (Wasn't Ranked)
-Crist has done quite a bit for the Indiana Hooisers during his time with them. He's has come up clutch when needed and he did the samething this past weekend as he finished 3rd overall in a highly competitive BIG 10 field.
I don't know why I'm that surprised. Crist has placed in the top 10 all four years that he's competed at BIG 10's. He is someone that gets going in the post-season so watch out for him to make some noise as he attempts to earn his first All-American cross country honor of his career.
36. Sherod Hardt, Senior, Michigan State (Wasn't Ranked)
-Sherod Hardt has been on my radar all season but he couldn't seem to put together the performance that could get him ranked. But after a mind-blowing 2nd place finish at BIG 10's, Hardt has put himself into the All-American discssion. Hardt and the rest of his teammates ran aggressive and from the front which is a risky move on a hilly course like Minnesota's. That, in turn, paid off and the team nearly upset Wisconsin.
Hardt seems to have taken that next step up in being a true-low stick and ace. Now, he'll need to string together a few more decent finishes to ensure that he keeps his spot in the rankings.
35. Cosmas Boit, Senior, UTEP (-1/34)
-Based on the results, it looks like the Boit and Koech knew they wouldn't be able to catch Choge so they ended up crossing the line together. Aside from Choge and a few other Middle Tennesse State runners, there wasn't anything too exciting that came out of Conference USA.
34. Benard Keter, Senior, Texas Tech (Wasn't Ranked)
-If I'm being honest, I completely forgot about Keter in my BIG 12 predictions. That turned out to be a mistake on my part as he took advantage of slow early pace and blasted the second-half of the course to take the win.
Keter probably should've been in the rankings a bit earlier in the season, but this was really his first notable performance. It's tough to gage how good someone is off of one race, but I'm sure we'll get a better idea of his talent level at regionals.
33. Alex George, Junior, Arkansas (+12/45)
-When Alex George earned a victory at Beantown, I didn't think much about it. When he placed 14th at Pre-Nats, I thought that would be the best race of his season.
Now he is an SEC champion and I have learned to not doubt Alex George in 2016. The Arkansas junior didn't just win SEC's, he blew the competition out of the water. With a time of 23:24, George was 9 seconds better than Mississippi's Sean Tobin.
While I am impressed, I would like to see how he does against different competition he's not familiar with. We will probably have to wait until nationals for that one.
32. Matthew Baxter, Rs. Junior, NAU (+1/33)
-Cruised with teammates to sweep Big Sky conference.
31. Yusuke Uchioski, Junior, Boise State (Wasn't Ranked)
-It's taken him some time, but Uchioski propelled himself into the rankings with a huge upset win over Jerrell Mock to win the Moutain West title. It was tough to say how good this guy really was after he was 7th at Roy Griak and 33rd at Wisconsin. This win, however, is a huge resume booster and makes him a legitimate All-American contender.
I do have to point out that this win was on Boise State's home course. We've seen teams this season do very well on their own turf and then falter at other venues. If Uchioski can put together another big time performance at regionals, I will happily improve his ranking.
30. Sean Tobin, Junior, Mississippi (-2/28)
-SEC's was another fast race and just like at Notre Dame, Tobin took advantage of it. He placed 2nd to Alex George in a ridiculously fast time of 23:33. Tobin's leg speed is certainly helping him this season as he seems to have finally shown us what happens when you give a miler some long-distance training.
29. Matthew Maton, Sophomore, Oregon (-6/23)
-It was a nightmare race for Oregon who had their worse finish in recorded history (at least from what I could find online). There were a lot of things that went wrong, but Maton's poor performance was one of the biggest blunders of the race.
Maton, who was expected to finish among the top 10, placed 28th this past weekend in what was arguably the first poor race of his career. I can't penalize him too much for just one off race, but with the most important time of the season rolling around, he can't have this happen again.
28. Aaron Baumgarten, Junior, Michigan (-6/22)
-Having already run at Roy Griak this year, you would've thought that Baumgarten would prosper once more on the hills of Minnesota. Instead, Baumgarten failed to hang with the pack at BIG 10's and was surprisingly dropped towards the end of the race. He finished 6th overall.
His performance is still really solid and something that he should be proud of. However, I think it's safe to say that this wasn't his best race and that he'll be able to rebound at regionals.
27. Luke Traynor, Senior, Tulsa (-1/26)
-Cruised to an easy win at AAC's.
26. MJ Erb, Senior, Mississippi (-2/24)
-It was another nice finish from Erb who was 3rd at SEC's. It wasn't anything exciting, but it's another consistent performance to make me feel better about keeping Erb in the top 30.
25. Harry Mulenga, Senior, Florida State (+7/32)
-I have been a big fan of Mulenga this season. He continues to impress me week in and week out. After some solid performances throughout this season, Mulenga had a breakout race at ACC's this as he stuck with the lead pack during the entire race and ended finishing in 4th place overall. He is a legitimate threat for a top 20 finish at NCAA's.
24. Alex Short, Rs. Senior, San Francisco (+3/27)
-While BYU and Portland battled for the team title, Short took the conference title and earned his first ever post-season victory. It was a great win, but we'll get to see how good he really is at the absolutely loaded West region in two weeks.
23. Scott Carpenter, Senior, Georgetown (-2/21)
-As expected, Carpenter placed 2nd to Tiernan at Big East's. In a year where Green, Clevenger, and Fahy have been either MIA or running poorly, Carpenter has consistently given the Hoyas a low-stick to rally around.
22. Ferdinand Edman, Senior, UCLA (+3/25)
-This season, Edman has placed 8th at Roy Griak, 10th at Wisconsin, and now 5th at PAC-12's. There have been a lot of breakout stars this year and Edman has proven to be one of them. If he can come up big in the post-season, then he'll win at Zatlin Award come December.
21. Gilbert Kirui, Junior, Iona (-1/20)
-Kirui, along with the rest of his teammates, easily swept the MAAC. The only noteable thing that came out of this race is that Chartt Miller is back which makes Iona a big-time threat.
20. Jonah Koech, Sophomore, UTEP (-8/12)
-After not running at Pre-Nats, Koech returned to the Conference USA meet where he was upset by Middle Tennesse State freshamn Jacob Choge. The last time we saw Koech, he was 5th at Notre Dame. It was a solid finish, but it could've been better.
This past weekend was Koech's chance to redeem himself with a win over Choge. That, of course, did not happen and we are now questioning another top-tier athlete if they can match their fitness from 2015.
19. Frankline Tonui, Senior, Arkansas (-2/17)
-How does someone place 2nd at Pre-Nats, but only 5th at SEC's? I've worried about Tonui's consistency before and I think this just goes to show why that's a valid concern. He is still an incredibly talented runner, but his Pre-Nats performance indicates that he could've won a conference title.
18. Colin Bennie, Junior, Syracuse (-3/15)
-Colin Bennie has been running incredibly well...just not as well as last year. Bennie was 5th at ACC's, but fell of the pack that was chasing Kibichiy. I'm not sure 2015 Colin Bennie would've let that happen.
Bennie just doesn't seem to have the same kind of edge he did last year. He hasn't been able to stick with the chase packs and his close hasn't been as strong as we are used to seeing. Still, he's doing his part and is still putting together some solid results.
17. Jacob Choge, Freshman, Mid. Tenn. State (+19/36)
-The freshman phenom continues to shake up the rankings of the NCAA's elite. Choge took down UTEP's Jonah Koech to take the Conference USA title this past weekend. He won by a decent margin and has done enough in my mind to earn a top 20 spot.
Plus, a lot of the guys in the top 20 just weren't doing it for me.
16. Nicholas Montanez, Senior, BYU (+3/19)
-Nothing too exciting from the BYU boys as they packed together to earn the team title. Montanez was 6th.
15. Jerrell Mock, Junior, Colorado State (-4/11)
-I didn't think much of Mock's 29th place finish at Wisconsin and I still considered him the favorite to win the Mountain West conference. Unforunately, he continued to miss expectations and came up short this past weekend as he failed to defend his title (was runner-up).
Maybe they're just going through a tough block of training, but with Jefferson Abbey already struggling Colorado State needs their ace to step up and perform at his highest level. We'll see if Mock can bounce back at regionals in two weeks.
14. John Dressel, Sophomore, Colorado (-1/13)
-PAC-12's seemed to prove the theory that Colorado could've run faster Pre-Nats. Dressel had a clutch performance as he finished 6th overall in the crowded field of elite talent.
The Wetmore Factor is alive and well within this Buffalo. If Dressel continues to peak in the post-season like he did last year, then he could be the x-factor that decides the team title at NCAA's.
13. Amon Terer, Senior, Campbell (+5/18)
12. Lawrence Kipkoech, Rs. Sophomore, Campbell (+4/16)
-They both crushed the competition and crossed the line together. It's wasn't anything exciting, but when you consider how the others around him have been performing, there hasn't been much of a reason to say that these guys shouldn't be ranked any better or worse.
11. Ben Saarel, Senior, Colorado (+3/14)
-After an unexciting finish at Pre-Nats, Colorado gave their first all-out effort of the season which was led by Saarel. The Colorado senior finished 3rd overall in the incredibly deep field and reestablished himself as one of the top runners in the nation.
After struggling with injuries the past few months, Saarel has found a way to bounceback and be competitive once again. Hopefully, we'll see him and Dressel a bit closer and regionals/nationals.
10. George Parsons, Senior, NC State (0/10)
-Parsons tried a different approach at ACC's this past weekend and hung back just a little more than usual. When the time came, he wasn't able to catch Kibichiy and had to settle for 3rd place.
I guess he was just trying a new tactic, but I thought he would maybe pursue Kibichiy a little earlier in the race. It was still a solid performance nonetheless and he'll have another shot at Kibichiy during regionals in two weeks.
9. Kieran Clements, Rs. Senior, Iona (0/9)
-One of the most underrated runners in the nation, Clements went back to work this weekend and earned a win at conferences. He cruised in with his teammates to earn the sweep and the team title. It will be interesting to see how closely he stay with Knight at regionals in two weeks.
8. Edwin Kibichiy, Rs. Senior, Louisville (0/8)
-You've gotta commend the gutsy performance from Kibichiy at ACC's. Knight pulled away at the end, but it was an honest race thanks to Kibichiy and he was rewarded with 2nd place as well as finishing ahead of George Parsons.
7. Sean McGorty, Senior, Stanford (-2/5)
-Just another slightly sub-par day from McGorty and he knows it. He fell back to finish 7th overall at PAC-12's. Had he placed 2nd or 3rd, he would've pushed Colorado's Dressel, Saarel, and Perrin each back one place. In that scenario, Stanford wins the PAC-12 title.
It's hard to say that a guy who placed 5th at Wisconsin and 7th at PAC-12's is having a poor season. I'm sure he was hoping to be bit better than that and to compete for the win, but even with those finishes he's still one of the best runners in the nation.
6. Grant Fisher, Sophomore, Stanford (0/6)
-2nd place to Cheserek at PAC-12's and beating out his teammate Sean McGorty (again). If it were any other year, Fisher would be in the top five. Unfortunately, this year is filled with top-tier talent and Fisher is just waiting his turn. I will say that I love the progression he has made and his consistency in his two races so far makes me a fan of his.
5. Morgan McDonald, Junior, Wisconsin (+2/7)
-I figured that a bit of tactical race at Wisconsin and that was the reason I thought McDonald did so well (due to his track speed). But the junior showed that he could do it all as he grinded through the hills of a tough Minnesota course to earn himself and his team the BIG 10 title. He's given me little reason to doubt him and I think he has to be put in the top five after this weekend.
4. Futsum Zienasellassie, Rs. Senior, NAU (0/4)
-Futusm led his team to a 1-6 sweep at Big Sky. His next real challenge will come at regionals (Mountain) where he'll have to face the Colorado boys, Jerrell Mock, a slew of other talented individuals.
3. Justyn Knight, Junior, Syracuse (0/3)
-Cool, calm, and relaxed. Knight waited out and hawked down Kibichiy to easily take the ACC title. He's certainly at another level now and could be gunning for the Tiernan's number two spot if regionals goes well.
2. Patrick Tiernan, Rs. Senior, Villanova (0/2)
-A lot of attention is going to Cheserek this weekend for winning 4 conference titles. But no one else is realizing that Tiernan just did the same thing after his victory at the Big East championships this past weekend. It was a dominant performance as usual from the Aussie and a nice way for him to make his season debut.
1. Edward Cheserek, Senior, Oregon (0/1)
-Just another day at the office. The Oregon senior put together another effortless performance to win his 4th and final PAC-12 title. This is his world and we are just living in it.
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Just Missed
-Hassan Abdi, Junior, Oklahoma State
-Ryan Forsyth, Sophomore, Colorado
-Zach Perrin, Junior, Colorado
-Rory Linkletter, Sophomore, BYU
-Thomas Ratclife, Freshman, Stanford
-Michael Ward, Junior, Bradley
-Matthew Schwartzer, Rs. Senior, Indiana
-Jacob Thomson, Rs. Junior, Kentucky
-Joel Hubbard, Senior, Syracuse
Who To Watch
-CJ Albertson, Senior, Arizona State
-Tanner Anderson, Sophomore, Oregon
-Cerake Geberkidane, Junior, Oklahoma State
-Nick Tuck, Senior, Penn
-Joe Klecker, Rs. Freshman, Colorado
-John Whelan, Senior, Washington State
-Evan Stifel, Junior, Ohio State
-Miguel Bautista, Junior, Texas Tech
-Josh Thompson, Senior, Oklahoma State
-Euan Makepeace, Freshman, Butler
Kicked Off
-Jacob Thomson, Rs. Junior, Kentucky (Last Ranked 30th)
-Colby Gilbert, Junior, Washington (Last Ranked 35th)
-Philo Germano, Junior, Syracuse (Last Ranked 44th)
-Brian Barraza, Senior, Houston (Last Ranked 45th)
-Josh Thompson, Senior, Oklahoma State (Last Ranked 48th)
-Jonathan Green, Junior, Georgetown (Last Ranked 49th)
-Jacob Thomson, Rs. Junior, Kentucky (Last Ranked 30th)
-Colby Gilbert, Junior, Washington (Last Ranked 35th)
-Philo Germano, Junior, Syracuse (Last Ranked 44th)
-Brian Barraza, Senior, Houston (Last Ranked 45th)
-Josh Thompson, Senior, Oklahoma State (Last Ranked 48th)
-Jonathan Green, Junior, Georgetown (Last Ranked 49th)
New Additions
-Benard Keter, Senior, Texas Tech
-Yusuke Uchioski, Junior, Boise State
-Jason Crist, Senior, Indiana
-Sherod Hardt, Senior, Michigan State
-Yusuke Uchioski, Junior, Boise State
-Jason Crist, Senior, Indiana
-Sherod Hardt, Senior, Michigan State
-James Randon, Senior, Yale
-Brent Demarest, Sophomore, Virginia
-Brent Demarest, Sophomore, Virginia
Biggest Surprise of the Week
-Benard Keter, Senior, Texas Tech
-Benard Keter, Senior, Texas Tech
MVP of the Week
-Edward Cheserek, Senior, Oregon
-Edward Cheserek, Senior, Oregon
Notes
-Benard Keter earns the "Biggest Surprise of the Week" after winning the BIG 12 title while being unranked.
-Edward Cheserek earns the "MVP of the Week" after winning his 4th consecutive PAC 12 title.
-Jonathan Green did not run and is therefore kicked out of the rankings.
-Brian Barraza has not run attached at all this season and did not run at conferences. This means that he is most likely redshirting.
-Benard Keter earns the "Biggest Surprise of the Week" after winning the BIG 12 title while being unranked.
-Edward Cheserek earns the "MVP of the Week" after winning his 4th consecutive PAC 12 title.
-Jonathan Green did not run and is therefore kicked out of the rankings.
-Brian Barraza has not run attached at all this season and did not run at conferences. This means that he is most likely redshirting.
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