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KEY
(Unranked): Was not ranked the week before.
(#/#):
First number indicates the change in a runner's ranking from week prior
Second number indicates where the runner was ranked last week
50. James Sugira, Freshman, Eastern Kentucky (0 / 50)
49. Cooper Teare, Sophomore, Oregon (0 / 49)
The Oregon ace toed the line for his second race of the season, although he was once again running unattached. Teare finished 2nd overall to Portland's Reuben Kiprono who ran away from the field to take the win. Oregon was certainly racing hard, but the interview with Teare after the race made it seem like they were maybe holding back just a bit.
The good news is that Teare has indicated that he will be wearing an Oregon singlet for his next meet, putting to rest any rumors that he'll be redshirting the 2018 season.
48. Tanner Anderson, Senior, Washington (0 / 48)
The new Washington low-stick finished 6th at the Battle of Beantown in his season debut. It was a solid performance and a nice way to start his season. Some fans may be a bit underwhelmed by a finish outside of the top five, but 6th place is tied for the second best finish Anderson has ever had during his cross country career. No change in his ranking, but an overall decent performance. There is still a lot of work to do.
47. Noah Affolder, Sophomore, Syracuse (Unranked)
The first true test of Affolder's sophomore year came at the Battle of Beantown and the young star did not disappoint. He finished 5th overall, taking down a handful of top talent from around the country. It was absolutely crucial for Affolder to be an impact second scorer for his team and so far he's held up his end of the bargain.
46. Morgan Beadlescomb, Junior, Michigan State (0 / 46)
45. Farah Karimabdul, Junior, Ole Miss (Unranked)
The first breakout runner of the year is a transfer from Morehead State. We knew Ole Miss would find and develop new talent, but we weren't sure Karimabdul was going to progress like he did. His 4th place finish at Beantown makes him an extremely valuable low-stick and shows us that he has great potential this season. He could be a problem for other teams in the SEC and South region.
44. Casey Comber, Rs. Junior, Villanova (+1 / 45)
43. Garrett Reynolds, Junior, UCLA (0 / 43)
42. Jaret Carpenter, Junior, Purdue (0 / 42)
41. Aaron Templeton, Rs. Senior, Furman (0 / 41)
40. Luis Grijalva, Sophomore, Northern Arizona (0 / 40)
39. Eduardo Herrera, Sophomore, Colorado (0 / 39)
38. Emmanuel Rotich, Tulane, Senior (0 / 38)
The Tulane senior cruised to an easy win at the Texas A&M Invite. His time of 23:41 is the fastest we've seen from anyone in the nation so far this year. Maybe that's a good sign for what's to come...
37. Miler Haller, Rs. Junior, Boise State (0 / 37)
36. John Dressel, Senior, Colorado (0 / 36)
35. Conner Mantz, Rs. Sophomore, BYU (0 / 35)
34. Clayton Young, Rs. Senior, BYU (0 / 34)
33. Kigen Chemadi, Senior, Middle Tennessee State (0 / 33)
32. Mickey Davey, Senior, Air Force (0 / 32)
31. Peter Seufer, Senior, Virginia Tech (0 / 31)
30. Brent Demarest, Rs. Senior, Virginia (-2 / 28)
The 19th place finisher at last year's Cross Country National Championships had a respectable performance at Beantown, placing 7th overall. Still, someone in the top 30 shouldn't lose to three other guys who are 15+ spots behind him in the rankings. That's the only reason for his drop. Regardless, he had a nice race and Virginia should be satisfied with his result.
29. Peter Lomong, Senior, Northern Arizona (+1 / 30)
28. Ben Veatch, Junior, Indiana (+1 / 29)
27. Geordie Beamish, Rs. Senior, Northern Arizona (0 / 27)
26. Nadeel Wildschutt, Sophomore, Coastal Carolina (-1 / 25)
25. Steven Fahy, Senior, Stanford (-1 / 24)
24. Cole Rockhold, Senior, Colorado State (-1 / 23)
23. Nick Hauger, Senior, Portland (-1 / 22)
Did not run with team at Dellinger Invite.
22. Connor McMillan, Rs. Senior, BYU (-1 / 21)
21. Oliver Hoare, Junior, Wisconsin (-1 / 20)
20. Edwin Kurgat, Junior, Iowa State (-1 / 19)
19. Andrew Jordan, Junior, Iowa State (-1 / 18)
18. Jonathan Davis, Junior Illinois (-1 / 17)
17. Lawrence Kipkoech, Rs. Senior, Campbell (-4 / 13)
Kipkoech held his own with a 3rd place finish in Boston (Beantown). Overall, it was a very solid race and a great start to his season. However, the real story of the meet came down to Tooker and Kemboi, while Kipkoech had to settle for bronze. We may have been a bit too aggressive with his preseason ranking, but he is still a top talent who can challenge almost anyone in the NCAA.
16. Aidan Tooker, Junior, Syracuse (+10 / 26)
At first, I thought it was just hype. There was no doubt that Tooker was one of the nation's best, but there had been a lot of pressure on him to perform at the highest level this season. Big expectations aren't always easy to handle, but Tooker didn't care. At Beantown, he pushed Kemboi to the line and was .3 seconds away from earning the upset win.
Take note: Tooker is legit.
15. Azaria Kirwa, Senior, Liberty (+1 / 16)
14. Alex Ostberg, Rs. Junior, Stanford (+1 / 15)
13. Robert Brandt, Senior, UCLA (+1 / 14)
12. Jacob Choge, Junior, Middle Tennessee State (0 / 12)
11. Joe Klecker, Rs. Junior, Colorado (0 / 11)
10. Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse, Junior, Portland (0 / 10)
Did not run with team at Dellinger Invite.
9. Alfred Chelanga, Senior, Alabama (0 / 9)
8. Amon Kemboi, Sophomore, Campbell (0 / 8)
After a phenomenal spring track season, we opted to give Amon Kemboi a top 10 ranking. So far, he hasn't disappointed. He soundly defeated a very talented field at Beantown and edged out Tooker for the win. In my eyes, Kemboi was the favorite to win the Battle in Beantown, so this doesn't deserve a ranking improvement quite yet. However, we'll remember this win when the big meets begin to shake up our rankings.
7. Rory Linkletter, Rs. Senior, BYU (0 / 7)
6. Vincent Kirpop, Senior, Alabama (0 / 6)
5. Gilbert Kigen, Senior, Alabama (0 / 5)
4. Morgan McDonald, Rs. Senior, Wisconsin (0 / 4)
3. Grant Fisher, Senior, Stanford (0 / 3)
2. Tyler Day, Junior, Northern Arizona (0 / 2)
1. Matthew Baxter, Senior, Northern Arizona (0 / 1)
ADDED
Farah Karimabdul (Ole Miss)
Noah Affolder (Syracuse)
DROPPED
Euan Makepeace (Butler)
Andrew Marston (Villanova)
JUST MISS (in no order)
Dan Curts (Iowa State)
Thomas Pollard (Iowa State)
Lachlan Cook (Virginia)
Yusuke Uchikoshi (Boise State)
Ryan Forsyth (Colorado)
Conor Lundy (Princeton)
Gilbert Boit (Arkansas)
Addison DeHaven (Boise State)
Erik Rotich (Eastern Kentucky)
Olin Hacker (Wisconsin)
Kevin James (Syracuse)
Joe Dragon (Syracuse)
Reuben Kiprono (Portland)
Waleed Suliman (Ole Miss)
WHO TO WATCH (in no order)
Tom Nobles (Charlotte)
Mihret Coulter (Charlotte)
Jesse Reiser (Illinois)
Thomas Ratcliffe (Stanford)
Colin Abert (Penn State)
Iliass Aouani (Syracuse)
Sam Worley (Texas)
Chandler Tiegen (Washington State)
Paul Hogan (UMass Lowell)
Curt Eckstein (Purdue)
Clayson Shumway (BYU)
Caleb Pottorff (Florida State)
Emmanuel Cheboson (Louisville)
Abraham Chirchir (UT-Rio Grande Valley)
Kevin Lynch (Utah Valley)
Jackson Metsler (Oregon)
SURPRISE OF THE WEEK
Farah Karimabdul (Ole Miss)
There was so much attention on other Ole Miss recruits like Dalton Hengst, Michael Coccia, and Mario Garcia Romo. Yet, no one was giving the transfer from Morehead State any attention. That changed on Friday after Karimabdul unleashed a 4th place finish at Beantown.
RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Aidan Tooker (Syracuse)
Yes, Amon Kemboi got the win, but Tooker's runner-up finish means just as much (if not more) in the grand scheme of things. He established himself as an elite low-stick and nearly pulled off a massive upset. With Knight now gone, the Orange needed another ace and Tooker has assumed that role without a problem.
NOTES
Makepeace drops from our rankings simply because we haven't seen him race yet. Until he does, it's too crowded for him to stay in the 40 to 50 range. Marston had an underwhelming 9th place finish in his season opener last week. We don't think that race mean't a whole lot for him, but we do have to make room for others in the rankings until he shows us the true extent of his talent.
We may see guys like Kevin James and Joe Dragon as reliable supporting scorers, but they could be more than just that. Their 8th and 9th place finishes at Beantown were very encouraging and something to be excited about. Who knows? Maybe one of these guys sneaks into our Top 50 at one point this season...
The sophomore duo from Washington (Proctor and Hull) had a great day, finishing 11th and 12th overall. It's nothing flashy, but it's a solid start to their season. Their youth gives them a lot of room to improve.
Reuben Kiprono dominated the Bill Dellinger Invite field, winning by 15 seconds. We're not entirely sure what Oregon's race plan was, but the fact of the matter is that Kiprono has elevated his fitness to an entirely new level. He clearly put in the work this summer and that may result in him becoming a top five scorer for the Pilots this fall.
Abraham Chirchir, a freshman from UT-Rio Grande Valley, threw down a 23:51 in a head-to-head battle with Emmanuel Rotich at the Texas A&M Invite (settling for 2nd). We still need to see more from him, but this could be a young rising star that no one is talking about.