22. Southern Utah Thunderbirds Coach: Eric Houle Notable Departures: N/A Notable Additions: Travis Feeny, Clayton Adams Projected Scoring Five: Mike Tate (Rs. SR) [TSR#39], Kasey Knevelbaard (JR), Josh Collins (JR), Matthew Wright (Rs. SR), Aidan Reed (SO) Analysis: There aren't many programs that can stay as relevant as Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds are always at the top of the NCAA and have been for the past few years. Their mix of depth, production of low-sticks, and consistently solid coaching has (historically) kept this group competitive and that will certainly be the case this fall. In order to understand why SUU will be so good in 2017, we need to understand where they were last year. We can start with their Roy Griak performance which held a very large field of teams. For many underclassmen, that can be a difficult meet to navigate. Luckily for the Thunderbirds, their underclassmen thrived under pressure as Kasey Knevelbaard and Aidan Reed placed 9th and 10th overall to lead the way. Matthew Wright was the team's third scorer in 27th place. Unfortunately, the 4th and 5th men struggled as they placed 89th and 90th in the team scoring. To put that gap in perspective, if the scoring was done for just the first three men, Southern Utah would have placed 3rd overall. But after their 5th man crossed the line, they had to settle for 8th overall in the team standings. Although the weakness of their bottom scorers was a cause for concern, there was still plenty of time to develop and improve. The next stop would be Notre Dame as the Thunderbirds sought to build on their Roy Griak performance. Sure enough, impressive pack running and a tighter time-spread proved to be the difference maker as they placed 5th overall ahead of accomplished programs like Washington State, California, Air Force, Bradley, and NC State. Kasey Knevelbaard once again led the way with a 12th place finish and was followed by his teammates who finished 37, 45, 46, and 47. It would have been easy for Roy Griak and Notre Dame to be the only big meets Southern Utah ran at before the start of championship season, but the Wisconsin Invite proved to be too good to pass up. Individually, there wasn't a lot that stood out about the Thunderbirds at this meet. However, they did have another solid day as a team with a 12th place finish overall. Their top four finishers ranged anywhere from 45th to 76th, but their 5th man proved to be the only blemish with a 114th place finish. Still, the meet was a productive one. Little did Southern Utah know, they would leave Wisconsin with four crucial Kolas points. The next phase of their fall campaign would be the post-season which started at BIG Sky's where they settled for a runner-up finish to NAU. The more unpredictable meet would be the Mountain Region Championships. Surprisingly, the Thunderbirds struggled as they placed 6th overall. Ironically, their low-stick throughout the entire season (Kasey Knevelbaard) was the 5th man that hurt the team time-spread. Yet, even with the lack-luster performance, Southern Utah still had enough Kolas points to push in the three other "At-Large" teams ahead of them to Nationals. You would expect the Thunderbirds to rebound at Nationals, right? Unfortunately, not. Josh Collins emerged as the team's top scorer by placing 61st overall. The rest of the team had a difficult showing as the next four scorers placed 156, 168, 180, and 203. Southern Utah would place 27th overall and end their season knowing that they had plenty more to give. There's a lot to take away from the 2016 season, but the biggest thing that stands out to me is that Kasey Knevelbaard has proven that he can be a legitimate low-stick. His performances on the track this past spring were impressive and caught the attention of people around the nation, but his races during cross country are arguably just as strong. It's also very possible that he continues to build on that fitness and matures as a runner. And let's not forget, this is a team that returns their entire top seven from the 2016 season. Guys like Josh Collins and Aidan Reed can now say that they have experience competing at NCAA's which should benefit them at the larger invites. Sure, they'll need to improve their consistency, but that's expected by simply being another year older. The same could be said about Matthew Wright who needs to improve his consistency, but is still incredibly valuable to this Southern Utah program. Of course, we can't just leave out the fact that Mike Tate returns to the squad in 2017. After redshirting the 2016 cross country season, Mike Tate had a breakout spring track season where he ran a 5k personal best of 13:34. He had some very respectable and consistent performances during the 2015 cross country season, but his results on the track were what really peaked my interest. Track performances don't always relate to cross country, but there is certainly a lot to like about Tate in 2017. How can you dislike this Southern Utah team? They have two front runners in Tate and Knevelbaard, return everyone from the 2016 season, and have shown that they can still stay competitive if someone has an off day. Of course, like all teams in the NCAA, Southern Utah isn't perfect. Struggles in their championship meets and inconsistency throughout the 2016 season has left me cautious as to where this team should be ranked. At the same time, it's not a guarantee that Mike Tate will be the super-star that he was on the track (although to be fair, it's more probable than not). Because of the speculation and uncertainties, the Thunderbirds will have to settle as the 22nd team in our rankings. With that in mind, don't let the imperfections of this squad make you think that they won't be competitive. SUU can only go up from here with a never ending pool of talent to pick and choose from. I feel bad for any team in the Mountain region that was hoping to make it to Nationals in 2017. The T-birds are not making that task any easier this year. #gzatlin #Top25 #analysis #rankings #ncaa

23. Princeton Tigers Coach: Jason Vigilente Notable Departures: Will Bertrand, Gavin Gaynor Notable Additions: Drake Anzano Projected Scoring Five: Conor Lundy (SO) [TSR#33], William Paulson (Rs. SR), Steven Sum (Rs. SO), Viraj Deokar (SO), Noah Kauppila (SR) Analysis: When you look at the overall competition of the NCAA, there are plenty of rising conferences that have consistently improved over the past few years. Of those conferences, the Ivy League stands out as a legitimate contender in comparison to their Power Five opponents as programs like Columbia and Penn have begun to see a higher level of competition. But there is one team that has consistently stood out as a top threat year-in and year-out. That team is the Princeton Tigers. The fall of 2016 would be a season filled with surprises and learning curves. Even with Steven Sum out for the season, the Tigers were still incredibly young and would rely on the experience of older guys like William Paulson, Noah Kauppila, and Will Bertrand to guide them through the season. Princeton would begin their cross country competition at the Harvard, Yale, Princeton tri-meet (HYP). Yale's James Randon may have won on the individual side, but Princeton easily took the win with a score of 23 points. After sending a few of the younger guys to Paul Short, the Tigers toed the line at the Wisconsin Invite for their first big challenge of the season. Unfortunately, the challenge would prove to be a bit too much for the Ivy League studs as they had to settle for 28th (out of 30) with only one individual cracking the top 100. Of course, it would be ignorant not to mention who that one individual was. The big story of the Wisconsin Invite was seeing Princeton's true freshman Conor Lundy cruise past an elite and experienced field of competitors to place 19th in the first major collegiate invite of his career. Princeton had found themselves a true ace. Wisconsin may have been a struggle, but the Tiger shifted their focus to Heps as they looked to pull off an upset over Penn and show off their new and exciting low-stick (Lundy). When the score was tallied, Penn did end up with the conference title. However, Princeton put together a strong performance with a runner-up finish (13 points back). In fact, Princeton actually outscored Penn through 4 men (25 to 26), but faltered at the 5th man spot as Noah Kauppila fell to 26th overall. The final meet of the season would be the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships as the Tigers looked to improve upon their impressive Heps performance...and they did just that! The Tigers would get their revenge over Penn by placing 3rd overall behind Georgetown and Navy. Of Princeton's top five, three of them were freshmen which would end up being the difference maker in the results as the Tigers went 3, 9, 18, 22, and 45th with the last scorer being the outlier in the scoring equation. Of course, the biggest factor to consider was that William Paulson didn't run at regionals. Was it due to an injury or a coach's decision? The answer is still unclear. Their season may have ended early, but there was a lot to be proud of. Princeton thrived with a majority of their scorers being freshmen, Paulson not running at regionals, and Sum being out for the entire season. The odds were stacked against the Tigers, but they surpassed expectations. So where does this leave Princeton in 2017? We can first look at the rising sophomores who will make up a majority of this squad. Conor Lundy is a legitimate low-stick who has had an impact far beyond his Wisconsin Invite race. He will be followed by a returner in Steven Sum who may not have run in 2016, but had notable performances two years ago when he placed 24th at the 2015 Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships. His third year with the Tigers should allow him to have a strong base to compete at the top level. Viraj Deokar is another rising name who showed very solid progress throughout 2016 as he eventually worked his way into the scoring five. The more experienced guys like Noah Kauppila and William Paulson will be nice support pieces for a team that still has a lot to learn and improve upon. It's important that we keep a close eye on Paulson who is coming off of a breakout spring track season where he defeated Drew Hunter and ran a personal best of 3:42 in the 1500. If that fitness translates over to the cross country course, then Princeton could have another dangerous low-stick in their lineup. Princeton's projected scoring five is an impressive group, but the depth behind them is equally as talented. Guys such as Garrett O'Toole, Jeremy Spieizo, and Gannon Willcutts have all shown signs of promise and could continue to develop their fitness in an effort to join the scoring five. Even if they don't, they'll still be solid individuals to have in their pool of depth. It will be an exciting year for the Tigers as they are set to build on what was a very solid 2016. The younger guys have plenty of upside and will only improve thanks to their familiarity with the program. The addition of Steven Sum back to the lineup is also a huge boost. The Ivy League is wide open in 2017 and is Princeton's to lose. The same goes for the Mid-Atlantic region with Georgetown appearing as the only threat to a team title. In regards to their team structure, the Tigers have all of the necessary pieces they need to be successful. Now, they need to capitalize on their maturing underclassmen and the seniors that they do have. If they can build enough momentum throughout the season, then watch out for this team at NCAA's. #rankings #Top25 #analysis #ncaa #gzatlin

24. Michigan State Spartans Coach: Walt Drenth Notable Departures: Sherod Hardt, Nick Soter Notable Additions: Projected Scoring Five: Ryan Robinson (JR) [TSR#49], Jesse Hersha (SO), Clark Ruiz (Rs. SR), Morgan Beadlescomb (SO), Matthew Thomas (Rs. SO) Analysis: One of the most consistent teams in the NCAA are the MSU Spartans. Every year, this team is able to produce some very solid depth and put together a slew of strong performances. In 2017, they will be much more experienced and just as strong through seven runners (or more) despite losing two key individuals in Hardt and Soter. 2016 was a great season for the Spartans and many of their performances did not get the recognition they deserved. Let's begin at the Roy Griak Invite, where the Spartans fielded 10 men, five of whom were underclassmen. It would have been easy for the youth of this team to collapse under the pressure of such a big invitational, but MSU did quite well with their younger guys. Sophomore Ryan Robinson had a breakout performance by placing 4th overall and was followed by Sherod Hardt who finished in 15th. The rest of the squad held their own by placing 38th, 50th, and 58th for a 5th place team finish. It may not have been a perfect season opener, but it was still good enough to beat out programs like UCLA, Colorado State, and Southern Utah. Michigan State later toed the line at the Wisconsin Invite without Ryan Robinson. The result was...ugly. Sherod Hardt placed a respectable 39th overall, but the final four scorers ranged anywhere from 82nd to 111th, too far back to keep their team score competitive with an 18th place team finish. The next stop was BIG 10's where the Spartans would have to face very strong programs like Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. But like any great team, MSU built off of their struggles at the Wisconsin Invite and surpassed expectations. Aggressive front-running tactics from freshman Jesse Hersha helped the Spartans hold the top five spots at the mile marker. It also helped that Ryan Robinson was back in the lineup. Although those top five spots wouldn't hold, Michigan State still held on for a score of 66 points...three points away from upsetting the Badgers. The Spartans also cruised past rivals like Michigan and Indiana. The Green & White repeated their performance at the Great Lakes Regional Championships with another runner-up finish to Wisconsin. However, this result meant so much more. Despite having all five of their scorers in the top 30, the real hero was redshirt freshman Matthew Thomas, their 6th man who broke the tie breaker against Indiana to take the 2nd automatic qualifying spot to NCAA's. Had Thomas not run as well as he did, MSU may not have gone to Nationals. At the finals stage of the 2016 season (Nationals), the Spartans looked to extend of their post-season magic. Unfortunately, that didn't happen as their performance was strikingly similar to their race at the Wisconsin Invite. Sherod Hardt had a great day and became an All-American by placing 21st, but the inexperience of the squad finally caught up with them as they finished in spots 96, 105, 135, and 147. The Spartans ended their season by placing 20th overall. I really like Michigan State and the guys they return this year. Ryan Robinson will be a solid low-stick and will most likely be complimented by a very gutsy runner in Jesse Hersha who simply needs to mature as a runner before he becomes another ace for this team. Morgan Beadlescomb is another rising sophomore who gave the Spartans some points last year. He will thrive in 2017 with a year of experience now under his belt. Potential scorers like Clark Ruiz and Max Benoit will bring experience and consistency to a team that is still relatively young. It's also exciting to think that Ruiz just ran 28:52 for a 10k on the track this past spring. He may be at a different tier of fitness compared to 2016... Other support pieces like Justine Kiprotich, Matthew Thomas, and Daniel Sims have proven that they can contribute to this MSU squad during the cross country season. While they do provide insurance and consistency, they also add a bit more of a veteran presence as all three of those names have been with the team for three years now. Of course, like any other university, this team isn't without their flaws. The loss of Sherod Hardt means that there is no more guarantee of a consistent low-stick (although I do have a lot of faith in Ryan Robinson and Jesse Hersha). Additionally, Nick Soter was another consistent scorer who will not be easy to replace from an experience perspective. The Spartans may be another year older, but they are still a young group overall. The men from East Lansing will be strong opponents in 2017. They may have lost their ace Sherord Hardt, but their BIG 10 rivals have also lost crucial pieces to their teams as well. Wisconsin will most likely be the favorites to win the conference and regional titles again, but the Spartans are still very much in the title conversation and could easily be the favorites by late October / early November. #Top25 #analysis #rankings #gzatlin #ncaa

25. Kentucky Wildcats Coach: Edrick Floreal Notable Departures: Mick Iacofano, Gabe Harm Notable Additions: Matthew Mortimer, Projected Scoring Five: Jacob Thomson (Rs. SR) [TSR#37], Ben Young (JR), Brennan Fields (SO), Daniel Southard (SR), Kendall Muhammad (JR) Analysis: Let's be honest. Kentucky wasn't a team you were expecting to make our Top 25. Historically, they've been known for their sprinters/hurdlers...not their distance running. They run in a relatively weak region (as well as conference) and they just lost a key contributor in Mick Iacofano. However, the pieces they do return are very underrated and are just beginning to mature into legitimate threats on the XC course. Let's rewind to the 2016 cross country season and begin at the Kentucky Bluegrass Invite, one of the first serious invitationals of the Wildcats fall campaign. The early season invite was a great opportunity for the blue and white to take down solid teams like Eastern Kentucky and Illinois...but that didn't happen. The Wildcats settled for 3rd overall as they were simply overwhelmed by the depth of their counterparts and the youth of their final few scorers. But like most things, they got better with time. Kentucky finished runner-up at the Texas A&M Invite (losing only to the Aggies) and would go on to defeat a very strong Georgia squad to take the win at the Alabama Crimson Classic. The key to their growing success could be found in their younger individuals who had improved their point scoring in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th positions. Eventually the postseason arrived and Kentucky was faced with the task of battling elite-level programs like Arkansas and Ole Miss at SEC's. While they may not have defeated either of those teams, they did place 3rd and defeat Georgia by 36 more points than they did at the Crimson Classic, a clear sign of improvement. The Wildcats ended their season at the Southeast Regional Championships with a 5th place finish overall while also defeating respectable programs like Virginia Tech, Campbell, and William & Mary in the process. There were some great performances in 2016, but there is a lot more to like about this squad in 2017. They return a strong team leader in Jacob Thomson who will be complimented by an exciting, up-and-coming runner in Ben Young. The Thomson-Young duo is shaping up to be a very good pairing that will hopefully pull other individuals like Brennan Fields and Kendall Muhammad to the next level. Those two, along with a few others, now have significant experience under their belts and should only improve as the season progresses. The departure of Mick Iacofano as well as Gabe Harm is a tough loss from a leadership and experience perspective. However, the depth of this team goes much deeper than just five guys and they should still be well equipped for success under the direction of seniors like Jacob Thomson and Daniel Southard. My only reservation about this team is their race selection. Where are they going to earn Kolas points at? Some have argued that Alabama is a team that could make it to NCAA's with an automatic qualifier this year, but could Kentucky really beat them in the two times that they are expected to meet? If they do, would it be enough? Regardless of where Kentucky chooses to run, there is no doubt that they are a good squad. They have a mix of youth and experience, low-sticks, depth, and signs of consistency/improvement. For me, that's good enough to put the Wildcats at #25. #rankings #Top25 #gzatlin #ncaa #analysis

Teams are hard to rank when you're coming off of a long summer of training. There are often new transfers, new recruits, improvements over the track season, coaching changes, and others who run out of eligibility. Organizing the Top 25 is certainly not an easy task... But at TSR, we have decided to put together our Top 25 teams and update them throughout the fall. Some of our picks may surprise you... The criteria for our team rankings will be very similar to our individual rankings. At the same time, we will also look at aspects of a team such as low-sticks, depth, returners, consistency, and so much more. JUST MISS (in no order) NC State Wolfpack Last year, we saw the Wolfpack find their rhythm in the post-season by placing 3rd at ACC's and shocking the Southeast region to earn the title (and an automatic qualifier). They would eventually go on to place 22nd at NCAA's. NC State returns a solid group from last year as a majority of their squad will become experienced upperclassmen. Unfortunately, they lost a key low-stick in George Parsons as well as their #2 man Aubrey Myjer. It's expected that a team loses key runners every year, but losing their top two from 2016 will certainly hurt the Wolfpack this fall. I believe in this program and I believe that they have some young talent who can rally around their depth and make it back to NCAA's. However, they'll need to find someone who can take the role that George Parsons has now left. Bradley Braves It was tough leaving the Braves off the list. They have been kept under the radar for years now and are certainly on the rise. They return a legitimate low-stick in Michael Ward and have a reliable group to support him. This isn't a team that takes advantage of weak fields, either. The Braves toed the line at Notre Dame and Pre-Nats in 2016 and did quite well by earning Kolas points (wins) over NC State and Texas. They also defeated other respectable teams like Furman, Cal, and San Francisco. The future is bright for the Braves, but they lost two key pieces in Patrick Campbell and Caleb Beck due to graduation. Because of that, they will be kept outside of our Top 25 until they show that they have guys who can fill their gaps in the scoring. Texas Longhorns Yes, Texas struggled in 2016. They placed 30th at NCAA's and failed to gain a single Kolas point in 2016. Still, this is a squad that brings back their entire top five from Nationals, three of whom were underclassmen. This fall, the Longhorns will most likely build upon their experiences from last year and get a boost with the addition of high school star Sam Worley added to the roster. There are certainly a lot of areas to address, but I think it's safe to say that Texas is trending in the right direction. Michigan Wolverines Big Blue had a very up and down year in 2016. They showed promise at Roy Griak and Pre-Nats, but struggled in the post-season and were unable to make NCAA's. There were some problems with their depth and other guys just didn't have the experience to prosper at BIG 10's or the Great Lakes Regional Championships. Luckily, there are a lot of good things about UM's upcoming 2017 season. Although Connor Mora is gone, he will be replaced by an experienced Michigan veteran in Ben Flanagan who is coming off of a redshirt season. At the same time, Aaron Baumgarten returns as a strong low-stick who is hungry to make-up for missing out on NCAA's last fall. Others like Billy Bund and Jordan Hewitt showed promise last year as just freshman and will be able to capitalize on another year of experience. Despite all of the positives and encouraging signs, the loss of Mora and Connor Herr is a big hit to this team. At the same time, the Wolverines are still very young and inexperienced. For all of those reasons, Michigan will start the season outside of the Top 25. But if there was a 26th team? The men from Ann Arbor would be my choice... Ole Miss Rebels Is there a team more exciting than the Rebels have been in the past three years? Ryan Vanhoy has taken this program from just being just another average SEC team to an NCAA distance running powerhouse. Some have even proclaimed this team as "the Oregon of the south". That said, the Rebels lost a HUGE portion of their 2016 squad to graduation which is the biggest reason why they won't start the 2017 season in our Top 25. MJ Erb, Wes Gallagher, Robert Domanic, and Craig Engels are all out of eligibility and will leave this Ole Miss squad scrambling to find replacement pieces. Luckily, they still keep a low-stick in Sean Tobin. The Rebels success will depend on how guys like Derek Gutierrez, Taylor Caldwell, Mark Robertson, and incoming freshman Waleed Suliman perform this season. If they can show significant improvement and stay reliable, then there is no reason that Ole Miss can't return to NCAA's and sneak into our Top 25. Honorable Mentions (in no order) Minnesota Golden Gophers Virginia Tech Hokies Washington Huskies Eastern Michigan Eagles Utah State Aggies California Golden Bears #Top25 #rankings #ncaa #analysis #gzatlin

Typically, the summer lacks excitement for collegiates around the nation. For many, it's a time to build up their base mileage in preparation for the long cross country season ahead. However, there are always a few select individuals who will capture your attention as they extend their track seasons into potential World Championships opportunities. Sure enough, that's what we have seen from Morgan McDonald and Justyn Knight throughout the month of July. Knight has officially qualified for the World Championship 5k while McDonald just ran the 6th fastest 5k ever by an Australian (13:15). Even with all of these incredible performances, Grant Fisher is quietly enjoying the one thing that neither of those two have: an NCAA individual title. It seems pretty clear that with Cheserek and Tiernan now out of the picture, Knight, Fisher, and McDonald are the three individuals with a legitimate shot of winning the NCAA Cross Country title in November. With that in mind, let's break down the scorecard between this trio and see who has the advantage... Wins Knight XC: 6 wins (14 races) Indoor: 6 wins (11 races) Outdoor: 5 wins (16 races) ------------------- Average Wins per Race = Total wins / Total races .4146 wins per race Fisher XC: 0 wins (7 races) Indoor: 0 wins (0 races) Outdoor: 5 wins (13 races) ------------------- Average Wins per Race = Total wins / Total races .25 wins per race McDonald XC: 2 wins (14 races) Indoor: 7 wins (15 races) Outdoor: 1 wins (6 races) ------------------- Average Wins per Race = Total wins / Total races .2857 wins per race All-American Finishes Knight XC: 2 AA's (3 opportunities) Indoor: 2 AA's (2 opportunities) Outdoor: 2 AA's (3 opportunities) ------------------- Average All-American Finishes per Opportunity = Total AA's / Total Opportunities .75 all-american finishes per opportunity Fisher XC: 2 AA's (2 opportunities) Indoor: 0 AA's (0 opportunities) Outdoor: 2 AA's (2 opportunities) ------------------- Average All-American Finishes per Opportunity = Total AA's / Total Opportunities 1 all-american finish per opportunity McDonald XC: 1 AA (2 opportunities) Indoor: 0 AA's (1 opportunity) Outdoor: 1 AA (1 opportunity) ------------------- Average All-American Finishes per Opportunity = Total AA's / Total Opportunities .5 all-american finishes per opportunity Times *1500 to Mile conversion = + 17 seconds* Knight 1500/Mile (whichever is best): 3:39.23 (1500) 3000: 7:47.82 5000: 13:17.51 ------------------- Lowest Combined Time (1500 is converted to Mile) 25:01.56 Fisher 1500/Mile (whichever is best): 3:59.38 (Mile) 3000: 7:50.06 5000: 13:30.13 ------------------- Lowest Combined Time (1500 is converted to Mile) 25:19.57 McDonald 1500/Mile (whichever is best): 3:57.83 (Mile) 3000: 7:51.19 5000: 13:15.83 ------------------- Lowest Combined Time (1500 is converted to Mile) 25:04.85 Head-to-Head Matchups Knight vs Fisher: 2-2 vs McDonald: 7-2 ------------------- Total Combined Record (Win Percentage) 9-4 (69.23%) Fisher vs Knight: 2-2 vs McDonald: 1-4 ------------------- Total Combined Record (Win Percentage) 3-6 (33.33%) McDonald vs Knight: 2-7 vs Fisher: 4-1 ------------------- Total Combined Record (Win Percentage) 6-8 (42.86%) Notes With the exception of Fisher's All-American performances, Knight is the best of this group in nearly every metric (wins, matchups, and times). Of course, these numbers don't take into account the subjective factor of racing such as the ability to kick, tactics, experience, course difficulty during XC, and competition. Grant Fisher shows some interesting numbers... His personal bests listed above were from his freshman year of college (3k and 5k) and his senior year of high school (Mile). He did not PR this past outdoor season. Although Fisher has the worst win percentage of this group, he has run significantly less races and is behind in eligibility... ​Knight: 41 races McDonald: 35 races Fisher: 20 races In terms of head-to-head matchups, this trio is very even overall... ​Knight > McDonald McDonald > Fisher Fisher > Knight (since Fisher has a national title, he is given the advantage in this situation) ​​​Indoor track for Justyn Knight is the only season where one of these individuals has won more than they have lost. #digits #analysis #gzatlin #ncaa

Chris Solinksky Leaving: William & Mary New Program: Florida How This Effects Florida & Solinsky: Everything is going well for the Gators as of late. With Cheserek no longer around, Florida has a much clearer path to multiple national championships as the Oregon Ducks look for ways to make up for the loss of points. Now, they add Chris Solinsky to their staff in an effort to upgrade one of their few weak spots (the long distances). For Solinsky, this is huge. We can assume that his new contract with Florida is a significant pay raise from what he was making at W&M with an added bonus for any national titles he wins while on their staff. Again, I don't know the actual details of the contract, this is just an assumption. Regardless of the specifics, money probably did play a large role in his decision. At the same time, Florida now has a guy capable of developing their distance squad for years to come. They may even see an improvement in their recruiting as high schoolers flock to work with the first American to run sub-27 minutes in the 10k. Obviously, this change will not take place over night. It will require a few years of solid recruiting and training to build a legitimate distance squad. Luckily, Solinsky will have a rising star in Jack Guyton to help ease his transition. How This Effects William & Mary: You can't help but feel bad for W&M. It seemed like Solinsky was ready to bring the Colonels back to the same level we saw in 2010. Now, Solinsky's successor (Mike Henderson), will enter the program with a bit of uncertainty. How will the incoming recruits react to not working with the guy that recruited them? How will their training change? You can't help but wonder if any W&M athletes will follow Solinsky to Florida by transferring... Of course, that's not to say that Henderson can't be a successful coach. He has a great group of individuals that are showing signs of progress and his experience while serving as Princeton's Director of Operations makes him a great replacement for Solinsky. The next few years will be crucial for the Colonels. If they can continue to improve and consistently recruit top-tier talent, then they could still return to the level we once saw seven years ago. Louie Quintana Leaving: Arizona State New Program: Oregon State How This Effects Oregon State and Quintana: With his departure from ASU, Quintana will become the Director of Track & Field at Oregon State. Unfortunately, due to conflicts with Title IX, OSU doesn't have men's cross country or track & field. Nonetheless, this will be a new start for Quintana who received quite a bit of criticism for the results his men's program produced during XC and on the track (most notably Bernie Montoya). Although some performances were lacking, Quintana was unfairly blamed for the lackluster performances of Montoya who discovered that he had a heart scare that nearly threatened to end his career. How This Effects Arizona State: While there may be some conflicting feelings about Quintana leaving, there is no doubt that this will be a fresh start for the Sun Devils as assistant coach Jeremy Rasmussen takes on the head coaching position. The great thing about Rasmussen is his experience, both with Arizona State and Illinois. Rasmussen began his career racing for ASU where he was a PAC 12 steeplechase champion and national championship qualifier. After he graduated, Rasmussen went on to become an assistant coach for the Fighting Illini which he helped to a 6th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships. In short, his resume is impressive. It's difficult to say for sure how Rasmussen's training will impact the Sun Devils without Quintana around. We don't really know what his training methods are like and we don't know what kind of influence he has during recruitment. Still, the future for ASU is wide open and unwritten as the Sun Devils looks to enter the upper echelon of an already stacked PAC 12 conference. Mark Rinker Leaving: Northeastern New Program: LSU How This Effects LSU and Rinker: Let's be blunt. LSU is not a school for distance running...and that's ok! The Tigers make up for that weakness with an elite-level sprinting program that has won them numerous national titles. Still, LSU desperately needs help in many facets of their long distance group. Luckily, Mark Rinker seems to be the perfect fit to lead this team towards a new direction. During his time at Northeastern, Rinker held the position of Recruiting Coordinator in addition to his assistant coaching role. His recruitment experience will hopefully allow LSU to bring in an improved group of young talent over the next few years. That, of course, is a difficult task. As of late, the Tigers have not been done well during cross country. In 2016, LSU finished 2nd to last in the SEC championships...a conference that is already at the lower end of the Power Five. Nonetheless, Rinker has proven that he can develop walk-on type athletes into national contenders. Just look at what he was able to accomplish with Paul Duffey as well as emerging underclassmen like Chance Lamberth and Marc Rienas. If Rinker can transition his training methods to his new program, then I feel confident that LSU will begin to show some improvement. How This Effects Northeastern: While it certainly seems like this would be a huge loss for the Red and Black, the team is actually keeping their original distance coach Matt Longeran. Longeran is now entering his fifth season with Northeastern after previously working with world-class athletes in Eugene, Oregon. He entered the program just after Eric Jenkins transferred to Oregon. It's taken some time, but the Huskies are beginning to see their depth expand and their racing range widen. While I am sure that Rinker will be missed, Northeastern will continue to improve and stay competitive. #analysis #gzatlin #ncaa

Feel free to check out our rankings from earlier in the week! As always, be sure to comment below what you like or don't like. #50 - 41 #40 - 31 #30 - 21 #20 - 11 --- #10 Lawrence Kipkoech / Campbell / Rs. Junior For the past two to three years, Campbell has gained more and more attention thanks to the rise of Kipkoech (and others). Kipkoech has been one of the gutsiest runners in the NCAA with an assertive racing style that forces his opponents to earn their wins. We first saw Kipkoech emerge as a NCAA contender in 2015 where he put together some solid performances like placing 2nd at Panorama Farms and 18th at Pre-Nats. He would go on to struggle at Nationals that year, but he certainly established himself as one of the top returners in 2016. Sure enough, that is exactly what happened. Kipkoech was runner-up again at Panorama Farms (behind Justyn Knight), placed 17th at Pre-Nats, and earned two runner up finishes at his conference and regional meets (BIG South & Southeast). His finish at Nationals was much more impressive than his 2015 showing with a 26th place finish. Maybe it's because I like his racing style, but I do believe that Kipkoech is a top 10 runner. He was one of the very few individuals to qualify for both the 5k and 10k during the 2016 track season and has faced numerous top-level individuals throughout his career (including former teammate Amon Terer). With another year under his belt, expect Kipkoech to make another jump in his fitness and secure a few wins before season's end. #9 Jonathan Green / Georgetown / Rs. Senior It's easy to forget about Jonathan Green after a 2016 season that plagued him with an early season injury. That injury significantly delayed his training and only allowed him to race once at Paul Short where faltered to 42nd overall. Green was shut down for the rest of the season and kept on the sidelines until track season began. His 2016 season may not have been pretty, but his 2015 season is one worth discussing. As a sophomore, Green had a breakout season where he progressively improved over time. He finished 3rd at Paul Short, 6th at Pre-Nats, runner-up at both his conference and regional championships (BIG East & Mid-Atlantic) and capped it all off with an incredible 5th place finish at Nationals. Jonathan Green was the real deal. I'm a believer that fitness like Green's doesn't just go away after an injury. We saw the Georgetown star rebound during the winter and spring track seasons where he qualified for both indoor and outdoor Nationals, won the Penn Relays 10k, and earned a PR of 13:45 in the 5k. He was not only healthy, he was fit. Yes, it is a bit concerning that an injury essentially caused him to miss the entire 2016 cross country season. However, I am very confident that Green will return to his 2015 form and wreck havoc among some of the best distance runners the nation has to offer. #8 Dillon Maggard / Utah State / Senior Throughout these rankings, I have mentioned plenty of individuals that I felt were "underrated". Yet, Dillon Maggard stands out as the most underrated when you look at the performances throughout his career. This is a guy who brings a little bit of everything to the table. He has noticeable improvement, great experience, impressive range, and strong personal bests in his three years of competition. What's not to like? Maggard's first big race of the 2016 season came at Paul Short where he placed 5th overall behind the Iona duo of Kirui and Clements, Scott Carpenter, and D2 stud Sydney Gidabuday. Maggard would later build off of that performance with an 11th place finish at Pre-Nats and 4th place finish at the Mountain West Conference Championships. As the postseason progressed, Maggard began to find his groove in the 10k races. He finished 8th in the Mountain Region Championships and came out of nowhere to shock the NCAA with a 12th place finish at Nationals. Maggard will enter this season as the 5th best returner from last year's championships and be in a spot to finish among the top 10 at Nationals. Don't doubt that he can do it either. His fitness is only improving after a 13:41 5k this past spring. If he can lock down a few wins in 2017, expect him to work his way into the top 5 of our rankings. #7 Colin Bennie / Syracuse / Senior For the past two years, we have seen this rising Syracuse senior produce some outstanding races and times. Despite Justyn Knight garnering the attention of practically every media outlet, Bennie has still found a way to standout with impressive performances of his own. He is arguably just as important to Syracuse's success as Knight is. Bennie's first breakout season came in 2015 where he won the Spiked Shoe Invite, placed 4th at Beantown, 6th at Wisconsin, 4th at ACC's, 2nd at the Northeast Regional Championships, and 8th at Nationals to become an All-American and help his team win the national title. After such a year of grand success, his 2016 expectations were set very high. Still, Bennie kept up with the solid performances which included a 6th place finish at Panorama Farms, 14th place finish at Wisconsin, 5th place finish at ACC's, runner-up at the Northeast Regional Championships, and 17th place finish at Nationals. Bennie's 2016 performances weren't quite as strong as what we saw in 2015, but there is no doubt that he is still one of the best runners in the NCAA. He has been incredibly consistent and reliable over the past two years without a "bad" race ever really occurring. I will certainly be looking to see if he can get back to his 2015 fitness, but as long as their is some general improvement, then he will almost definitely keep his spot in our top 10. #6 Jerrell Mock / Colorado State / Rs. Senior Coach Art Siemers has done a very good job of developing this Colorado State distance program over the past three or four years. Of course, that couldn't have been done without strong recruiting and the addition of guys like Jerrell Mock. The past two cross country seasons have been very strong for Mock who thrived with (now graduated) teammate Jefferson Abbey by his side. 2015 was arguably his best year mainly because of the Mountain West Conference title win and a 19th place finish at NCAA's. That said, 2016 was just as strong after winning Roy Griak and earning runner-up finishes at the UW Invite as well as the Mountain West Conference Championships. Unfortunately, his 2016 Nationals performance was not nearly as good as he finished 54th overall. It was one spot back from his 2014 finish of 53rd. Despite some inconsistency, Mock still has a resume that others in this top 10 can't boast. He has a proven ability to win and a strong group of training partners around him (even with Jefferson Abbey gone). While I am a fan of Mock, I am going to have to see some improvement in his 2017 performances if he wants to secure his spot in our top 10. An improved finish at Wisconsin (where he placed 29th in 2016) along with a better performance at Nationals would help his case quite a bit. #5 Matthew Baxter / Northern Arizona / Rs. Senior One of the most memorable moments of the 2016 NCAA Championships was seeing Matthew Baxter bolt to the front of the pack early in the race and take the lead. You had to commend the New Zealand native for his gutsy and bold decision during the biggest meet of the season with so much at stake. Although Nationals may have been entertaining, Baxter did a lot during the regular season to catch my attention. After two early season rust-busters, Baxter would toe the line at Wisconsin and throw down a huge 8th place finish to comfortably give NAU the team win. Fast forward to BIG Sky's and the NAU dominance continued with Baxter placing 2nd overall in a team sweep. Two weeks later were the Mountain Region Championships and the redshirt junior was expected to place among the top five. Unfortunately, an off day got the best of Baxter and he faltered to 22nd overall. Luckily, he would make up for that performance at Nationals where he jumped to the front pack, established a pace, and was rewarded with an 11th place finish. There are plenty of meets that I consider when making these rankings, all with varying levels of importance. Naturally, Wisconsin and Nationals stand out as the most important and Baxter capitalized on both of those opportunities. His Mountain Region Championship performance wasn't great, but that is quickly forgotten when you have strong races at the two biggest meets of the season. Baxter is one of four Northern Arizona men to earn a spot in our top 50 rankings (and for good reason). Like many of his teammates, I will be looking to see how much more he can improve and who he can defeat during the 2017 season. Expectations may be high, but if there is anyone capable of meeting those expectations, it's Baxter. #4 Alex George / Arkansas / Senior Alex George brings a sense of excitement to the SEC and South Central region. He has become one of the strongest distance runners in the nation and has the ability to take down nearly anyone he races. The England native hit a hot streak all throughout the 2016-2017 academic year and I don't see him cooling off any time soon. The 2016 season was a big one for George who captured my attention early on. In his first meet at Beantown, George walked away with a win after comfortably defeating Julian Oakley of Providence. He would later go on to the Chile Pepper XC Festival where he placed 2nd overall (1st in D1) losing to only Vincent Kiprop. He would finish his regular season at Pre-Nats where he put together a very respectable performance and finished 14th overall. The Razorbacks transitioned to the postseason and George continued his winning ways by securing the SEC title. He would later cruise to a very easy 5th place finish at the South Central Regional Championships and finish off his season in style with a 15th place finish at Nationals to earn his first All-American honors. This is no "one season wonder" either. After a track season where he ran PR's of 3:42 and 13:40, I'm sold that George could place top five at NCAA's in November. His ability to win races is an encouraging sign and I like the fact that he's developed some speed as demonstrated by his track performances. If you're looking for a new name to enter the upper echelon of distance runners, Alex George might be your guy. #3 Morgan McDonald / Wisconsin / Senior For years, Wisconsin has produced top-tier individuals who have fought their way to the highest levels of the NCAA. First it was Maverick Darling and Mo Ahmed, then it was Michael VanVoorhis, followed by Malachy Schrobilgen, and now it's Morgan McDonald. McDonald has been an absolute tank for the Badgers over the past two or three years and he will most likely continue that streak of success in 2017. After a 2015 season where he was the first man out of Nationals, McDonald came back for vengeance in 2016. The Aussie superstar had his first big challenge in his own backyard: the Wisconsin Invite. There, McDonald kept with the top group and stormed down the final straightaway to finish 3rd overall in what was a statement race for not only his season, but his career. McDonald would later go on to take the BIG 10 title and finish runner-up in the Great Lakes region (behind teammate Malachy Schrobilgen). This time he would qualify for Nationals and he did not disappoint. The Wisconsin Badger hung tough with an elite group of front-runners and finished his season with a 7th place finish. In case there was any doubt that McDonald was still fit during this past spring track season, he toed the line at the Portland Track Festival to race the 5000 and unleashed an incredible PR of 13:23. Don't be fooled. This is an individual who is capable of competing with Knight and Fisher...and even beating them. He has shown multiple instances of scary good closing speed and has been improving his base over time. Future upset pick? It's not out of the question. #2 Grant Fisher / Stanford / Junior When was the last time an American won the NCAA XC title? You have to go back to 2011 when it was won by Chris Derrick...of Stanford. Grant Fisher is shaping up to be the next great American distance runner and we saw proof of that this past spring track season when he upset Justyn Knight in the 5000 meters to take NCAA gold. Could we see him take another gold this fall? 2015 was an introductory season for Fisher. As a freshman, he only raced twice: once at PAC 12's and once at Nationals. He finished that season with a 17th place finish at NCAA's in his first season of collegiate competition. But 2016 was Fisher's first true breakout season. He would finish 4th at Wisconsin, runner-up at PAC 12's, ran a controlled effort at the West Regional Championships to finish 11th, and showed some incredible guts to place 5th at NCAA's. What more can I say about Fisher that his performances haven't already shown us? With two more years of eligibility left, Fisher has the chance to establish himself as one of the greatest American collegiate distance runners of all-time. Of course, the biggest obstacle in his way will be the guy listed at #1... #1 Justyn Knight / Syracuse / Senior It's a conflicting feeling. I always want to root for the American, but I am also hoping that Knight will walk away with a NCAA gold by the end of his collegiate career. Luckily, he won't have the curse of racing Edward Cheserek throughout the entirety of his NCAA eligibility. Justyn Knight has been dominant since day one. Even as a freshman, we saw this kid place 14th at Wisconsin. He further proved his legitimacy that year by running 3:39 and 13:34 on the track...it was clearly the start of something special. In 2015, Knight was runner-up at Wisconsin and ACC's. He eventually went on to win the Northeast title before placing 4th at the NCAA Championships (all as a sophomore). After such an incredible 2015 season, the expectations only got higher. Still, Knight refined the smallest aspects of his already impeccable fitness and began to find even more success. The Syracuse junior entered NCAA's undefeated with wins at Panorama Farms, Wisconsin, ACC's, and the Northeast Regional Championships. So how would he fare at Nationals? In what may go down as the greatest NCAA cross country race of all-time, Knight worked with Villanova's Patrick Tiernan to break Edward Cheserek. In just a few quick moments, Knight was running for the national title. No, he didn't win it all, but he did expose the human side of Cheserek and proved that his fitness was just as good as anyone he would ever face. And so far, that's been true! Knight was the only one with a winning record against Cheserek* in the 2016-2017 academic year after running 13:17 at Payton Jordan to once again defeat Cheserek and become the 4th fastest collegiate 5k runner of all-time. *Must have raced multiple times. Josh Kerr would not count. Throughout all of this, you have to commend Knight for the way he handles himself. His poise and maturity, both on and off the track, is refreshing and something I personally admire. But at the end of the day, his competitors don't care about how nice of a guy he seems to be. They don't care about his wins, his times, his experience, or his progression. The only thing they care about is how they can beat him and I feel confident that Knight is thinking the same thing. #gzatlin #ncaa #Top50 #rankings #analysis

Feel free to check out our rankings from earlier in the week! As always, be sure to comment below what you like or don't like. #50 - 41 #40 - 31 #30 - 21 --- #10 - 1 Next set of 10 (#10-1) coming on Monday! #20 Sean Tobin / Mississippi / Senior For the past few years, Mississippi has climbed the ranks to become a legitimate distance running powerhouse. Guys such as Ryan Walling, MJ Erb, Robert Domanic, Ryan Manahan, and Craig Engels have helped move this team to a completely new level. Yet, it has been Sean Tobin that this team seems to build around. Unlike many of the names I just mentioned, Tobin has been at Ole Miss since day one and has been contributing to the success of this program for the entirety of his college career. We've seen Tobin show some steady and consistent improvement over his career, but the 2016 season was when he really broke out. The first big race of his season was at Notre Dame. In a field that held superstars like MJ Erb, Sam Parsons, and Jonah Koech, it was Sean Tobin that blew away the field and emerged victorious with his first career cross country win. It's not easy to match the expectations that come with winning the title at Notre Dame, but Tobin put together strong performances throughout the rest of the season. His next three races would include a 10th place finish at the Penn State Open, a runner-up finish at SEC's, and a 9th place finish at the South Central Regional Championships. The Ole Miss junior would enter NCAA's as one of the very few individuals who had been there more than once. In 2014, Tobin had qualified for the National Championships, but broke his foot mid-way through the race and could not finish. He would later rebound in 2015 with a 68th place finish. The hope was that Tobin would be able to grab All-American in his third effort, but he came up short once again. The Ireland native did improve on his 2015, but it was only to 62nd place overall. Of course, that didn't matter in the big picture. The Rebels rallied around MJ Erb's 6th place finish and earned a spot on the podium as a team. There are very few individuals in the NCAA that have the experience that Tobin does. If he makes it to NCAA's this fall, he will have gone to the National Championships for four straight years. That is a rare accomplishment that not many of the best can even say they have done. I also like the fact that he has a big-time win on his resume and a slew of other solid performances to follow that. Hopefully, Tobin can improve on his postseason races, grab a title at the conference or regional level, and finally grab a spot among the top 40 individuals at NCAA's. #19 Yusuke Uchikoshi / Boise State / Senior Every year, it seems like Boise State has a new front-runner guiding the Broncos to success. In 2014 it was Andrew Rafla, in 2015 it was Michael Vennard, and in 2016 it was Yusuke Uchikoshi. And the best part? All three of them return in 2017... But the focus of these rankings is the individuals and Uchikoshi is one of the best returners in the NCAA for this upcoming fall. In his first cross country season with the Broncos (2016), Uchikoshi made some noise by quietly placing 7th at Roy Griak and 33rd at Wisconsin. However, his upset victory over Jerrell Mock at the Mountain West Championships was what really caught the attention of fans around the nation. Uchikoshi would later step to the line at West Regionals, but ended up with a very average performance where he placed 21st overall. Luckily, the Boise State junior would more than make up for his regional performance with an incredible 18th place finish at NCAA's to become All-American. When you least expect him to, Uchikoshi comes up big and throws down monster performances. Sure, his Wisconsin and West Regional races could've been a touch better, but his conference and All-American performances are not to be slept on. He will be a legit contender in 2017. #18 Alfred Chelanga / Alabama / Junior Although we've been following Chelanga over the past two track seasons, we have not yet seen him run cross country for Alabama at the division one level. Yet, unlike Gilbert Kigen and Vincent Kiprop, Chelanga has proven that he's still capable of adjusting to the new level of competition on the track. Before transferring to Alabama, Chelanga had huge success at Shorter. In his two seasons of cross country, he grabbed 7 career wins (one of those being the 2015 national title). The only loss he ever took during cross country was at the D2 National Championships in 2016 where he lost to his now teammate, Vincent Kiprop. Cross country may be a different season, but after running 28:04 for 10k and becoming an All-American during the winter, it's safe to say that Chelanga knows how to race against this level of competition. With two new training partners, Chelanga could find even more growth and consistency throughout his next two years with the Crimson Tide. #17 Matthew Maton / Oregon / Junior With Cheserek now gone, Matthew Maton has become the de facto leader for this historic Oregon program. It'll interesting to see how the Ducks perform in the post-Cheserek era, but Maton has been maturing and learning for the past two years. He is the best guy to take on the low-stick role that Cheserek left behind. 2016 was the year we saw Maton get around the freshman learning curve and become a legitimate threat on the national scene. He began his season by putting together a 4th place performance at the UW Invite and another 4th place finish at Pre-Nats. Those first two meets of the season showed us that this kid was for real. Nonetheless, Maton is still human. He would finish 28th at PAC 12's in what was the first "bad" performance of his cross country career. Naturally, the Oregon sophomore had to rebound and he certainly did just that. Maton grabbed a huge 2nd place finish at the West Region Championships and rode that momentum into Nationals where he placed 29th overall to earn All-American. Aside from a rough day at PAC 12's, there isn't a lot to criticize Maton about. He's trending in the right direction and shows up when it matters the most. Hopefully, he can grab a win and another All-American honor in 2017 #16 John Dressel / Colorado / Junior #15 Joe Klecker / Colorado / Rs. Sophomore This Buffalo duo has been on fire since entering the Colorado program. In their first two years, Klecker and Dressel have combined for a total of 8 All-American finishes between cross country and track. Some would argue that they are the best 1-2 punch that the NCAA currently has...a certain group from New York would probably disagree. When Colorado was pursuing the team title in 2015, Dressel was called upon to give the Buffaloes an extra boost in the scoring. As a true freshman on the nation's biggest stage, Dressel gave his team an incredible race by placing 26th overall. Colorado didn't win the national title, but at least the Buffaloes knew that their future was safe with Dressel. One year later, Dressel was finally joined by redshirt freshman Joe Klecker who took the 2015 season to build his base and fitness. The Buffaloes began the 2016 season with a controlled effort at Pre-Nats where the team appeared to intentionally run a tight time-spread of 12 seconds. It wouldn't be until PAC 12's where we saw Dressel give his first all-out effort by placing 6th overall. Klecker didn't perform nearly as well in that as he finished back in 19th. It wouldn't be until the Mountain Region Championships that we saw what Klecker was truly capable of. The redshirt freshman cruised through a deep field to finish 3rd overall and become the top Colorado finisher. He was followed by Dressel who placed 5th in that race. The duo didn't ease up at Nationals either. Klecker walked away with a 28th place finish while Dressel walked away in 33rd. Those finishes would be the precursor to monster indoor and outdoor track seasons from both individuals. Colorado strikes me as a team that likes to stay under the radar for most of the regular season. That would probably explain why I didn't expect them to win the PAC 12 title last year. Still, the rise of Klecker and Dressel won't help the Buffaloes lose any attention. All eyes will be on this 1-2 punch in 2017 as we await for a matchup against conference rivals Grant Fisher and Matthew Maton. #14 Tyler Day / Northern Arizona / Junior In 2015, Northern Arizona redshirted Futsum Zienasellassie and Nathan Weitz. The team would struggle, but it gave guys like Tyler Day valuable experience. Now, Day is one of the best in the nation and still has two years of eligibility to improve his already superb fitness. Even in his first year of cross country (2015), Tyler Day showed that he was going to be a promising future talent when he finished 3rd at BIG Sky and 14th in the Mountain Region Championships. But 2016 was designed to be his breakout year...and it was. His 2016 season debut began with a spectacular 17th place finish at Wisconsin. He later followed that performance with a 3rd place finish at BIG Sky and an excellent 7th place finish at regionals. Northern Arizona were the favorites to win the title, but they needed everyone on their squad to step up if they wanted to match the firepower of Syracuse and Stanford. Sure enough, NAU did just that and can give credit to Tyler Day for doing so, as he walked away with a 23rd place finish. We should be very excited about what Tyler Day could bring to the trails in 2017. Not only is he an All-American who has consistently improved over his career, but he'll also enter this season with national championship experience (something he didn't have in 2016). If he can continue to build on all of these positives, then don't be surprised to see Day in our Top 10 later this season... #13 Jack Bruce / Arkansas / Senior Many know Jack Bruce from this past track season where he finished runner-up in the 5000 meters at NCAA's. However, his story begins in 2014 where he began his running career at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. It wasn't until his sophomore year that Bruce transferred to Arkansas and became a Razorback. In 2015, Bruce showed a lot of inconsistency. He placed 67th at Pre-Nats and couldn't even break into the top 10 at the South Central Region Championships. That's why it was such a shock that Bruce ripped open an unbelievable 23rd place finish at Nationals in 2015. Even with his incredible finish, I was still skeptical of Bruce and wanted to see what more he could do in 2016. Sure enough, he proved that he really was that talented with an 8th place finish at the Chile Pepper XC Festival, a 12th place finish at Pre-Nats, a 4th place finish at SEC's, and a 6th place finish at the South Central Regional Championships. His result at Nationals? Another All-American finish where he placed 19th overall... The Australian native is now a three-time All-American between cross country and track, owns a 5000 PR of 13:37, and has dramatically improved his consistency. You could even argue that he's one of the more clutch distance runners in the NCAA when it comes to the National Championships. All signs are pointing up for Bruce and any criticisms I could find against him would be from 2015. He may be the most talented runner with the most upside in our Top 50. #12 Jacob Choge / Mid. Tenn. St. / Sophomore One of the most exciting young names of 2016 was the freshman from Middle Tennessee. In fact, some people even went as far to say that Choge was "the next Edward Cheserek". Whether you agree or disagree with that, there is no doubt that this kid is extremely talented. Choge's 2016 season began at the Commodore Classic where he and Edwin Kibichiy battled for the win. Kibichiy would walk away as the victor in that race, but only by two seconds. MTSU would later travel to the Greater Louisville Classic where Kibichiy once again barely edged Choge for the win, this time by three seconds. Things changed in the postseason when Choge out ran Jonah Koech to take the Conference USA title. He would later secure the win at the South Region Championships to defeat MJ Erb, Harry Mulenga, Arsene Guillorel, and Antibahs Kosgei. In the two weeks leading up to NCAA's, Flotrack published an article with the title "Is Jacob Choge The Next Cheserek?". Admittedly, they made a convincing argument and strengthened my already positive perception of the MTSU freshman. I decided to place him in my top 10 individuals when completing my predictions for Nationals. It turned out to not be a great idea. Choge's inexperience and lack of big meets didn't help him during NCAA's. However, he still walked away as an All-American by finishing 40th overall...something very few freshman have accomplished. In retrospect, Choge is probably not going to be "the next Edward Cheserek". Still, I feel confident that he'll be a multi All-American who just needs time to learn how to race. Once he gets more experience and develops his fitness, this kid will be unstoppable and could eventually be a threat to win a national title by his senior year. Until then, I'll be looking for him to gather more wins and defeat bigger and better names. #11 Hassan Abdi / Oklahoma State / Senior Oklahoma State doesn't rebuild, they simply reload. They did so in 2016 by bringing in former JUCO runner, Hassan Abdi. Since becoming a Cowboy, Abdi has thrived and steadily earned his way to the top of the NCAA. Typically, someone coming from a school outside of division one needs some time to adjust. For Hassan Abdi, that wasn't the case. The former South Plains athlete never had a bad race all season with a runner-up finish at the Penn State Open, a 3rd place finish at BIG 12's, and a 4th place finish at the Midwest Regional Championships. In fact, his best performance came at NCAA's, a race he had no experience in. Abdi would go on to finish 16th in that race to become an All-American. The Oklahoma State junior later took to the track where he ran personal best times of 13:43 and 28:54. He also earned an All-American finish during the indoor season when his DMR placed 6th. If he can grab a few regular season wins or a conference/regional title, then Hassan Abdi could absolutely be a top 10 runner by the end of this season. #Top50 #rankings #analysis #ncaa #gzatlin

​Feel free to check out our rankings from earlier in the week! As always, be sure to comment below what you like or don't like. #50 - 41 #40 - 31 --- #20 - 11 #10 - 1 Next set of 10 (#20-11) coming on Saturday! #30 Brent Demarest / Virginia / Rs. Junior As a student at Virginia Tech, it pains me to put a rival individual in the Top 50. Still, I have to give credit where credit is due. Demarest put together some under valued performances in 2016 and should be primed for another solid season throughout the fall. Last year, Demarest started off his season at the Adidas XC Challenge where he placed an unimpressive 33rd overall. However, he eventually found his groove and progressively bettered his performances. Demarest would place 11th at Panorama Farms, 6th at the Penn State Open, and 7th at ACC's. However, youth was still a factor at the Southeastern Regional Championships and the Virginia ace struggled by finishing in 38th. Luckily, the Cavaliers would qualify for Nationals as a team and Demarest would have a chance to redeem himself. Once at Nationals, Demarest had arguably the best race of his season with a 42nd place finish at Nationals...a stark contrast to his regional performance just two weeks earlier. Some may argue that there are others with better performances who deserve this spot and I can certainly understand the argument. Nonetheless, I saw something special in Demarest. He stepped up when Wynne became injured, made dramatic improvements from his 2015 performances, and ran with the poise of a redshirt senior...not a redshirt sophomore. He may not have the flashy track times or the status of All-American, but with another year of development, I really like the direction that he is headed. For that, I decided to rank him 30th. #29 Michael Williams / Washington State / Senior It was somewhat comical trying to rank Michael Williams in my Top 50 for 2016. He had so many outstanding performances that were inevitably countered by less impressive finishes. Despite the inconsistency, he made the most out of his "good" races which is what got him to this spot. After a few very average rust-busters early on in the season, Williams raced at Notre Dame where he finished a respectable 16th place overall. Things only got better for the Washington State Cougar as he traveled to Wisconsin and proved that he was the real deal by placing 15th overall. It was best regular season performance of his career. Unfortunately, things did not go as smoothly at conferences (PAC 12) and regionals (West) as he finished 24th and 17th in those races. His inconsistency left him as a wildcard for Nationals with nobody really sure how he would end up performing. Naturally, Williams showed us that his conference and regional races were just flukes as he finished 30th overall at Nationals to earn the first All-American honor of his career. When you compare his 2015 and 2016 seasons, the finishes he earned seemed to be the inverse of each other. In 2016, Williams had an excellent regular season and a great performance at Nationals. In 2015, his regular season was lacking and was made up for by his finishes at PAC's 12 (12th) and the West Regional Championships (3rd). If we can see Williams now combine the best of his two seasons into 2017, then expect the Washington State senior to get plenty of attention. #28 Philo Germano / Syracuse / Rs. Senior Philo Germano is a guy that every high school hopeful should be looking up to. The rising Syracuse senior entered this program as a walk-on who was given a chance by Coach Fox to prove himself. Since then, Germano has fought his way to the top of an elite cross country program and become one of their most important scorers. He's living proof that hard work pays off. In 2015, Syracuse sat at the top of the team rankings and were favored to win the NCAA title...if they could find someone to back up their lethal top three. That "someone" would be Philo Germano who had a breakout season when it mattered the most. The rising star finished 15th at ACC's, 15th at the Northeast Regional Championships, and (the shocker) 39th at the NCAA Championships. Not only did Germano become an All-American, but he also helped Syracuse lock down the national title. Skip to 2016 and my expectations for Germano were high. Could he match his magical breakout year in 2015, or would he just be another one-season wonder? As evidenced by his current ranking, I think it's pretty clear that this guy was not just some "one season wonder". Germano put together a slew of consistent races such as a 7th place finish at Panorama Farms, 28th place finish at Wisconsin, and a pair of 9th place finishes at ACC's and regionals. The progression we saw in 2015 just kept flowing into 2016... Germano would eventually finish his season with a respectable 49th place finish at Nationals. Sure, it wasn't All-American, but I don't think anyone would consider it a "bad" race for him. Much like Thomas Pollard, Germano never had a poor race in 2016. He stayed incredibly consistent and very reliable throughout the entire year which is what most D1 coaches want in a varsity scorer. If Germano can continue his consistency and break into the top five in some of these bigger races, then I'm sure I'll be able to find some room for him in the Top 20. #27 Cory Glines / Northern Arizona / Rs. Senior In 2017, the defending national champions will return a very accomplished and experienced squad. Leading that squad will be Cory Glines who has found outstanding success with the Lumberjacks after transferring from Michigan the summer before his sophomore year. Glines started off his 2016 season with two runner-up finishes at the Sycamore Invite and George Kyte Classic. It wouldn't be until Wisconsin that Glines flexed his fitness with a strong 20th place finish...It was arguably the greatest race of his career. As the regular season wrapped up, the NAU redshirt junior entered the postseason and continued to put up solid results with a 4th place finish at BIG Sky and an excellent 6th place finish at the Mountain Region Championships. Despite his great success throughout the season, Glines struggled at NCAA's and ended up placing 84th. It's crazy to think that even without him at his best, NAU was still able to comfortably secure the national title... He may not have performed well at NCAA's, but placing 6th in the Mountain region and 20th at Wisconsin is the kind of performances you would expect out of a Top 30 guy. This season, I am hoping that Glines can grab All-American at Nationals and even grab an invite win at some point this season. #26 Chartt Miller / Iona / Rs. Senior #25 Gilbert Kirui / Iona / Senior It's no coincidence that Kirui and Miller are ranked next to each other at 25 and 26. For the past few seasons, this pair has grown and thrived together while leading the Gaels to multiple championships. Kirui and Miller are guys that have had success prior to 2016. Two years ago, Kirui became an All-American by placing 20th at NCAA's. In that same season, Miller had a breakout race at Wisconsin by finishing 8th overall and 3rd at the Greater Louisville Classic. In 2016, the Iona duo displayed similar success, but to a lesser extent. Kirui earned bronze at Paul Short and later grabbed a 12th place finish at Wisconsin. Chartt Miller didn't race until the postseason, but ended up finishing 4th in the Northeast region. Yet, just like so many others, both individuals had an off-day at NCAA's with Kirui placing 87th overall and Miller placing 64th. When you look at their collective work over the past two years, Miller and Kirui have put together some outstanding performances at some of the biggest and best meets in the nation. With the exception of Kirui in 2015, NCAA's seems to be the biggest obstacle that they have yet to conquer. In their final year of eligibility, I'll be looking for Kirui to repeat as an All-American and for Miller to apply his 2015 success to the national championship. #24 Gilbert Kigen / Alabama / Junior Did Alabama just get the Edward Cheserek of the NJCAA? Kigen has been a star in JUCO and was easily one of the biggest transfer targets for universities around the nation. So just how good was Kigen? In his first two seasons of collegiate cross country, Kigen went undefeated in the six races he ran in (which included the 2016 NJCCA Championships). On the track, Kigen collected nine NJCCA titles which was just a fraction of his 31 career track wins. It's hard to accurately express just how good Kigen is because of the lack of attention the NJCCA gets. However, I am not exaggerating when I say that Alabama just got one of the best JUCO runners of all-time. With that in mind, we don't know how well Kigen will acclimate to the dramatic increase in competition. For that, I have to stay on the safer side and put him half-way through our rankings. #23 Rory Linkletter / BYU / Junior For years now, we have seen some of the top distance runners in the nation emerge from Ed Eyestone's program. Miles Batty, Jared Ward, Jason Witt, and Nico Montanez are just some of the incredible athletes that have found grand success with the Cougars. Now, as BYU preps for another season of cross country, Rory Linkletter will be viewed as "the guy" who could help lead this team to a podium finish (or better). Linkletter found his groove in 2016 with impressive performance at nearly every meet he ran in. The first race of his breakout season came at Panorama Farms where he put together a 9th place finish to help the Cougars pull off the win and upset the defending national champions (Syracuse). After winning a small tune-up meet at BYU, Linkletter shifted his focus to Wisconsin where he finished 22nd overall to validate his strong early-season start. As the team transitioned to the postseason, Linkletter stayed on the DL. The Calgary-born sophomore placed 4th at the West Coast Conference Championships and was sidelined for resting purposes at the Mountain Region Championships. It wouldn't be until Nationals that we saw Rory come back to racing. The sophomore executed his race plan to perfection and walked away as an All-American for the first time in his career. Of course, his success didn't stop after cross country. Once he entered the outdoor track season, he ran sub 13:50 for the 5k and sub 29 minutes for the 1ok. He would enter the 10k at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and shock the nation with a runner-up performance thanks to a huge kick in the last 400 meters of the race. Linkletter has all of the essentials needed to not only repeat as an All-American, but to improve upon that finish as well. He is clearly progressing and and his performances on the track show that he's learning to actually race, not just attempting time trials. That's pretty rare maturity for an underclassmen who had no previous championship experience prior the year before. In all honesty, there isn't a lot to dislike about Linkletter. He is someone who is almost definitely going to give you a solid performance and seems to be incredibly reliable. If he can pull off what he did in 2016, then he will always have a spot in our rankings. #22 Jonah Koech / UTEP / Junior One of the best young distance runners in the nation is UTEP's Jonah Koech. This kid can seemingly do everything from running a 1:46 800 to becoming an All-American in cross country. Is he in the argument for best range ever? It's certainly debatable. Koech is a tricky name to figure out. He has had so much success in 2015 and 2016 with top five finishes at some of the most elite meets in the nation such as Notre Dame, Pre-Nats, and the Mountain Region Championships. He even placed 11th at Nationals in 2015 as a true freshman. So why, despite all of his great success, is he only ranked at 22nd? At the end of the 2016 cross country season, Koech had the first legitimate bad race of his career. He finished 122nd overall and ended his season with more to prove. As the season shifted to indoors, I expected Koech to unleash a revenge campaign to make up for his race at Nationals. But that simply just didn't happen. Koech did qualify for indoor NCAA's, but you could tell he wasn't at the top of his game. He failed to make it out of the preliminaries in the mile and finished 11th overall. Things continued to regress during the outdoor season. His times simply did not get faster and he was finishing further and further back from the front. By the end of the season, Koech (at least based on the results) seemed gassed as he failed to make it out of the West Preliminary round to NCAA's. As I have mentioned before, I try not to consider track performance too much when creating my rankings. Still, Koech's regression seemed too important to not consider. Could his blunder at NCAA's in the fall have catalyzed a series of struggles? Of course, we still can't just ignore how good this kid has been during his two seasons of cross country. He has consistently been one of the best names to come out of the Mountain Region for the past two years. I will happily improve Koech's ranking in our Top 50 once I see that he is back to his old self and can still perform at the highest-level that we are used to seeing from him. If he does that, then the Top 10 isn't out of the picture... #21 Vincent Kiprop / Alabama / Junior I'll be honest, I don't know too much about the history of Division 2 distance running. However, what I do know is that Kiprop is one of the best NCAA Division 2 runners we've seen in a while and he only he competed at that level for two years! Just like JUCO stud Gilbert Kigen, Kiprop amassed a huge number of wins and national titles. During the 2016 cross country season, he went undefeated in the six races he competed in and earned himself the national title. On the track, Kiprop was just as good as he collected four national titles (two in the 5k, two in the 10k) and a silver medal in the 3k. There isn't much to say that hasn't already been said. Just like Gilbert Kigen, I'll be waiting to see how Kiprop adjusts to the new training and competition at Alabama. Transferring to any new program is difficult and not always a smooth transition. Luckily, Kiprop will be training with Alfred Chelanga who has found success since making his transition to the Division 1 level... #Top50 #recruits #gzatlin #ncaa #analysis