Published by Adam Schneider/DyeStatCOLLEGE.com editor on September 20th, 2016

So far this season we have seen teams run anywhere from 5000m to 8000m. The NCAA regional and championship distance is 10,000m. This early part of the season has been about coaches seeing the fitness of their team after a summer of training or reduced training as some athletes are trying to overcome injury. Some teams have barely had any training with their college coaches. It is truly difficult to judge a team’s ranking or any changes at these shorter distances. This last weekend Oregon won the Bill Dellinger Invitational, Florida State won the Adidas XC challenge, Indiana won the Indiana Collegiate Championships, and Middle Tennessee won their third straight meet. 

1.  Syracuse - Juniors Justyn Knight (4th at 2015 NCAA XC) and Colin Bennie (8th) lead this year after the graduation of Martin Hehir (9th). Junior Philo Germano (39th) and senior Joel Hubbard (47th) also return.  Syracuse is looking for depth and at least a No. 5 runner from last year’s transfer Adam Palamar (13:59 5k) and this year’s transfers, senior Adam Visokay from Virginia and sophomore Iliass Aouani from Lamar. Visokay (222nd) and Aouani (185th) ran at the NCAA meet but will need to improve to help the Orange. Between redshirts and none of the top five, Syracuse took the first eight spots at the Harry Lang Invitational. Freshman Griff Molino (20:09) led what may be the junior varsity. The Orangemen dominated the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Classic on Sept. 10 running everyone except Knight and Bennie. Aouani led the team in his debut over the 5.2-mile course (26:18). Next up for the Orangemen is the Virginia Panorama Farms Invitational on Sept. 23. (1)

2. Oregon - Senior Edward Cheserek will attempt to be the first to win four NCAA cross country titles. Last year Cheserek spent extra time working with and mentoring his teammates to win a trophy and the Ducks were fourth at the NCAA meet last year. Most of their depth (Nos. 2, 5 and 7) is back as junior Travis Neuman was 46th (he missed the track season due to injury), senior Jake Leingang was 50th, sophomore Tanner Anderson was 56th, and sophomore Matthew Maton was 85th. They all return, as does Ryan Gill, contributors in junior Blake Haney and Sam Prakel, and potential freshmen contributors Levi Thomet, Jack Yearian, Austin Tamagno and Jackson Mestler and senior transfer Tom Gorman. Neuman is a question mark after his injury. The Ducks edged Portland 28 to 29 in their season opener at the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Sept. 16th. Cheserek did not run after having an 18-mile training run that day. Next for the Ducks is the Washington Invitational on Oct. 1.  (2)

3. Northern Arizona - Until last year the Lumberjack had not missed out on a trophy since 2011. The 2016 roster starts with 10,000m list leader and NCAA runner-up senior Futsum Zeinasellasie, who was third at the 2014 NCAA cross country championships, senior Nathan Weitz was 118th (76th in 2013), and junior Andy Trouard has been hampered by the injury bug but he has shown he can contribute when he is healthy. Junior Cory Glines and sophomores Tyler Day and Jeff Miller developed during the cross country season (8th at the Mountain regional) and junior Matthew Baxter developed during the track season. Glines, Day and Baxter all nearly qualified for the NCAA meet in the 10,000m. With this being the last season for coach Eric Heins and the first season for the former Georgetown coach Michael Smith, this team will be inspired to succeed. The Lumberjacks took five of the first six spots at the George Kyte Classic on Sept. 3 and they beat Arizona State 20-43 without four of their expected top five runners. Northern Arizona ran all but their top three at the Sycamore Invitational on Sept. 10 but still dominated led by Baxter (25:01.3) and Glines (25:06.5) as the Lumberjacks gained experience on the NCAA course. Northern Arizona will head to Minnesota for the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 24. (3)

4. Iona - Even with health issues affecting them for much of last year the Gaels almost trophied with their fifth place finish. Iona returns their top three and four of their top five. Juniors Gilbert Kirui (20th) and Chartt Miller (43rd) led Iona at the NCAA meet. They could win this year if teams slip or they significantly improve. At the Marist Invitational Marist beat Iona 21 to 42 as the Gaels did not run any of their top seven. The Gaels were sixth at home in the Br. Doyle Meet of Champions on Sept. 16 and again did not run anyone in the top seven. Iona runs next at the Paul Short Meet of Champions on Oct. 1.  (4) 

5. Stanford - Last spring senior Sean McGorty took another step in his development on the track after finishing seventh at the NCAA cross country championships. Sophomore Grant Fisher was 17th and the No. 2 freshman in the race. Junior Garrett Sweatt was 69th last year as fellow juniors Sam Wharton (207th) and Jack Keelan (231st) did not run as well as in 2014 (39th and 100th respectively). It seems likely though that the pace this year will push harder than in 2014. There is a lot of talent on the roster and they will push each other. Three of the Cardinal top seven (Sweatt, Wharton and Keelan) ran as a pack at the San Francisco Invitational and they were fourth. Also, expect Alex Ostberg to make some noise. Next up for Stanford is the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational on Sept. 23.   (5)

6. Georgetown - Junior Jonathan Green was fifth last year and led the Hoyas to a 10th place team finish. Senior Darren Fahy was 49th and with the addition of graduate transfer Michael Clevenger’s (from Notre Dame) 38th place finish they have a solid top three but they need stronger performances from Nos. 4 and 5 to be able to trophy. The Hoyas did not run any of their top five at the Harry Groves Spike Shoe Invitational on Sept. 10. They were led by sophomore (their #6 NCAA runner) Christian Alvarado’s 4th place finish behind three Syracuse runners and finished well back in third behind Syracuse and Cornell. Next for the Hoyas is the Paul Short Run on Oct. 1.        (6)

7. Arkansas -  The Razorbacks return two finishers (two of their top three) from the top 40 at the NCAA meet, junior Jack Bruce (23rd) and senior Frankline Tonui (40th). They also have five of their top 7 with juniors Austen Dalquist (89th) and Alex George (176th) and senior Christian Heymsfield (170th) returning from the meet last year. Sophomore Andrew Ronoh ran 28:36.20 for 10,000m last year and should contribute among the top three for the Razorbacks. Arkansas did not run its top seven and lost to Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Tulsa at the Cowboy Duals on the 5000m course. The Razorbacks (61) were third  to Dartmouth (40) and Providence (50) at the Battle in Beantown on Sept. 16. George won the race ahead of Tonui (8th). Arkansas ran without four of the top seven as the team is in a hard training phase.  Next for the squad is the Chile Pepper Festival on Oct. 1.   (7)

8. Colorado - Senior Ben Saarel will likely be back to Top 10 form this year and with sophomore John Dressel (26th) they have a strong 1-2 punch. The Buffaloes will have to cobble a team from returnees including Joe Klecker, Zach Perrin, Ryan Forsyth, Ryan Peterman, and Paul Miller and from a talented group of recruits. This team will definitely require a wait and see approach. The Buffaloes ran all of their top runners at the Colorado State Invitational and dominated the competition as Forsyth led the Buffaloes to the first nine positions in the race. The Rocky Mountain Shootout is Colorado’s next meet on Oct. 1.   (8)

9. Mississippi - Last year the talent was there for the Rebels. Injuries slowed them but they ran well outdoors. Senior MJ Erb was 39th in 2014 and junior Sean Tobin was 68th last year. Seniors Wes Gallagher, Robert Domanic and Craig Engels could have great cross country seasons. This team could trophy. The Rebels did not run their top runners and finished third at the Memphis Twilight Classic 4-mile race. Unattached freshman Parker Scott led Mississippi at the Rebel Invite on Sept. 9 as they dominated over the 6000m course.  Next for Ole Miss is the Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 30. (9)

10. Wisconsin - Coach Mick Byrne’s Badger team was bit by the injury bug last year but it is unlikely that will happen two years in a row. This team could trophy with so much depth. Senior Malachi Schrobilgen was 10th in 2014 and a group of juniors led by Morgan McDonald (75th in 2014) showed their potential in 2014. It will be interesting to see this group finally run again. The Badgers dominated at the Oz Memorial Invitational on September 9. McDonald (19:53.5) and Schrobilgen (19:53.9) came in together in a dominating performance at Minnesota. The Badgers race again at the Badger Classic on September 23.   (10)

11. Eastern Kentucky - This year EKU is getting plenty of attention after finishing 17th last year without star steeplechaser junior Jakob Abrahamson. With the return of the top four plus Abrahamson this team will challenge for a trophy led by senior Jaime Escriche (37th in 2015). Newcomer Fred Kanda led Eastern Kentucky to five of the first six spots at the  Eagle Opener. Erick Rotich beat all-american Jacob Thomson of Kentucky to lead the Colonels to a dominating (five of the top 8) victory at the Bluegrass Invitational on Sept. 10. The Colonels run next at the Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 30.   (11)        

12. Furman - The Paladins return their top seven. In only their second year of making the NCAA meet they had mixed results. Three finished in the top 109 led by junior Aaron Templeton. This team could easily finish in the top 10. Due to weather the Queen’s Twilight was cancelled so Furman ran at the Eye Opener Invitational on Sept. 2. Junior Frank Lara led Furman to the top seven spots as Furman sat all but two of their top seven. Lara led the Paladins againn at the Furman Invitational on Sept. 10 as they took five of the first seven spots without their top two runners. Furman will travel to Charlottesville for the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational on Sept. 26. (12)

13. Virginia - The Cavaliers return their top five and all but one (Thomas Madden) ran well on the track. Juniors Chase Wavering (55th) and Henry Wynne (59th) continued their development with good track seasons this last spring. No one else was within the top 150. The Cavaliers won the UVA duals as they ran as a pack taking five of the first seven spots. The Cavaliers finished third at Adidas XC Challenge (66 to 34 of Florida State) on Sept. 16 without any of the top seven. (14)

14. BYU - Coach Ed Eyestone returns three of his top four but he always has more talent ready to run. The Cougars can never be counted out. Last year they finished 12th led by sophomore Dallin Farnsworth (74th last year) and junior Connor McMillan (84th). BYU easily won the Autumn Classic on Sept. 3. Next for the Cougars is the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational on Sept. 23. (15)

15. Southern Utah - It was a tough decision to leave Southern Utah out of the top 20 originally and they made it clear by beating Boise State 26 to 46 at the Sagebrush Invitational. SUU returns Mike Tate and six of their top seven from a team that finished 21st at the NCAA meet last year. Southern Utah also ran at Idaho State to develop some of their younger runners. The Thunderbirds next run at Roy Griak on Sept. 24. (16)

16. Colorado State - The Rams return one of the best 1-2 punches in senior Jefferson Abbey (13th) and junior Jerrell Mock (19th) plus runners that redshirted last year and had run on Colorado State's 19th place 2014 team. This team is flying under the radar. The Rams did not run Abbey and Mock and lost to Colorado the CSU Invitational dual meets. Next up is the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 24. (17)

17. Boise State - The Broncos return their very young team and six of the top seven runners (four finished in the top 120), minus 70th place Elijah Armstrong. They bring back the team’s one runner from 2014, sophomore Andrew Rafla (83rd). With developing runners on the roster (including redshirt freshman Miler Haller), and newcomer Yusuke Uchikoshi this team could finish in the top 10 after finishing 16th last year. The Broncos ran their top seven and finished second to Southern Utah, 26 to 46 at the Sagebrush Invitational. Next for the Broncos is the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 24.      (18)

18. Oklahoma State - The Cowboys had to rebuild their roster after last season but the team is led by junior Cerake Geberkidane, 125th in 2015. Adding JC all-Americans juniors Sylvester Barus (2nd at NJCAA XC) and Hassan Abdi (5th) will boost their chances at the NCAA championships this year. Oklahoma State swept the Cowboy duals on Sept. 1 against powerhouses Arkansas and Oklahoma, and others. They next run in the Cowboy Jamboree, Sept. 24. (19)

19. Indiana - In Bloomington there is a lot of hope that a number of injured runners will have success. Seniors Matthew Schwartzer was 43rd and Jason Crist was 65th in 2014 and Carl Smith was 52nd in 2013. NXN runner-up Ben Veatch joins the group. This group could make the Top 10 with any luck. The Hoosiers won the Indiana Open 8k with most of their expected top seven running and taking the top 6 spots. The Hoosiers won the Indiana Intercollegiate Championships on Sept. 16 with 26 points ahead of Purdue (46). Schwartzer led a pack of Hoosiers that placed five between places 3 and 8. Next for Indiana is the Rim Rock Farm Classic on Oct. 1.  (21) 

20. Washington - Junior Colby Gilbert had a stress fracture right before the cross country season started or he would have been well placed at the NCAA meet. After a strong track season he should have a great year. Behind him are three returning juniors (Andrew Gardner was the best at 96th). I expect coach Metcalfe will have the runners behind Gilbert push each other in a pack to maximize their talent. On the Huskies' new 6400m course at Chambers Bay the Huskies defeated Seattle U as freshmen Nick Laccinole and David Strome made an early case to potentially be in Washington’s top five by finishing second and third behind Gilbert. The Huskies lost at their Sundodger Invitational on Sept. 17 even with a Gilbert win.  Next for the Huskies is the Washington Invitational on Oct. 1. (13)

21. Middle Tennessee State - This team has won all three of their races this year. New additions, freshman Jacob Choge and junior Sampson Laari, have made a big impact and seem to have helped push their teammates to improved performances. What has been clear so far this season is that they only have six runners and they have been inconsistent. An injury or a bad race would knock them out of the top 20 at the NCAA meet. In their toughest race at the Commodore Classic they faced 2015 NCAA 7th place finisher Louisville and others and they won (63 to 81 for runner-up Georgia). Middle Tennessee State’s top runner, Choge, battled 2015 NCAA all-American Edwin Kibichiy (40th) to the finish, 24:01.6 to 24:03.7. Next for the Raiders is the Greater Louisville Classic on Oct. 1.   

22. Iowa State - Coach Martin Smith has a major project on his hands but also a lot of talent. Sophomore Dan Curts ran at the 2014 NCAA meet and he is the only one with experience. Redshirt freshman Thomas Pollard recently won the US junior 10,000m title. Senior Kevyn Hoyos transferred from Syracuse and should provide knowledge and experience. This is also another fun team to watch this year. Iowa State won the deep Hawkeye Early Bird Invitational on Sept. 2. Next up is the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 24.  (20)

Teams to watch

Washington State, Washington, Portland, Iowa State, UTEP, Michigan, Oklahoma, NC State, Providence, and Georgia