Conor Stack
Mar 8, 202011 min
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Was not ranked the week before.
First number indicates how much the individual has moved in the rankings.
The second number indicates where they were ranked the week before.
It's time to start giving Justin Pacifico the respect he deserves. After running a flat-track converted 1:47 at Camel City to defeat ACC stars Matt Wisner (Duke) and Bashir Mosavel-Lo (Virginia Tech), Pacifico finished runner-up at the SEC Championships behind only Devin Dixon in the 800 meters. In the process, he defeated two established half-mile standouts in Carlton Orange (Texas A&M) and John Rivera (Ole Miss).
The Florida senior has national meet experience and is not new to facing top-tier competition. However, this has been a revitalizing season for Pacifico who has run fast times and taken down a handful of elite talents in the process.
Schadler was the lead-off leg for Indiana’s DMR team that ran an NCAA qualifying time of 9:27 at the Alex Wilson Invitational two weeks ago. As just a redshirt freshman, it is impressive to see Schadler run so well on a nationally ranked team and be a vital part of the Hoosiers’ chances at finishing in an All-American spot at the NCAA meet.
Schadler recently finished 2nd in the mile at the BIG 10 Championships behind only Wisconsin stud Oliver Hoare and just in front of Nebraska’s George Kusche. Clearly, Schadler can handle himself in tactical races, proving that his 3:58 mile PR from earlier in the season wasn't a fluke. With an impressive PR of 2:23 for 1000 meters, Schadler will enter the national meet with a ton of momentum.
Williams has raced a ton this season, and most of these races have been very strong. Early on, he ran 2:22 in the 1000 meters and followed that up with four sub-1:50 efforts in the 800 meters. He was also a member of two DMR squads that ran under 9:30.
However, Williams has had some significant issues with racing tactics as of late. He was 5th at the Meyo Invitational against a modest field and later finished 4th at the BIG 10 Championships in what turned out to be a very tactical race.
Williams' positioning will need to improve at the national meet, but after placing 5th at the National Championships last year following a conference title upset, Williams shouldn't be written off just yet.
Orange was only able to finish 3rd in the 800 meters at the SEC Championships last weekend, losing to teammate Devin Dixon and Florida’s Justin Pacifico. Despite this, it’s still hard to overlook Orange’s NCAA #3 mark in the 800 meters this season of 1:47.62.
Suliman has been having a less than perfect season so far. He has only raced a handful of times and while some performances have been strong, others have been underwhelming. His 3:57 mile at Vanderbilt was impressive for mid-January, but a solid contingent of men have run notably faster since then. Things didn't get much better as he transitioned to the postseason where he struggled at the SEC Championships, dropping to 4th in the mile (where he was the favorite to win) and 7th in the 3k.
Villarreal has been relatively quiet since his 3:56 mile run at the Millrose Games. He had a DNF in the 800 meters at the Husky Classic on Valentine’s Day weekend and was only 8th in the 3000 meters at the MPSF Championships this past weekend.
The Arizona senior has had some struggles with back spasms over the past month or so and his run at the MPSF meet wasn’t a great sign. Despite this, he will still have two weeks off before the NCAA meet. It’s hard to count out an established 3:56 miler...
The Hofstra harrier seemed to shock the country a bit when he ran a blistering 13:28 in the 5k at the BU Last Chance meet just a week ago. That time places him at NCAA #3 this season, just ahead of Northern Arizona’s Luis Grijalva.
The reason we have him all the way back at TSR #19 is mainly because of his racing tactics. This is someone who thrives with an aggressive, all-out pace. However, in championship settings, that usually doesn't help. Masai was undefeated into the National Championships last fall, but dropped to 127th once he got to Terre Haute.
In a race that will likely be tactical (and also held at altitude), Masai will need to prove that he can navigate through a loaded and crowded 5k field.
Kusche started out this season on fire with a trio of impressive times. He has run 1:49 (800), 3:57 (mile) and 7:50 (3k) so far this season. However, Kusche's performances at the BIG 10 Championships left us wanting more.
Kusche finished 3rd in both the mile and 3000 meters at the BIG 10 Championships the other weekend and had to deal with Oliver Hoare in both races. Both battles were quite close, but this may have been a good test-run for Kusche to evaluate his race tactics heading into Nationals.
Seufer has been one of the quieter contenders across the distance events this season. His times of 7:48 (flat-track converted) and 13:36 have solidified his placement within the top eight for both events (nationally) heading into NCAA’s. Since earning those new personal bests, Seufer has continued to do his thing, winning the always difficult double of 5k/3k double at the ACC Championships the other weekend. That consistency and pair of wins is an encouraging sign heading into Nationals as it indicates that Seufer understands how to race tactically.
Dixon’s season up to (and including) Valentine’s Day weekend was a bit short of what we were probably expecting. He hadn’t run under 1:52 until two weeks ago at the Texas A&M Invitational where he ran a very solid 1:47.88, currently NCAA #7. He then went to the SEC Championships and took the 800 meter title and was also a member of the title winning 4x400.
Dixon’s season started off a little slow for a guy that many expected to run in the 1:47’s a bit earlier than he did. However, his fitness and racing tactics may be coming around just in time, so look for Dixon to reclaim his status as a title favorite next weekend.
Morgan Beadlescomb has silently worked himself into the mix of top 5000 meter talents. Like many other top runners across the country, Beadlescomb only competed once after his personal best of 13:31 from early February. He is a similar runner to Seufer in that he established a very solid time and then shined at his conference meet. The Michigan State ace ran the 5000 meters at the BIG 10 Championships and took home a clutch win over an underrated field.
You would expect to have the guy with the fastest time in the 800 meters this season ranked a bit higher, right? Jewett has been doing everything he needs to be doing up to this point in the season. He has won two major invitationals and has established himself as a potential title favorite for the 800 meters. We haven't seen much from him since the middle of February, but his 4x400/DMR double at the MPSF Championships indicates that Jewett is actively preparing for NCAA's.
The breakout Furman star takes a small dip in our rankings mainly because, like others, he has not produced anything particularly outstanding since his early season runs in the mile and 3k. However, you can’t forget about his 3:57 back in mid-January or his 7:49 at the Dr. Sanders Columbia Challenge as both of those performances were some of the best marks in the country at that time.
Lagat will go into the NCAA meet with the second fastest 800 meter time in the country, so it’s easy to keep him within our top 15. Lagat hit his seasonal best mark of 1:47 back in mid February and also worked a very solid triple at BIG 12 Championships. He took 2nd in both the 1000 meters and the mile and was also a member of the championship winning DMR team. He was even able to edge out teammate Edwin Kurgat in the BIG 12 mile.
Lagat quietly has some of the best range in the country and his ability to triple effectively this past weekend should bode well for him at Nationals where multiple rounds are involved.
Not many athletes have thrived in the month of February like Tuntivate has. Everyone knows about his times of 3:57 (mile) and 7:49 (3k), but what confirms Tuntivate’s strength and tactical prowess was what we saw from him at the Ivy League Championships. Defending his 3k and 5k crowns, he reclaimed his conference titles in both of those events. Tuntivate has all of the momentum in the world right now which could prove to be useful come Nationals.
The budding Oregon star was right on the doorstep of entering our Top 25 a few weeks ago, but his run at the BU Last Chance meet solidified his position in our list. Hunter’s 3:55 mile performance was good enough to take the win in Boston over names like Cooper Teare, Washington’s Mick Stanovsek and even Olympic gold medalist Matthew Centrowitz.
Having also been a member of Oregon’s sub-9:25 DMR team where he split 1:48, Hunter looks like he has the ideal mix of pure strength and speed which should help him thrive at Nationals.
Hoare has been having a very solid season thus far. His 3:56 mark at Millrose got him a great position at the NCAA meet and surely took the burden of getting a fast time off of his shoulders. As a vital member of the Badger DMR, Hoare was unsuccessful at holding off Notre Dame’s Yared Nuguse at the Alex Wilson Invitational.
However, a pair of tactical wins in both the mile and 3000 meters at the BIG 10 Championships is wildly impressive, especially since he had to go up against the likes of Kyle Mua, George Kusche, Ben Veatch and Matthew Schadler.
It's a little tough to see a guy like Beamish fall a spot in our rankings this time around. Still, his times of 7:44 (3k) and 3:56 (mile) are incredible marks that put him in elite company. His somewhat lackluster 5k performance from earlier in the season is really the only thing holding him back (and maybe unfairly). After finishing up the BIG Sky Championships, Beamish will aim to defend his national title in the mile next weekend.
Kurgat has had a stellar season up to this point and has displayed some of the best range of any athlete in the country. Kurgat established his NCAA #2 5k time of 13:24 way back in December and, like Hoare in the mile, was able to shelf the event for a bit and focus on other distances. Kurgat was then able to validate his strength by working a very impressive triple at the BIG 12 Championships where he won both the 3k and 5k and finished a respectable 3rd in the mile.
It's tough to put someone so talented all the way back at our TSR #8 spot, but some of his times simply haven't been as fast. Plus, when he has faced elite collegiate competition, he hasn't always come out on top (he took a loss to Klecker earlier in the season at the Millrose Games).
Still, Kurgat has all of the necessary tools to thrive in a championship setting.
At this point in the year, we all know what Grijalva can do. He has had two incredible runs in Boston this season and has easily established himself as a title contender in both the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters. It almost seems like a bit of an insult to be placing him at TSR #6 in our rankings.
After cruising through the BIG Sky Championships, Grijalva will be in excellent shape to contend for a title in both distance events and earn some serious points for the Lumberjacks.
James West has been having a spectacular season thus far. If there's one big takeaway from this season, it's that he can double better than anyone in the NCAA can in a single weekend. We know about what he did at the Husky Classic, but what he was able to pull off at the BU Last Chance meet was special.
West mixed it up with some of the best pros in the country at Boston University and established a new collegiate indoor record of 3:36 in the 15000 meters in the process. He then came back the next day and hammered out a 1:48 in the 800 meters. What this guy can do from 800 meters up to the 3000 meters is scary, so be sure to watch out for him to have a major impact at Nationals.
Ah yes, Nuguse. The Notre Dame star is rounding into top fitness at a dangerously good time. We all knew he was good and that he had great finishing speed after out-kicking Grant Fisher in last year's DMR. However, each performance Nuguse has put out this season has been increasingly more impressive.
At the Alex Wilson Invitational, Nuguse was able to out-kick Oliver Hoare in the DMR, furthering the narrative of his ability to close and win any race he wants to. If that didn’t validate his incredible abilities, Nuguse dominated the mile at the ACC Championships winning by nearly seven seconds in a PR and NCAA #4 time of 3:55. Nuguse is looking lethal right now and is surely one of the clear favorites at the NCAA meet if any of his races get tactical.
You could very realistically have made an argument where Teare took the top spot in our rankings. A 3:55/7:45 combo along with a record-setting DMR makes Teare an all-around elite threat. The problem is that he's not an obvious title favorite coming into Nationals for any singular event. Plus, Day has the better overall resume as far as times are concerned (but not by much). Regardless, Teare has been having one heck of a season and could leave New Mexico with NCAA gold next weekend.
What can we say about this guy that hasn’t already been said? He has the NCAA #1 time in the 5k and the NCAA #3 time in the 3k. You could have made the argument for Day being placed at our top spot. A mile/3k/DMR triple at the BIG Sky Championships seemed to be a primer for what will surely be a big weekend at NCAA's.
Klecker has been quiet as of late and will have not raced for a month once NCAA weekend comes around. That absence is truthfully a bit eery which is what nearly forced us to pushed him back a few spots. Even so, the Colorado ace ran 4:01 (3:55 altitude converted) for the mile, 7:47 for the 3000 meters, and 13:34 for the 5000 meters. His range is ridiculous as he has run a top eight time nationally all three events.
All that’s left for him is to win a title.
ADDED
Charlie Hunter (Oregon)
Alex Masai (Hofstra)
Matthew Schadler (Indiana)
Justin Pacifico (Florida)
Sam Ellis (Princeton)
Alex Ostberg (Stanford)
Michael Rhoads (Air Force)
Kyle Mau (Indiana)
Michael Rhoads (Air Force)
Jacob Heslington (BYU)
Mick Stanovsek (Washington)
Kigen Chemadi (Middle Tennessee State)
Alex Ostberg (Stanford)
Roshon Roomes (Iowa State)
Takieddine Hedeilli (Texas Tech)
Cameron Griffith (Arkansas)
Sam Ellis (Princeton)
Tanner Anderson (Washington)
Abdihamid Nur (Northern Arizona)
Jackson Mestler (Washington)
John Rivera (Ole Miss)
Jacob Choge (Middle Tennessee State)
Theo Quax (Northern Arizona)
Kyle Mau (Indiana)
Talem Franco (BYU)
Jack Rowe (Washington)
Jack O’Leary (Iona)
Diego Zarate (Virginia Tech)
Blaise Ferro (Northern Arizona)
Charlie O’Donovan (Villanova)
Kasey Knevelbaard (Florida State)
Eric Hamer (Colorado State)
Emmanuel Cheboson (Arkansas)
Sam Tanner (Washington)
Ari Klau (Virginia)
Ben Veatch (Indiana)
Ryan Raff (Northern Arizona)
Gilbert Boit (Arkansas)