2023-24 D2 Indoor Top 25 Rankings (Men): Preseason (Part One)

Written by Grace McLaughlin, additional edits & commentary via Garrett Zatlin & Gavin Struve

Click here to see our Just Missed and Honorable Mention names.

Listed eligibility takes redshirts and Covid-related extensions into consideration.

TFRRS is used as a general, but not strict, guide when determining eligibility.

25. Dylan Burrows, Senior, Oklahoma Christian*

*Dylan Burrows can be found on Oklahoma Christian's roster, but he is not listed on the team's TFRRS roster. It is unclear if he will be racing this winter.

One of Division Two's top returning half-milers, Dylan Burrows, has the potential to become one of the nation's preeminent middle distance runners in 2024. He will, however, have to make certain adjustments in order to reach that status.

This Oklahoma Christian veteran holds an impressive PR of 1:48 over 800 meters as well as a mark of 3:47 in the metric mile. That latter personal best suggests that his 4:09 mile PR is in line for improvement in the near future.

Over 800 meters, Burrows placed 5th at the 2023 indoor national meet and 10th at the outdoor national meet. Both were a drastic improvements from his 21st place national meet finish in 2022. 

Naturally, Burrows' times have also steadily progressed over the years. He's also become more consistent when running around the 1:50 range. However, it would be nice to see him run under that mark on a more regular basis this season.

 Burrows showed an uptick in fitness over the past year and his improved endurance this past fall was promising, too. We know that he has the fitness and postseason experience to be a top-tier star this winter, but being able to produce 1:48 and 1:49 marks on a more consistent basis will likely be the factor that pushes him to a higher ranking this winter.

Titus Lagat's indoor track season is already underway after a season-opening mark of 1:52 (800) at the BSC Panther Indoor Icebreaker. While that time is pretty far from his PR of 1:48, it's still a solid starting point and it indicates that he should finish the indoor track season ahead of where he was last year.

This Lee (Tenn.) ace was 9th over 800 meters at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships and 15th at the outdoor national meet. Those are fine performances, but they also left us wanting so much more given his experience and past successes, namely a bronze medal national meet finish in the spring of 2021.

Lagat is clearly talented and has a balanced level of speed and aerobic strength. When considering his relative consistency in a volatile event, one could argue that Lagat is even more valuable than his resume suggests.

With another year of experience under his belt and the hopes that he'll continue to improve his racing tactics, Lagat should make a return from the fringes of All-American status to an outright All-American runner this winter.

Long-time readers of The Stride Report know that we base our rankings on a variety of different aspects about a certain runner, not just their personal bests. We often look at their range, postseason success, upside, certain racing tendencies, historical trends, etc.

However, the one intangible that we love the most is consistency. Sure, someone may have a super fast time, but does that matter if they can't reproduce that result on stages that may matter more?

That's why we have Jagger Zlotoff ranked at TSR #23. This UC-Colorado Springs runner may not be the flashiest miler in the nation, but he is solid across the board. He was great on the national stage last year and he hasn't given us much reason to doubt him.

Last year, Zlotoff ran a 4:06 PR in the mile. However, his performance at the RMAC Indoor Championships gave him a converted 4:04 mark and a spot to the indoor national meet. And on that stage, the UCCS runner performed exceptionally well, making it to the finals where he placed 6th overall for an All-American honor.

It was a similar story during the spring as Zlotoff ran 3:47 for 1500 meters, but got a 3:43 conversion elsewhere. And even then, the Mountain Lion ace still emerged with an All-American honor in that event, placing 7th in the 1500-meter finals.

Admittedly, this redshirt sophomore snuck into the indoor and outdoor national meets last year with last-minute altitude-converted efforts. He'll want to avoid any additional close calls moving forward, but in terms of holding his own in races that matter, Zlotoff has been better than many established D2 veterans.

Josh Pierantoni cracks our top-25 preseason rankings despite not racing during the fall and winter of 2023. So how does that happen?

While his absence isn't ideal (which is largely due to a lack of eligibility), Pierantoni did earn bronze over 5000 meters and placed 5th over 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last spring. He clearly has plenty of aerobic talent as well as extensive experience running at a high level. And so far this winter, he has wasted no time reestablishing himself as a top name in Division Two.

The Colorado Christian senior posted national qualifying marks earlier this month, running converted times of 7:57 (3k) and 13:51 (5k) at the Colorado Running Company Pre-Holiday Invitational. That weekend double put him at NCAA #2 and NCAA #4 on the D2 national leaderboard in those respective distances which were run within less than 24 hours of each other and at over 6000 feet of elevation.

And if that wasn’t already impressive enough, Pierantoni also ran 13:57 over 25 laps at the Boston U. Season Opener a week earlier.

This Cougar veteran is one of the more stable and reliable names in D2 distance running. He can handle weekend doubles over the longer distances better than most men and he doesn't often have poor outings. Few men have as much as experience as he does and it also helps that he has had success on the national stage before.

21. David Cardenas, Senior, Adams State

While he didn't qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships last spring, David Cardenas has enjoyed significant success on the indoor oval throughout his career. In many ways, he feels like an underrated talent who has yet to truly show his peak talent.

The Grizzlies' middle distance veteran has consistently qualified for the indoor national meet in the 800 meters and has finished as high as 4th place at the 2022 indoor national meet. He placed 6th in that event last year and was part of Adams State’s 9th place DMR team. 

However, some people seem to forget how dangerous he can also be at the 1500-meter and mile distances as well, holding personal bests of 3:45 and 4:03, respectively.

Cardenas' extensive level of experience gives him an upper-hand against his competitors who haven't seen the same kind of championship tactics and approaches that he has. However, maybe more importantly, Cardenas has the leg speed and the aerobic strength to handle most race scenarios (in theory).

With a 1:48.97 (800) PR from the spring of 2022, Cardenas clearly has the talent to be a top finisher in this year's 800-meter field. Of course, having his best performance on the national stage rather than the regular season will ultimately be the differentiator as to whether or not he cracks the top-three.

Trying to rank Jared Gregoire gave us major headaches.

He's young and comparatively inexperienced, but that didn't stop him from being a 3rd place All-American over 1500 meters last spring. His indoor track times hardly stand out in any significant way, but his personal bests from the spring -- 1:49 for 800 meters and 3:43 for 1500 meters -- tell the story of an entirely different runner.

To put it simply, there is no denying that Gregoire is a national-caliber talent. His middle distance versatility and youth-based upside make him one of the more exciting up-and-coming talents in Division Two.

However, there are plenty of questions as to how he will handle racing on the indoor oval this winter. If he builds on his success from the spring, then this ranking is way too low for him. But for now, he sits at TSR #20 until we can get a better read on him.

19. Ryan Hartman, Senior, Augustana (SD)

Following a 9th place finish at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships, Ryan Hartman held some clear momentum, and he capitalized on it by running a blistering time of 13:54 (5k) at the Boston U. Season Opener. While that was "only" a five-second PR, it was still a massive improvement from what we saw from this Augustana (SD) ace last track season. 

Hartman's clear jump in fitness, recent 5k PR and ongoing consistency indicates that he can also improve upon his 3k PR of 8:04 from 2022. Hartman is clearly firing on all cylinders at the moment and he is a more refined athlete from the already-solid version of himself that we saw from him a year ago, landing him at TSR #19 in our first round of rankings. 

18. Soheil Boufrizi, Junior, Wingate

Soheil Boufrizi had a quieter start to his cross country season than some of his star peers However, he’s wasted no time in ramping up this indoor track season.

The Frenchman has already run a pair of times that should almost certainly qualify him for the indoor national meet. That comes on the heels of placing 10th at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships and showing a convincing level of improvement from the past academic year.

We already knew that Boufrizi was a talented endurance athlete, but his 8:00 mark for 3000 meters (which he posted at the Boston U. Season Opener) displayed his encouraging leg speed. On top of that impressive performance, Boufrizi produced a 13:59 effort in the 5k at the GVSU Holiday Open.

Boufrizi's willingness to contest multiple high-level races early in the season is commendable and it should pay dividends over the coming months. Moving forward, he'll be able to refine his fitness rather than worry about chasing qualifying times.

Boufrizi has momentum, firepower and a ton of upside. With everything that the Wingate junior has going for him right now, a TSR #18 ranking might seem a little conservative as we go into winter break.

Dillan Haviland may not come from a typical D2 powerhouse or have the recent cross country success of some of the others in our rankings. But when he is on the starting line, you can expect him to outperform expectations.

With personal bests of 1:49 over 800 meters, 4:03 in the mile and 8:02 in the 3k, Haviland has a series of nationally competitive marks which exhibit a complementary mix of speed and strength. And given how strong he is tactically, you can see why we have him inside of top-20.

The Northwood veteran's 4th place finish in the mile at last year’s NCAA Indoor Championships was exciting and extremely promising heading into the spring months. Unfortunately, he wasn't as strong on the national stage a few months later, placing 12th in the 1500-meter prelims and not advancing to the finals.

Regardless, Haviland's jump in fitness and emergence as an upper-echelon name in Division Two sets him up well for a 2024 campaign that could be even better.

Haviland already raced a 5k at the GVSU Holiday Open and ran a respectable mark of 14:20. That display of commendable stamina implies that he may be even sharper in what should theoretically be his best event (the 3k). Of course, one could argue that his most impressive time has come in the 800 meters and that his tactical sweet spot is the mile.

That versatility and uncertainty about his optimal distance is a good problem to have.

16. Caleb Futter, Junior, Grand Valley State

A TSR #16 preseason ranking is ultimately where we landed for one of D2's more difficult runners to rank. While Caleb Futter is clearly a talented runner, as evidenced by his accolades and times, he often leaves us wanting more.

The Laker junior placed 14th in the mile and 5th in the DMR at last year’s NCAA Indoor Championships. And truthfully, neither of those results seemed representative of his full potential. He went on to finish 4th in the steeplechase and 14th over 5000 meters on the outdoor oval. He most recently placed 38th at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships.

Luckily, Futter has already started his indoor track season off on a positive note by running 8:00 over 3000 meters at the Boston U. Season Opener. That performance, combined with his 14:01 (5k) PR, as well as his mile and steeplechase versatility, underscores his dynamic talent and increasingly rare skillset.

Futter may sometimes leave something to be desired at certain national meet, but few men have been as consistently solid over multiple years as this 4:04 miler has been.

15. Reece Smith, Senior, NW Missouri

The back-to-back national champion in the steeplechase starts the indoor track season off at TSR #15 after being absent from competition during the fall months.

Reece Smith was extremely impressive last spring, placing 6th over 5000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in addition to his gold medal over the barriers. His performances at the 2023 indoor national meet weren’t quite at that level, but a 2nd place finish in the DMR and a 13th place finish in the 3000 meters were still highly respectable. 

Despite some uncertainty regarding his current fitness level, Smith owns unquestionably top-tier PRs of 4:04 in the mile, 8:00 over 3000 meters and 13:50 over 5000 meters. With a strong aerobic base and a valuable level of experience, we believe that he'll be a top name over multiple events in the coming months. Watch out for what kind of threat this guy could be in the mile...

14. William Amponsah, Junior, West Texas A&M

You may be wondering why the undefeated cross country national champion is not in the top-half of our first rankings ranking for the indoor track season. But before you riot, allow us to explain our reasoning for putting William Amponsah at TSR #14 (for now). 

Yes, Amponsah won the NCAA XC Championships. He was also undefeated and he also won multiple races by hefty margins this past fall.

But this West Texas A&M star is inexperienced on the oval, specifically at the NCAA level, and it's fair to wonder how much range he has below 5000 meters. And remember, racing tactics on the grass are VERY different than tactics on the oval.

Amponsah has already run 13:53 (5k) at the Crimson & Gold Invitational, but we will need to see more of his turnover and tactical abilities before ranking him any higher. Based on his overall talent level and what he showed in the fall, that probably won’t take long. 

13. Matthew Storer, Rs. Sophomore, Colorado Christian

Matthew Storer is one of the most consistently successful athletes on the national stage despite still being fairly young. The fact that he is a redshirt sophomore makes his ability to finish among the top-five at championship meets that much more impressive.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the Cougar ace also owns top-tier PRs of 13:54 (5k) and 29:51 (10k), the latter of which was run at altitude. 

Storer is coming off of a phenomenal cross country season in which he took home the win at the Lewis XC Crossover and earned bronze at the NCAA XC Championships. He was also successful last spring after placing 4th over 10,000 meters and runner-up in the 5000 meters at the outdoor national meet.

At last year’s indoor national meet, Storer placed 5th in the 5k and we believe that he should be even better this winter based on his progression over the past year. With all of these positive results, a TSR #13 ranking might be underselling his talent. But similar to Amponsah, Storer's best value will likely be seen during the spring rather than the winter.

Dayton Brown (Adams State)

Cole Nash (Alaska Anchorage)

Gidieon Kimutai (Missouri Southern)

Scott Nutter (Wingate)

Duncan Fuehne (Colorado Mines)

Tanner Maier (Minnesota State)

Harry Ross-Hughes (Lake Erie)
 Drew Weber (Western Washington)

Johan Correa (Central Washington)

Ben Sumner (Azusa Pacific)

George Couttie (Charleston (WV))

Kaleb Tipton (CSU-Pueblo)

Drew Dailey (Shippensburg)

Cole Benoit (Mississippi College)

Logan Bocovich (Colorado Mines)

Paul Knight (Colorado Mines)

Matthew Fowler (Lee (Tenn.))

Mitchell Dervin (Adams State)

Koby Fraaza (Grand Valley State)

Noah Fisher (Findlay)

Harry Louradour (West Texas A&M)

Ricardo Barbosa (Wingate)

Yonas Haile (Adams State)

Trent Cochran (Colorado Christian)

Hunter Hutton (Western Oregon)

Jakob Rettschlag (Wingate)

JP Rutledge (Colorado Mines)

Kevin McDermott (Western Washington)

Maxime Touron (NW Missouri)

Kendall Branan (Indiana (PA))

Kewani Campbell (Lincoln (MO))

Hudson Majeski (UC-Colorado Springs)