April Anarchy Elite 8: All Regions (Men)

Maura:

Ben:

Eric:

Michael:

Conor:

Maura: I want to say no for Centro. Solinksy owns double the amount of All-American honors that Centro does and earned four more NCAA titles than Centro. If his accolades don’t propel him forward, then Solinsky’s range from the 3k to the 10k should. It took a few years after graduation for Centro to really find his groove.

Ben: I agree with Maura that Centrowitz does not have the same college résumé as Solinsky, but I think that because of the former Duck’s popularity, this will be a close one. Ultimately, I do not think Centrowitz will make it into the Final Four because Solinsky’s overall accomplishments are just too much. Plus, the former Badger has been in the news plenty as his previous 10k American record is being commemorated which will likely give him a boost.

Eric: Yes, Centrowitz will advance to the Final Four. Centro has a big social media presence and fanbase while Solinsky is not currently not running. Even though Solinsky had a more impressive collegiate career, most people know Centro for his gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. This will propel the former Duck to victory.

Michael: This is shaping up to be a very close matchup, and I think Centrowitz will pull off a slight victory. Both Centrowitz and Solinsky are very well-known and successful athletes, but Centrowitz had some electric performances that resulted in victories as a Duck that I think will stand out more in people’s minds.

Conor: While this will easily be Centro’s toughest matchup thus far, I think he will still be able to advance just on his name alone. While our competition is solely based on the collegiate careers of the athletes, some younger and maybe less informed voters will side with Centro because of his post collegiate success (not to knock his stellar career at Oregon). Solinsky will still be an incredibly tough guy to take down, but at the end of the day, I think it will be Centro again.

Maura: I’m going to go with King Ches. Do I even need to make an argument for this one? 17 NCAA titles in total. Absolute domination during his time in the NCAA. Only four losses at a championship meet.

Ben: Unlike the women, I think this is a pretty easy answer. Edward Cheserek has too many titles and too many sparkling moments to be beaten. If I had to pick a second option, then I think Andrew Wheating has the next-best odds of taking home the April Anarchy title. His prowess in the middle distance events along with his popularity as an Oregon Duck makes him a prime candidate to upset Ches in the final.

Eric: I would be surprised if anyone but Edward Cheserek wins April Anarchy. He was a phenom in college and is a name everyone knows since he won so much. Only brave souls vote against the King. My pick is an all-Oregon matchup in the finals as I see Galen Rupp vs Edward Cheserek battling it out.

Michael: No surprises from me, Edward Cheserek is my pick to win. Nobody has won as many titles as Cheserek did (17 to be exact), and he was just such a force on the collegiate level that I don’t think anyone can touch him.

Conor: I think, like everyone else, Cheserek is the guy here. There is almost no way to out-do a guy who has won 17 NCAA titles. While there are still several big names left in the bracket, I think Cheserek’s resume coupled with his fan base and popularity will ultimately bring him to the win.

Maura: Justyn Knight vs Andrew Wheating will most likely be the closest in this round. Knight and Wheating both have both been able to take down big names during their college careers. I think Knight will get the upper-hand based on his set of wheels at the 2017 Nuttycombe Invite and NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Ben: I’ll go with the Clayton Murphy vs Galen Rupp. Both have done extraordinarily well in the voting up until this point and both have huge followings. Rupp has the better credentials, but I wonder if any of the controversy surrounding him will hurt him in this matchup. Murphy’s run through the NCAA in 2016 is still fresh in everyone’s mind while Rupp’s collegiate performances were over a decade ago. The recency bias will help the former Zip, but Rupp is still a strong candidate who will be tough to take down.

Eric: I have to agree with Ben here and say Murphy vs Rupp. The two were former teammates professionally while training under Alberto Salazar. It will be interesting to see since Rupp absorbed most of the headlines when the NOP went down, while Murphy was more in the shadows. Murphy will rely on his two individual victories at NCAA Championships to try to tame the so-called ‘Goliath’ in Galen Rupp.

Michael: I think Chris Solinsky vs Matthew Centrowitz will be the closest. These two have rather different collegiate resumes, but there are many more factors that go into voting decisions. Both are well known for their performances after college as well, and those may sway voters’ decisions. I could really see this one going either way, as Centrowitz has a bit more of a recent impact on the sport, but Solinsky’s NCAA career was arguably more impressive.

Conor: The Wheating vs Knight matchup seems like it will be the closest one here. Unlike some of the other matchups where big names might end up taking the W, this matchup pits two guys with incredible resumes, star power, and fan bases against each other. Both men excel in similar distances which could also prove to create some unexpected closeness. It will be interesting to see if Knight’s more recent popularity can bring him past a slightly older athlete in Wheating.

Maura: 1) Edward Cheserek 2) Galen Rupp 3) Chris Solinsky 4) Justyn Knight

Ben: 1) Edward Cheserek 2) Andrew Wheating 3) Chris Solinsky 4) Clayton Murphy

Eric: 1) Edward Cheserek 2) Matt Centrowitz 3) Justyn Knight 4) Galen Rupp

Michael: 1) Edward Cheserek 2) Galen Rupp 3) Matthew Centrowitz 4) Justyn Knight

Conor: 1) Edward Cheserek 2) Galen Rupp 3) Matthew Centrowitz 4) Andrew Wheating