D2 Top 15: Preseason (Men)

Hello ladies and gentlemen! It’s time for another edition of The Stride Report's D2 rankings! This time it features more than just the cross country runners. Well, kind of. It’s a good assumption that most of these guys were apart of their respective cross country teams...

These rankings are from the beginning of the indoor season and do not take into consideration the most recent results. Those rankings will be coming very soon. There were some technical difficulties that postponed these from coming out sooner than this and I apologize for that.

We currently have 15 ranked runners where we'll look at their resumes from last year’s indoor and outdoor track seasons. These rankings will change throughout the 2018-2019 indoor season. There will certainly be new athletes who set big PR's and showcase their top-end talent. Come back for new rankings next week...

It’s track time my friends and it’s only the beginning of the best time of the year.

15. Ricky Harvie | West Texas A&MHarvie was a 7th place finisher in the mile last March. He earned PR's in both the 800 and 1500 when it came to the outdoor season. He qualified for the national meet during outdoors, but didn't see the same success during indoors.

14. Ackeen Colley | American InternationalColley looked to be a lock for an individual All-American spot in his freshman season after posting the second fastest 800 time last indoor season. That wasn't the case, however, as he missed the final. He helped American International finish 6th in the DMR and he ran sub-1:50 once again during the outdoor season finishing in 10th place and a spot out of the final.

13. Felix Wammetsberger | Queens (N.C.)Wammetsberger was the 6th place finisher in the mile a year ago during the indoor season. He didn't see an All-American finish in the 1500 a few months later (still made the final), but his current PR's indicate that he should be back in March to give it another go.

12. Robert Downs | Texas A&M KingsvilleDowns saw big success during his indoor and outdoor seasons last year as well. He showed up on the scene with a 3rd place finish in the 800 during indoors. While he didn't place as high during outdoors, a 6th place finish, he lowered his PR to 1:48 and some change to cap off a successful freshman season.

11. Marcelo Laguera | CSU-PuebloLaguera saw his first bit of track success during the indoor season last year. He qualified for the national meet and finished in 12th place with a time of 14:33. He followed that up with an All-American performance on the track during outdoors in the 10k where he ran a PR of 30:19 and added a PR of 14:18 as well. The 2018 XC national champ carries a load of experience into each of his contests.

10. Grant Colligan | Colorado MinesColligan saw his first track All-American status come his way last year during the indoor season. He finished 7th in the 5k and then 12th in the 3k a day later. He also finished 9th during the outdoor season in the 3000 meter steeplechase.

9. Enael Woldemichael | Grand Valley StateWoldemichael burst onto the scene as a freshman last year with a 3rd place finish in the 5000 at the indoor meet. He was able to cement his legitimacy during the outdoor season with a runner-up result. He's just a sophomore coming into this year, and with a year under his belt, we should see him in more than just one event on the national stage.

8. Leakey Kipkosgei | American International The senior Yellowjacket’s best finish during the indoor season is a 3rd place in the 3000 meters which came on the heels of helping lead American International to a DMR title the day before in 2016. Since then, he's had two top five finishes in the 3000 meter steeplechase and then an All-American finish in the 800 in 2017. We’ll likely see him in March in longer events, but his range makes him very dangerous.

7. Elias Gedyon | Adams StateThe JUCO transfer had a near instant impact after entering the Adams State program last year. He helped propel the team to a 4th place finish in the DMR and then came back the next day with a 5th place mile finish. He was able to improve to 3rd place in the 1500 during the outdoor season. He's 7th for now.

6. Brett Meyer | Fort Hays StateMeyer saw his breakthrough last year as well. The senior moved up in distance from the 800 (where he earned two All-American finishes) to the mile and immediately had greater success. He finished 2nd behind Nading during the indoor season and proceeded to finish 4th in the 1500 during the outdoor season.

5. Shaquille Dill | Saint AugustinesDill has one of the most impressive resumes from the athletes we currently have ranked. He has both an 800 and 4x400 national title to his name from the indoor and outdoor track seasons. He's also got the unlikely 400 and 800 All-American status from the same national meet during his freshman year in 2016. He sits 5th because his true distance race is the 800.

4. Dustin Nading | Western OregonNading had one of the best seasons from anyone in Division Two last year after having multiple breakout performances. He took home the indoor mile title in convincing fashion while also serving a major role on the Western Oregon DMR team. He followed that up with a runner-up finish at the outdoor national meet. He certainly has his sights on repeating in March.

3. Zach Panning | Grand Valley StateThere’s a case for Panning being the number two guy here as he was the 2nd place finisher at Xc Nationals and took home the outdoor 5k title last year. Despite those strong finishes, he has not had the same type of success that we’d expect from the Grand Valley State athlete during the indoor season. He’s a strong candidate for a national title during upcoming indoor season as things seem to be shaping up for his best indoor season yet.

2. Sydney Gidabuday | Adams StateDespite the poorer than anticipated performance at XC Nationals, Gidabuday is still a high-caliber runner and he showed us that last year when he bounced back and took home the indoor 3k and 5k titles. He’s got the second fastest 5k time in outdoor D2 history and has a knack for savvy racing in the 3k and 5k during the indoor season. He is still a legitimate contender in any event he enters this March.

1. Thomas Staines | CSU-PuebloThe junior is fresh off of a dominant indoor and outdoor season a year ago and he’ll look to continue that trend this winter. During the indoor season, he was hardly challenged on his way to his first national title. To follow that up, he ran a 1:45.57 (unattached) at the Music City Distance Festival. Had Staines run that during the collegiate season, he would be #2 all-time in the 800 for Division II. He’ll be looking for title number three in early March. He comes in as our top ranked runner for those reasons.

1. Thomas Staines (CSU-Pueblo)

2. Shaquille Dill (Saint Augustine’s)

3. Leakey Kipkosgei (American International)

4. Robert Downs (Texas A&M Kingsville)

5. Ackeen Colley (American International)

1. Dustin Nading (Western Oregon)

2. Elias Gedyon (Admas State)

3. Brett Meyer (Fort Hayes State)

4. Felix Wammetsberger (Queens (NC))

5. Ricky Harvie (West Texas A&M)

1. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State)

2. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State)

3. Grant Colligan (Colorado Mines)

4. Marcelo Laguera (CSU-Pueblo)

5. Enael Woldemichael (Grand Valley State)

1. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State)

2. Zach Panning (Grand Valley State)

3. Marcelo Laguera (CSU-Pueblo)

4. Enael Woldemichael (Grand Valley State)

5. Grant Colligan (Colorado Mines)