Transfer of Power (Part Two)

Arkansas is going to be good. Really good. The addition of elite-level transfers and promising scoring pieces -- along with the return of key lineup contributors and a previously redshirted Gilbert Boit -- could make the Razorbacks a top-10 team (or even a podium contender).

However, there is still a lack of clarity as to whether or not Amon Kemboi will be able to compete this upcoming cross country season. Some sources have informed TSR that the former Campbell runner will be racing for Arkansas this fall, while other sources have cited SEC transfer rules which would force Kemboi to be sidelined for the season.

Kemboi's presence in an Arkansas lineup will obviously be pivotal to the Razorback's success. However, the addition of someone like Jacob McLeod (a transfer from Belmont) should allow the men from Fayetteville to stay competitive even if their new low-stick doesn't compete.

Gilbert Boit will lead the team in the fall of 2020 after redshirting the 2019 cross country season. He will be joined by Louisville transfer Emmanuel Cheboson who has put together a handful of impressive performances throughout his career, but has also battled inconsistency on numerous occasions. When you add on an underrated runner in Matt Young, you begin to see that Arkansas has a nucleus of scorers that could do some serious damage.

So when a cross country national qualifier and 13:58 runner like McLeod is injected into that lineup, you essentially add in the missing piece capable of creating a very legitimate group of scorers. Not only that, but McLeod brings stability and consistency. He doesn't need to be a superstar low-stick, but he'll at least offset any moments where Cheboson is having an off day.

And if Kemboi is able to compete this fall? Well, then McLeod may be standing on the podium with his new teammates come November...

Let's not beat around the bush. The Wisconsin women are going to be hurting this year after losing both Alicia Monson and Amy Davis. Those two were top-tier talents who were All-Americans last fall. The Badgers greatly relied on their top four scorers last year and had a good enough #5 to make them one of the better teams in the nation.
 

Now, however, the team is need of significant scoring power to at least offset some (not all) of the firepower lost from the departures of Monson and Davis.
 

Enter Brogan MacDougall.

The incoming Badger was a superstar in the Canadian collegiate realm and ran personal bests of 16:06 (5k) and 9:08 (3k) during her time with Queen's University in Ontario. MacDougall will offer immediate scoring potency to Wisconsin and can act as a low-stick that the team was looking for.

Admittedly, MacDougall isn't going to solve all of the problems that the Badgers have. While she is certainly very talented, she isn't immediately going to be at the same level that Monson was at throughout last fall. Instead, MacDougall is likely going to be an All-American contender similar to that of Amy Davis (based on her times).

Even if MacDougall isn't an All-American, she'll at least make sure that the Wisconsin women stay competitive. Monson and Davis may not have anymore eligibility, but the rest of their lineup does, and they are all expected to return this fall. Not only that, but the backend of last year's team was extremely young, consisting of four freshmen athletes.

That quadruplet of freshmen varsity runners will naturally improve with age and with MacDougall leading the way, the net drop-off in point scoring after losing Monson and Davis shouldn't be as severe as some might expect it to be.

It's hard to ignore the fact that many of the country's top teams in the nation from last year will be losing a plethora of scorers. Squads like Iowa State, Wisconsin and Stanford will need to find reinforcements after graduating an extensive amount of firepower.

Purdue, however, won't be one of those teams looking around for extra scoring potency. Yes, the team did lose top ace Jaret Carpenter, but the rest of the Boilermaker's top seven from last year are expected to return.

Now, the team will add D2 All-American Joseph Humes to their roster.

With a 19th place finish at the 2019 D2 Cross Country Championships and a personal best of 8:14 for 3000 meters, Humes clearly offers great value as a scorer. He admittedly won't replicate the lost firepower of Jaret Carpenter, but Humes will at least mitigate the damage of Purdue no longer having their top runner.

Purdue is still a relatively young team (at least on their backend), and there is plenty of upside for them as we head into the fall of 2020. Meanwhile, their top-half is spearheaded by two true low-sticks in Curt Eckstein and Brody Smith. Introducing someone like Humes and pairing him next to a middle-lineup scorer like Tyler Bowling could theoretically bridge the gap between the two halves of this varsity group, allowing for greater consistency in team performances and lesser volatility on their backend.

Having top low-sticks and All-American contenders is obviously going to be an important part of any lineup that wants to be competitive at a national level. However, it's the consistency and reliability of the middle and backend scorers that can truly bring the most value, and Humes certainly amplifies that area for the Boilermakers.