Brett Haffner
Jan 12, 20239 min
Written by Brett Haffner, additional commentary and edits by John Cusick & Garrett Zatlin
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Despite our research, it is possible that certain names have been erroneously omitted.
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As a team who may commonly fall under the radar in Division Three, the Middlebury men are coming off of a 27th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships from this past fall.
And although that performance certainly doesn’t blow anyone away, we still a found a few reasons to be encouraged about the Panthers' future. One of those reasons? The quality of freshmen men who they’ve brought onto campus this year -- two of which competed at the NCAA XC Championships.
Owen Johnson was one of those two rookies who garnered national meet experience this past fall. And for someone who stands out as the Panthers’ best freshman, we like that he's already making an early impact.
The Michigan native has run 1:59 for 800 meters, 4:11 for 1600 meters, 9:05 for 3200 meters and 15:24 for 5000 meters on the grass. That kind of resume make him an extremely well-rounded (and valuable) asset to have.
The Panther rookie placed 165th at his first NCAA XC Championship this past fall. And while that's not a jaw-dropping result, it's good to have that first taste of the national meet experience this early in his career.
Shef West was the other freshman who competed at the NCAA XC Championships this past fall. He joined this Middlebury program with personal bests of 1:58 in the 800 meters, 4:16 over 1600 meters and 9:15 over 3200 meters.
Just like Johnson, West is another well-rounded talent for the Panthers. But having a somewhat similar level of firepower, at least for the Division Three level, is massive. Together, Johnson and West give Middlebury two potential pieces who could eventually run next to low-stick Drew Donahue.
That, in turn, would alter the scoring structure of this cross country lineup, dramatically.
But while the longer distances are being addressed by those first two men, it's Lachlan Bishop who will help boast the middle distance prowess of this program. He has run 1:22 (600), 1:54 (800) and 4:06 (1500).
Max Cluss is a solid middle distance talent for Middlebury, but the Panthers haven't had a true top-tier half-mile standout in quite some time. But with Cluss wrapping up his eligibility this year and Bishop still adjusting to life in the NCAA, this seemed like the perfect time for Coach Nicole Wilkerson to bring in a top middle distance talent.
Zach Utz and and Harry Griff both bring 16:06 (5k XC) performances to the table...but that's hardly their best event. Utz has run 1:57 for 800 meters and 4:18 for 1600 meters. Meanwhile Griff’s 9:27 performance for 3200 meters is very solid.
In many cases, those two men would be the marquee rookie stars for a large handful of competitive D3 distance programs. It's also encouraging to see that, between these two men, they can cover most racing distances at a competitive level. That's great roster balance.
We also think that Griff is due for a new 5k personal best. His 3200 meter time suggests that he can be in the 15:50s range (at the very least).
Simon Schneider and George Madison, the final two names of this rookie class, bring some solid performances on the grass. They have run 16:16 and 16:14 for 5000 meters, respectively. These two men will need to develop for a year or two, but those 5k times are fairly respectable and truthfully, not that far off from some of the other guys in this class.
As a whole, this group of freshmen boasts promising talent in the middle distances. However, it's also the cross country prowess of literally every rookie in this class that gives Middlebury this ranking. We see a realistic chance for all of these men to eventually contribute to this program, albeit, to varying extents.
We saw Middlebury bring home a DMR national title at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships. Could some of these current freshmen put the Panthers back on the national stage? We'll see, but it’ll be in their hands to help this program soar to new heights.
It seems like no surprise that the Washington U. men ended up on this list. After all, this is a program that seems to know how to rebuild year after year. And as a result, they have consistently contended for podium finishes on the national stage.
Of course, winning the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships (in a tie) probably didn’t hurt their recruiting efforts last year. And that's likely why the Bears were able to land eight excellent distance talents to bolster their already-deep team.
Leading the charge for this current rookie class is Oliver Witt who had a great senior track season. He ultimately recorded personal bests of 1:57 in the 800 meters, 4:13 for 1600 meters and 9:24 over 3200 meters.
And when you think about recruits at the D3 level, it's not too often that you find someone who can run 1:57 for the half-mile while still emerging as a sub-9:30 talent.
Witt gained some invaluable experience at the NCAA XC Championships this past fall after not finishing his race at the UAA XC Championships and after not even toeing the line for the Midwest XC Regional Championships.
It's true, his national meet performance seemed to be trial by fire, but a 10th place finish at the Dan Huston Invitational also shows promise. And in the grand scheme of things, that championship experience will set him up for many successful seasons in the future.
Also highlighting this class is Conor Daly whose 9:07 personal best over 3200 meters was one of the fastest times in our entire data sheet (which was extensive). Additional personal bests of 4:14 for 1600 meters and 15:44 for 5000 meters on the grass are also very strong. However, we think that Daly's 5k mark could be even faster based on his 3200 meter time.
It seems like Daly is already off to a hot start in his first season at the collegiate level. After not racing this past fall, the newest Bear rookie ran 8:49 for 3000 meters on a flat-track back in December. That's a very encouraging step forward for this long distance standout.
There's no question that Daly and Witt will offer tremendous firepower across all three seasons of competition, especially cross country. However, it's their fellow rookie teammates who make this recruiting class one of the more complete groups in all of Division Three.
Patrick Healey, Maxwell Latshaw and Alexander Bullard only add onto the Bears’ excellent depth in the 3200 meters. Each of those men give Washington U. three more freshmen who have eclipsed the 9:30 barrier for that distance.
And for those keeping track at home, that's five sub-9:30 freshmen in ONE class.
Healey, in particular, ran 9:16 for the 3200 meters. He also holds personal bests of 1:59 for 800 meters and 4:26 for 1600 meters. Truthfully, Healey probably belongs in the same conversation as Witt and Daly. That first mark of his gives him the potential to be a legitimate low-stick one day for Washington U.
And when we're saying that about the third guy who we've mentioned for this class, then you begin to see why the Bears are listed at TSR #2.
As for Latshaw, his personal bests of 4:28 over 1600 meters and 9:27 for 3200 meters, along with Bullard’s personal bests of 4:23 in the mile and 9:24 for 3200 meters, only add to the terrific level of depth that the Bears have brought in with this freshman class.
Now, that was just a lot of numbers and stating personal bests which, for the purposes of these rankings, was needed. However, the analysis that’s crucial to provide here is this: Washington U. recruited heavily to fit their roster style, especially when it came to cross country.
All of the freshmen who we’ve mentioned so far have been very solid recruits and some of them (ie. Witt in the 1600 meters or Daly in the 3200 meters) have clearly-established primary events based on their super quick marks.
Yet, each one of those men are incredibly well-rounded and also similar to each other in terms of fitness. In theory, that pairs well with Washington U.’s renowned, intelligent style of racing which commonly finds their scoring runners packed up throughout the majority of their meets.
And the best part? There are still a few more guys who we haven’t even mentioned yet!
Alec Means is right there with the rest of these rookies. His 4:24 personal best in the 1600 meters and 9:35 mark in the 3200 meters is incredible for someone who is currently considered a depth piece.
Not only that, but his mark in the 1600 meters is certainly a bright spot. It's just one tiny tick behind the rest of his fellow freshmen in some of their primary events. And despite being one of the last few names who we're mentioning, there's a very good chance that Means evolves into an impactful varsity scorer one day.
The final name of this Washington U. rookie class is Brandon Brazil. His presence as a middle distance specialist, running times of 53.13 (400) and 2:00 (800), offers some respectable event diversity over the long term. He could be a solid contributor with some quality development over the next few years.
In all, it’s not surprising to see the Bears bring in such a well-rounded, multi-faceted freshman class. Each of these men show great potential and strength in the longer distances, both on the grass and the track.
But it's not just that this group is talented. Nearly all of them fit the ethos of this roster and what Washington U. wants to focus on. And with some of the best depth in the country, we imagine that this group will be a problem for their D3 rivals in the near future.
You might be looking at this TSR #1 ranking and have some questions.
Believe me, it shocked us too.
Amherst, a program that did not qualify a men’s team for the 2022 NCAA XC Championships, has brought in the best freshman class in Division Three, at least in the eyes of The Stride Report. That is a sentence that you will not commonly hear too often.
However, when you see the potency and strength of these recruits, you’ll clearly understand why the Mammoths are going to be very dangerous in the years to come.
George Cahill, Henry Dennen and Drew Stephens comprise the best trio of freshmen that we’ve gathered in our data collection process -- and their resumes prove it.
Cahill has run personal bests of 4:14 (1600) and 9:11 (3200). Dennen has run 4:15 (1600) and 9:11 (3200). Drew has run 4:16 (1600) and 9:07 (3200).
For most Division Three programs, getting one freshman with that level of talent would be fantastic or even program-altering...but the Amherst men ended up with THREE!
That very rarely happens!
The ability for this trio to immediately contribute was already seen this past fall. Cahill and Dennen were racing for the Mammoths at the 2022 Mideast Regional XC Championships. And while their efforts didn’t result in a national qualification for their team, that experience is going to be very valuable going forward.
For all three of these rookies, it’s clear that their impact will also be seen in the mile and the 3000 meters on the indoor oval. And with a bit of improvement, they could immediately challenge for qualifying spots for the upcoming NCAA Indoor Championships in either of those events.
And remember, we're saying this about three true freshmen. Not just one or two. That's a level of (possible) firepower that we simply didn't expect the Mammoths to have from just one crop of newcomers.
Then we have another trio of men who boast similar personal bests over 1600 meters. Ben Davis, Aidan Gemme and Thomas Stephens (the twin brother of Drew Stephens) all have run between 4:23 and 4:25 over 1600 meters.
Those are very solid marks coming into the Division Three level and they probably give the Mammoths the best mile-centric depth of any rookie class in these rankings.
And yet, at the same time, Thomas and Gemme probably fit the endurance-centric profile more with 5000 meter cross country personal bests of 15:50 and 15:49, respectively. Oh, and they also have 3200 meter personal bests of 9:25 and 9:27, respectively.
For those caliber of marks to be grouped into the “second tier” of one freshman class is undeniably impressive at the Division Three level. More so, both Thomas and Gemme were on the postseason roster for the Mammoths this past fall, also competing at the Mideast Regional XC Championships. That brings the total number of immediate contributors from this freshman class to four.
Davis, on the other hand, is the key middle distance recruit for the team, boasting personal bests of 1:55 in the 800 meters and 4:23 in the 1600 meters. He also holds an impressive mark of 2:30 in the 1000 meters, a seldom-run distance in high school track meets.
It’s clear that Davis’ abilities in the middle distances will be a driving force in revitalizing Amherst’s prowess in the 800 meters. He could also contribute to either the 1200 meter, 800 meter or 1600 meter legs of a DMR, as well.
In some cases, coaches diversify their freshman classes by balancing middle distance recruits (predominately 800 meter specialists) with cross country-specific talents. And although there aren't a ton of half-mile runners in this rookie group, Davis' 1:55 mark essentially makes up for that...and then some.
To round out Amherst's spectacular class of eight, we have Paolo Canigiula and Emmett McGrath. These are two additional guys who could end up serving as solid developmental pieces, each boasting 1600 meter times in the 4:30s range.
This is the type of class that could completely revitalize Amherst as we know them.
Even though the Mammoths are typically a team with a solid presence on the national scene, a freshman class like this one could ultimately shape their future in a way that could spark individual national qualifiers on the track and upper-half placements at the NCAA XC Championships.
Kudos to Coach Cassie Funke-Harris and Coach Veronica Rocco.
This was a pleasantly surprising recruiting effort.