TSR Collaboration
Dec 8, 202230 min
Written by Maura Beattie, Scotty Loughlin, Gavin Struve & Garrett Zatlin
Our End of Season Awards have returned!
Below, we listed our five seasonal awards for the men and five seasonal awards for the women. These awards are a way to highlight the accomplishments of certain individuals from the entirety of this cross country season. You'll also find our criteria for each of these awards as we list our nominees.
In the second-half of this article, you'll find the votes from our TSR contributors (click that link if you want to skip all of the summary parts).
Let's begin...
*Redshirt freshmen are not considered for this award. Athletes who have freshman eligibility stemming from the pandemic extension are not included in this award. International freshmen are included amongst these candidates unless we have a reason to believe that they do not meet our above criteria. Athletes who began their NCAA eligibility last winter and are competing in their first season of cross country are considered true freshmen.
Nominees: Izaiah Steury (Notre Dame), Fouad Messaoudi (Oklahoma State), Victor Kibiego (UTEP), Marco Langon (Villanova), Assaf Harari (Syracuse), Will Anthony (Virginia), Colin Sahlman (Northern Arizona), Riley Hough (Michigan State)
Izaiah Steury (Notre Dame)
Steury was one of the elite recruits in the Class of 2022, but probably did not come in with as much hype as he deserved due to COVID-19 skewing the cross country national meet landscape. Even so, he wasted no time making a name for himself as a collegiate. At the very least, Steury was probably the most consistent freshman in the country this fall. He placed 14th at Joe Piane, 28th at Nuttycombe, 9th at the ACC XC Championships and 63rd at the NCAA XC Championships. If the worst result of your debut campaign is a top-65 national meet finish, then you’re probably doing something right.
Fouad Messaoudi (Oklahoma State)
Messaoudi made his presence known on the track last season as he joined the Cowboys midway through the last academic year. But few people expected the two-race debut cross country season that he enjoyed this fall. Messaoudi first toed the line at the BIG 12 XC Championships in October with a solid, but simultaneously modest, 6th place finish. He then dropped perhaps the single-most pleasantly surprising finish at the national meet, placing 12th and helping Oklahoma State to a runner-up finish and a near national title.
Victor Kibiego (UTEP)
Victor Kibiego is an international athlete who started his NCAA career last winter. However, he was even further off of our radar in comparison to Fouad Messaoudi...but not so much anymore. After a smattering of small rust-buster fields, Kibiego finished a solid-but-unspectacular 5th place at the Arturo Barrios Invitational and then had a fantastic runner-up result to only Nickolas Scudder at the C-USA XC Championships. He went on to qualify for the national meet and finished an underrated 102nd overall.
Marco Langon (Villanova)
A stalwart on the track in his not-so-distant prep days, Marco Langon quickly assimilated to the collegiate cross country courses. He immediately joined the scoring lineup of a nationally competitive Villanova squad, often emerging as the Wildcats’ fifth man. He was pretty consistent all season, but saved his best performances for the second-half of the fall months, finishing 13th at the BIG East XC Championships, 4th at the Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championships and 121st at the NCAA XC Championships.
Assaf Harari (Syracuse)
The Israel native started and ended his season almost perfectly, emerging as a surprise contributor for a Syracuse team that was loaded with options. He belied his youth with a 34th place finish in a loaded Cowboy Jamboree field and held his own at the national meet, finishing in the top-half of the field in 123rd place overall. He’ll be a key part of the Orange’s future core which looks far more promising than it did a few months ago.
Will Anthony (Virginia)
Will Anthony boasts similar credentials to his above-listed ACC contemporary (Izaiah Steury), placing 6th at the Battle in Beantown, 17th at Panorama Farms and later 129th at the national meet. Those result are probably not surprising for a multi-time New Zealand junior track champion, but they're no less impressive.
Colin Sahlman (Northern Arizona)
One of the best talents to grace the high school distance landscape in recent memory, Colin Sahlman started this season with lofty, and perhaps unfair for a freshman, individual expectations. He didn’t make his debut when the rest of his teammates did, but was thrown into the fire at Nuttycombe, holding his own for a 60th place finish. Landing 151st at the NCAA XC Championships wasn’t incredible, but he still held plenty of value. A 7th place run at the BIG Sky XC Championships is the main highlight on a resume that is soon to be filled with far greater accolades.
Riley Hough (Michigan State)
Riley Hough was one of the biggest freshman names joining the cross country ranks this past summer, maybe second only to Sahlman, and he mostly lived up to that billing. He broke 24 minutes in the deepest regular season meet of the year (Nuttycombe) and then placed in the top-15 at the BIG 10 XC Championships to help lead his team to a top-four finish before failing to advance past the regional meet. Regardless, he'll be one of the BIG 10's most promising distance talents for years to come.
*Redshirt freshmen are not considered for this award. Athletes who have freshman eligibility stemming from the pandemic extension are not included in this award. International freshmen are included amongst these candidates unless we have a reason to believe that they do not meet our above criteria. Athletes who began their NCAA eligibility last winter and are competing in their first season of cross country are considered true freshmen.
Nominees: Hilda Olemomoi (Alabama), Natalie Cook (Oklahoma State), Jane Buckley (Providence), Billah Jepkirui (Oklahoma State), Mia Cochran (Arkansas), Eva Klingbeil (North Carolina), Riley Stewart (Stanford)
Hilda Olemomoi (Alabama)
The season began with us not knowing much about Alabama’s Hilda Olemomoi. But week after week, she rose in our TSR rankings before crossing the finish line at the NCAA XC Championships in 6th place. The freshman standout never failed to finish outside of the top-three leading up the "Big Dance", putting her consistency on full display despite her inexperience. Olemomoi is no longer an unknown after her stellar first season at the D1 level.
Natalie Cook (Oklahoma State)
We knew Natalie Cook was going to make an immediate impact on the NCAA scene when she arrived at Oklahoma State and she delivered right off of the bat. Her collegiate debut was highlighted by a sprint-to-the finish win at the Cowboy Jamboree and she ended her fall campaign with a 7th place All-American finish at the national meet. Cook raced like an experienced athlete, was instrumental in her team’s success and is only just getting started.
Jane Buckley (Providence)
Jane Buckley surely impressed us this fall, especially after being crowned the BIG East champion as a freshman. The Providence runner’s early-season results, which included a 7th place result at Paul Short and a 38th place finish at Nuttycombe, didn’t necessarily turn any heads, but after her conference meet victory and 3rd place finish at the Northeast regional meet, Buckley was heading into the NCAA XC Championships on a mission. She came up three seconds shy of an All-American finish, crossing the line in 49th place, but the Irish distance runner can now take what she learned from this fall into next season.
Billah Jepkirui (Oklahoma State)
Cowgirl standout Billah Jepkirui had a modest start to her season with a solid 15th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree. However, she then found her groove at the Weis-Crockett Invite by not only winning the race, but running 29 seconds faster than she did in her debut. Jepkirui’s 3rd place finish at the BIG12 XC Championships was a strong indicator for how things could go down at the national meet, yet things didn’t materialize. The freshman was never truly in the race and faded into the high 100’s. Even so, given her early-season success, we feel confident saying that Jepkirui’s big moment on the national stage will eventually come.
Mia Cochran (Arkansas)
Arkansas wasn’t as deep as they were in years past, but that didn’t mean that freshman Mia Cochran didn’t excel in her first collegiate season. Cochran began to build momentum in the postseason after her 12th place finish at the SEC XC Championships, right before her 4th place finish at the South Central regional meet. The second-best Razorback at the cross country national meet earned herself a 64th place finish, far exceeding her early-season performances.
Eva Klingbeil (North Carolina)
She might go unnoticed given the upfront firepower of this North Carolina roster, but Eva Klingbeil proved herself to be the backbone of the Tar Heels' lineup in the postseason. Klingbeil didn’t debut until the championship portion of the season, but was able to maintain modest finishes of 36th place and 18th place at the ACC XC Championships and the Southeast regional meet, respectively. Although she wasn’t up near the front of the pack at the national meet, Klingbeil finishing 108th was a solid way to close out her freshman campaign.
Riley Stewart (Stanford)
Stanford benefited from having a superstar high school talent, Riley Stewart, join their team this fall. She was a reliable scorer for the Cardinal, meet after meet. Stewart produced regular season highlights which featured a win at the USF Invitational and a 20th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree. She wasn’t able to maintain that quick start throughout the long season, but Stewart showed glimpses of future success. A 121st place finish at the cross country national meet is promising as well.
*Evaluates nationally competitive distance talents who were not expected to make the leaps in fitness that they did this fall. Prior seasons are used as a very loose comparison tool when attempting to list nominees. Does not include true freshmen or athletes who were in their first season (not necessarily of cross country) of NCAA competition.
Nominees: Dylan Schubert (Furman), Carter Solomon (Notre Dame), Shay McEvoy (Tulsa), Davin Thompson (BYU), Creed Thompson (BYU), Joey Nokes (BYU), Santiago Prosser (Northern Arizona), Ryan Martins (Loyola (Ill.)), Ryan Johnson (Air Force), Anthony Camerieri (Ole Miss)
Dylan Schubert (Furman)
Schubert was a borderline-nationally competitive name entering this cross country season and an All-American result from him was hardly out of the question this fall. However, placing 12th at Nuttycombe and 11th at the national meet, sandwiched around a conference title, had to be a surprise for everyone but Schubert himself. He has all but locked-in a couple more years of relevancy for a quietly stellar Furman program.
Carter Solomon (Notre Dame)
Solomon never wavered in his breakout season, building momentum with a top-15 run at Joe Piane followed by megastar results of 9th at Nuttycombe and an ACC individual title. And how insane would it be to suggest that he may have left a few spots on the table at the national meet despite placing 18th overall? Solomon was beyond fantastic this season and provided a much-needed front-runner for a reloading Irish squad.
Shay McEvoy (Tulsa)
McEvoy entered the season with the promise of being a backend complementary scorer to support Tulsa’s dynamite top-three talents. However, he ended up surpassing a couple of those guys, emerging as a star in his own right and an incredibly consistent one at that. He raised his level of play at Nuttycombe (14th) and the national meet (23rd), but was nearly just as strong in the time between those races.
Davin Thompson (BYU)
Davin Thompson looks like the next benefactor of BYU’s elite developmental history, breaking onto the scene this year with similar consistency that we noted with McEvoy. He was a top-30 finisher at the Cowboy Jamboree, Nuttycombe and the national meet. More importantly, he emerged as an invaluable scorer for a BYU squad that was one of the better backend podium squads in recent history.
Creed Thompson (BYU)
The other half of the Cougars’ Thompson contingent, Creed was just as impressive as his brother. In fact, he beat him twice — by one spot each time — at Nuttycombe and the WCC XC Championships while also finishing his season as an All-American.
Joey Nokes (BYU)
Putting three Cougars in this section suggests that the success of the BYU youngsters this fall amounts to more than just luck. In comparison to the Thompson brothers, Nokes was the bigger star all season long, often serving as the Cougars’ second runner as he placed in the top-15 at the Cowboy Jamboree and Nuttycombe. A finish just outside the top-50 at the national meet felt like more of an outlier result for someone who seemed to be in the top-half of that range during the regular season.
Santiago Prosser (Northern Arizona)
Maybe the most important runner of anyone in this group, Santiago Prosser set the tone early in this 2022 cross country season as he finished runner-up at the Coaching Tree Invitational. He was solid, but admittedly unassuming, throughout the rest of the regular season, enjoying a strong 33rd place finish at Nuttycombe. However, he then had one of the biggest breakout races of anyone at the national meet. The Alaska native placed 19th in Stillwater, Oklahoma and emerged as the Lumberjacks’ third scorer, helping them win the tie-breaker for their sixth national title in seven years.
Ryan Martins (Loyola (Ill.))
Martins was probably more off the radar than any of these nominees before the season. He was a middle-lineup scorer for an unexciting Nebraska team before reinventing himself as one of the best mid-major runners in the country. Martins was a diamond in the rough up until the biggest race of the season, lurking in smaller fields and then finishing a career year with a top-30 national meet result.
Ryan Johnson (Air Force)
Another man who peaked with a top-30 national meet finish, Ryan Johnson was arguably not the first option for potential All-Americans that we could have seen from a strong Air Force squad. Nonetheless, he led the Falcons to a 7th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships by placing 28th overall. That performance was more than a flash of brilliance though, as Johnson was the Mountain West XC Championship runner-up and a top-40 runner at Nuttycombe.
Anthony Camerieri (Ole Miss)
One of the nation’s more productive graduate transfers, Anthony Camerieri emerged as an unlikely lead scorer for an Ole Miss program that continued a run of recent success with another top-25 national meet finish. He was at his best at the SEC Championships, where he finished 6th, but also placed 5th at Panorama Farms and at the South Regional XC Championships before finishing 55th at the national meet.
*Evaluates nationally competitive distance talents who were not expected to make the leaps in fitness that they did this fall. Prior seasons are used as a very loose comparison tool when attempting to list nominees. Does not include true freshmen or athletes who were in their first season (not necessarily of cross country) of NCAA competition.
Nominees: Elise Stearns (Northern Arizona), Maia Ramsden (Harvard), Savannah Roark (Syracuse), Laura Pellicoro (Portland), Yasmin Marghini (Boise State), Samree Dishon (New Mexico), Everlyn Kemboi (Utah Valley), Nevada Mareno (NC State), Kelsey Harrington (North Carolina)
Elise Stearns (Northern Arizona)
Northern Arizona’s Elise Stearns was a completely different athlete this fall in comparison to past seasons and reaped the benefits of her improved fitness each time she toed the starting line. Stearns started her fall campaign strong with a huge 5th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree, her "worst" numerical placement of the season, and later capitalized off of that success with a 3rd place showing at Nuttycombe. The Lumberjack star went from finishing 196th at the 2021 NCAA XC Championships to 4th at this year's national meet.
Maia Ramsden (Harvard)
Maia Ramsden of Harvard secretly flew under the radar coming into this season. However, once she finished 7th at both the Cowboy Jamboree and Nuttycombe, the Crimson runner solidified herself as one of the nation’s absolute best. The previously labelled middle distance runner, who boasts a 4:12 personal best over 1500 meters, was able to translate her speed to cross country this fall and jumped from 110th at the 2021 national meet to 11th in 2022.
Savannah Roark (Syracuse)
Savannah Roark of Syracuse was a respectable, but admittedly unexciting, runner in 2021, but stepped up her game big-time in 2022. When you compare the Orange athlete’s 2021 postseason to her 2022 postseason, Roark went from 26th to 2nd at the Northeast regional meet and 161st to 23rd at the NCAA XC Championships -- that's quite the improvement. Roark still has two more cross country seasons remaining and if she continues on this path, then there’s no telling how high she can finish.
Laura Pellicoro (Portland)
Portland star Laura Pellicoro went from not qualifying for the 2021 NCAA XC Championships during her freshman year to placing 25th in the nation as a sophomore. Earlier in the season, the middle distance standout settled for a 32nd place finish at Nuttycombe which was her "worst" numerical placement of the season. She was the runner-up finisher at both the WCC XC Championships and the West regional meet, both of which were large jumps from her 2021 campaign. Pellicoro took her 2:03 personal best over 800 meters and 4:34 mile speed to a tough Oklahoma State course and clearly wasn’t afraid of any long distance specialists.
Yasmin Marghini (Boise State)
Yasmin Marghini of Boise State didn’t start out this season with any eye-popping results, finishing 46th and 44th two weeks apart at Joe Piane and Nuttycombe, respectively. But for the Bronco ace, her runner-up finish among a slew of experienced New Mexico women at the Mountain West XC Championships brought her name to the national forefront. Marghini secured her first national meet berth and walked away with not only a 35th place finish, but an All-American honor to add to her resume.
Samree Dishon (New Mexico)
The way that she began the fall cross country season may not have reflected how she ended it, but that doesn’t matter for New Mexico’s Samree Dishon, a newly minted All-American after her 37th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships. Dishon flirted with a top-seven lineup spot for the Lobos in 2021 and finally solidified herself as one of New Mexico's best talents. Just look at her 13th place finish at Joe Piane and 8th place result at Nuttycombe! Those showings are testaments to Dishon’s development and when she’s firing on all cylinders, she’s one to watch out for.
Everlyn Kemboi (Utah Valley)
Utah Valley’s Everlyn Kemboi didn’t race at the the NCAA’s more prestigious meets in 2021, but in 2022, the Wolverine athlete took on the big dogs, finishing among the leaders prior to leading her team to the cross country national meet. Kemboi was a surprising 3rd place at the Cowboy Jamboree and backed that up with a 13th place at Nuttycombe. She would go on to earn her first cross country All-American honor with a 19th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships which was not bad for someone who has such little experience on the national stage.
Nevada Mareno (NC State)
NC State’s Nevada Mareno was a stud coming out of high school back in 2017, but wasn’t able to build upon that success until this season. In her third cross country season, Mareno finally had all of the pieces fall into the right place at the right time. At the cross country national meet, she finished a stunning 29th place overall, a huge improvement off if her previous 172nd and 131st national meet performances. The Wolfpack's veteran jump into the top-30 was the game-changer for the NC State women and that result is arguably what won her team NCAA gold.
Kelsey Harrington (North Carolina)
The rising Tar Heel talent had performed well above-average in prior national meets, finishing 61st in the 2021 NCAA Winter XC Championships and 67th at last fall's national meet. However, she broke out in a major way in 2022, taking her consistency to a new level. Finishing 27th at Nuttycombe and 11th at the ACC XC Championships suggested that Harrington could contend for an All-American spot, but she truly shocked the nation by capping off her fall season with a 17th place finish at the national meet, making an incredible leap from her first two cracks on that stage.
*Must have run attached, must have been run at or before the NCAA Championships. Multiple races over the span of a certain timeframe do not count as a lone "performance". However, cross country performances that are amplified by the results of other meets with appropriate context are included.
Nominees: Alex Maier Wins Cowboy Jamboree Over Nico Young & Charles Hicks, Ky Robinson Defeats Loaded Nuttycombe Field For The Win, Charles Hicks Outruns Nico Young In Final Moments to Win NCAA XC Championships, Victor Kiprop Takes Down Loaded Joe Piane Field, Carter Solomon Out-kicks Parker Wolfe In Thrilling Battle For the ACC Title, Parker Wolfe Sets Course Record at Paul Short To Snag Win
Alex Maier Wins Cowboy Jamboree Over Nico Young & Charles Hicks
This was a mildly surprising outcome at the time, but it looks even more impressive after the considering that Hicks and Young finished 1-2 at the NCAA XC Championships. Maier arguably started the season the most fit of anyone in the nation and a win at the BIG 12 XC Championships validated that suspicion. Those races kick-started Maier’s national title contender campaign which he ultimately backed up (even if he didn’t end up winning it all) as he finished 5th on the national stage.
Ky Robinson Defeats Loaded Nuttycombe Field For The Win
Robinson won the nation's top regular season meet, taking down three men who would go 1-2-3 at the national meet despite Nuttycombe being his season debut. He helped give real validation to Stanford’s national title hopes as the Cardinal dominated the meet in large part thanks to his solo victory.
Charles Hicks Outruns Nico Young In Final Moments to Win NCAA XC Championships
After coming up short in a handful of key races during the regular season, Charles Hicks finally got his flowers in the form of a national title. He entered the season in strong shape and finished in elite form, saving his best performance for last. That’s not easy to do when you place top-three in every other field, win an individual PAC-12 title and take out the national meet at a torrid pace with Young and Drew Bosley.
Victor Kiprop Takes Down Loaded Joe Piane Field
Victor Kiprop joined Alex Maier as a dark horse national title contender thanks to an undefeated season going into the NCAA XC Championships. That streak started at Joe Piane, which was just Kiprop’s second race of the season, but perhaps the most competitive one that he contested prior to this championship races. He emerged victorious among numerous All-Americans, effectively announcing himself as the king of the south.
Carter Solomon Out-kicks Parker Wolfe In Thrilling Battle For the ACC Title
This result may qualify as the most surprising performance of this group had you provided it to us without any context before the season began. But after seeing Solomon enjoy a top-10 finish at Nuttycombe, an ACC title was no fluke. Even more impressively, he achieved that victory over stellar sophomore star Parker Wolfe by less than a quarter-second!
Parker Wolfe Sets Course Record at Paul Short To Snag Win
Speaking of Parker Wolfe, he began an expectedly-sterling sophomore campaign with a dominant win on a historic course in the early moments of the season. His mark of 23:02 (8k) broke a course record previously held by the legendary Sam Chelanga and he led a North Carolina team to an overall win.
*Must have run attached, must have been run at or before the NCAA Championships. Multiple races over the span of a certain timeframe do not count as a lone "performance". However, cross country performances that are amplified by the results of other meets with appropriate context are included.
Nominees: Katelyn Tuohy Wins NCAA XC Title In Comeback Effort, Parker Valby’s 64-second Margin of Victory at Arturo Barrios, Natalie Cook Stuns Cowboy Jamboree Field With Win In Collegiate Debut, Everlyn Kemboi Wins Paul Short Six Days After Placing 3rd Cowboy Jamboree
Katelyn Tuohy Wins NCAA XC Title In Comeback Effort
The Wolfpack superstar was the odds-on favorite to win the individual national title, but after Parker Valby opened up such a substantial lead on the national stage, some fans began to wonder if Tuohy had been left enough ground to catch the Gator ace. Those doubts were answered definitively and in dominant fashion as Tuohy was able to blaze past Valby in the final stretch and close an intimidating gap to cap off her undefeated season with another national title.
Parker Valby’s 64-second Margin of Victory at the Arturo Barrios Invite
Times hold much less stock in cross country than they do on the track, but Parker Valby’s 18:58 mark over 6000 meters at the Arturo Barrios Invite was impossible to ignore, especially given the fact that she finished 64 seconds over the runner-up finisher, Addie Engel of Ohio State who finished 10th at the NCAA XC Championships. It was breathtaking result then and it proved to be a sign of things to come later in the season for Valby.
Natalie Cook Stuns Cowboy Jamboree Field With Win In Collegiate Debut
By taking down one of the most loaded September-time fields we’ve ever seen, Natalie Cook quickly raised her stock from being a “strong top-25 contender” to “outside national title contender”. And although it would end up being her only win of the season, this was no small rust-buster. Cook defeated five women who finished top-20 at the national meet, including two women who were among the top-five: Elise Stearns and Bailey Hertenstein.
Everlyn Kemboi Wins Paul Short Six Days After Placing 3rd Cowboy Jamboree
Seeing Everlyn Kemboi win Paul Short was admittedly not too surprising. She was clearly the best runner in that field despite All-American talents like Kelsey Harrington, Maggie Donahue, Grace Jensen and Amina Maatoug scattered throughout the final results. But seeing Kemboi travel to the other side of the country less than a week after placing 3rd at the loaded Cowboy Jamboree to become victorious over numerous low-stick stars does make her win that much more impressive.
*Considers performances throughout the entirety of the 2022 cross country season. Success relative to seasonal expectations or success relative to historical accolades of the program are factored into account when listing nominees.
Nominees: Mike Smith (Northern Arizona), Dave Smith (Oklahoma State), Ricardo Santos (Stanford), Ed Eyestone (BYU), John Hayes (Wake Forest), Mick Byrne (Wisconsin), Ryan Cole / Laura Bowerman (Air Force), Lyle Weese (Montana State), Pat Tyson (Gonzaga)
Mike Smith (Northern Arizona)
People will naturally look at this nomination and assume that Coach Mike Smith is listed here because his team won the national title -- but that's only partially true. The NAU men did not look like they were a title contending for most of this season. In fact, many people had written them off for NCAA gold! But the fact that Coach Smith once again got his team to peak for the postseason and have multiple guys produce breakout races when it matters the most is beyond incredible.
Dave Smith (Oklahoma State)
There's an argument for Coach Dave Smith to win this award. Despite not having an All-American runner in Shea Foster available this fall, the Oklahoma State men still tied for the national title! And if the tie-breaker had used the sixth-man method rather than the five-vs-five method, then we're talking about the Cowboys winning a national title because Dave Smith's team was deeper (and potentially more complete) than Northern Arizona's group.
Ricardo Santos (Stanford)
If you ignore the national meet results, it's clear that the Stanford men were the best team in the country. Not only did they sport one of the most lethal scoring trios in recent memory, but they also showed off some of the best depth that we've ever seen in their program's history. Sure, they didn't have a great showing on the national stage, but Cole Sprout's injury is more unlucky than anything else and the backend of this team is certainly better than what they showed.
Ed Eyestone (BYU)
If you want to award this ranking to the team that had the most nationally competitive names on their roster, then Coach Ed Eyestone would almost certainly be winning this section. At one point, the BYU men had SEVEN men listed in the top-40 of our individual rankings and they still finished runner-up at Nuttycombe without Casey Clinger and Christian Allen. The Cougars undoubtedly had the best depth in the country this fall and they had three men have such huge breakout seasons that they are all listed as "Most Improved" nominees.
John Hayes (Wake Forest)
They may not have been a podium team, but the Wake Forest men were super consistent all season long and ultimately peaked in the postseason. They dominated a loaded ACC XC Championship field and then had their squad finish 5th on the national stage with three surprising top-30 All-Americans while their fourth runner, Thomas Vanoppen, still finished 56th overall despite battling illness. And when you see how far the Demon Deacons have come since Coach John Hayes stepped in, it's hard to say that he isn't one of the most proven and effective distance coaches in the NCAA.
Mick Byrne (Wisconsin)
The Wisconsin men weren't the flashiest team in the country this fall, but they were so deep, so balanced and so consistent. They never had a bad day, boasted two true low-sticks in Bob Liking and Jackson Sharp, developed backend names such as Adam Spencer into real scoring threats and often had a lineup that seemed interchangeable in most areas. A 6th place finish at the national meet only primes this team for greater success in 2023.
Ryan Cole / Laura Bowerman (Air Force)
Relative to expectations, you could make the argument that the Air Force coaching staff deserves this award more than any other coach. The Falcons were expected to be good this fall, but not nearly as good as they ended up being. They were a stunning 4th place at Nuttycombe and then snagged a massive 7th place finish at the national meet despite Sam Gilman not being an All-American, Nick Scheller never toeing the line this fall and multiple varsity scorers from the beginning of the season being sidelined by what appears to be injuries. Despite all of that, the Air Force men still looked like one of the deepest teams in all of the NCAA.
Lyle Weese (Montana State)
Coming into this season, we had ranked the Montana State men at TSR #23. The Bobcats were fantastic on the outdoor oval, but there was no guarantee that their spring fitness would translate to the grass. That, however, is exactly what happened. Coach Lyle Weese was able to craft a more complete lineup than we were expecting to see and he helped the men qualify for the national meet as a team for the first time in 20 years.
Pat Tyson (Gonzaga)
Yes, we did rank the Gonzaga men at TSR #11 coming into this season, but the challenges that they had to face this fall and their recent history of national meet struggles made their 13th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships look so much more impressive. The Bulldogs didn't have James Mwaura for most of the season (and he didn't look amazing upon his return) and they only had 13:45 (5k) runner Evan Bates for one race. And after finishing 26th at Nuttycombe, you have to credit Coach Pat Tyson for helping his team rally to a national meet finish that was just three spots out from a top-10 result.
*Considers performances throughout the entirety of the 2022 cross country season. Success relative to seasonal expectations or success relative to historical accolades of the program are factored into account when listing nominees.
Nominees: Laurie Henes (NC State), Joe Franklin (New Mexico), Will Palmer (Alabama), Dave Smith (Oklahoma State), Dylan Sorensen (North Carolina), Mike Smith (Northern Arizona), Matt Sparks (Notre Dame), Jill Miller (Northwestern), Sara Mason Vergote (Ohio State), Vin Lananna (Virginia)
Laurie Henes (NC State)
Back-to-back national titles. Four All-Americans, including two of the top-three finishers at the national meet. It’s hard to argue with the dynasty that Coach Laruie Henes has built at NC State. Her development of Katelyn Tuohy, Kelsey Chmiel and Samantha Bush has been unbelievable to witness over the last few years, and even without Marlee Starliper and Savannah Shaw available for most of the season, Henes’ program and culture shined through with the huge performances of Nevada Mareno and Brooke Rauber at the national meet.
Joe Franklin (New Mexico)
Coach Joe Franklin’s squad are the epitome of consistency in the NCAA. New Mexico’s ability to pack-run so effectively in elite fields is unique to their team – no one else is able to replicate it. No other team produced five All-Americans at the NCAA XC Championships this fall and the fact that five All-American were “expected” from the Lobos at the national meet shows just how well-prepared they were from Coach Franklin’s training.
Will Palmer (Alabama)
Over the last four seasons, Coach Palmer’s Crimson Tide have grown from having one strong front-runner (Mercy Chelangat) to a powerful duo (adding Amaris Tyynismaa), to a formidable trio (adding Flomena Asekol) to this season having a nearly-full scoring lineup of elite runners thanks to the addition of Hilda Olemomoi. Although they will lose Chelangat to expired eligibility next season, Coach Palmer’s group has taken a noticeable step up and are clearly heading in the right direction.
Dave Smith (Oklahoma State)
If an “off” day for your team is a 4th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships, then you’ve got a pretty strong foundation built, and that’s exactly what Coach Dave Smith has done. Despite not having Molly Born or Taylor Somers in top form over the last few seasons, Smith’s roster has found stability in veterans Taylor Roe and Gabby Hentemann. Coupling those standouts with the emergence of newcomers Billah Jepkirui and Natalie Cook gave the Oklahoma State women one of the most dominant lineups in the country this season.
Dylan Sorensen (North Carolina)
Could North Carolina be the next New Mexico in terms of lineup structure and depth? It certainly seems possible, especially since UNC featured great depth this entire season and ultimately peaked at the perfect time, finishing just outside of the podium in 5th place at the NCAA XC Championships. This program is expected to return all seven of their varsity runners next season, so Coach Dylan Sorenson will almost certainly have his sights set on the podium in 2023.
Mike Smith (Northern Arizona)
Northern Arizona is no longer just the location of a powerhouse men’s distance running program. That's because the ladies of Flagstaff came alive in a major way this fall. Even in a year where Taryn O'Neill couldn’t fully capture her form from prior seasons, the breakthroughs of Elise Stearns and Annika Reiss were some of the best one-year jumps in the entire country. And the fact that their remaining three scorers also finished in the top-100 of the national meet shows us that Coach Smith’s program progression has been reaching every member of the Northern Arizona women.
Matt Sparks (Notre Dame)
After a very underwhelming regular season in 2021, followed by an unexpected postseason surge, we had questions for this Notre Dame team would fare in terms of their consistency this fall. But the Irish women were strong from day one. They gave NC State a scare at the ACC XC Championships, they placed 7th at the NCAA XC Championships and they had numerous women unexpected step into varsity roles. If that's not good coaching, then I don't know what is.
Jill Miller (Northwestern)
Sure the Northwestern women weren't nearly as strong as the teams that these other nominees oversaw this fall. However, Coach Jill Miller helped this team reach the national meet for the first time in 20 years. She was smart to bring in a top talent in Ari Marks via the transfer portal and the entirety of her lineup simply got better over time. You don't always need to have a top-10 team in the country to be viewed as one of the best coaches in the country and that couldn't be more true than with Jill Miller.
Sara Mason Vergote (Ohio State)
We admittedly weren't very high on the Ohio State women going into the postseason. They were just fine at the Griak Invitational and didn't face anyone of note at the Arturo Barrios Invitational. And after seeing them place 4th at the BIG 10 XC Championships, we didn't pay this team much attention. But Coach Sara Mason Vergote helped her team rally better than almost any other program in the country. The Buckeyes shockingly snagged the second automatic qualifier in the Great Lakes region, finished 15th at the national meet and flexed one of the best scoring trios in the country. Relative to preseason expectations, that was a huge end to Ohio State's fall campaign.
Vin Lananna (Virginia)
The Virginia women didn't really race anyone of note during the regular season, allowing them to fly under the radar despite a pair of 3rd place finishes at the ACC XC Championships and the Southeast Regional XC Championships. However, the Virginia women stunned many with their monster 9th place finish at the national meet. Coach Vin Lananna was able to assemble a top-10 lineup despite UVA's entire top-four being inexperienced sophomores.
*Must have run attached this season. Voters can choose to vote for the best distance runner this season or the most valuable distance runner this season.
Nominees: Charles Hicks (Stanford), Nico Young (Northern Arizona), Alex Maier (Oklahoma State), Ky Robinson (Stanford), Drew Bosley (Northern Arizona), Victor Kiprop (Alabama)
Charles Hicks (Stanford)
Find someone this cross country season who was more consistent than Stanford’s Charles Hicks, the 2022 individual national champion. Hicks, who never failed to finish outside of the top-three this fall despite never earning a regular season win, gained confidence after taking down some big names at meets like the Cowboy Jamboree, Nuttycombe and the PAC-12 XC Championships -- a resume that bodes well for when he battled wire-to-wire with Nico Young at the national meet. The Stanford athlete made history for the Cardinal and he probably still has more in him.
Nico Young (Northern Arizona)
Northern Arizona has surely benefited from the talents of Nico Young over the past few years and this season followed the same trajectory as his others. Young did have one minor hiccup at the Cowboy Jamboree when he finished 5th, but after that, we only saw top-two finishes for the Lumberjack star for the remainder of the season. He pushed the pace right from the gun at the cross country national meet, trying to shake Stanford’s Charles Hicks with the help of teammate Drew Bosley, but came up less than one second shy of gold, settling for 2nd place.
Alex Maier (Oklahoma State)
Oklahoma State’s Alex Maier had arguably the best cross country season of his collegiate career thus far this fall, highlighted by 1st place finishes at the Cowboy Jamboree and BIG 12 XC Championships, as well as an All-American 5th place honor to cap it all off. Maier set the scene for what would happen later this season when he dominated in his season debut, winning by four seconds at the Cowboy Jamboree. The Oklahoma State standout came into the cross country national meet with the home course advantage and succeeded with not only a 5th place finish, but by helping his team tie with NAU for the national title.
Ky Robinson (Stanford)
Ky Robinson of Stanford got a late start to his season due to competing at the IAAF World Championships during. tesummer, but he made a splash right away when he won Nuttycombe, sprinting away from his competition in the homestretch. Robinson was able to maintain top-six finishes leading up to the NCAA XC Championships before capping his season with a 10th place finish in Oklahoma. The Cardinal athlete was the second Stanford runner across the line and was instrumental in his team securing a spot on the podium.
Drew Bosley (Northern Arizona)
Drew Bosley of Northern Arizona showed up week after week, recording six top-nine finishes over the course of the fall and was key in helping his team win the NCAA XC Championship title. Bosley, a veteran of the college scene, flexed his experience at Nuttycombe when he finished 5th and at the "Big Dance" when he employed a gutsy race plan with teammate Nico Young. The Lumberjack ace was rewarded with his best national meet finish, a 3rd place showing, in an extremely deep field.
Victor Kiprop (Alabama)
Alabama’s Victor Kiprop was stellar at all races, except for one, and it just turns out that his one "off" day was the NCAA XC Championship. Kiprop won five of his six competitions of the fall, two of which were the Joe Piane Invite and SEC XC Championships. The sophomore was on track to earn an All-American honor at the national meet, but faded to 66th on a tough Oklahoma State course. However, Kiprop’s season shouldn’t be pushed to the side as he was the class of almost every field that he toed the line for.
*Must have run attached this season. Voters can choose to vote for the best distance runner this season or the most valuable distance runner this season.
Nominees: Katelyn Tuohy (NC State), Parker Valby (Florida), Kelsey Chmiel (NC State), Elise Stearns (Northern Arizona), Bailey Hertenstein (Colorado), Hilda Olemomoi (Alabama), Natalie Cook (Oklahoma State), Mercy Chelangat (Alabama)
Katelyn Tuohy (NC State)
Search the word “dominant” in the dictionary and you’ll simply see Katelyn Tuohy's picture. It’s not just the string of victories this fall that make Katelyn Tuohy’s 2022 campaign look so incredible…it’s the way she won those races. Powering up hills late, throwing in strong surges to break her opponents over the final kilometer, and of course, recovering from a huge deficit to hawk down Valby for the individual national title. Tuohy was beyond fantastic this fall.
Parker Valby (Florida)
In a world without Katelyn Tuohy, we would be talking about Parker Valby as a national champion on the grass and the track (5k). Still, her rise to the elite tier of women’s distance running has been electric, and she’s proven on multiple occasions that she can perform at the very level. Her signature front-running approach is thrilling and her ability to break Mercy Chelangat in a daring SEC title effort showed us that she is capable of competing with the best that the NCAA have to offer.
Kelsey Chmiel (NC State)
Kelsey Chmiel has been one of the most consistent postseason cross country runners in the NCAA over the last few years. And that’s not to say that she hasn’t been dominant in the regular season too, as this fall Chmiel defeated every single one of the runners she toed the line against not named Katelyn Tuohy or Parker Valby. She had zero “off” days. She never faltered. We can’t say enough about Chmiel’s value to this NC State program over the years.
Elise Stearns (Northern Arizona)
NAU’s Elise Stearns wasn’t just a nicely-improved runner during the fall of 2022, she unleashed a new level of talent that rivaled the fastest women in the country. She burst onto the national scene with a 5th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree and guess what? That was her LOWEST finish of the entire season! By the time the postseason came around, Stearns was a lock to win the BIG Sky XC Championships (which she won) and also closed out her season with an other-worldly 4th place finish at the national meet. It’s hard to argue with Stearns’ influence on the NAU women making a significant jump up as a team this season.
Bailey Hertenstein (Colorado)
There were high expectations for Bailey Hertenstein when she transferred to Colorado from Indiana, yet she was able to masterfully exceed those expectations and provide a tremendous boost for her program during a “down” year for the Buffaloes. By winning the PAC-12 title, finishing 5th at Nuttycombe and 5th once again at the NCAA XC Championships, Hertenstein delivered on the biggest stages and could always be counted on to be a low-stick no matter who she was racing against.
Hilda Olemomoi (Alabama)
Silver and bronze medals were the theme of this season for Hilda Olemomoi who finished in 2nd or 3rd in every single one of her races this fall besides the national meet where she still dominated her competition and took home a 6th place finish. The JUCO transfer wasted no time acclimating to the D1 level and she arguably equaled her teammate, Mercy Chelangat, as the Crimson Tide’s top threat. Given her youth, expect to see Olemomoi as a mainstay candidate in this category for years to come.
Natalie Cook (Oklahoma State)
What a way to kick-off a collegiate career! Entering the season, the Cowgirls had high hopes to bring in high school phenom Natalie Cook and insert her into their lineup as a strong secondary scorer behind veteran Taylor Roe. But leave it to Cook to leave those expectations in the dust (just like she did to her competition all season long). The Oklahoma State superstar won the Cowboy Jamboree over Roe, Hertenstein and Stearns (among other top talents) and held together an excellent resume all season long which concluded with a 7th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships.
Mercy Chelangat (Alabama)
Mercy Chelangat deserves a nomination due to everything that she’s done in her career to advance the level of competition in NCAA women’s distance running. With that being said, let’s not pretend like she didn’t just have an excellent year to wrap-up her legacy on the grass! The reigning 10,000 meter national champion secured runner-up finishes at both Joe Piane and the SEC XC Championships before slightly faltering at the national meet to 16th place. And if 16th place at the NCAA XC Championships is the "worst" race you’ve had in your last three seasons, then it shows how truly great you were over the back stretch of your career.
Men
Garrett: Izaiah Steury (Notre Dame)
Maura: Fouad Messaoudi (Oklahoma State)
Gavin: Izaiah Steury (Notre Dame)
Scotty: Izaiah Steury (Notre Dame)
Women
Garrett: Hilda Olemomoi (Alabama)
Maura: Hilda Olemomoi (Alabama)
Gavin: Hilda Olemomoi (Alabama)
Scotty: Natalie Cook (Oklahoma State)
Men
Garrett: Carter Solomon (Notre Dame)
Maura: Ryan Martins (Loyola (Ill.))
Gavin: Ryan Martins (Loyola (Ill.))
Scotty: Santiago Prosser (Northern Arizona)
Women
Garrett: Elise Stearns (Northern Arizona)
Maura: Elise Stearns (Northern Arizona)
Gavin: Elise Stearns (Northern Arizona)
Scotty: Elise Stearns (Northern Arizona)
Men
Garrett: Carter Solomon Out-kicks Parker Wolfe In Thrilling Battle For the ACC Title
Maura: Alex Maier Wins Cowboy Jamboree Over Nico Young & Charles Hicks
Gavin: Alex Maier Wins Cowboy Jamboree Over Nico Young & Charles Hicks
Scotty: Carter Solomon Out-kicks Parker Wolfe In Thrilling Battle For the ACC Title
*Tie broken by TSR contributor, Ben Weisel
Women
Garrett: Katelyn Tuohy Wins NCAA XC Title In Comeback Effort
Maura: Katelyn Tuohy Wins NCAA XC Title In Comeback Effort
Gavin: Parker Valby’s 64-second Margin of Victory at Arturo Barrios
Scotty: Natalie Cook Stuns Cowboy Jamboree Field With Win In Collegiate Debut
Men
Garrett: Mike Smith (Northern Arizona)
Maura: Mike Smith (Northern Arizona)
Gavin: John Hayes (Wake Forest)
Scotty: Mike Smith (Northern Arizona)
Women
Garrett: Laurie Henes (NC State)
Maura: Will Palmer (Alabama)
Gavin: Will Palmer (Alabama)
Scotty: Laurie Henes (NC State)
*Tie broken by TSR contributor, Ben Weisel
Men
Garrett: Charles Hicks (Stanford)
Maura: Alex Maier (Oklahoma State)
Gavin: Charles Hicks (Stanford)
Scotty: Charles Hicks (Stanford)
Women
Garrett: Katelyn Tuohy (NC State)
Maura: Katelyn Tuohy (NC State)
Gavin: Katelyn Tuohy (NC State)
Scotty: Katelyn Tuohy (NC State)