TSR's 2022 Preseason D3 XC Top 10 Rankings (Men): Just Missed & Honorable Mentions

NOTE: Earlier this summer, The Stride Report reached out to nearly every team that was considered for a possible ranking this summer. While we did receive numerous responses and great clarity, we did not get a 100% response rate. On rare occasions, we are referencing TFFRS in order to talk about returners and athletes who are out of eligibility.

There is no doubt in our minds that if we had a TSR #11 team for these D3 men's rankings, then that spot would almost certainly go to the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags. And truthfully, we could understand anyone who says that they are a top-10 team this fall.

But despite what history says, trying to figure out what over 70% of this lineup is going to look like is admittedly a challenge. After losing five of their top-seven runners from their 6th place national meet lineup, the Stags will be looking for reinforcements who can fill some gaps -- and the All-American scoring potency of Stevie Steinberg.

The good news is that veterans Henry Pick and Miles Christensen do return to this team in 2022. Pick was easily one of the best low-sticks in the country last fall, placing 3rd at the national meet. Christensen, meanwhile, placed 56th at the national meet and showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season.

We feel pretty confident about those two veteran returners, but trying to figure out the next five varsity roles is a tricky prediction game.

Luckily, younger talents like Nick Taubenheim, Gus Albach, Oliver Pick and Daniel Krasemann all ran under 15:00 for 5000 meters this past spring. Those are encouraging marks for a team that is seeking additional depth. It's also nice to know that the general youth of this roster likely means that they all hold greater upside.

Still, until we see that potential materialize in their results, we had to place CMS in the "Just Missed" section of our rankings.

Yet another team with a very good argument to be in our top-10, the Otterbein men return not one, not two, but six members of their 2021 varsity lineup. In fact, the only name who they lose from their 2021 national meet lineup is seventh man Jason Mehalic.

Finishing 16th at the NCAA XC Championships last fall was fairly impressive, and it was a result that was in line with their conference and regional meet showings. And while the backend of their lineup certainly held vulnerabilities, the upfront scoring of this group was very impressive.

By returning so many men from last year's group, Otterbein will surely be better than they were last year. But...by how much?

Admittedly, Otterbein's regular season results weren't quite as exciting as what they produced in the postseason. There is still some season-long consistency that they need to improve upon before we can give them the edge as one of the 10-best teams in the country.

That said, on paper, there's a lot to like about this group.

They run well when it matters the most, they are very experienced and they boast a lethal top-two in Cal Yackin and Bill Dailey. If someone wanted to put the Cardinals at TSR #9 or TSR #10, I'm not sure we would argue too much.

It was hard to dislike the Washington U. men throughout last fall. Their lineup structure held very few weaknesses and they were consistently competitive in every meet they toed the line for, even taking down some top-ranked teams such as Wartburg, North Central and U. Chicago.

A 7th place finish at last year's national meet was an excellent end to the Bears' 2021 cross country season. The Saint Louis-based distance squad put four men in the top-71 spots and five men in the top-88 spots in Louisville. That compact scoring effort left Washington U. with very few lineup gaps -- a trend that we saw from this team throughout the 2021 season.

But the Bears didn't have anyone finish in the top-40 at the NCAA XC Championships despite Jacob Ridderhoff, who placed 88th on the national stage, emerging as a legitimate All-American candidate throughout last fall.

Not only that, but now Ridderhoff, Patrick Norrick and Michael Ly, three of the Bears' top-five runners from last year's national meet, are now gone. From a scoring potency standpoint, it's hard to see a scenario where Washington U. is once again a top-10 team until we see how their supporting cast fills these scoring roles.

Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff, Matthew Hornung, Alexander Evans, Cullen Capuano, Matt Kusak and Jeff Candel is a very solid mix of returners and rising distance talents. There is certainly potential for all of those men to make significant improvements on the grass.

But until that happens, they'll reside in our "Just Missed" section.