TSR Collaboration
Jan 510 min
Written via Garrett Zatlin & Donny Speas
D2 and D3 freshman class rankings are coming next week!
Click here to see our ranking criteria
Click here to see our "Just Missed" teams
Despite our research, it is possible that certain names have been erroneously omitted.
Did we miss someone? If so, send us an email at contact@thestridereport.com & let us know!
I'll admit, I was dreading having to write about the Tennessee men and their current crop of freshmen. Not because I have anything against the Volunteers, but because Sean Carlson's latest group of rookies has, in total, 15 (!) different runners!
Again, FIFTEEN freshmen!
Trying to go through each and every name in this rookie class would essentially require its own article. And when you consider that this freshman class doesn't just have quantity, but also extensive quality, you can understand why our analysis for this group will be a bit broader than usual.
I do, however, want to highlight a few exceptionally talented stars.
Let's begin with Dean Casey.
The Irish long distance runner has already emerged as a legitimate low-stick for the Volunteers. This past fall, Casey finished 8th at Pre-Nationals as well as 11th at both the SEC XC Championships and the South regional meet. He had a bit of an "off" day at the NCAA XC Championships, placing 151st overall, but if that's a "bad" day for a true freshman, then that's a good problem to have.
On the track, Casey has been arguably just as good, holding outstanding times of 13:58 (5k) and 28:57 (10k) prior to coming to Tennessee. And given the encouraging start that he's had already, it feels more than reasonable to say that this guy will be a multi-time All-American by the end of his career.
With Dylan Jacobs now gone and Yaseen Abdalla's eligibility nearing an end, the Tennessee men may have a new focal low-stick star to lean on over the next few years.
But what if I told you that Casey had his equal on the middle distance side of things? Pavel Vinduska, an India native, could be the next great miler to develop under Sean Carlson.
Vinduska's 4:05 (mile) and 8:14 (3k) personal bests are certainly eyebrow-raising times, especially with the latter coming at Boston U. back in December. However, his middle distance efforts of 1:51 (800) and 3:41 (1500) are outstanding, specifically the latter result. That kind of time could put Vinduska in immediate contention for a national qualifying spot come this spring.
With star-caliber youngsters headlining both the longer and middle distances, Coach Sean Carlson effectively covered his roster needs with just two names. And with only Casey and Vinduska, you could make the argument that the Vols still had enough to be ranked.
But what puts this freshman class at TSR #7 in our rankings is the depth that they boast. Saying that their talent is "overwhelming" would be putting things lightly.
In addition to Vinduska, the Tennessee men also have a strong middle distance future thanks to guys like Carter Knox (1:51 for 800 meters), Adam Snoke (1:52 for 800 meters), Aidan Ryan (1:52 for 800 meters) and Dawson Welch (1:53 for 800 meters).
And the milers? Well, Tennessee also has quality options behind Vinduska via guys such as Hudson Betts (4:09 for 1600 meters) and Dawson Welch (4:08 miler).
How about those 3200-meter and two-mile talents? Between those two events, Nathan Atchue has run 8:54 (3200) and Jacob Nenow, an Oregon product, holds an incredible 3200-meter time of 8:47!
Of the non-Vinduska and Casey athletes in this freshman class, you could argue that Nenow is the next-best name.
As for the 5000 meters, both on the track and the grass, there are five different men -- Nathan Atchue, Hudson Betts, Dean Casey, Jacob Nenow and Thomas Rice -- who have run under 15:00 for that distance. Nenow has run 14:35 while Atchue was the 13th place finisher at the 2022 Champs Sports XC National Championships.
In case it wasn't already obvious, this team is packed to the brim with talent. They have everything that you could possibly want. The depth in each event area is absurd and there are singular talents who look like they can be focal stars for this team one day.
The fact that we didn't even mention Simon Schabort (8:34 for 3k), Sam Kolowith (9:02 for 3200 meters), Brody Chapman (15:02 for 5k), Trevor Coggin (37th at 2022 NXN) and Brendan Gomez (48th at SEC XC Championships) just goes to show how incredibly deep this group of freshmen are.
When we first started publishing these rankings, Coach Sean Carlson made sure to put the Notre Dame men near the top of our freshman class lists each and every year. And now that he's in Knoxville, it's looking like he's doing the same thing with Tennessee.
BYU has been one of the most consistently great distance programs for a while now, finishing on the podium twice at the NCAA XC Championships over the last two years while producing tons of elite athletes such as Casey Clinger, Clayton Young, Conner Mantz, Joey Nokes, the Thompson brothers and Kenneth Rooks (to name a few).
And as is seemingly the case every year, with this current freshman class, the Cougars will look to continue their ongoing aerobic dominance and sustain their podium success.
If you've followed the Cougars for long enough, then you tend to view BYU as a cross country-first program with athletes excelling on the track over the 5000 and 10,000-meter distances. And while this class still excels in the more aerobic-based events, this may also be one of the strongest middle distance classes in BYU’s recent history.
In fact, out of the nine athletes who BYU signed from the Class of 2023, five of them hold 800-meter personal bests that stand at 1:52 or faster!
The fastest 800-meter runner of the bunch is Carter Cutting, a dynamic ace who holds a jaw-dropping half-mile personal best of 1:48! That's an absurdly fast time that should allow Cutting to put himself in contention for a national qualifying spot, maybe as soon as this spring if he's racing and fit.
And in addition to his lightning-fast 800-meter time, his other personal bests sit at 4:05 (mile), 9:16 (3200) and 15:07 (5k XC). More so, Cutting has extensive championship experience, having finished inside the top-eight of a national meet on four separate occasions over two distances (the mile and 800 meters).
On paper, that's one of the more complete resumes of any true freshman who we have / will talk about in these rankings.
Carter Cutting's 800-meter potential is readily apparent, but given his strong credentials over the mile, it's unclear as to which event the BYU coaching staff will have him focus on moving forward. In our eyes, he could be the next Abraham Alvarado, a guy who ran 1:46 (800) and 3:41 (1500) during his time with BYU.
One runner who has already made his BYU debut this winter is Kansas native, Wyatt Haughton, running a converted 4:07 mile time at the BYU December invite. That result (on a notoriously slow BYU track) may not be a PR for Haughton, but it's definitely an encouraging sign for him, especially this early in the season and in his career.
In retrospect, Haughton may have been one of the more underappreciated distance signings from the Class of 2023. With PRs of 1:51 (800), 3:48 (1500), 4:05 (mile), 8:25 (3k) and 14:46 (5k XC), this guy can do everything while still holding star-caliber potential in the mile.
Keep an eye on this freshman, he may just be the Cougars’ next Lucas Bons.
The other freshman to make their official BYU debut so far this year is Joe Lighthall, a California native. Lighthall has the fastest foot-speed of anyone who we'll mention in BYU's section and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that he’s in contention for the fastest foot-speed among all long and middle distance freshmen in the NCAA.
Why do I say that? Well, Lighthall ran an outstanding time of 1:50.89 for 800 meters in Boston this past December. And while that certainly was a solid result, I’m sure Coach Ed Eyestone can’t wait to see what kind of value his 22.74 (200) and 47.85 (400) personal bests hold for the Cougars' DMR later this winter.
Another California native with strong middle distance credentials is Ryan Thomas, formerly of Torrey Pines High School. Thomas is someone who you shouldn't overlook, especially with personal bests of 1:52 (800), 4:07 (1600) and 14:17 (thee-mile XC). That's shockingly great balance to have between those varying events.
Thomas is almost certainly used to championship settings and appears to be well-versed in navigating prelims and finals, qualifying for the California State Track & Field Championships on multiple occasions, highlighted by a runner-up finish over 1600 meters last spring.
Don't overlook the mile prowess that he could bring to the table.
Jaron Hartshorn is an interesting case. During his sophomore year of high school, he ran the fastest 1600-meter time of anyone in the Class of 2023, stopping the clock at an impressive time of 4:08.44.
And amazingly, he did that at 4600 feet of altitude!
However, that 4:08 effort still stands as Hartshorn’s current personal best today. This, of course, isn’t to say that Hartshorn has had a "bad" high school career. He qualified for NXN as an individual (finishing 36th) and placed 3rd in the Brooks PR two-mile.
Jaron Hartshorn oozes All-American potential. In terms of natural talent, he may be the best name in this class when looking back at his sophomore year success. Don’t be shocked if he makes massive strides once he returns from his mission.
The final name of BYU’s mile-centric athletes is Tyler Sainsbury, a Rocky Mountain (ID) product who holds blistering-fast PRs of 1:52 (800), 4:05 (mile) and 14:48 (5k XC).
For many of us at The Stride Report, we are strong believers in this Idaho native. His recent rise suggests that he's just beginning to tap into his raw talent, making him an explosive name with a sky-high ceiling.
At worst, Sainsbury will be a strong depth piece for the Cougars' middle distance group and at best, he’s someone with multi-time All-American potential over the mile and its metric equivalent.
Those previous six freshmen are all athletes whom I’d primarily classify as middle distance runners, specializing in the mile, the 1500 meters or the 800 meters. However, these next three athletes, while all being sold in the mile, have largely built their reputations in events over 3000 meters and longer.
The first of those is Alexander Garcia-Silver. Currently, on a church mission in Brazil, he made good use of this fall by moving from Oregon to Provo and training with the Cougars. It served him well as he came away with an 8k personal best of 24:07 in the fall.
In high school, Garcia-Silver excelled at the longer distances, running 3:58 (1500), 4:15 (mile), 8:27 (3k), 8:58 (3200) and 14:40 (5k Track). On the grass, he’s just as good, holding a 14:45 (5k) PR, and was a two-time state champion in cross country.
Oh, and here’s a little fun fact for y’all: Garcia-Silver graduated high school in a small coastal town in Oregon called Coos Bay, the same town that Pre once lived in.
Next up is Utah native Spencer Bradshaw who holds the fastest 5k (track) personal best of anyone in this BYU class thanks to a mind-boggling 14:33 (5k) effort at 4700 feet of altitude. That, however, is not his only elite PR. His other personal bests stand at 1:57 (800), 4:13 (1600), 8:26 (3k), 8:57 (3200) and 15:15 (5k XC).
Bradshaw has done quite well for himself on the grass. In the fall of his senior year, he qualified for the Foot Locker XC National Championships where he finished a respectable 24th place. And way back in his sophomore year of high school, he was a part of the Farmington squad that took 3rd at the Garmin RunningLane XC National Championships.
He’s got the experience and he’s got an elite 5k personal best. Once he makes his BYU debut, Bradshaw may very well be an instant contributor.
If Carter Cutting is the middle distance star of this class, then Liam Heninger is his long distance equivalent. Heninger went to school at Mountain View High School in Orem, Utah, a town that is less than 15 minutes away from BYU, making this a near-perfect pairing.
Heninger came onto the national scene his junior year when he ran 14:38 (5k XC), a time which stands as the fastest 5k cross country PR of anyone in this class (his three-mile PR of 13:55 is also significantly faster than many top names in the Class of 2023).
However, it was his senior track season where he truly exploded onto the scene, running times of 1:54 (800), 4:07 (1600) and 8:44 (3200).
When you consider that his 1600-meter mark came at 4500 feet, it becomes clear that Heninger can certainly hold his own at the mile distance. And when you look at how mind-bogglingly fast his 3200-meter time is, you can see why we're so excited about his future.
In fact, I’d go as far as saying that I’d be surprised if Heninger isn’t in the Cougars' top-seven within a year of his return to Utah!
To wrap this up, BYU's freshman class looks like it’s going to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. They all have elite PRs and many of them have plenty of national meet experience. Plus, runners like Garcia-Silver, Haughton and Lighthall have already begun to deliver on some of that potential!
These freshman class rankings largely depend on what you value in a recruiting class. And if you're someone who values extensive, high-quality depth, then we could see BYU being ranked even higher than this.
On paper, the Stanford men have a freshman class that is essentially the opposite of what Tennessee boasts. Instead of 15 true freshmen, Stanford only has three. And instead of unreal depth, the Cardinal have a select few names who hold all-time elite resumes.
Of course, you all know who I'm talking about.
Last year, the Stanford men were the lucky winners of the Lex Young and Leo Young sweepstakes, landing commitments from two distance stars who were among the all-time greats at the high school level.
Lex Young broke the high school 5k record with a time of 13:34.96, a jaw-dropping mark which is also complemented with personal bests of 3:59.99 (1600), 7:57 (3k) and 8:35 (3200).
Meanwhile, Leo Young was the 2023 USA U20 XC National Champion which allowed him to advance to the U20 World XC Championships where he placed an outstanding 13th place. Leo also holds times of 3:39 (1500), 8:39 (3200) and 13:49 (5k), the latter of which he just ran at the Boston U. Season Opener back in December.
Together, Stanford has landed two true superstars who hold the potential to be among the most elite distance runners in the NCAA. So far, their collegiate campaigns have been solid, although their initial cross country seasons suggested that there is still some acclimation needed before they reach the status that we think they can.
Even so, it feels so vitally important that the Cardinal men signed these two historic stars. Charles Hicks just turned pro and it feels increasingly more likely that Ky Robinson will do the same after this academic year. Cole Sprout is also getting towards the tail-end of his eligibility.
Simply put, the need for replacement firepower and long-term leaders was very much apparent for Stanford. That's largely why we have the Cardinal ranked this high. Not necessarily because they brought elite talent, but largely because there were clear roster needs.
Of course, we shouldn't just ignore Milo Skapinsky, the third and final Stanford signee, just because of how strong the Young twins are.
Admittedly, Skapinsky isn't expected to dramatically alter the trajectory of this program. But we shouldn't ignore a California native who has run 8:57 for 3200 meters, finished 27th at the 2022 Champs Sports XC National Championships and made a brief appearance inside of Stanford's varsity lineup this past fall at the PAC-12 XC Championships by placing 41st.
Seeing Skapinsky already toe the line and race for the Cardinal is an encouraging early-career step. He'll still need further development, but so far, his acclimation to the collegiate realm leaves me feeling good about what he could do in the future.