John Cusick
Mar 15, 202316 min
Written by John Cusick, additional edits and commentary by Garrett Zatlin
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Listed eligibility takes redshirts and Covid-related extensions into consideration.
TFRRS is used as a general guide when determining eligibility.
Was not ranked in our last update.
First number indicates how much the athlete has moved in the rankings.
The second number indicates where the athlete was ranked in our last update.
The end of Caleb Futter’s season was an odd one.
Futter failed to qualify for the mile finals after a tough showing that saw him wind up in 14th place overall. He shook off that result as ventured over to the DMR and anchored Grand Valley State in a loaded field. He bounced back and split 4:07 for the final leg, seven seconds better than his preliminary mile time.
This is the first bad national meet performance, if you can even call it that, we’ve really seen from Futter on the track. He’s too talented for us to believe this is the athlete we will see moving forward and we’re fully expecting a bounce back during the outdoor track season.
Luke Stuckey had arguably the best weekend of his Nebraska-Kearney career at this past weekend’s indoor national meet.
He was the 1200 meter leg for the Lopers on their 8th place team that saw him split 3:00 and hand the baton off to his teammate in the lead. Oh, and that was after he had qualified for the mile finals with a strong tactical showing in the preliminaries, earning a "big Q” for Saturday’s showdown.
Stuckey built off of his strong opening leg and used that confidence to earn a bronze medal in the mile. In another strong tactical display, Stuckey proved to be more than just a participant as he closed as well as anyone else in the field, missing out on 2nd place by two-tenths of a second.
In his final season, Stuckey is becoming a household name. He’s become extremely versatile and an invaluable asset for an up-and-coming program such as UNK.
Admittedly, It was a tough weekend at the indoor national meet for Cole Nash.
A disappointing 12th place finish in the 5000 meters followed by a DNS result in the 3000 meters has the Alaska Anchorage ace dropping five spots in our final rankings. Still, he has proven himself against the elites of Division Two on numerous occasions and that shouldn’t be discredited for one bad showing.
That said, we were hoping for more from him. He’ll end the indoor track season at TSR #23 and will look toward the outdoor track season with 5k/10k aspirations.
The last thing that was missing on Dylan Burrows’ resume was a quality finish at a national meet -- and after this past weekend, he can safely check that box off.
The Oklahoma Christian half-miler navigated his way to the 800 meter final from a heat that saw a trio of athletes go down. In turn, that tumble allowed for a 10-man 800 meter final, making it an actual race for the top-eight spots in the field.
Burrows again showed poise and secured himself a 5th place finish, his first All-American honor. If he can maintain this current momentum on the outdoor scene, then there is a real chance that the Australian talent could sneak under the 1:49 barrier over 800 meters.
And if he does that, then he'll absolutely vie for yet another All-American trophy.
Matthew Storer is going to be a problem for the rest of the country in the near future.
In fact, some could say that he's already there.
Yes, we may be getting ahead of ourselves a tad after this 5th place finish at the national meet in the 5000 meters, but he ran just four races this season. Two of those efforts came at altitude, one came in Boston and the final one came at the national meet in Virginia Beach.
Storer’s somewhat limited experience was a small concern for us after having never qualified for a national meet on the track before. But he showed us, just as he did in cross country, that he races well beyond his youth.
Evan Graff is one of four athletes in our final rankings of the indoor track season who will see no movement from our previous rankings.
Graff helped his UC-Colorado Springs' DMR squad to a 10th place finish this past weekend after he brought them home with a split of 4:07 for the final leg. Graff also contested the open mile as well where he walked away with a 7th place overall finish, giving him his first All-American honor in the middle distance event.
The breakthrough that we saw from this Mountain Lion veteran is important as he had never made a final at the national meet before this past weekend. He also ran three separate miles under 4:10 in the span of 24 hours, proving to us that his strength should no longer be questioned.
Graff has set himself up well for the outdoor track season. His momentum from a successful indoor national meet should make him a threat once again on the outdoor oval.
David Cardenas was tasked with more than we anticipated this past weekend and that has some part in why he drops five spots in our final set of indoor track rankings.
Cardenas was asked to anchor the Adams State DMR where he crossed the line in 9th place. A split of 4:07 wasn't necessarily amazing, but it was solid, especially when you consider that Cardenas was knocked down during his preliminary heat of the 800 meters earlier in the day.
After initially being left out of the 800 meter finals, Cardenas advanced to the finals via an official ruling where he navigated a 10-man field for a 6th place finish. That’s the second-straight year Cardenas has been inside the top-eight of this event at the indoor national meet, making him a household name in the half-mile.
Sure, we would have liked to see more from him in terms of placement, but his ability to rally after running into some trouble in the preliminaries is incredibly encouraging. He finishes the season at TSR #19, but we could see him rise back up our rankings during his 2023 outdoor campaign.
Clement Duigou continues to impress us each time he steps on the track. After qualifying for the 3k at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships and finishing as an All-American, he opted for the 5k/3k double to replicate the same result.
Duigou walked away with a 7th place finish in the 5000 meters this past weekend before returning the next day for a 5th place finish in the 3000 meters. That’s now three All-American honors in three tries on the indoor circuit which brings his total All-American awards to four.
Gosh, talk about consistency and postseason reliability...
The French distance runner has been consistently good since he put on the Adams State uniform and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon. And with the outdoor track season rolling around, you're looking at a guy who will be contending for gold in the steeplechase.
A 6th place finish in the 5000 meters and a 9th place finish the 3000 meters probably wasn’t the national meet weekend that Afewerki Zeru anticipated after his stellar 2022 cross country season came to end.
Of course, given that Zeru had to miss a portion of time after the Houston Half-Marathon due to an injury, it’s hard to be disappointed with what he put together this past weekend. He was an All-American in the 5000 meters and narrowly missed the top-eight in the 3000 meters.
The Mountain Lion ace has title aspirations and is talented enough to win one as he proved during the 2022 outdoor track season. Moving Zeru back four spots in our final rankings doesn't feel right, but other performances warranted movement forward -- and ultimately, Zeru had to move as well.
Dillan Haviland has become a TSR favorite.
And after this past weekend of racing, that fan club is likely growing.
Northwood’s up-and-coming star continued his strong 2023 indoor track season with a 4th place finish in the mile finals, going toe-to-toe with the best men in the country. He navigated the preliminary round with veteran-like poise, earning an automatic qualifying spot.
His 4th place finish is the highest in school history and it has set him up to be a threat on the outdoor circuit. He would go on to record a DNF in the 3000 meters, but with how some of the other doublers fared in the event, we don’t think we should put too much stock into it.
Haviland’s entire indoor track season pointed to this kind of success on the national stage. Even so, the fact that he was able to actually capitalize and perform up to expectations is a huge step forward for this Timberwolf athlete.
Charlie Dannatt was a DNS in all of his events this past weekend -- but for good reason.
The Stride Report has confirmed that Dannatt fell ill on Thursday night and stayed that way through the weekend.
If Dannatt had contested his events as we expected, then he’d likely still be a top-10 name at this point. But since that didn’t happen, and as much as this pains us to do, Dannatt slips eight spots to TSR #15 to end his season.
It was an underwhelming weekend for Loic Scomparin compared to what we saw from him during the regular season.
Scomparin ran 7:51 over 3000 meters earlier in the winter and has the NCAA #2 all-time mark in the event. That's why seeing him finish 8th in a 3k national field, which was won in a time that he had run significantly faster than, is slightly disappointing.
One of the biggest knocks on Scomparin was his finishing ability in a tactical race. That perceived weakness was on full display this past weekend as the Oredigger standout faded with the pace slightly ramping up every lap.
Regardless, we can't discount how fast Scomparin ran early in the year. But his five-spot drop is largely because we thought he would be more successful on the national stage this year. He can still reach those grand heights, but we just need to see it first.
If the Division Two scene didn’t know who Tyler Nord was before this weekend, then they are certainly aware of who he is now.
Nord flew onto the D2 scene shortly after running 8:08 (3k) at the Husky Invitational. He also won the 3k at the RMAC Indoor Championships to qualify for the indoor national meet. And after this past weekend, it’s safe to say that we’ll see Nord’s name become commonplace among D2’s elite talents very, very soon.
Nord anchored Western Colorado’s DMR team to an 11th place finish which was obviously not ideal. But by the time that he received the baton, the Mountaineers were essentially out of top-eight contention. Still, Nord split 4:09 on his anchor leg, proving to us that there is some raw talent regarding his foot-speed.
Of course, it was the next day when Nord shined the brightest.
The true freshman secured a bronze medal in the 3000 meters, knocking off the likes of Zach Kreft, Clement Duigou, Awet Beraki and Loic Scomparin. If that doesn’t scream superstar arc, then we don’t know what does.
We’ll see how Nord fares during the outdoor track season, but if he races like this, then he’ll be a top-five All-American threat in whichever event he chooses to contest. And he continues to build on his youth-based upside then...the sky's the limit for him.
Zach Kreft picked up two more 4th place finishes at the indoor national meet this past weekend and they’ll pair quite nicely with his 4th place hardware from the cross country season.
Kreft was a proven veteran when it came to racing on the indoor and outdoor circuit and he proved that this past weekend with his efforts. In both races, we saw Kreft bide his time and work his way through the field.
And honestly, we wish we could move Kreft higher. He’s been a reliable racer on the national stage in his short Division Two career and he’s brought a level of dynamism that makes him a threat in any event he chooses.
Expect Kreft’s success to continue onto the outdoor scene when he gets to contest his best event, the steeplechase.
With the number of star half-milers there are in Division Two right now, this was an inevitable situation when it came to finding the right spot for those who made the 800 meter finals this past weekend.
Unfortunately, it was Reece Sharman-Newell who has to move further back in our rankings than we initially anticipated.
The Great Britain native easily qualified for the 800 meter finals, winning his section by more than a second. Later that evening, Sharman-Newell led CSU-Pueblo to a 4th place finish in the DMR, splitting 4:03 for the anchor leg. Somehow, that was only the fourth-fastest split for an anchor leg.
Sharman-Newell worked with that momentum the following day as he contested the 800 meter finals which saw him finish in 4th place overall. It’s a strong result, but it’s clear that he still has some trouble navigating multiple races over two days, making his national title efforts that much tougher.
The Thunderwolf superstar has proven to be an incredible talent, maybe one of the five-most naturally talented guys in D2, but we’re still waiting for his experience and racing ability to catch up with his fitness level.
We’re not sure that there was a better racing plan for Butare Rugenerwa this weekend.
He was one of many athletes who solely contested the 800 meters and his experience made him a threat to finish in the top-half of this last Saturday’s final. That sentiment rings true today as Rugenerwa walked away with a 3rd place finish. That effort marks the fourth time that he’s finished inside the top-three during his West Texas A&M career.
This isn’t the flashiest result that we’ve seen from Rugenerwa, but after a slow start to his season, this is about where we expected him to finish.
Moving five spots back to end these winter months isn’t necessarily ideal, but it was more about rewarding others than demoting him.
It’s been a long time coming for Jan Lukas Becker and he’s finally been rewarded with an All-American honor that’s been elusive.
Becker secured a huge 3rd place finish in the 5000 meters this past weekend, running 14:00 and out-kicking Zach Kreft in the process. He’d double back the next day to finish 11th in the 3000 meters. And despite not finishing inside the top-eight of that race, it was still a strong showing from the Mississippi College ace.
As we switch gears into the outdoor track season, we’ll see Becker take on his best event, the steeplechase, where he’s run 8:45. And given how sharp he has looked this winter, both in terms of fitness and tactics, it's hard not to wonder what his ceiling will be in his primary event.
Before this past weekend, Luke Julian was six for eight when it came to earning All-American honors on the track. After this past weekend, Julian is now seven for nine -- and his seventh All-American honor just so happens to be his best finish at a national meet in his storied career.
Julian raced to the silver medal in the men’s mile this past weekend. The race that we saw from the Colorado Mines veteran could be argued as his best one yet while in an Oredigger uniform. In the latter-half and final moments of the mile finals, Julian covered the move of Miguel Coca and finished just six-tenths of a second behind him.
This was the most poised that we have seen Julian on the national stage and that resulted in his 2nd place finish. He’s also one of the most well-rounded athletes in the country with the ability to compete in any kind of race situation, making him a legitimate threat from the 1500 meters and up.
You’ve made it this far without seeing Ryan Riddle’s name and you’re probably wondering why Riddle gets to move forward a spot in our final set of rankings.
And frankly, that is a warranted question after seeing that he finished 6th place overall in the 3000 meters this past weekend.
But that’s not why he’s moving forward. Missouri Southern's DMR team finished in 3rd place this past weekend behind Wingate and NW Missouri at the national meet -- and that result can almost be fully attributed to Riddle’s effort on the anchor leg.
To put it in perspective, Riddle received the baton in 10th place! And in order for Missouri Southern to finish where they did, they needed a monster effort from Riddle...which is exactly what they received.
The Lions ace split 3:58.43 for the final leg and owns the fastest split (just barely) in the field.
This is the Riddle who we thought we would see throughout the rest of his career after a 3rd place finish in the mile at the 2021 indoor national meet. And although it took a couple of years, it’s clear that he has risen to the top of Division Two’s milers.
His 6th place finish in the 3k is really just the cherry on top of what we would consider to be Riddle’s best collegiate season.
The two-spot drop for Awet Beraki is of no fault of his own.
Beraki finished 2nd in the 5000 meters this past weekend and came back to run a raw-time personal best in the 3000 meters (8:04) to finish in 7th place overall. Both results were pretty expected for anyone who has followed the Adams State star this winter.
Beraki is a strength-based runner and that was validated once again this past weekend at the national meet. As we move towards the spring month where the 10k becomes a prominent race, he’s the first one we’ll tab as Dillon Powell’s biggest threat.
Let’s be very clear: Wes Ferguson isn’t moving two spots backward because of his own doing. Instead, multiple incredible performances have forced us to move the Nebraska-Kearney half-miler backward.
Ferguson lost his first 800 meter race since the Drake Relays from last outdoor track season and we’re not entirely sure there was anything that he could have done about it. In typical fashion, the Loper star waited for the right time to strike. He tried multiple times to get around Oussama El Bouchayby, but was denied each time.
In that 800 meter final, we saw Ferguson run an outright personal best of 1:47.19 and he finished in 2nd place! And not to mention this is after he anchored Nebraska-Kearney to an 8th place finish in the DMR the night before.
Moving him back three spots after this performance feels criminal, but that’s how it plays out sometimes. There’s no doubt in our minds that Ferguson is a national title threat this spring and he’ll likely prove that sooner rather than later.
Hamza Chahid contested two events at the national meet this past weekend.
He also walked away with two national titles after this past weekend.
Chahid kicked-off his first ever indoor national meet with an incredible anchor leg for Wingate's DMR team which saw him split 4:00 to hold off an incredible comeback from the silver and bronze medalists.
The following day, Chahid toed the line for the 3000 meters and ran a brilliant race that culminated with his first individual national title and second of the meet. He displayed elite racing tactics and a lethal change of pace that stunned his opponents, causing a late reaction to his hard move.
And that little bit of time was all he needed as Chahid celebrated down the home stretch.
We’re not entirely sure what events Chahid will contest during the outdoor track season, but whatever they may be, he’ll be the number one challenger for another national title.
Welcome to Division Two history, Oussama El Bouchayby.
The Morocco native made quite a statement on Friday afternoon after he won his preliminary heat in convincing fashion with his front-running demeanor.
And if that approach ain’t broke, then there’s no reason to try and fix it.
When the gun went off for Saturday’s final, it was El Bouchayby who went to the front. It was El Bouchayby who surged when someone ran up on his shoulder. It was El Bouchayby who fended off the late charges of two-time national champion, Wes Ferguson.
And it was also El Bouchayby who destroyed the collegiate record in arguably the greatest indoor 800 meter race in Division Two history, giving him a gold medal in the process.
It’s also worth mentioning that El Bouchayby helped Angelo State to a 5th place finish in the 4x400 meter relay where he split 46.67 seconds, the fastest of anyone in the field. He’s the real deal and if he continues racing like this, then he’ll be on top of the podium yet again in late May.
The meteoric rise of Miguel Coca has finally come to a stopping point -- and that stopping point is at TSR #2.
The Adams State superstar proved that he was the best miler in the country with his dominant performance over this past weekend. He easily qualified for the mile finals, earning an automatic qualifying mark. Then, in the finals, Coca showcased a level of racing tact that we hadn’t quite seen from him the in past.
The Grizzly ace covered the subtle moves of his competitors and then made his big move with 600 meters to go. As he ratcheted down the pace, the field didn’t quite have the same gear and Coca nearly put a second between him and the runner-up.
In the 3000 meters later in the day, Coca followed a similar game plan, but instead moved to the front with 400 meters to go. He closed in 59 seconds for that final 400 meters and was only outclassed by Hamza Chahid over the final 200 meters.
Coca’s season is one that many athletes dream about. He’s a national champion in the mile and owns the third-fastest 3k mark in Division Two history! If his outdoor track season follows the same trend as his indoor track season, then he’ll be the one everyone has to go through for the national title.
It was just another day at the office for Dillon Powell this past weekend.
The Colorado Mines talent raced his way to the 5000 meter title with a hard charge from 600 meters out where he put nine seconds between him and runner-up finisher, Awet Beraki.
There’s not much to dissect here. Powell did show some restraint when it came to pushing the pace as he settled into 35 second laps on the 200 meter track. It obviously kept him fresh as his final 800 meters were covered in 2:01.
Plain and simple, Powell is the best runner in Division Two right now and we don’t see that changing any time soon.
Matthew Storer (Colorado Christian)
Luke Stuckey (Nebraska-Kearney)
Dylan Burrows (Oklahoma Christian)
Titus Lagat (Lee (Tenn.))
Hunter Hutton (Western Oregon)
Duncan Fuehne (Colorado Mines)
Reece Smith (NW Missouri)
Cole Benoit (Mississippi College)
Kendall Branan (Indiana (PA))
Kewani Campbell (Lincoln (MO))
Titus Lagat (Lee (Tenn.))
Braxton Bruer (MSU-Moorhead)
Davonte Jett-Reynolds (Adams State)
Jagger Zlotoff (UC-Colorado Springs)
Hudson Majeski (Colorado Christian)
Hunter Hutton (Western Oregon)
Simon Kelati (Western Colorado)
Duncan Fuehne (Colorado Mines)
Drew Weber (Western Washington)
Matthew Fowler (Lee (Tenn.))
Mitchell Dervin (Adams State)
Erick Ramirez (Catawba)
Evan Leist (Cedarville)
Elias Bergman (Grand Valley State)
Jordan Foster (Findlay)
Hunter Kurz (Mississippi College)
Colten Brand (Augustana (SD))
Jared Gregoire (MSU-Moorhead)
Tanner Maier (Minnesota State)
Drew Dailey (Shippensburg)
Cameron Allan (Adams State)
Tim Thompson (Colorado Mines)