2019 Steeplechase Preview (Men)

Over the past few years, the steeplechase has been dominated by a select few names. Anthony Rotich, Stanley Kebenei, and Mason Ferlic come to mind when you think of heavy favorites and overwhelming talents. However, last year seemed like the first time where NCAA gold in the steeplechase could have gone to anyone. In 2019, that narrative is no different.

Let's start with the defending champion, Obsa Ali. The Minnesota veteran is finishing up his eligibility on the track and is coming off of a huge indoor season where he qualified for Nationals and ran a personal best of 13:38 for 5000 meters (as well as 7:54 for 3000 meters).

Although Ali will certainly be in the conversation to defend his title, there are a handful of men from around the country who could easily challenge him. In fact, most of his challengers may only come from two universities: BYU and Syracuse.

As I mentioned in an article last week, BYU has been known for their absolute dominance in the steeplechase. The duo of Matt Owens and Clayson Shumway lit the NCAA on fire last year with clear improvement, encouraging consistency, and monster times well under the 8:40 barrier. After earning valuable experience at the national meet, it would come as no surprise if either of these men were at the top of the podium in June.

However, those aren't the only Cougars capable of stealing the title from Obsa Ali. Guys like Daniel Carney, Jacob Heslington, and Porter Reddish have proven to be steady steeplechase contenders over the past few seasons and will likely be a serious problem for many of their opponents in 2019 as they enter (what should be) the prime of their college careers.

There are a handful of other BYU men who have shown plenty of promise in the steeplechase and could find themselves having a breakout spring season.

Outside of BYU, the Syracuse pairing of Aidan Tooker and Noah Affolder could be the most dangerous distance duo in the entire NCAA this season. Both of these men elevated their fitness to a very high level in 2018 which led to personal bests of 8:30 (Tooker) and 8:40 (Affolder). Tooker would later go on to finish 4th at the Outdoor National Championships and run that monster personal best of 8:30 at the USA Championships later that summer.

With the learning curve behind them and the experience of championship racing now under their belts, the Syracuse men have the ability to do some scary things on the outdoor oval. Could the Orangemen go 1-2 at Nationals? It's not out of the question...

One guy we haven't spoken much about is Steven Fahy, the Stanford ace who only raced twice during the indoor season. Although his winter season wasn't as strong as some of his teammates, it was encouraging to see him toeing the line after sustaining an injury during cross country. If he's able to stay healthy and return to top fitness, Fahy will have a chance to replicate his 3rd place steeplechase finish from last year's outdoor national meet.

Tulane's Emmanuel Rotich is another name that has often come into the podium conversation. With an 8:36 personal best, the Green Wave veteran will likely be mentioned a few more times during the 2018 season. Unfortunately, Rotich has struggled a bit on the national stage. Despite toeing the line for six races at five different national meets, he has yet to come away with an All-American finish. Expect Rotich to be hungry to change that in 2019.

Of course, we can't forget about Portland who might be the next-best steeplechase group in the nation after conference rivals BYU. Last year, we saw Simon Grannetia break on to the scene with three consecutive steeplechase wins and a personal best of 8:40 at Payton Jordan. He never ran slower than 8:49 in his four steeplechase races in 2018.

Unfortunately, we never saw Grannetia toe the line for the West Regional Championships. The Dutch superstar seemingly sustained an injury prior to the meet and was unable to step on the track. However, much like Fahy, he will be a serious problem for his competitors if he's fully healthy.

But when one man falls, another rises. As a freshman, Portland's Riley Osen was one of the more pleasant surprises in 2018, running three consecutive PR's (all in the postseason) to snag an All-American 8th place finish in a time of 8:41. Expect the sophomore to continue his improvement in 2019.

Then we come to Bailey Roth, the Arizona veteran who has run some incredibly strong times, but has also lacked consistency in his performances throughout his career. He owns a personal best of 8:36, but that was from 2016 in an out of season meet (the Portland Track Festival). That said, this man has run under the nine minute barrier 15 different times. He's more than capable of securing an All-American finish if he has a good day at Nationals.

The list of national contenders goes on. If you're looking for sleeper picks capable of challenging for All-American spots, be sure to keep an eye on guys like Texas ace John Rice, the Charlotte duo of Mihret Coulter and Tom Nobles, and Ole Miss junior Parker Scott. All of those men could shake up the podium at Nationals come June...