2021 D3 Outdoor Top 15 Rankings (Men): Update #2

NOTE: The listed eligibility for these athletes takes into account the eligibility extension granted by the NCAA to make up for the discontinued 2020 outdoor track season.

KEY

(Unranked):

Was not ranked in our last update.

(#/#):

First number indicates how much the individual has moved in the rankings.

The second number indicates where they were ranked in our last update.

15. Dalton Martin, Sophomore, Wartburg (Unranked)

Dalton Martin ran a very impressive mark of 1:50.94 for 800 meters at the Augustana Meet of Champions, finishing runner-up to Loras ace Mike Jasa. That was enough to put Martin at NCAA #3 on the TFRRS leaderboard for the distance.

He has been a mid-distance force to be reckoned with since he first came to Wartburg, finishing 5th in the 800 at Indoor Nationals in his first collegiate track season in 2019. He has also run 3:54 for 1500 and 14:38 for 5000, proving that he has some strength to go along with his speed. The national meet will likely provide a highly anticipated rematch between him and Jasa, and it should be a tight battle.

14. Matt Heinzman, Junior, Wartburg (Unranked)

One of three Wartburg men that made our rankings, Matt Heinzman ran 3:50.15 at the Wartburg Friday Night Lights meet for the win. This performance was the third-fastest 1500 in D3 this season and a five-second PR.

Heinzman has also run solid times in the 800 (1:53.18) and 5000 (14:29). Those marks put him at NCAA #33 and NCAA #11 on the national leaderboard, respectively. For someone whose primary event is the 1500, these are pretty good results which show that versatility is a strength of his. While TSR #5 runner Gabriel Pommier will likely go in as the title favorite in the 1500, Heinzman should be one of his strongest challengers who makes it an honest race.

13. Ryan Cutter, Junior, U. of Chicago (Unranked)

Ryan Cutter has been good for a long time, but this season it feels like he’s taking another significant step forward. The two-time cross country All-American is finding another level of success on the track compared to previous years. He has raced three times in 2021, all of which have been personal bests.

He opened the spring with a 3:54 effort for 1500, where his only loss of the season occurred to Gabriel Pommier, then followed that up with a 29:43 (10k) and finally a 14:20 (5k). He is on the top-five of the national leaderboard in both the 5k and 10k. He can certainly score some points at Nationals in both events, but the 10k seems like his best shot at pulling off an upset to win a title.

12. Ben Kuxmann, Sophomore, Millikin (+1 / 13)

After his 1:51 performance that got him ranked in our last edition, Kuxmann only bettered his 800, running an astounding 1:50.12, getting just within a hair of sub-1:50. He’s proven that he’s capable of running even faster than previously, along with bringing his 400 speed down as well, running 48.75, which is not far off from Mike Jasa. He poses one of the most serious threats to Jasa’s dominance of the 800 in D3 this year.

11. Travis Martin, Freshman, Trinity (CT) (Unranked)

Travis Martin has some serious range. So far this season, he has run 1:51.27 for 800 (t-NCAA #5 on the national leaderboard) and 3:50.18 for 1500 (NCAA #4). He also holds an indoor 3k best of 8:27, and if the season ended today he would get into the 5k at Nationals with his mark of 14:32 as he sits at NCAA #16.

That 8:27 (3k), where he gave Connecticut College alum Danny Aschale all he could handle, was where he began to establish himself on the national scene, but the mid-distance speed that he has displayed this season has been a pleasant surprise. He could be a dark horse pick in either the 1500 or the 800, and can comfortably earn All-American honors in both.

10. Hunter Moore, Junior, Otterbein (0 / 10)

The OAC has been filled with talent this year, and Moore is one of the names making this conference rise up in national prominence. Right along with Alex Phillip and Jamie Daley of John Carroll, Moore has run impressively this year, posting a mark of 14:21 in the 5k, along with an impressive 14:30 / 29:46 double, finishing right behind Phillip in both races. He will be a strong threat for All-American finishes in both the 5k and 10k at Nationals.

9. Nicholas Hoffman, Junior, Hope (Unranked)

Hoffman, the breakout star from this past indoor season, has continued to show that he’s here and ready to compete with the best of D3. He’s now run 3:49 twice this season, putting him at NCAA #2 in D3 currently. He’s also run a few 800’s here and there, but hasn’t quite ran it fresh yet. He’ll be an exciting name to watch come Nationals given his role as a national contender in the 1500.

8. Frank Csorba, Freshman, Lynchburg (0 / 8)

Another breakout star on the D3 scene this year, Csorba continued to build off of his mind-blowing 10k by running 14:22 in the 5k, putting him at NCAA #7 in D3. His improvement from last year is still mind-boggling and yet he’s still on a tear, showing race after race that he’s a completely different runner than before. The fruits of his labor will certainly be recognized as he gets the opportunity to run at Nationals very soon.

7. Matthew Sayre, Junior, SUNY Geneseo (Unranked)

Sayre ran a 5k PR of 14:17 a few weeks ago that was the third-fastest time in all of Division 3. He has also run 30:01 for the 10k, sitting at NCAA #10 on the national leaderboard. Sayre hasn’t lost a race longer than 800 meters since February of 2020.

Last weekend at the SUNYAC Championships, he easily pulled off the 10k/5k double and it was never really in doubt. As the postseason progresses and he faces a higher level of competition, it will be interesting to see where he fits in. He looks to be a step off of Wilkinson and Freiburger in the 5k, but having only one 5k effort where time was a focal point, one would imagine that he is a lot closer to those two men than his resume suggests.

6. Mike Jasa, Junior, Loras (-1 / 5)

Jasa has held the D3 lead in the 800 for quite awhile now, as his oh-so-close sub-1:50 mark of 1:50.00 still sits at NCAA #1. Along with nearly (and we mean nearly) breaking 1:50, Jasa’s 48.5 400 speed is also to be reckoned with when it comes to his overall prowess. His 4x400 team also sits as NCAA #1 in D3 so far, giving him multiple scoring opportunities when it comes down to the NCAA Championships.

5. Gabriel Pommier, Junior, North Central (-2 / 3)

Panned as D3’s top 1500/mile runner this year, Pommier has stuck with middle distance races all season long, rarely stepping outside of the 800 or 1500 events.

His 3:47 mark from last month still holds out as the NCAA #1 mark in D3 while he also ran 1:51 in the 800 which sits him at NCAA #11. He has yet to lose a 1500 this season (sans the Drake Relays) and has continually proven himself to be a top talent. Don’t forget, Pommier also has a 5k best of 14:34, so the strength is there, too. Between that, his experience and consistency, it's hard not to like what he brings to the table.

4. Jared Pangallozzi, Junior, Johns Hopkins (0 / 4)

After throwing down some crazy fast times earlier this outdoor season, Pangallozzi has changed gears a little bit, winning a conference title in the 5k as well as stepping down to the 1500, running 3:52 in the process. For as strong of a 10k guy as he is, that 1500 is pretty impressive, taking 6th in a very stacked field.

He still holds the top 10k mark in D3 (29:20), as well as the NCAA #12 mark in the 5k (14:27), and NCAA #19 mark in the 1500.

3. Alex Phillip, Freshman, John Carroll (-1 / 2)

Phillip continued his reign of dominance over the OAC these past couple of weeks, throwing down a 14:17 (5k) in addition to his wild 29:30 (10k) earlier in the season. Just this past weekend at the OAC conference meet, he ran an impressive 14:30/29:45 double, edging out standout distance talent Hunter Moore by a slim margin in both races.

Per conference rules, he hasn’t been allowed to race outside of the OAC quite yet, but when he does at the NCAA Championships, then he should be a top contender in either the 5k, 10k...or both.

2. Joe Freiburger, Junior, Wartburg (-1 / 1)

Who would have guessed that running 14:00 (5k) gets you a TSR #2 spot in our D3 rankings? Certainly not us. After re-validating his 10k qualification, running 29:56, Freiburger ran a wildly impressive time of 14:00 at the Drake Relays. He has not lost to any D3 competition so far this outdoor season and is one of the favorites for a national title in either the 5k or 10k.

1. Matthew Wilkinson, Senior, Carleton (+11 / 12)

There’s two words to say about Matthew Wilkinson this season: He’s back.

After a few rust-buster efforts to start the season, he’s been on an absolute tear through D3 on completely solo efforts.

First, an 8:56 steeplechase mark, destroying the national lead. Then, a time of 13:58 in the 5k, also taking over the national lead, along with capturing the NCAA #7 all-time fastest time in D3’s history. Did I mention those races were solo? Imagine what he could do getting pulled along by some faster guys…

He’ll be competing for Minnesota next year as a graduate transfer and could definitely make a difference for the Gophers.