2022 D1 Indoor Top 25 Rankings (Men): Update #3

Click here to see our Just Missed and Honorable Mention names.

Listed eligibility takes redshirts and Covid-related extensions into consideration.

TFRRS is used as a general guide when determining eligibility.

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.

25. Kieran Taylor, Senior, Arkansas (Unranked)

There were a handful of names who we could have put at this last spot.

Sam Gilman has been super underrated this year and just took down Wesley Kiptoo in the 3000 meters on Iowa State's track.

Cole Sprout, meanwhile, has been phenomenal this year, thriving in the 3000 meters and getting even better in the 5000 meters with a recent time of 13:24.

Clemson's Aman Thornton took down Ayman Zahafi in an 800 meter race earlier this year and currently sits at NCAA #6 in the event.

Luis Peralta, who ran 1:47 earlier this month, took home a narrow win over a slew of men who all ran in the 1:47 range.

However, Arkansas' Kieran Taylor, who recently put together a 1:47.12 effort over 800 meters at the Tyson Invitational, is the one who now sits at TSR #25.

That time may have been a career-defining result for Taylor. Not just because he won over his teammate, Leroy Russell, who also ran 1:47, but because Taylor had never run under the 1:48 barrier despite running contesting the 800 meters 37 different times (indoor and outdoor) prior to that weekend.

Not only that, but of those 37 times, Taylor had run under the 1:50 barrier 17 different times.

Taylor has been a very solid and very promising middle distance talent who is super consistent, highly experienced and underrated tactically. He even emerged as a 7th place All-American in this event last winter.

However, Taylor lacked a national-caliber time that truly made him a factor on the national stage. Now, he finally boasts a mark that complements the greatest qualities of his overall resume.

And on paper, it's hard to dislike any of that.

24. Yusuf Bizimana, Freshman, Texas (+1 / 25)

This hasn't necessarily been Bizimana's best season, but he has still been super consistent, producing marks under the 1:50 barrier three separate times this winter. In fact, if we're including conversions, he has run under 1:49 three separate times.

This past weekend was truly indicative of his actual talent.

Not only did Bizimana run 1:47.27 at the Alex Wilson Invitational, a time that places him at NCAA #4 on the national leaderboard, but he also took down a loaded field including standout teammate Cole Lindhorst and multiple All-American talents including Ackeen Colley and Bashir Mosavel-Lo.

This Texas ace looks like he's beginning to peak as we near the postseason. When you consider the fact that he's a two-time All-American in the 800 meters, that's a scary thing to think about.

23. Antonio Lopez Segura, Senior, Virginia Tech (-10 / 13)

I don't have a ton to say here.

A 3:56 mile effort at Liberty a few weeks ago, followed by a heroic anchor leg on Virginia Tech's DMR, pairs well with his flat-track converted 7:43 (3k) from earlier this winter.

Lopez Segura does fall a good bit in our rankings, but that's mainly because of the craziness that we've seen from everyone else. There's not really a flaw on his resume right now and he just seems like he's in a better position than ever before to earn individual All-American honors.

We'll see how his flat-track converted time of 7:43 translates to the national stage, but his 3:56 mile time, which resulted in a two and a half second win, seems to validate his 3k mark.

22. Alex Maier, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (Unranked)

There are two men's runners in the NCAA who are ranked in the top-21 of three different distance events (not including the DMR). One of those runners is Abdi Nur, someone who currently sits at TSR #3 in these rankings.

The only other runner who meets that criteria is Oklahoma State's Alex Maier.

The Oklahoma State star has been flat-out phenomenal this year. He has run 3:56.44 in the mile (NCAA #21), 7:46.61 in the 3000 meters (NCAA #17) and 13:25.79 in the 5000 meters (NCAA #10).

Yes, it's true, none of those times put him in an All-American position (strictly on paper), but this kind of range and high-level versatility is incredibly rare, especially in a year where everyone is making the national leaderboard extremely crowded.

Maier has now reached the point in his fitness where he is becoming just as dynamic as talents like Kieran Lumb (Washington), Colton Johnsen (Washington), Mario Garcia Romo (Ole Miss), Brian Fay (Washington), Yared Nuguse (Notre Dame) and a handful of others who I'm sure I'm missing.

Unbelievably, the 5000 meters is the only guarantee that he'll have when it comes to racing at the indoor national meet. It is possible that someone scratches from the 3k, but there's no guarantee that another runner won't jump him on the national leaderboard in that event.

Either way, from a value standpoint, there's a lot to like from Maier and it's hard to not like anything that he's done this winter.

21. Jonathan Davis, Rs. Senior, Illinois (Unranked)

Illinois veteran Jonathan Davis has been a star talent for a while now, although some seasons of his are certainly better than others. However, even in a year where the NCAA has reached historic levels of speed and greatness, Davis has been able to outpace that nation-wide improvement.

His 3:54 mile effort at Vanderbilt the other weekend, which gave him a 3rd place finish over a a handful of upper-echelon talents, validates the idea that Davis is still the elite star that he was back in 2018.

Admittedly, outside of a few tune-up 800 meter races, there isn't a ton on his resume this season that stands out other than that mile result. The BIG 10 Indoor Championships will likely be a good gauge of his fitness and his tactical acumen as we head into the postseason.

20. Ayman Zahafi, Junior, Miami (FL) (-5 / 15)

The Miami star was handed losses from both Jonathan Jones (Texas) and Aman Thornton (Clemson) in the 800 meters earlier this month, which would make you think that Zahafi would be booted out of our rankings.

However, in that race, Zahafi ran a time of 1:47, making him the only 800 meter runner in the NCAA to run under 1:48 twice this season. In a year where everyone is running super fast and star talents are coming out of nowhere, consistency is becoming increasingly more valuable, especially in the 800 meters.

Not only that, but Zahafi also secured a major win over a loaded field at the Meyo Invitational. That victory, combined with another 1:47 mark, should be enough to keep him in our rankings.

19. John Rivera, Senior, Ole Miss (-5 / 14)

There's not a ton of recent performances on Rivera's resume aside from some really solid relay splits (such as a 2:51 lead-off effort for Ole Miss' DMR) as well as a couple of DNF results which we are assuming were because of pacing duties.

Rivera only sits at NCAA #10 on the 800 meter national leaderboard, but he's just as much of a title contender as a few of the names in the top-five of that event. It's also important that we don't forget about his early-season win over Shane Streich, a guy who just ran the American indoor 1000 meter record.

18. Athanas Kioko, Senior, Campbell (-7 / 11)

His 7:45 flat-track conversion for 3000 meters boosted his resume quite a bit, but between the rest of the NCAA running super fast and Kioko not producing much more than a solid 13:43 (5k) win at Liberty, it's hard to keep the Campbell star at his previous spot in our rankings.

And yet, at the same time, Kioko could still realistically win a national title in March.

What a crazy world we live in, huh?

17. Eduardo Herrera, Rs. Senior, Colorado (Unranked)

It is absolutely insane that a 7:42 (3k) runner is sitting at TSR #17 in our rankings. I honestly can't believe that, and we're the ones who make these rankings!

Herrera's 7:42 result was huge. It was arguably the best performance of his lengthy and accomplished career. He also took down a loaded field of men (other than Nur) who have proven themselves to be more than one-race wonders this season.

However, the reason why this Colorado veteran sits at "only" TSR #17 is because of his past history on the national stage.

During the 2021 winter cross country season, Herrera looked like a lock to be a top-10 finisher at the NCAA XC Championships. Unfortunately, he faltered to 107th place at the national meet.

Then, in the spring, despite running 13:24 (5k) at the beginning of the season, Herrera was unable to make it out of the NCAA West Regional Championships.

There are also other instances, three to be exact, where Herrera has been unable to secure an All-American honor at the national meet.

Now, in Herrera's defense, he has emerged as an All-American before, placing 33rd at the 2017 NCAA XC Championships and recently locking down a strong 24th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships this past fall.

Could that latest national meet result be enough momentum to get him a top-eight finish come March? I sure hope so, because this is a guy who should have at least five All-American honors on his resume, not two. His recent 3k performance supports that statement.

16. Olin Hacker, Rs. Senior, Wisconsin (-13 / 3)

What a roller coaster season it has been for Olin Hacker when it comes to our indoor rankings. The Wisconsin ace, who has been phenomenal this season, has gone from being unranked, to a top-25 runner, to our TSR #3 runner, to now our TSR #16 runner.

His times of 3:56 (mile), 7:45 (3k) and 13:37 (5k) show off an impressive level of range and versatility. Not only that, but he has won fairly comfortably in almost all of his races this season and it's not like he's facing any slouches, either!

While the rest of the NCAA has caught up to Hacker's performance, we still have to recognize his consistency, range, ability to win and his huge improvements. On paper, that gives his resume enough value to stay within our top-20.

15. Jonathan Jones, Junior, Texas (Unranked)

I have no idea why Texas star Jonathan Jones didn't run the 800 meters sooner in his college career. Despite running 1:48 as a 17-year old, Jones had never contested the 800 meters in the NCAA prior to the second weekend of February.

However, when he finally did run the 800 meters, he produced a time of 1:46 on the indoor oval, securing the win and taking down both Aman Thornton (1:47) and Ayman Zahafi (1:47) in the process.

That is a huge statement performance for Jones, especially considering that he's built his reputation as a 400 meter runner.

As incredible as that result was, Jones holds a lot of the same qualities as Clemson's Kameron Jones from last year. Both runners were/are 400 meter-centric talents who were/are relatively new to the collegiate 800 meters when they contested the event.

Despite boasting some of the best raw talent in the event, there wasn't/isn't a lot of national-level experience on their resumes at that specific distance.

I still like Jones a lot and I think he be a major name to watch at this distance, but with only one collegiate 800 meter result on his resume, it's hard to rank him much higher than TSR #15.

14. Ky Robinson, Freshman, Stanford (Unranked)

Wow.

Wow, wow, wow.

Ky Robinson is the real deal.

I really liked this Stanford youngster a lot coming into this fall. I've said in the past that he is going to be the future of the NCAA steeplechase and when it came to cross country, I thought he was on the same tier (relatively speaking) as teammates Cole Sprout and Charles Hicks.

However, not once did I think that he would run 13:21 for 5000 meters and DOMINATE an elite field of distance runners at the University of Washington, securing the win by a little over two seconds.

And yet, as incredible as that result was, there are two reasons why we have Ky Robinson listed at "only" TSR #14 in our rankings.

The first reason is because this result came out of nowhere.

Yes, I know that Robinson was excellent this past fall, but this 5k performance was a next-level result and it really required a major jump. I just want to see something else this season that matches that performance.

The second reason is because despite running 13:21 for 5000 meters and earning a huge win, there is a very realistic possibility that Robinson won't even be in the top-five at the indoor national meet come March.

On paper, guys like Kiptoo, Nur, Jacobs, Young and Wildschutt could all out-run Robinson on the national stage, depending on how the race plays out.

I like Robinson a lot, but there has to be some level of cautiousness when ranking him...which is insane to say for a 13:21 runner.

13. Amon Kemboi, Rs. Senior, Arkansas (+9 / 22)

After a solid, but unexciting 3k rust-buster performance of 7:51 at the beginning of the month, Kemboi has since rebounded with fitness that has eclipsed many of his already-impressive past performances.

The Arkansas star let a fast pace at the University of Washington carry him to blistering 5k personal best of 13:26. Then, this past weekend, he battled NAIA legend Zouhair Talbi and Iowa State superstar Wesley Kiptoo. In that race, he finished 2nd overall in a time of 7:42, losing to Talbi, but taking down Kiptoo in the process.

In just two weeks, Kemboi has risen to the top ranks of the NCAA and has secured a win over Kiptoo despite the Iowa State star having one of the best performances of his career.

That's super encouraging for Kemboi's postseason hopes as he'll likely aim to earn one or two more All-American honors in March.

It's more likely than not that Kemboi will walk away from the NCAA Indoor Championships with at least one All-American honor, but how much of a factor he can be as a top-three or top-five name has yet to be seen.

12. Moad Zahafi, Senior, Texas Tech (Unranked)

According to his Word Athletics profile, Texas Tech's Moad Zahafi, who is the brother of TSR #20 runner Ayman Zahafi, has a mind-boggling personal best of 1:44 for 800 meters.

After running a slightly converted time of 1:45.99 two weekends ago, Moad Zahafi now sits at NCAA #1 on the national leaderboard in the 800 meters. His dominating, all-out win over teammates Marco Vilca and Sven Cepus was super impressive and it obviously caught our attention.

However, we still have plenty of questions for the Moroccan middle distance star.

Can he translate that result to the indoor national meet? How will he fare when other top-tier middle distance runners crowd the front of an 800 meter race? Can he win in a slower, tactical setting? How much of a role will his collegiate inexperience play on the national stage? Can he replicate his 1:45.99 in a different setting? Does he have enough to beat Brandon Miller?

As much as I want to rank Zahafi higher, there are just too many factors to consider and too many questions that we have not yet answered.

11. Eliud Kipsang, Rs. Freshman, Alabama (-3 / 8)

It seems absurd to rank a talent like Alabama's Eliud Kipsang out of our top-10, but that's what happens when the mile has been as fast as it has been.

His 3:54 mile effort from earlier this month was really solid, even if he lost to Mario Garcia Romo in the process. However, for the most part, that performance seemed to be super on-par with expectations.

Kipsang beat everyone he should have, ran as fast as he should have and lost to the only guy (Garica Romo) who was truly capable of beating him.

If both Nuguse and Beadlescomb scratch the mile, which is super realistic, then Kipsang has a legitimate shot at winning a national title. However, looking at his resume this season and comparing it to a few others makes it difficult to put him in our top-10...for now.

10. Dylan Jacobs, Junior, Notre Dame (Unranked)

I'll admit, I didn't see Dylan Jacobs running 13:14 for 5000 meters on an indoor track.

Yes, his early-season 3:57 mile time was a nice indication that he was improving, but I don't think that time suggested that this Notre Dame ace was going to run 13:14.

Now, admittedly, Jacobs had shown us that he thrives in fast settings before. The 5000 meters at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships was a super quick race and it resulted in Jacobs earning a then-PR of 13:25.

In a blistering fast race controlled by the Bowerman Track Club men in heat two at Boston University, Jacobs followed the hot pace to an American collegiate 5k record of 13:14.

I think Jacobs is basically a lock to earn All-American honors, especially since I think it's more likely than not that the 5k pace at the indoor national meet is going to be super fast (which theoretically benefits Jacobs).

Even so, a controlled and intentionally fast pace at Boston University is much different than a race at the indoor national meet where everyone is racing for the win.

9. Wesley Kiptoo, Junior, Iowa State (-2 / 7)

I just want to apologize in advance to Wesley Kiptoo and to Iowa State. I know that this is a ridiculous ranking for someone who has run 7:43 (3k) and 13:14 (5k), but I gotta stick with my initial hunch.

Kiptoo didn't thrive at the Millrose Games in the 3000 meters, he took a loss on his home track to Sam Gilman in the 3000 meters and he later lost to Zouhair Talbi and Amon Kemboi this past weekend despite running 7:43 for 3000 meters.

Seeing Kiptoo drop an ultra-quick time of 7:43 in a fast 3k setting is far from surprising. The faster the race is, the better Kiptoo is. None of what I just said should be controversial.

However, Kiptoo's positioning and overall placement in certain races continues to leave us wanting more. Sam Gilman is a great talent (and super underrated), but if Kiptoo is going to compete for a national title in the 3000 meters, he has to beat him.

Then, in a super fast race that favored his fast-pace resume, Kiptoo still lost to Kemboi and Talbi, two superstar names in their own right.

I still think Kiptoo has a chance to win the 5000 meter national, but even that field is evolving in such away that Kiptoo won't be the only one who benefits from a "hard-from-the-gun" racing style.

Still, at the end of the day, this guy has run 7:43 (3k) and 13:14 (5k) which is easily the fastest 3k/5k combo we've seen in the NCAA this year. For that reason, he stays in our top-10.

8. Adriaan Wildschutt, Junior, Florida State (Unranked)

If you had "Adriaan Wildschutt being one second off of Lawi Lalang's indoor collegiate 5k record" on your bingo card, then congrats, you're a winner!

This Florida State star is someone who can thrive in the same quickly paced settings that Wesley Kiptoo does.

We saw that at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships in the 5000 meters.

We saw that at the 2021 NCAA Winter XC Championships when he lost only to Conner Mantz.

We saw that at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 10,000 meters when he earned All-American honors.

We saw that (sorta) at the 2021 NCAA Fall XC Championships when he finished 6th overall.

And now, as of two weekends ago, we saw that exact same thing happen at Boston University when he rode a fast pace set by the Bowerman Track Club men en route to a 5k time of 13:09.

Even in a setting that favored Wildschutt's strengths, no one could have possibly predicted that this Florida State ace would run the NCAA #2 All-Time mark in the 5000 meters.

Wildschutt has been good, but he didn't show us anything which suggested that he would be this good.

Admittedly, questions remain as to how this performance will translate to the indoor national meet. The good news is that the men's 5k will likely be paced on the faster side. With as many men theoretically wanting the pace to be fast, that should favor Wildschutt.

But racing for the win and racing for time are two very different things. Trying to simply out-run an elite-level field isn't exactly easy to do, even for someone who has run 13:09 for 5000 meters.

Even so, any ranking lower than this for Wildschutt would be criminal. I'll now be fascinated to see what he can do in the 3000 meters.

7. Mario Garcia Romo, Rs. Junior, Ole Miss (+3 / 10)

A huge 3:53 mile win at Vanderbilt over the likes of Eliud Kipsang and other elite stars was super impressive, but it was also somewhat expected for someone of Garcia Romo's caliber. The same can be said for his 3:54 split on Ole Miss' DMR which was almost enough to take down Notre Dame this past weekend.

I don't have much to say here. Garcia Romo could win a national title in the mile this year if scratches and pacing strategies unfold in his favor. I think that's a pretty fair take.

6. Brian Fay, Junior, Washington (+13 / 19)

This Washington star has shattered our expectations. We knew the Ireland native was going to be a great talent for the Huskies, especially after running 8:29 in the steeplechase this past summer, but I don't think we were expecting him to run 3:55 (mile) and 13:24 (5k) this winter.

Not only that, but Fay just split 3:52 on his anchor leg of Washington's DMR this past weekend to give his teammates the win at the Arkansas Qualifier, out-running numerous star milers (such as Eliud Kipsang) in the process.

This guy is an all-around star and the craziest thing to think about is the fact that he has yet to run the 3000 meters. On paper, that could be his best event.

Fay isn't necessarily a national title favorite in any singular individual event, but him winning NCAA gold isn't impossible, either. His overall value and what be brings to his team is what gives him a boost in our rankings.

5. Brandon Miller, Freshman, Texas A&M (-3 / 2)

Texas A&M's Brandon Miller has not yet toed the line for a second 800 meter race this season. Instead, he has been running in a few 4x400 meter relays and in the 600 meters. He will surely run the 800 meters yet again at the SEC Indoor Championships, but his lack of 800 meter appearances forces us to drop him a few spots in our rankings for the time being.

4. Nico Young, Freshman, Northern Arizona (0 / 4)

Has not raced since our last update.

3. Abdi Nur, Rs. Sophomore, Northern Arizona (+6 / 9)

Earlier in these rankings, I mentioned that Alex Maier and Abdi Nur were the only two men in the NCAA to be ranked in the top-21 of three different individual distance events. However, Nur's accolades are far greater.

The Northern Arizona star is ranked at NCAA #14 in the mile (3:55), NCAA #2 in the 3000 meters (7:40) and NCAA #5 in the 5000 meters (13:22). That is an insane amount of overall talent. No one in the NCAA has boasted that combination of range and firepower this season, although someone like Nico Young (if he ran the 3000 meters) or Morgan Beadlescomb (if he ran the 5000 meters) could probably come close.

After running a jaw-dropping time of 7:40 for 3000 meters, Nur has to be viewed as a true national title contender, even if Nuguse and Beadlescomb go after the 3k at the indoor national meet as well (which I think they will).

While a fast pace would certainly benefit Nur at the indoor national meet, his 3:55 mile speed does suggest that he might have a chance in a tactical race, although that would still probably benefit guys like Nuguse and Beadlescomb.

Either way, Nur has been a distance juggernaut this year and truthfully, there's an argument for him to be ranked at TSR #2 in these rankings.

2. Morgan Beadlescomb, Rs. Senior, Michigan State (+3 / 5)

You know it's been a crazy year when times of 3:52 (mile) and 7:43 (3k) don't get you the top spot in our rankings. Even so, few people are more deserving of this spot than Beadlescomb.

As good as his all-out 3:52 mile time was earlier this month, Beadlescomb's 7:43 effort at the Millrose Games was probably his best race. He showed incredible patience and poise while also displaying some surprisingly good turnover. The Michigan State veteran kept calm in a field full of professionals and didn't try to bite off more than he could chew. He didn't exert any unnecessary energy and delivered a strong performance.

And if you somehow weren't convinced about that his overall fitness was at an elite level from that race, then his 3:52 mile time should prove otherwise.

Beadlescomb can absolutely win a national title at the NCAA Indoor Championships, but that could depend on which races Nuguse opts to enter / not scratch.

1. Yared Nuguse, Senior, Notre Dame (0 / 1)

He ran a collegiate 3k record of 7:38 and later split 3:54 on the anchor leg of his DMR to give the Notre Dame men a huge win on their home track...what more do you want me to say here?

This guy is unstoppable.

ADDED

Kieran Taylor (Arkansas)

Alex Maier (Oklahoma State)

Jonathan Davis (Illinois)

Eduardo Herrera (Colorado)

Ky Robinson (Stanford)

Jonathan Jones (Texas)

Moad Zahafi (Texas Tech)

Dylan Jacobs (Notre Dame)

Adriaan Wildschutt (Florida State)

KICKED OFF

Kieran Lumb (Washington)

Yaseen Abdalla (Texas)

Colton Johnsen (Washington State)

Adam Fogg (Drake)

Sean Dolan (Villanova)

Sam Ellis (Princeton)

Duncan Hamilton (Montana State)

Matthew Payamps (Georgetown)

Crayton Carrozza (Texas)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Aman Thornton (Clemson)

Luis Peralta (Oregon)

Cole Lindhorst (Texas)

Kieran Lumb (Washington)

Colton Johnsen (Washington State)

Adam Fogg (Drake)

Duncan Hamilton (Montana State)

Crayton Carrozza (Texas)

Ben Veatch (Indiana)

Evan Dorenkamp (Penn State)

Nick Dahl (Duke)

Matthew Payamps (Georgetown)

Cole Sprout (Stanford)

Sam Gilman (Air Force)

Luke Houser (Washington)

Sean Dolan (Villanova)

Sam Ellis (Princeton)

Abdirizak Ibrahim (New Mexico)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Miles Brown (Michigan)

Abduhalli Hassan (Wisconsin)

Cole Johnson (Michigan)

Marco Vilca (Texas Tech)

Tiarnan Crorken (Ole Miss)

James Young (Ole Miss)

Cameron Ponder (Furman)

Yaseen Abdalla (Texas)

Barry Keane (Butler)

Drew Bosley (Northern Arizona)

Ahmed Muhumed (Florida State)

Isaac Basten (Drake)

Matthew Carmody (Notre Dame)