2022 D1 Outdoor Top 25 Rankings (Men): Update #1

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

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. Athanas Kioko, Senior, Campbell

Unbelievably, Kioko didn't qualify for the 5k at indoor national meet this past winter despite running a flat-track converted 13:26. He did qualify for the 3k, but he struggled on the national stage in that event.

Kioko's 13:13 personal best from the 2021 outdoor track season, where he placed 3rd in a thrilling race on the national stage, is too good to ignore. It also doesn't hurt that he ran 28:16 for 10,000 meters at the Raleigh Relays to place 3rd overall the other week.

There is simply too much history and too many "good enough" performances that we've seen from Kioko as of late to leave him out of our rankings. For that reason, he snags the last spot.

24. Barry Keane, Rs. Junior, Butler

I think Barry Keane is arguably one of the most underrated distance runners in the country.

The Butler star is an experienced veteran who is plenty familiar with elite-level competition. He thrives in super-fast long distance races and is often at his best when his aerobic capacity is tested in a time trial setting.

Certain tactical and positioning aspects of his racing approach could improve, but for the most part, Keane is a stud. He just ran 28:15 for 10,000 meters at the Raleigh Relays, placing 2nd overall behind Aaron Las Heras.

Keane can 100% be an All-American this year in the 10k. If he works on refining a few aspects of his racing approaching, then he could, on an absolutely perfect day, contend for a national title depending on what happens with Nur.

Yes, that seems like an aggressive take, and no, I'm not saying that I would pick him to win NCAA gold right now. However, his resume is far better than some people think. Don't forget, this guy ran 13:25 for 5000 meters on the indoor oval this past winter.

23. Victor Kiprop, Freshman, Alabama

In a race where Abdi Nur was heavily favored to win, Kiprop instead played spoiler, running 28:15 in the 10k at the Stanford Invite to take home top collegiate honors. The Alabama star was excellent during the fall and returned to national prominence in a race that clearly favors his strengths as a runner.

We still need to be see Kiprop develop a string of consistent, high-level performances in order for him to improve in our rankings. However, for now, Kiprop looks like he has to be considered as an outside contender for the 10k national title.

22. Moad Zahafi, Senior, Texas Tech

A disappointing DNF result for Zahafi at the indoor national meet was tough to see, especially given how incredible his raw talent was during the winter months. Luckily, we got to see Zahafi toe the line against Jonathan Jones and the rest of the Texas men at the Texas Relays.

Zahafi settled for a 2nd place finish in that race, but kept things honest and close with Jones. His time of 1:46 is incredibly fast and it keeps the Texas Tech star in the mix of national-caliber stars for the 800 meters.

21. Finley McLear, Senior, Miami (OH)

After not racing this winter, McLear has returned to the NCAA scene.

Last yer, McLear ran 1:45 for 800 meters both on the indoor and outdoor ovals. He placed a narrow runner-up at the 2021 indoor national meet and later placed 4th at the outdoor national meet.

In theory, he could contend with Brandon Miller this spring.

However, quite some time has passed since last spring, leaving us a bit unsure as to what we should expect from McLear over the next few months. He has already started off with respectable 3:43 effort for 1500 meters, but his success in the half-mile will be a greater gauge of his talent.

From that point, we will adjust his ranking accordingly.

20. Aaron Las Heras, Junior, Wake Forest

Wow. Aaron Las Heras was wildly impressive at the Raleigh Relays the other weekend. Where did that come from?

Everyone knows that Las Heras ran an incredible mark of 28:13 for 10,000 meters earlier this season, but what some people fail to recognize is that he also ran 3:41 for 1500 meters the day before that mark! That was a new PR.

Aaron Las Heras had a really solid and underrated resume coming into this outdoor track season, but this is next-level stuff. We'll be curious to see how he sustains this success over the next two months, but if his performances at the Raleigh Relays are any indication of his future success, then there is a lot to be excited about at Wake Forest.

19. Ryan Smeeton, Senior, Oklahoma State

One of the best steeplechasers in the NCAA has returned to the outdoor oval this spring with hopes that he can win a national title. The Oklahoma State star owns a personal best of 8:27 in the steeplechase, easily making him one of the best distance talents in the country.

The Canadian steeplechaser has already posted a time of 8:34 this season at the Stanford Invite and took down a very fast field in the process.

Smeeton can absolutely win a national title this year. This may be the most challenging year for him to do so compared to past seasons where he was a contender, but he's certainly capable of winning NCAA gold.

18. Charles Hicks, Sophomore, Stanford

A runner-up finish at the Stanford Invite in the 5k, running a time of 13:24, seems to be very on-par for Hicks. A lot seems to be going right for the Stanford star who began to rally in the postseason this past winter. Momentum is clearly on his side.

17. Dylan Jacobs, Junior, Notre Dame

Has not yet raced this spring.

16. Alec Basten, Senior, Minnesota

Depending on who you ask, one could argue that Alec Basten is actually undervalued in these rankings.

The Minnesota veteran was phenomenal last year. During the 2021 indoor track, Golden Gopher ace ran 7:52 (3k) and 13:32 (5k), both personal bests, at the indoor national meet to earn double All-American honors.

Then, during the spring season, Basten once again peaked perfectly, running 8:29 for the 3k steeplechase at the national meet en route to a runner-up finish.

Few men in the NCAA are better at peaking in the postseason than Basten is. He has given us very little reason to doubt him and after running 8:40 in his season opener, losing only to teammate Matt Wilkinson, it's hard not to like Basten right now.

15. Cole Sprout, Sophomore, Stanford

A solid 13:27 mark for 5000 meters at the Stanford Invite seems about right for Sprout. At the same time, let's not look too heavily into that mark. His double All-American honors from this past winter are a better indication of just how elite he really is.

14. Olin Hacker, Rs. Senior, Wisconsin

Has not yet raced this spring.

13. John Rivera, Senior, Ole Miss

Has not yet raced this spring.

12. Brian Fay, Junior, Washington

One of the more underrated aspects of Fay's resume was his 10k and steeplechase prowess, something that he'll get to put on full display this spring.

Luckily for us, we've already seen just how strong Fay can be in the 10k. The Washington ace ran a very impressive time of 28:22 for the distance to finish 4th overall the Raleigh Relays.

Fay moves up in our rankings, compared to where he was in our indoor rankings, mainly because of the value that he brings to the track in the 10k and the steeple. We've already seen how talented he is on the indoor oval in races like the mile and the 5k, but his 10k prowess is arguably just as good and his steeplechase PR stands at a blistering 8:29.

Overall, Fay can do almost everything at a crazy high level. While certain names like Sprout and Rivera were arguably better than Fay at the indoor national meet, it's important to recognize the versatility that Fay brings to the table.

11. Ed Trippas, Senior, Princeton

The inclusion of steeplechasers in our outdoor track rankings may make certain spots of our top-25 look a little funky, but make no mistake, Trippas is very deserving of a spot this high. That's because the Princeton star ran a jaw-dropping time 3k steeplechase mark of 8:19 last summer and qualified for the Olympics where he represented Australia.

A personal best of 8:19 is an all-time elite mark for the steeplechase. Honestly, you could argue that Trippas should be ranked even higher than TSR #11.

And if you think that was a fluke, then just know that Trippas has also posted separate steeplechase times in the high 8:20s and the low 8:30s. Even when Trippas is far off from his personal best, he's still one of the top steeplechasers in the country.

Now, admittedly, a lot can change in eight-ish months and despite posting a respectable 8:49 season opener, we still need to see Trippas return to that elite steeplechase level that we saw last summer.

If he comes anywhere remotely close to his 8:19 mark, then this ranking may end up undervaluing Trippas as a national-caliber contender.

10. Amon Kemboi, Rs. Senior, Arkansas

A solid 13:30 (5k) effort at the Stanford Invite got the job done, but it didn't necessarily tell us anything new about Kemboi. This was a fairly predictable result and while it would've been nice to see him place a little bit higher, but Kemboi's performances at the indoor national meet are the better indictors of his talent.

9. Adriaan Wildschutt, Junior, Florida State

Has not yet raced this spring.

8. Jonathan Jones, Junior, Texas

Wow. Jones is the real deal. After a 1:46 mark during the regular indoor track season, which basically came out of nowhere, Jones ended up finishing runner-up at the indoor national meet. He later ran a jaw-dropping time of 1:45 at the Texas Relays to defeat Moad Zahafi and his teammates, Carrozza and Bizimana.

Right now, Jones has given us very little reason to doubt him. He's been great in numerous race scenarios and, at the moment, doesn't seem to have many (or any) weaknesses.

7. Nico Young, Sophomore, Northern Arizona

Has not yet raced this spring.

6. Morgan Beadlescomb, Rs. Senior, Michigan State

The Michigan State superstar recently posted a time of 3:42 for 1500 meters, giving him the win over a really underrated talent in teammate John Petruno. This race doesn't tell us anything new about Beadlescomb, but it's a respectable spring rust-buster nonetheless.

5. Ky Robinson, Sophomore, Stanford

Relative to his indoor track ranking, Robinson moves up in our rankings. He was an elite distance talent this past winter, running 13:21 then 13:20 at the indoor national meet to place 2nd overall in the 5k. Then, just this past weekend, he cruised to a time of 13:23 to earn a semi-comfortable 5k win at the Stanford Invite.

However, what makes Robinson such a dangerous talent, and arguably more valuable, on the outdoor oval is his steeplechase marks. The Stanford star owns an 8:32 personal best in that event and was a 6th place All-American in the steeplechase last spring.

If Robinson was able to make such a massive leap upwards in his fitness over the past year, then I'll be fascinated to see how that translates to the barriers and water pits this spring.

4. Mario Garcia Romo, Junior, Ole Miss

Has not yet raced this spring.

3. Yared Nuguse, Senior, Notre Dame

Has not yet raced this spring.

2. Brandon Miller, Sophomore, Texas A&M

Miller has posted a few solid 400 meter races, including a recent 46.30 personal best in the one-lapper, but none of what I just said is surprising or really changes anything about him.

1. Abdi Nur, Rs. Sophomore, Northern Arizona

Nur's recent 10k time of 28:17 was excellent, but it also led to him finishing as the third-best collegiate in a field that he was expected to beat.

Is this a result to be concerned about? Definitely not, at least not this early in the season. Nur was beyond amazing at the indoor national meet and it's not like he even ran poorly this past weekend.

Yes, it would've been nice if he had won this race, which was his ideal distance, but Nur is still the best of the best and I don't think anyone is going to argue with us about him being TSR #1.

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Luis Peralta (Oregon)

Crayton Carrozza (Texas)

Ben Veatch (Indiana)

Evan Dorenkamp (Penn State)

Nick Dahl (Duke)

Drew Bosley (Northern Arizona)

Kieran Taylor (Arkansas)

Alex Maier (Oklahoma State)

Ayman Zahafi (Miami (FL))

Eliud Kipsang (Alabama)

Cole Johnson (Michigan)

Reed Brown (Oregon)

Jonathan Davis (Illinois)

Eduardo Herrera (Colorado)

Isaac Basten (Drake)

Antonio Lopez Segura (Virginia Tech)

Tiarnan Crorken (Ole Miss)

Yaseen Abdalla (Texas)

Anass Essayi (South Carolina)

Andrew Kent (Colordo)

Michael Power (Tulsa)

Wes Porter (Virginia)

Casey Clinger (BYU)

Brandon Garnica (BYU)

Scott Beattie (Tulsa)

Felix Kandie (Liberty)

Matt Wilkinson (Minnesota)

Yusuf Bizimana (Texas)

Bennett Pascoe (Arkansas State)

Ahmed Jaziri (Eastern Kentucky)

Lucas Bons (BYU)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Miles Brown (Michigan)

Abduhalli Hassan (Wisconsin)

Garrett Marsing (BYU)

Joe Waskom (Washington)

Derek Johnson (Virginia)

Cameron Ponder (Furman)

Ahmed Muhumed (Florida State)

Matthew Carmody (Notre Dame)

Zach Facioni (Wake Forest)

Cole Lindhorst (Texas)

Colton Johnsen (Washington State)

Adam Fogg (Drake)

Duncan Hamilton (Montana State)

Matthew Payamps (Georgetown)

Sam Gilman (Air Force)

Luke Houser (Washington)

Sean Dolan (Villanova)

Sam Ellis (Princeton)

Abdirizak Ibrahim (New Mexico)

Sam Austin (Florida)

Jack Yearian (Oregon)

James Young (Ole Miss)

Aaron Bienenfeld (Oregon)

Lorenz Herrmann (Idaho)

Isaac Akers (Tulsa)

Patrick Kiprop (Arkansas) James Mwaura (Gonzaga)

Estanis Ruiz (Loyola Marymount)

Zach Litoff (Santa Clara)

Riley Osen (Portland)

Jack Salisbury (Georgetown)

Isaac Green (Washington)

Kieran Lumb (Washington)

Isai Rodriguez (Oklahoma State)

Ryan Schoppe (Oklahoma State)

Sam Voelz (Notre Dame)

Notes

• It is unclear if Wesley Kiptoo will be competing in the NCAA this spring. TSR is working to confirm an unverified tip. As a result, he has been omitted from these rankings.

• Certain names who were highly ranked during our indoor track rankings have been omitted. This is simply due to a lack of space in our top-25 with the inclusion of 10k runners and steeplechasers. Performances from this early outdoor track season also play a role.

• Yes, we are aware how long and extensive our "Just Missed" and "Honorable Mentions" lists are. However, this is simply what happens at the beginning of a certain season as many names return to a level playing field in terms of expectations (to an extent).