2022 D2 Indoor Top 25 Rankings (Men): Update #1

Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Jan 25, 2022
9 min read

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. Josh Pierantoni, Junior, Colorado Christian (Unranked)

It's hard to dislike Pierantoni. The Colorado Christian star has been a top name in the NCAA for the last few seasons and is now starting off hot this winter. The RMAC standout ran an altitude converted time of 8:05 for 3000 meters earlier this month, a time that now places him at NCAA #3 in the event.

Pierantoni is super consistent, highly experienced and rarely has poor performances. He's always been a solid talent, but we have sometimes felt like he was one step away from being a major threat at the national level.

Well, after that converted 3k performance, Pierantoni may be trending upwards in a direction that puts him in the All-American conversation.

24. Kyle Moran, Junior, Colorado Mines (-2 / 22)

Has not yet raced this season.

23. Jonathan Groendyk, Senior, Grand Valley State (-2 / 21)

Since posting a promising season-opening time of 1:50 for 800 meters back in December, Groendyk has toed the line for a mile, running 4:08 on his home track to take home the win over teammate Marcos Garcia who also ran 4:08.

These performances aren't Earth-shattering, but they're still really solid and a great way for Groendyk to build momentum as we head into the month of February. This GVSU veteran is sneaky-good in the middle distances and can be a real problem for his competitors when momentum is on his side.

22. Ahmed Sado, Freshman, Adams State (-2 / 20)

The Adams State low-stick had a terrific cross country season, placing 18th at the NCAA XC Championships en route to All-American honors. The underclassman distance talent has since taken to the track where, back in December, he recorded an altitude and flat-track conversion of 14:13 for 5000 meters. In that same meet, Sado also ran an unconverted time of 1:59 for 800 meters.

In recent years, that 14:13 mark has been unable to qualify for the indoor national meet, so Sado will need to run faster in order to toe the line on the national stage in March. Even so, he had a nice rust-buster and should be primed to run something faster, likely in the mile, come February.

21. Jake Mitchem, Sophomore, Colorado Mines (-2 / 19)

Has not yet raced this season.

20. Charlie Dannatt, Junior, Simon Fraser (Unranked)

Dannatt was one of the names who we missed in our preseason rankings, so consider this ranking a resolution for his initial snub.

The Simon Fraser standout ran 3:42 for 1500 meters last spring, but ran an even more impressive time of 3:39 for 1500 meters in the summer (unattached). Naturally, he belongs in the national contender conversation for the mile this year.

Dannatt is clearly an elite middle distance and he has the potential to be one of the nation's absolute best milers this winter. However, we will need to see him fully translate that success to the indoor oval first before we can give him a higher ranking. His best indoor mile time sits at 4:13.

His season opening time of 8:22 for 3000 meters at the University of Washington was solid, but his 3:39 mark suggests that he is capable of more.

19. Caleb Futter, Freshman, Grand Valley State (-1 / 18)

Has not yet raced this season.

18. Enael Woldemichael, Senior, Grand Valley State (-3 / 15)

After a huge 14th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships, Woldemichael looked to be on the up and up coming into this winter season. However, an unexciting season opener in the mile where he ran 4:22 isn't exactly encouraging.

Even so, the mile isn't Woldemichael's ideal distance and we shouldn't generate too many insights from a rust-buster race in an off-distance event. We'll look towards for February to see how he truly performs.

17. Blake Jones, Junior, Illinois-Springfield (-1 / 16)

Nothing too crazy for Jones so far this season. He was a DNF in the mile this weekend (where we suspect that he was pacing) and he then joined a 4x400 meter relay where he was likely working to get some speed under his legs.

This looked like a clear rust-buster for Jones who likely wanted to get re-accustomed to the indoor track scene prior to making an all-out return.

16. Dylan Ko, Senior, Colorado Mines (-3 / 13)

Has not yet raced this season.

15. Dillon Powell, Sophomore, Colorado Mines (-4 / 11)

Has not yet raced this season.

14. Titus Lagat, Freshman, Lee (Tenn.) (-2 / 12)

Titus Lagat is off to a strong start to his indoor track season. The Lee standout, who has run 1:48 for 800 meters before, ran a very solid time of 1:50 for the half-mile distance this past weekend at Vanderbilt.

Is that result a surprise? No, certainly not for Lagat. However, this is the fastest indoor 800 meter time he has ever recorded (but only barely). Seeing the Lee talent continue to find success and continue to post promising times is encouraging.

Lagat also posted a 4:10/1:53 double back in early December, giving his resume some underrated consistency that not all middle distance runners can boast.

Keep an eye on Lagat as we look towards future races. On paper, he's primed for a breakout indoor race where he matches his outdoor accolades.

13. Wes Ferguson, Rs. Sophomore, Nebraska-Kearney (+12 / 25)

He only barely made it into our preseason rankings, but Ferguson has had no problems improving his stock. The Nebraska-Kearney star opened up his season with a 1:49 flat-track converted effort for 800 meters back in December, catching our attention early in the season.

However, what has truly allowed Ferguson to catapult up our rankings was his 1000 meter effort from a weeks ago. In that race, he toed the line against Drake superstar Adam Fogg, a recent 3:56 miler and a D1 All-American.

Despite Fogg's big-time credentials, Ferguson was the one who ended up pulling off the upset win, running 2:23 for 1000 meters to secure the victory and a new D2 record in the process.

Ferguson also just ran 1:50.00 for 800 meters this past weekend, further solidifying that he is one of the most consistent middle distance runners in the NCAA and a major threat to anyone who is also contending for All-American honors in this year's D2 800 meters.

We would still like Ferguson to run under 1:50 for 800 meters without a conversion and more solidly put himself in the All-American conversation, but he has done no wrong so far this winter. The month of February could be a big one for him...

12. CarLee Stimpfel, Junior, Saginaw Valley State (-2 / 10)

Has not raced since December.

11. Luke Julian, Junior, Colorado Mines (-3 / 8)

Has not yet raced this season.

10. Ezra Mutai, Sophomore, American International (-3 / 7)

So far this season, all Mutai has done is shaken off his winter rust and posted some strong middle distance marks. The American International star kicked-off his season with a flat-track converted 4:08 mile mark before toeing the line this past weekend for the 800 meters and the 1000 meters.

In those middle distance races, he ran 1:53 (800) and 2:26 (1000), the former mark earning a conversion of 1:51 after everything was said and done.

Mutai is obviously a long distance juggernaut, so these recent races that we've seen from him should simply be viewed as rust-busters designed to work on his speed and turnover.

That's a smart move from the American International coaching staff, especially since many of the nation's top 3k and 5k runners having great mile/1500 meter speed of their own.

Mutai drops two spots in our rankings, but that's only to make room for a few others, not because of anything that he has done.

9. Ryan Riddle, Junior, Missouri Southern (+5 / 14)

Wow. Ryan Riddle, you really are the real deal. The Missouri Southern ace, who we have often labelled as a miler, just ran a jaw-dropping time of 7:58 for 3000 meters this past weekend. I In that race, Riddle soundly defeated a field which featured quietly strong talents such as Myles Bach (Nebraska Kearney) and teammate JP Rutledge.

Ryan has run 3:44 for 1500 meters and 4:01 in the mile (multiple times), but you could argue that this 3k performance is arguably the best result of his career. Flexing that kind of range, especially after he earned All-American honors on the grass, make Riddle a name who has very few flaws.

On paper, this Missouri Southern star as the mix of versatility and firepower that only the most elite distance talents in D2 can boast. If he was able to run this fast in his secondary event, does this mean he could scare the four minute mile barrier this winter?

I guess we'll have to wait and see...

8. Butare Rugenerwa, Junior, West Texas A&M (-2 / 6)

Has not yet raced this season.

7. Tony Torres, Rs. Junior, Colorado Mesa (-2 / 5)

Has not yet raced this season.

6. Carson Bix, Senior, Lee (Tenn.) (+3 / 9)

The transfer who caught everyone's attention during the holiday break was Carson Bix as he left Adams State for the Lee Flames. Bix was already a star All-American talent before making his move and was viewed as one of the more dynamic distance runners in D2.

Since joining Lee, Bix has gone on to run 13:56 for 5000 meters and 4:01 in the mile. That first performance is hardly surprising. Bix has run in the 13:40's before and has established himself in the longer distances. As strong as his 13:56 effort for 5000 meters was, no one should be surprised about that result.

However, what few people are giving Bix enough credit for is the fact that he ran 4:01 in the mile. That is a VERY fast time, one that would have slotted Bix at NCAA #4 in the event last year, a season in which the mile was considered to be historically fast (although maybe not the fastest).

For perspective, that 4:01 mile time would have ranked Bix at NCAA #1 during the 2020 indoor track season.

The versatility of this Lee veteran makes it hard not to move him up in our rankings. We have to be cautious about not giving him too much of a bump, but a 4:01 mile mark is moving and it beautifully complements his strong 5k.

5. Dennis Mbuta, Senior, Grand Valley State (-1 / 4)

Has not yet raced this season.

4. Tanner Chada, Junior, Grand Valley State (-1 / 3)

Has not raced since December.

3. Aaron Ahl, Junior, Simon Fraser (Unranked)

It hasn't been a secret that Aaron Ahl is a talented runner. However, what we didn't realize what that this Simon Fraser star ran 1:48 for 800 meters and 3:38 for 1500 meters this past summer. In both instances, he was racing unattached.

Not only that, but we weren't exactly expecting Ahl to return to SFU to compete this year.

Whoops.

Ahl's unattached marks from this past summer didn't show up on TFRRS, so that is likely the reason why he wasn't initially on our radar. However, after running 7:53 for 3000 meters at the University of Washington earlier this month, Ahl has now flexed a level of firepower that could surpass both Noble and Harding this winter.

Few D2 talents have ever boasted the elite middle distance speed and the all-time 3k endurance that Ahl has shown us over the past six to seven months. The 3000 meters, in theory, is supposed to be an off-distance event for the Canadian superstar, meaning that a monster mile time could be on deck for Ahl in the very near future.

Don't be surprised if Ahl is listed at TSR #1 come February.

2. Christian Noble, Senior, Lee (Tenn.) (0 / 2)

Christian Noble continues to do Christian Noble things. After running 4:00.26 in the mile earlier this month, the Lee veteran wasn't content on letting a sub-four opportunity get away from him. Noble toed the line this past weekend for yet another mile, this time running 3:59.70 to become the sixth runner in D2 history to earn a sub-four mile mark.

Now, admittedly, we're not sure that this changes how we think about or view Noble. I think we knew that he was capable of running this fast and it wasn't really a surprise to see him hit a 3:59 mark.

Does he pursue this event at the indoor national meet? Probably not, but it does show a level of middle distance strength and speed that very few runners at the D2 level could potentially match -- maybe even none at all.