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2023 NCAA D1 XC Championship Preview: Tuohy vs Valby, A Wide-Open Men's Race & Can NAU Sweep?
- TSR Collaboration
- Nov 16, 2023
- 21 min read
Updated: Nov 17, 2023
Well, ladies and gentlemen, the NCAA XC Championships are just two days away and we will soon be able to conclude what has been a wild season of action and analysis. Below, we assembled a Group Chat article that is one of the longer previews that we've had in a while.
Predictions are coming soon...
Women's Preview
This question may sound familiar: Katelyn Tuohy or Parker Valby? Why? Who do you think is viewed as the favorite?
Maura: I flipped a coin for this one and by picking tails, I am going to say that NC State’s Katelyn Tuohy will narrowly beat Florida’s Parker Valby on Saturday.
Yes, Valby handily beat Tuohy at Nuttycombe earlier this fall, but Tuohy is the reigning NCAA cross country champion and one of the best to ever do it. The Wolfpack ace is a more versatile athlete given her strength and speed and, at least historically, she is by far a more savvy racer.
Valby will most likely take off like a bat out of hell when the gun fires and I expect Tuohy to not let the Gator star create a chasm-like lead this time around. Or, if she does, then Tuohy have to replicate her incredible tactics from last fall, giving herself the chance to strike over the last kilometer of the race.
Ben: I’m with Maura; they both deserve to be co-favorites. The incumbent national champion wins the tie-breaker, so I’ll go with Tuohy if I have to pick someone.
Yes, Valby bested Tuohy earlier this fall, but it was Tuohy who came out on top when it mattered the most last year. The tricky thing with Valby's racing style is that she has to either be significantly better than Tuohy based on pure fitness or she has to rely on the NC State runner making a tactical mistake.
Whichever one of those things happened at Nuttycombe is anyone’s guess, but Tuohy has a strong case for being one of the greatest NCAA runner’s ever and she does not make many mistakes, especially not multiple times in the same season, and that leaves very little margin of error for Valby.
Gavin: I think Tuohy is viewed as the favorite. Her body of work — including four national titles — has built her enough equity to where she deservedly receives the benefit of the doubt. And frankly, I would presume that the general public favors Tuohy even if she recently suffered her first loss on the grass in nearly two years.
But with that being said, I’m taking Valby to win.
This is someone who had the talent to win the 5k national title last spring despite dealing with injuries and she absolutely has the ability to win gold on the grass, even when competing against a generational star. One may argue that Tuohy will have more motivation after being humbled by Valby last month, but I’d argue the latter’s incentive to nab her first cross country national title should be greater.
Given Tuohy’s own greatness, I’m probably only at a “6” on a scale of 10 in terms of confidence in this assessment, but I’ll ride with Valby under the idea that the fitness of these two women hasn’t changed enough in one month to make up the 12-second gap from when they last raced.
What percent chance would you give each women’s team to win the national title?
Maura: This is a five-team battle for the national title (with admittedly massive swings in their win probabilities) between Northern Arizona, NC State, Georgetown, BYU and a surprise team from the field.
I feel the most confidence in Northern Arizona and will hand them a 55% of winning the title. NC State follows behind in 25%. Georgetown has been a surprise team this year and is worthy of a 12% chance to win the national title. Then there’s the ever-consistent BYU women coming in with a 7% chance of winning. The field gets the remaining 1%.
Ben: For me, this race comes down primarily to Northern Arizona and NC State. I would give the Lumberjacks a 60% chance to take home the NCAA title while the Wolfpack have about a 30% chance.
As for the remaining 10%, I’ll give 4% to Florida because, at their absolute best, they have a higher ceiling than anyone else besides the top-two teams. I’ll give Georgetown and BYU a 3% chance, each. I’m sure this could come back to bite me, but the rest of the field has a 0% chance at winning the title.
Gavin: I’ll give the NAU women a 45% chance to win the national title and assign a 35% chance to the Wolfpack. Yes, the former thoroughly defeated the latter at the nation’s toughest regular season meet, but I’m not sure that’s the version of the NC State women that we’ll see in a high-stakes setting upon which they have thrived in recent years.
From there, I’ll ascribe a 5% chance to both Georgetown and BYU because the Hoyas are having too strong of a season to ignore and the Cougars appear elite as usual. I’ll also give Florida a 5% chance because, as Ben mentioned, the Gators boast a ceiling that few teams even in this range can match.
That leaves 5% for the field, at least half of which I’d give to Stanford.
Among the nationally qualified women’s squads, how many tiers of teams are there? And what would you name each of those tiers?
Maura: I’ll say that there are six tiers.
“First-time champs vs repeat winners”
“Everyone needs to bring their "A" game to crack the top-8”
“We don’t have a low-stick, but we do have depth”
“BIG 10 vs PAC-12 Showdown”
“Just snuck into the national meet”
“The mid-major programs are out here shining”
Ben: I’ll go with six tiers as well.
"True blue title contenders"
"Finishing on the podium is just as good as a championship"
"This year is a stepping stone to bigger things next year"
"Considering our preseason expectations, this has been a great season!"
"Considering our preseason expectations, can this season be over already?"
"We're just happy to be here"
Gavin: I’ll buck the trend and create five tiers.
"New blood vs blue blood"
"Outside title contenders/podium mainstays"
"Top-10 candidates with larger goals ahead"
"Mid-major programs thriving alongside major brands"
"Mostly not living up to expectations, but some of us are still dangerous"
Which women’s team has the most to prove?
Maura: We currently have the Washington women sitting at TSR #13 in our rankings. This is a team that is so hot-and-cold. When they are on, things go great -- I mean, just look at their success en route to winning the PAC-12 XC Championships a few weeks ago!
But when things fall apart, they fade to the middle of the pack. Following a 3rd place team finish at the West regional meet, I believe that the Huskies are ready for a bounce-back performance at the NCAA XC Championships, but everyone has to be firing on all cylinders.
Ben: In a weird way, I think it's the Florida women.
They loaded up on talent from the transfer portal to add to their mega-elite superstar, but that won't mean a whole lot if they cannot put together a big performance this weekend.
Qualifying for the national meet is a great achievement for a team that came nowhere close to that last year, but after the amount of money they just spent (we assume) to bring in Flomena Asekol, Amelia Mazza-Downie and Elise Thorner, a podium finish is the expectation.
The Gators have shown flashes, but this is a team that needs their top-five women, including Allison Wilson, to be firing on all cylinders. Otherwise, this team could go from finishing 4th place to all the way back in 10th place.
Gavin: Mostly by virtue of making one of the more significant rises over the past 12 months, I’d posit that the Georgetown women have the most to prove.
The Hoyas went from a backend top-20 team in the spring and fall of 2021 to a backend top-10 team in 2022 and now, sitting at TSR #3, are looking to cement their rise as a podium team.
One could make the argument that it’s all gravy after a strong season and continued linear progress, but this is a proud program that will likely have a hard time not feeling underwhelmed if they finish anywhere outside of the top-five.
Which women’s team are you rooting for? Why?
Maura: I’m really high on the Tennessee women right now given their late-season success. I like that this team is young, fielding a varsity lineup that is made up of a majority of underclassmen.
And yet, despite that inexperience, the Lady Vols are racing like experienced veterans on the grass -- just look at the teams that they took down at the SEC XC Championships and South Regional XC Championships.
Coach Sean Carlson has done a remarkable job of turning around the Tennessee women’s cross country program since arriving in the fall of 2022. And no matter how Tennessee finishes this weekend, I will be greatly impressed at the show that they put on to secure a spot on the starting line in Virginia.
Ben: I’m rooting for the Furman women #GirlGang.
I said earlier in the season that the Paladins would finish in the top-half of the field at the NCAA XC Championships because of their performances without star low-stick, Bethany Graham. Even without her, this team has been great thanks to their consistent pack-running style which has made them such a steady force throughout the fall months.
Now, they add Bethany Graham back for NCAA XC Championships which makes their ceiling so much higher. I don’t think a top-10 finish is totally out of the picture for this group. The way that this team has come together this year has been so fun to watch and I am rooting for it to come to an even better finish.
Gavin: I’m really intrigued by the experiment going on in Gainesville.
Despite being a program with significant brand cache and resources, the Gators have rarely, if ever, been viewed as a distance running power -- but Coach Will Palmer is changing that.
Florida already had a megastar before this fall, but then they added three proven All-American transfers. With so much change and little history of success, this season understandably has been an up-and-down ride with flashes of greatness. But given what they have on paper, I won’t be shocked if the Florida women emerge as a podium team.
If you were forced to bet your entire life savings on a single team outperforming their current TSR ranking, which women’s team would that be?
Maura: I don’t know why Garrett keeps asking this question. No one wants my life savings as there’s not much money being earned in the education field, but here we are again offering all I have.
Utah was lights-out at the beginning of the season when they finished one point behind California Baptist at the Griak Invitational. The Utes had four women in the top-12, but their fifth runner was too far back to give this team the victory.
Things didn’t go as planned for Utah at Nuttycombe a few weeks later as the pack-running we saw diminished on a sloppy day in Wisconsin and in the end, Utah fell to 15th place. A 5th place finish at the PAC-12 XC Championships was a (very small) step in the right direction, but the Utes really made a leap following a 3rd place finish at the Mountain regional meet.
Utah, our current TSR #20 team, has the potential to place in the top-half of the results this weekend at the NCAA XC Championships. For that to happen, freshman standout Annastasia Peters needs to be amongst the top-40 while Mckaylie Caesar and Morgan Jensen need to finish within spitting distance of one another. Clara Mayfield and Katarzyna Nowakowska need to keep the top-five time spread at less than 40 seconds.
Ben: Listeners of the Blue Oval Podcast will know my answer to this question and that it is, of course, the Utah Valley women.
I said that after winning the WAC XC Championship that this is a top-15 team in the country. Not only did they beat CBU, but they also easily beat a good Boston College team earlier in the year. They put together a decent, although maybe not spectacular, performance at the Mountain Regional XC Championships. But in the end, they got the job done and qualified for the national meet.
I love what I’ve been seen from Morgan Nokes and Ari Trimble this year, and I believe in their overall depth. They had seven women in the top-43 at the Mountain regional meet which is something that only NAU and BYU can also say.
Their ceiling might not be very high because they don’t have any dominant low-sticks, but this is a team that will not beat themselves which makes them a great candidate to outperform their TSR #22 ranking.
Gavin: How about the Tennessee women (TSR #18)?
Their back-half top-25 ranking affords me a bit of margin for error, and the Volunteers’ South regional meet title certainly indicated that they’re capable of being more than just a backend top-25 team. They put forth a compact scoring lineup, one that should be pretty replicable and figures to translate well to a championship field.
If I’m buying into their rise and suggesting that they’re potentially a top-15 team, then is it possible the UT women could outperform the higher-billed UT men?
List three women who are NOT inside our XC Top 50 rankings and give us three-word descriptions as to why they will be All-Americans on Monday…
NOTE: Yes, we're counting hyphenated words as one word...work with us here.
Maura:
Hannah Prosser (Boston University): An underrated freshman.
Madelynn Hill (Iowa State): Cyclone with consistency.
Jenny Schilling (Virginia): Virginia’s dark horse.
Ben:
Savannah Roark (Syracuse): Experience, experience, experience.
Ella Baran (Colorado): Usually peaks perfectly.
Amelia Mazza-Downie (Florida): Too much talent.
Gavin:
Ella Baran (Colorado): Top-30 last year.
Samantha Bush (NC State): Still extremely talented.
Laura Pellicoro (Portland): Dependable veteran star.
Give us one bold prediction for the women’s race on Saturday.
Maura: The Northern Arizona women magically get all seven runners in the top-45.
Ben: Florida does not finish as the best SEC team.
Gavin: Texas Tech freshman Juliet Cherubet crashes the top-15.
Men's Preview
Is there a clear-cut individual national title favorite on the men’s side? If so, who is it? And how many individual national title contenders are there?
Maura: This race is essentially wide-open.
Any one of the usual All-American superstar suspects could realistically win gold. That list includes guys like Ky Robinson (Stanford), Nico Young (Northern Arizona), Drew Bosley (Northern Arizona), Graham Blanks (Harvard), Parker Wolfe (North Carolina) and Alex Maier (Oklahoma State).
However, there are a slew of newcomers, veterans and breakout performers who have been catching our eyes this season. New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel Keleta, Wisconsin’s Bob Liking, Wisconsin's Jackson Sharp and Oklahoma State’s Denis Kipngetich all have the potential to shake things up at the front.
To make a long story short, there is no clear-cut national title favorite and I could legitimately one of 10 different guys take home NCAA gold.
Ben: There is absolutely no favorite in the individual title race.
Picking a winner was one of the hardest parts about making predictions this year. There are five men who have greater than a 10% chance of winning this race. Maura mentioned most of them: Robinson, Bosley, Young and Blanks. However, I would also add Habtom Samuel Keleta (New Mexico) in there as well. He was right with that group at Nuttycombe.
The only other person who I think could break into this group is Brian Masau, the Kenya rookie phenom from Oklahoma State. We just have not had the opportunity to see him go up against the very best in the country yet.
Regardless of whoever wins Saturday's race, it should be a very close battle and I expect there to be at least a five-man pack with a mile to go.
Gavin: This is a race in which I’d feel exceedingly confident taking the field over any given individual. Choosing one favorite above all would feel like picking a name out of a hat.
I can realistically see nine different men winning this race. The first group of contenders would be Bosley, Young and Robinson, as I’m more inclined to go with the proven commodities.
Next would be breakout stars who have not been at this level for as long (Musau, Blanks, Keleta). I also feel like I have to throw in Wolfe, Victor Kiprop (Alabama) and Fouad Messaoudi (Oklahoma State) as well given their proven talent.
From a legacy perspective, who would gain the most by winning the individual national title?
Maura: If we're talking legacy, I think I'd say Ky Robinson of Stanford. This would be the second individual national title in a row for the Cardinal men following the victory from Charles Hicks in 2022.
For Robinson, this would be his third individual national title after winning the 5k/10k double at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this past spring. If the Aussie superstars wins it all on Saturday, then he would have a far more competitive resume among the greats of this era and as a result, we will likely look back at this time saying, "Remember when Stanford had Hicks AND Robinson on the same?"
Ben: My initial thought when looking at this question was to agree with Maura and say Ky Robinson. She brings up a lot of great points and adding a third title to his resume, before he could possibly add more this year, would elevate him into a whole new level when talking about the all-time greats, at least in this era.
That being said, Nico Young has the most to gain by taking home his first title.
He came into the NCAA with so much fanfare, and rightly so, but he has yet to put it all together in a championship race. He has plenty of great performances, especially on the grass, but he needs a national title to really cement his spot in NCAA lore.
This looks like it is his best opportunity of his career to do so, and if he does snag gold, then his legacy will be enhanced significantly.
Gavin: I agree with Ben in that it’s Nico Young who’s perhaps the most recognizable name in this field and is still searching for his elusive first national title after eight All-American honors and a national runner-up finish last fall.
I’d also listen to an argument for his teammate (the NCAA indoor 3k record holder), Drew Bosley, who is in a similar boat (3rd last year) and has been running collegiately even longer, dating back to 2019.
What percent chance would you give each men’s team to win the national title? Give us a brief explanation for each.
Maura:
Oklahoma State: 45%
Sure, their firepower is great, but depth on this roster is also really, really good. The freshmen who Coach Dave Smith brought in and the veterans who have returned have guided this team to wins every major competition this season. The NCAA XC Championships will be the first head-to-head matchup between Oklahoma State and Northern Arizona since the 2022 national meet. The Cowboys will be out for revenge.
Northern Arizona: 44%
The Lumberjacks have a lot riding on this weekend as they will be going for their seventh national title in eight years. Northern Arizona has a great mix of firepower and depth, but if things don’t go as planned upfront with Nico Young and Drew Bosley, do the rest of the men in the lineup have what it takes to pick up the pieces?
North Carolina: 5%
North Carolina has been strong all season. The addition of transfers Alex Phillip and Jake Gebhardt have been a driving factor in this success as these two Tar Heels have seamlessly entered the scoring lineup. To see this team stand atop the podium in Virginia, North Carolina will need all five of their scorers in the top-50, something that I don’t anticipate happening.
BYU: 4%
Not having All-American stars Casey Clinger and Davin Thompson this season severely hurt BYU’s chances of winning the national title. Don’t get me wrong, the Cougars that have been running well this fall, but there’s no secret weapon that Coach Ed Eyestone can pull out this weekend to leapfrog the leading teams.
The Field: 2%
Who’s to say that Stanford doesn’t shock the field after a fairly disappointing season thus far? Or what about the Badgers following their 19-point victory at the BIG 10 XC Championships?
Ben:
Northern Arizona: 55%
I asked Garrett on the latest Blue Oval Podcast if this NAU team had the best depth that we have seen over the last 10 years. In turn, he made great point.
Garrett said that while NAU may not have the best depth in terms of total number of runners who can contribute, they do seem to have the best meaningful depth that they have ever had.
What he meant is they have the most guys who realistically could finish in the top-20 this year.
With Aaron Las Heras, Santiago Prosser, Kang Nyoak and Theo Quax all showing that potential, plus their two great low-sticks Young and Bosley, this is a team that is deservedly the favorite going into this weekend.
Oklahoma State: 35%
The Cowboys do not have the same depth as the Lumberjacks, but that is not to say that they have bad depth. They do, however, bring a ton of firepower.
It is likely that we see three Oklahoma State men within the top-10 on Saturday. Brian Masau, Fouad Messaoudi and Alex Maier have all proven that they have that type of ability. With Dennis Kipngetich and Victor Shitsama, the Cowboys have enough potential All-Americans to match up with NAU.
That being said, they have to run a near-perfect race to win whereas NAU just has to run a good one, at least in my opinion. Ultimately, that is the main difference in their chances to win.
Wisconsin: 7%
We have not seen it much, but when Wisconsin fields a full lineup, they look dangerous. In a world where NAU and Oklahoma State don’t run well, which is admittedly unlikely, Wisconsin could theoretically come in to snag the overall win.
Bob Liking and Jackson Sharp could both finish in the top-10 while 3:31 (1500) runner, Adam Spencer, has flashed some strong performances as of late. Throw in Evan Bishop, Micah Wilson and the criminally underrated Rowen Ellenberg and the Badgers have some serious firepower that, if all is clicking on the same day, could match the top-two teams on my list if they're having "off" days.
BYU: 2%
While they haven’t had the full complement of lineup options this year, it's foolish to ever count BYU out. They are the only team to have beaten NAU in the last seven years.
While they haven’t shown the same firepower as Wisconsin, Coach Ed Eyestone knows how to get his men running at their best at the right time. With top low-sticks in Joey Nokes and Creed Thompson, they will need a few other men to step up. Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? No.
The Field: 1%
This is the national meet and anything can happen, but I would be shocked if anyone outside these four teams wins.
Gavin:
Northern Arizona: 55%
Time and time again, the Lumberjacks have prevailed by raising their game when the stakes are at their greatest. This looks like one of the better installments of NAU’s recent dynasty after a comfortable win at Nuttycombe. The men of Flagstaff have a pair of national title contenders, sure, but they’ll probably also have a full scoring lineup of All-Americans come Saturday.
Oklahoma State: 35%
A worthy adversary for NAU, the Cowboys certainly have the horses to run with their Mountain region counterparts. However, it feels like Oklahoma State needs more to go right than NAU does, and I need to see OSU win a national title before I believe it.
BYU: 5%
You can’t rule out the Cougars, the only team to beat Northern Arizona during its seven-year run of dominance and a program that spawns All-Americans from altitude almost as reliably as the Lumberjacks do.
The Field: 5%
This section is reserved for whoever else may decide to have a program-defining race on Saturday. That, of course, would necessitate each of their scorers having the best race of his lives or close to it.
Which men’s team has the most to prove?
Maura: Heading into this season, all eyes were on the Stanford men. The early departure of Charles Hicks was a tough blow for this team, but we thought that the newcomers and returners had it in them to carry on the Cardinal legacy.
However, we have been wrong about that so far this season.
So far, Stanford has produced results of 9th place (Virginia Invite), 20th place (Nuttycombe), 1st place (PAC-12 XC Championships) and 1st place (West regional meet). Looking at that resume, the lack of consistency, specifically in the regular season, isn’t necessarily promising given performance in the top-heavy fields.
Right now, Stanford is on a roll with back-to-back victories, but will they capitalize on the late-season success at the meet that matters most?
Ben: This year, there are not many teams with a lot of pressure to prove a point.
Many of these teams have been successful in the past or have young rosters that will blossom in the next few years. I like Maura’s answer, Stanford certainly has something to prove, but I’ll go with Virginia.
This team came into the season with high expectations and a schedule full of home meets. Despite the home course advantage, they have not run quite as well as we thought they would. Will Anthony and Gary Martin have both taken nice steps forward this fall, although the latter is coming off of a tough day at the Southeast regional meet.
The Cavaliers have one more shot on their home course to prove that they are heading in the right direction as a program.
Gavin: For me, it's North Carolina. There is no more long-term developmental plan that is needed from them. There is no additional need for another top transfer. They shouldn't need another superstar recruiting class to help elevate them at this point in their roster lifecycle.
The Tar Heels poached one of the most respected program leaders in the country a few years ago and have been steadily building toward this season. After this season, they’re not likely to boast a team that is a virtual top-10 lock, an elite complementary star and a third All-American favorite again any time soon.
And while the men of Chapel Hill may have less margin for error than some of their contemporaries, they also have more upside. With that in mind, anything short of a podium finish (or at least a top-five result) would feel like a bit of a letdown.
Which men’s team are you rooting for and why?
Maura: This is just the beginning for the Wake Forest men. I don’t anticipate the Demon Deacons to sneak into the top-15, but these men are worthy of finishing amongst the low 20s.
I’m hoping we see freshman Rocky Hansen return to the varsity lineup after recovering from a mid-season injury. Veteran Luke Tewalt has found his groove late this season and comes into the NCAA XC Championships looking for his second All-American honor on the grass after finishing 22nd in 2022.
A slew of true freshmen and redshirt freshmen have been holding their own this season and are gaining valuable experience against the top dogs in the NCAA.
As we've heard before, the Wake Forest men may have the talent and depth to be a national title contender in the deep future, but this year just isn’t it given their youth and inexperience.
Talk to me next year, though.
Ben: I am very upset that Maura stole my answer. I have loved this Wake Forest team all year, and I really hope we get to see Rocky Hansen toe the line.
Instead, I’ll go with my old standby, Stanford.
I thought they would be a podium team at the beginning of the year and they started the season looking like they would struggle to even qualify for the NCAA XC Championships. To their credit, they have turned their season around and I'm hoping that they can ride this wave of momentum and exceed expectations this year.
Gavin: I am one of the many whose formative years in the sport was spent reading Running of the Buffaloes. I also grew up in a bordering state and have always admired the gritty ethos of the Colorado program.
That's why it’s been a bit disappointing to see the ‘Buffs’ gradual slip from being a powerhouse to a podium team and now seemingly a fringe top-25 squad.
I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that they piece together a resurgent effort, something that aligns more with what they produced against a similar field at Nuttycombe. Either way, it’s good for the sport when its most historic programs succeed.
If you were forced to bet your entire life savings on a single team outperforming their current TSR ranking, which men’s team would that be?
Maura: Since I don’t have much in the bank as far as life savings, I’ll also throw in my house.
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels are currently listed in our rankings at TSR #21, but given the way that they have raced this season week after week, I feel confident in their abilities to exceed expectations.
The Colonels took down some big teams at the South Regional XC Championships last weekend en route to a 2nd place finish. That gave them an automatic ticket to the cross country national meet.
Between Nikodem Dworczak, Taha Er Raouy and Mohammed Jouhari, Eastern Kentucky has a solid 1-2-3 punch. Plus, there’s still plenty of space in the lineup to get Abdelhakim Abouzouhir and Ahmed Kadri within 20 seconds of the pack.
For Eastern Kentucky to outperform their current TSR ranking, they will need to rely on pack-running while continuing to ride the wave of momentum that they’ve been on since finishing 17th at Nuttycombe.
Ben: Iowa State. They have too much talent on their team to not exceed their TSR #20 ranking. Said Mechaal has been really good this year as their front-runner, plus they have top men in Gable Sieperda and Ezekiel Rop who are way better than what their recent performances have shown so far.
The Cyclones finished 13th at Nuttycombe despite those two guys not running well. If one or both have good days, then it isn’t hard to imagine them finishing 13th again, but this time at the NCAA XC Championships.
Gavin: How about some carryover from my last answer?
There’s no way that the Buffaloes finish on the edge of the top-25...right? It feels like this is a setting that suits their strengths, both historically and contemporarily, even as a team devoid of a low-stick star. I’m more confident than not that this is a top-20 squad.
List three men who are NOT inside our XC Top 50 rankings and give us three-word descriptions as to why they will be All-Americans on Monday…
NOTE: Yes, we're counting hyphenated words as one word...work with us here.
Maura:
Dean Casey (Tennessee): Irishman cracks All-American.
Jason Bowers (East Tennessee State): NAIA overtaking NCAA.
Davis Bove (Cal Poly): Talk about range!
Ben:
Gary Martin (Virginia): Taken the leap.
Victor Shitsama (Oklahoma State): Three time All-American.
Luke Tewalt (Wake Forest): Hitting top form.
Gavin:
Cole Sprout (Stanford): Seemingly bouncing back.
Acer Iverson (Harvard): Due for it.
Luke Tewalt (Wake Forest): What Ben said.
Give us one bold prediction for the men’s race on Saturday.
Maura: The men's team finish comes down to a nail-biter for the second year in a row. However, rather than being on the losing end of a tie-breaker, the Oklahoma State Cowboys take down rival Northern Arizona by one singular point.
Ben: The men's individual national title race is decided by less than a second with Ky Robinson taking home the win.
Gavin: A year after finishing 2nd and 3rd at last year's national meet, the NAU duo of Nico Young and Drew Bosley go 1-2 on Saturday, leaving Ky Robinson on the outside-looking-in after the Stanford's Charles Hicks pulled away from them in 2022.
Open Mic: Floor is yours, say whatever you'd like.
Maura: As much as I wanted to be in Virginia for the NCAA XC Championships, I have to settle for the fourth best option, the Notre Dame vs Wake Forest football game. My boyfriend thinks I’m driving us to the game, but little does he know that he’ll be driving so that I can watch the race, text in the TSR Slack channel and proudly wear my Demon Deacons cross country shirt.
Ben: I can’t remember there being as compelling of a title race for both the individual and team titles on both the men and women’s sides. I’m sure there has been before, but this year looks like one of the most interesting races that we have seen in a while. Let’s hope it lives up to the hype!
Gavin: $20 to whoever can convince YouTube TV to put the NCAA XC Championships on a quadbox. Otherwise, I’ll have to make a tough decision about what gets relegated to the laptop during an ever-important mid-November college football Saturday.
