7 Sleepers

Cross country is over. After months of giving our attention to all of the long-distance stars that the NCAA has to offer, it's time to transition to a season that has a much wider range of competition. It's been quite a while since we last discussed some of the biggest and brightest names on the track. However, there are also plenty of talented individuals and teams that may not be on your radar...even though they should be. Here are our "Seven Sleepers" for the upcoming indoor track season.

7. Diego Leon / Rs. Junior / Montana State

It happens every year. Once indoor track begins and fast times are run, people begin to question the validity of flat-track and altitude conversions. Many will argue that the conversions are too generous while others will argue that, for the most part, they've been relatively accurate. For Diego Leon, the conversion debate centered around him in 2016 after a 4:07 mile in a tri-meet against Idaho State and Weber State was given both flat-track and altitude conversions to bring the time down to 3:59.13. Leon would finish with the 21st fastest time in the nation and, after scratches, end up as the 2nd individual out of NCAA's for the mile. However, he would have most likely been the 1st person out of NCAA's due to Colby Gilbert (2016 NCAA mile rank #20) presumably scratching.

Leon would later go on to place 25th at the Husky Classic with a 4:o4 mile. There was no conversion associated with that time. The 2017-2018 season will be validation as to whether or not Leon's fitness is actually on par with a sub-four mile. Could we see another Cristian Soratos or Pat Casey emerge from this Montana State program? With another year of training under his belt, Leon could be the next big-name miler to take the nation by storm.

6. Brennan Munley / Senior / Michigan

The 800 meter is such a tough deep and talented event. Every year, it always seems to get even better with so many elite individuals cycling in and out of the NCAA system. Emmanuel Korir just went pro and signed with Nike while Isaiah Harris just became a World Championship qualifier. Yet, every once in a while, there is an under-appreciated talent that continues to put up solid and impressive performances. Brennan Munley is just one of those consistent performers who gives Michigan a reliable mid-distance talent in almost any meet.

Since the start of his collegiate career in 2015, Munley has dipped under the 1:50 barrier 20 times. He owns a personal best of 1:48.24 from last indoor season where he finished 24th overall in the nation. This winter, Munley returns as the 15th best returner in the 800. He has the consistency down and he knows how to race against some of the top competition in the nation. Now, he just needs to get past that 1:48 mark and give himself a shot at qualifying for Nationals. 1:47 high (and maybe faster) is certainly within his grasp.

5. Georgetown Hoyas

Their cross country season was a bit of a wash. The inexperience got the best of the Hoyas and they simply didn't have enough reliable depth. With the longer distances, Georgetown needs to make some improvements. But on the track? Don't expect more of the same. This group is another year older and has plenty of talented names in their arsenal.

Joe White returns to the indoor oval for another run at the NCAA title and the resume he boasts is super impressive. He's taken down Isaiah Harris in a 1k with a time of 2:21, finished 3rd at both the Indoor and Outdoor NCAA Championships, and broke the 1:46 barrier this past spring with a personal best of 1:45.73. He may be one of the most dangerous weapons in the NCAA.

Jonathan Green is another big name. After returning back to his peak fitness from 2015, Green looks like a guy that could easily qualify for NCAA's in both the 3k and 5k. Last indoor season, he ran a PR of 13:45 in the 5k, and that was after a non-existent cross country season. Imagine what he could do with few months of productive training and racing prior to the start of the winter season.

Oh and did we forget to mention that Scott Carpenter and Amos Bartelsmeyer have returned to the Georgetown program as a graduate students? Carpenter will be one of the top names in the 3000 meters this winter with a PR of 7:51. He also has some nice range in the mile with an indoor best of 4:03. Bartlesmeyer, of course, has been one of Georgetown's staple milers for the best few years. With a PR of 3:58, Bartlesmeyer could help bring a competitive Georgetown DMR back into NCAA.

You also can't forget about the development of 2nd year stars like Jack Van Scoter, Eion Nohilly, and Matthew Bouthillette who handled a heavy workload as just freshmen incredibly well in their first year of competition. Don't be surprised if one of these guys is able to have a breakout season. They will most likely be joined by key recruits like Ty Brownlow (NXN All-American) as well as two 1:49 high schoolers (Rey Rivera and Ruach Padhal).

Senior leadership, elite talent returning to the track, development of young stars, and top-tier recruits make the Georgetown Hoyas a very exciting team to watch. Do not sleep on the potential fireworks that they could display this winter.

4. Garrett Corcoran / Senior / California

Is it fair to classify a 7:52 3k guy as a "sleeper"? One of the most undermentioned and underrated names in the NCAA is California senior Garrett Corcoran. The Cal Golden Bear has done some serious work on the track and has grown up around some recent Cal stars such as Chris Walden, Thomas Joyce, and even teammate Trent Brendel. With a personal best of 3:59 in the mile and 13:57 in the 5k, Corcoran has the perfect combination of speed and endurance to become one of the more dominant 3000 meter runners in the nation. Admittedly, his times and finishes are a bit scattered and he has yet to walk away with an individual win. Still, if his consistency improves, then Corcoran could position himself as a podium favorite by March.

3. Indiana Hoosiers

Much like the Hoyas, it's easy to forget about all of the hidden weapons and depth that Indiana could potentially flex this indoor season. Their biggest star, Daniel Kuhn, is one guy that many people will easily overlook. He's been one of the best 800 runners in the nation for the past years, but it wasn't until last winter when he ran an incredible 1:46.42 to tie for the 4th fastest time in the NCAA. He would go on to place 6th at the Indoor NCAA Championships to become an All-American for the first time in his collegiate career.

Yet, Kuhn wasn't the only Hoosier to dip under the 1:50. Both Jordan Huntoon (junior) and Cooper Williams (freshman) were able to record 1:49's last winter. They'll return for the 2017-2018 and continue to give Indiana plenty of depth in the middle distances.

A pair of runners that should be on your watch list are Kyle Mau and Bryce Millar. Mau has wrecked havoc at the mile / 3k distance while Millar has found more success at the longer distances (3k & 5k). As just a freshman, Mau progressed down from a 4:08 to a 4:02 to a 4:00 PR. He earned wins in all three of those races and later went on to anchor his DMR to a 9:28 at Alex Wilson to secure the win as well as a spot to NCAA's. It also helped that he popped off an 8:07 3k midway through the season. Bryce Millar, on the other hand, opened up his season with a 13:59 5k and followed that up an 8:02 3k a month and a half later (in January). He was able to add in a 4:05 PR for good measure. As just freshmen, these two did an outstanding job. They may not have broken the four-minute mile barrier or the eight-minute mark, but those times seem very realistic with another year of experience under their belt.

And what about Joseph Murphy? While the two Hoosier freshmen were catching all of the attention, the sophomore was quietly piecing together a very solid season with personal bests of 1:50, 2:28 (1k), and 4:02. Murphy brought even more depth to a team that was littered with young and budding talent. Yet, it wasn't until the outdoor season where Murphy began to show his true potential by clicking off a mind-blowing 8:47 steeplechase PR. This kid has some serious range, so don't be surprised if you see even more of him in the coming months.

In all of this madness, discussion of future stars, and praise of depth, there is one individual that may be easy for many to forget: Ben Veatch. The rising ace is coming off of a monster cross country season where he qualified for NCAA's as an individual after to back-to-back 4th place finishes at both BIG 10's and Great Lakes. He has yet to run a season of collegiate track, but with his progression on the grass and high school PR's of 4:08 and 8:53, it is safe to say that this redshirt freshman could be a dynamo individual with the ability to battle some of the best in the NCAA this winter.

2. Avery Bartlett / Junior / Georgia Tech

Much like Corcoran, it may be a little unfair to classify Bartlett as a sleeper pick. Still, when you consider how deep and talented the 800 field has been over the past few years, it's very possible that a 1:47 guy may go under appreciated. Bartlett began his 2016-2017 indoor track season with minor success. He slowly began to drop his mile time from 4:11 to 4:08 and fulfilled his duties on multiple relays. It wouldn't be until the middle of February that we would see Bartlett make his debut in the 800 at the Music City Challenge where he ran 1:49. Fast forward to ACC's and Bartlett pulled off a huge 1:47.32 PR. However, he was 4th in that race behind a trio of elite half-milers and, for the most part, would go largely unnoticed despite ranking 11th in the nation. Bartlett would go on to run another 1:47 and a 3:46 during outdoor track. As he enters the ranks of being an upperclassmen, Bartlett will now have the necessary experience and confidence to be one of the top contenders in the nation. When you think about it, he's only .33 seconds away from becoming a 1:46 guy.

1. Ole Miss Milers

It's a new era for the Ole Miss men. Craig Engels has turned pro while Manahan, Domanic, and Gilley only have outdoor track eligibility left. Still, there are plenty of high-level talents on this squad that could do some serious damage in the Mile this winter. Sean Tobin, the face of this Rebels team, has a PR of 3:59 from his freshman year, consistently produces solid DMR legs, and put up exciting results from the 800 to the 3k. However, as Tobin prepares to graduate, Parker Scott will look to take his role. As a freshman, Scott redshirted his indoor season, but toed the line during outdoors where he earned personal bests of 1:50 and 3:44. With times like that, don't be surprised if you see the 2nd-year Rebel make an impact during indoor track.

Outside of those two, are left with one of the biggest question marks of this season in Robert Domanic. According to TFRRS, he was a junior last year, even though he has competed in four seasons of indoor track. IF Domanic has eligibility for this winter, then he could be one of the most dangerous athletes in the nation. Why? Because at the Adrian Martinez last summer, Domanic ripped open a HUGE 3:54 mile and qualified for the USA Championships in the 1500 (thanks to the conversion). With PR's of 1:49 in the 800 and 7:54 in the 3k, his range could prove to be especially useful in all kinds of tactical races. Again, this is only if Domanic has eligibility. He is listed as a senior on the Ole Miss track roster for the 2017-2018 year, so it's very possible that he'll be an active competitor throughout the next few months.

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