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April Anarchy Round of 32: Yellow Region (Men)
#1 Edward Cheserek (Oregon ‘17)
vs
#8 Robert Cheseret (Arizona ‘07)
The first matchup of this region is highlighted by two men with similar names. Everyone knows about Edward Cheserek, the former Oregon Duck who won 15 NCAA individual titles and is a name that comes up whenever anyone discusses the greatest college runner ever. He was an iconic athlete who seemed invincible only until the occasional injury got in the way. Every time he lost was front-page news just because of how shocking that result was.
Meanwhile, Robert Cheseret, while not quite as well-known, was an absolute stud for the Arizona Wildcats. During his time in Tucson, he became a consistent contender at NCAA XC Championships, finishing inside the top 10 on three occasions. While he does not have the NCAA title collection that Cheserek does, he does own two NCAA titles on the track.
Cheserek put together a dominant performance in our first round of voting, beating Josphat Boit by the largest margin in April Anarchy history (which is truthfully only a couple weeks old, but let's ignore that). Cheseret, similarly, took down Otukile Lekote in convincing fashion.
#4 Donavan Brazier (Texas A&M ‘16)
vs
#5 Bryce Hoppel (Kansas ‘19)
Are you a fan of the 800 meters? Well boy do we have a matchup in store for you.
We mentioned earlier that Clayton Murphy vs Eric Jenkins may have been the greatest matchup in our men's April Anarchy bracket so far, but Brazier vs Hoppel may end up taking that title. Let's break down these middle distance specialists and compare the main aspects of their college careers.
The first category is NCAA titles. Bryce Hoppel has the edge here as he secured two NCAA titles during his time as a Jayhawk, winning gold medals in the 800 meters at both the 2019 indoor and outdoor national meets. Meanwhile, Donavan Brazier won his only title at the 2016 Outdoor National Championships. It should be mentioned that Brazier’s title came as freshman in 2016 before he turned pro while Hoppel earned his national titles as a senior.
The second category is personal bests. Brazier has the advantage here as he ran a collegiate PR of 1:43.55 which was an NCAA record at the time (but now sits at NCAA #2 all-time behind Michael Saruni). Hoppel, however, is no slouch in this category. His collegiate PR of 1:44.41 is an NCAA #4 all-time mark.
The third category is most dominant season. Hoppel’s 2019 season was one for the books as he put together an undefeated season and won 19 individual collegiate races in a row. Brazier, on the other hand, struggled a few times in 2016. He dropped out of his heat at the Indoor National Championships due to a back injury and finished "only" 3rd at the SEC Outdoor Championship before winning his NCAA title a few weeks later.
Our last category is legacy. This is highly subjective, but we believe Brazier’s 2016 national title victory is one that track fans will remember forever. Pulling off the win over an established veteran like Brandon McBride en route to a new national record by a true freshman is a moment that will go down in history. Hoppel’s championship wins were spectacular as well, but we will likely remember his undefeated seasons more than we will any of his individual races.
Overall, this is as close of a matchup as you can ask for. Who you vote for will depend on which of these categories you prioritize.
#3 Alistair Cragg (Southern Methodist / Arkansas ‘04)
vs
#6 Leonard Korir (Iona ‘12)
Eight years between graduation ceremonies separate these two NCAA greats, but they both left their mark on the collegiate distance running scene.
Alistair Cragg and Leonard Korir both hold NCAA all-time bests in two events apiece. Cragg’s NCAA collegiate record of 7:38 in the 3000 meters still stands over 16 years after he ran the race. As for Korir, he may have only run a best of 7:51 while competing in college, but he has the upper-hand on Cragg in the 10,000 meters. Korir’s collegiate 10k best of 27:29 ranks him at NCAA #4 all-time.
Two very different races, but two great times.
As for the 5000 meters, both men have comparable collegiate bests. Cragg ran 13:16 in the outdoor 5k which ranks at NCAA #3 all-time, whereas Korir's 13:19 5k time was run during indoors and is ranked at NCAA #5 all-time.
The main difference, however, is that Cragg owns seven national titles while Korir owns "only" two. That said, Korir is a bit more of a recent name and has name recognition on his side which could appeal to the younger crowd when it comes down to voting.
#2 Josh Kerr (New Mexico ‘18)
vs
#10 Patrick Tiernan (Villanova ‘16)
It feels like an odd twist of fate that these two men have legacies that are highlighted by taking down Edward Cheserek and now they are facing each other in our April Anarchy bracket challenge. If they do well enough in the voting and get through the Sweet 16, one of them could end up seeing Cheserek yet again in the Elite 8.
Villanova’s Patrick Tiernan was the first competitor to break away from King Ches at the NCAA XC Championships which took place in the fall of 2016. Tiernan’s move with a mile to go not only broke Cheserek, but it also allowed him to win by a comfortable five seconds over runner-up Justyn Knight.
Only four months later, New Mexico’s Josh Kerr surprised the mile field at the 2017 Indoor National Championships when he passed Cheserek for the win. This was Kerr’s first national title-winning performance and would be his first major milestone before tearing up the rest of the NCAA in the 1500 meters and mile distances.
Kerr owns six All-American honors compared to Tiernan’s eight All-American honors. However, it’s Kerr’s collegiate record in the 1500 meters (3:35) and NCAA #5 all-time mile mark (3:54) that make up for those two less honors.
Kerr and Tiernan may have dominated different race distances during their time in the NCAA, but during the 2016-2017 school year, they both pulled off legendary upsets when it mattered the most.
