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April Anarchy Round of 64: Yellow Region (Men)
#1 Edward Cheserek (Oregon ‘17)
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#16 Josphat Boit (Arkansas '06)
There’s a reason Ed Cheserek is known as King Ches. That reason is 15 NCAA individual titles (and 17 total titles including relays). Almost any individual year of Cheserek’s career could have earned him a spot in this bracket, but the 2015-16 academic calednar was especially strong. Cheserek won the XC title, indoor 3k/5k/DMR triple gold and the outdoor 5k/10k double gold that that year.
King Ches won three straight NCAA XC titles between 2013-2015 and finished 3rd in 2016 in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history. In 19 individual NCAA Championship races, Cheserek lost only four times.
The former Oregon Duck is the national record holder in the mile at 3:52.01 and NCAA #4 all-time in the 3000 meters with his collegiate best of 7:40.51. His 5k and 10k collegiate personal bests of 13:18 and 28:30 were both run at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Josphat Boit emerged from the collegiate ranks with two national titles, taking home NCAA gold in the indoor 5k and the outdoor 10k. In addition to Boit’s two wins, he also placed 3rd in the indoor 3k and runner-up in the outdoor 5k. Although both of Boit’s victories came in his senior season, Boit took in eight All-American performances throughout his career.
Boit’s collegiate bests include a 28:07 (10k) and 13:28 (5k).
#8 Robert Cheseret (Arizona ‘07)
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#9 Otukile Lekote (South Carolina ‘02)
Robert Cheseret was an incredible talent during his time at the University of Arizona. He won a pair of individual titles after winning the 2004 outdoor 5k and the 2005 10k. Cheseret also collected five more top-four finishes on the track. He also finished in the top 10 at the NCAA XC Championships in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
During his time at Arizona, Cheseret ran 3:41 (1500), 13:22 (5k) (13:13 out-of-season) and 28:20 (10k). A little-known fact about Cheseret is that he isn't even the fastest runner in his family. Despite having a different last name, he is the younger brother of Bernard Lagat.
Otukile Lekote had some outstanding 800 meter success for the Gamecocks. In 2001, Lekote won the NCAA outdoor 800 meter title, then came back the following year and won both the indoor and outdoor titles. That gave Lekote three straight national titles in 365 days. His personal best of 1:44.47 stands as the South Carolina 800 meter school record nearly 20 years later.
#5 Bryce Hoppel (Kansas ‘19)
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#12 Drew Windle (Ashland ‘15)
Kansas’ Bryce Hoppel went undefeated during the 2019 indoor and outdoor track seasons, producing a perfect 21-0 record. Hoppel not only had a fantastic run in the 800 meters during his junior season as a Jayhawk, but he also recorded the NCAA #5 all-time 800 meter mark when he ran 1:44.41 at the 2019 outdoor national meet. A two-time national champion, Hoppel stood out in an era that produced many of the greatest collegiate middle distance runners ever.
Ashland’s Drew Windle was a six-time D2 800 meter champion across the indoor and outdoor seasons. Windle owned a college best of 1:46.91, a time he recorded during the 2014 season. He placed 3rd at the 2015 NYRR Millrose Games in the 1000 meters, getting the better of some top-level athletes. Windle’s success in the 800 doesn’t go unnoticed in Division Two as he holds the NCAA's #6 all-time fastest mark.
#4 Donavan Brazier (Texas A&M ‘18)
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#13 Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State ‘19)
Donavan Brazier of Texas A&M was a true freshman when he won the 800 meter national title at the 2016 Outdoor National Championships. What makes this win so impactful was that Brazier recorded a time of 1:43, a national record at the time that lasted until April 2018. In his only year as a collegiate athlete before turning professional, Brazier not only won an outdoor title and set a then-collegiate record, he also bested the American Junior indoor and outdoor records.
Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) was a seven-time D2 NCAA champion while competing at the collegiate level. He won the indoor 3k from 2016 to 2018 and finished runner-up in 2019. He also won the indoor 5k national titles in 2016, 2018, and 2019 and was 3rd in 2017.
Amongst these accomplishments, Gidabuday never finished outside of the top 18 at an NCAA-sanctioned championship, cross country or track. While at Adams State, Gidabuday ran the indoor 3k national record (7:54) as well as the NCAA #2 all-time mark in the 5000 meters (13:29).
#6 Leonard Korir (Iona ‘12)
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#11 Charles Jock (UC Irvine ‘12)
It speaks to the amount of talent that has passed through the NCAA in the last two decades that Leonard Korir is only a six seed. The Iona product earned two NCAA titles in the 5k at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships and the 10k at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships. His collegiate bests also rank amongst the best of all-time.
His 27:29 10k ranks as the NCAA #4 all-time and his 13:19 indoor 5k is NCAA #5 all-time mark. He was also a strong cross country runner, finishing 4th at the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championships between two other stars - Sam Chelanga and Stephen Sambu.
One of the most talented middle distance runners of his era, Charles Jock nearly won back-to-back outdoor national titles in the 800 meters. In 2011, he was 2nd to Robby Andrews who pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in NCAA history. However, Jock, in his signature style, went out hard and ended up with an NCAA #11 all-time mark in the outdoor 800 meters, running 1:44.75. The Anteater alum got his revenge in 2012 as he won his only NCAA title.
#3 Alistair Cragg (Southern Methodist / Arkansas ‘04)
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#14 Donn Cabral (Princeton ‘12)
South African native Alistair Cragg put together an all-time career during his time as a Razorback, compiling 13 All-American finishes and an eye-popping seven national title. He won five titles in the 3k and 5k indoors as well as 5k and 10k national titles during outdoors. Cragg never won a title in cross country, but finished 3rd, 2nd and 8th from 2001 to 2003. He owns the collegiate 3k record with a time of 7:38 and is the NCAA's #3 all-time performer in the outdoor 5k with his 13:16 collegiate nest. After David Kimani’s graduation, Cragg was the dominant force of the sport in the early 2000's.
One of America’s top steeplechase talents, Donn Cabral took home the 2012 NCAA steeplechase title and also earned two runner-up finishes in the event in 2010 and 2011. One of his most notable accomplishments is his 8:19 steeplechase PR which he set in May of 2012. This time earned an NCAA #2 all-time position in his signature event as well as the American collegiate record.
#7 Brandon McBride (Mississippi State ‘16)
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#10 Patrick Tiernan (Villanova ‘16)
Brandon McBride was an 800 meter star during one of the best eras ever for that event in the NCAA. During his career, he went up against all-time greats such as Donavan Brazier, Clayton Murphy and Edward Kemboi on a consistent basis. McBrides’ collegiate best of 1:44.50 is an NCAA #5 all-time mark, but it was the second fastest time in NCAA history when he ran it in 2016.
However, that 1:44 did not win him a title as Donavan Brazier took home the 2016 title in 1:43 while McBride had to settle for runner-up. The Mississippi State product did take home two NCAA titles during his career. Both were in 2014 when he won indoor and outdoor gold.
There are not many runners who have an iconic moment in their career that will endure the test of time. However, Patrick Tiernan’s 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championship win is a race that will go down as one of the most memorable collegiate races of all time.
The Villanova Wildcat was going up against the overwhelming favorite Edward Cheserek who had won the previous three cross country titles. Yet, it was Tiernan who broke Cheserek in the last mile and took home the national title. Because of the magnitude of this victory, the rest of the Australian’s career is sometimes overlooked. He was a four-time All-American in cross country, never finishing outside of the top 20. He was 3rd in the 5000 meters at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track Championships, owned a collegiate best of 13:25 and later qualified for the Olympics that summer before his cross country national title.
#2 Josh Kerr (New Mexico ‘18)
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#15 Tyler Day (Northern Arizona ’20)
Another runner with an all-time performance is Josh Kerr who put his name on the map when he upset Edward Cheserek in the mile at the 2017 indoor national meet. The New Mexico star would go on to win two more NCAA titles in the 1500 and the mile. During his New Mexico career, Kerr also ran some of the fastest times in NCAA history. He owns the collegiate record in the 1500 meters with a time of 3:35. Additionally, Kerr ran a time of 3:54 in the mile which is the NCAA's #5 all-time mark.
One athlete whose prospective resume took a shot with the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track Championships was Tyler Day who set an indoor 5k American collegiate record this past winter, running 13:16. He has also has run 7:45 in the 3k (NCAA #12 all-time) and 28:04 in the 10k. Three times has the Lumberjack finished as an All-American at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, finishing as high as 3rd in 2017 and 6th in 2018.
From 2016 to 2018, Day was a key contributor to NAU’s historic run of three NCAA team titles in cross country. On the track, he was an All-American twice in the 10k, finishing 4th in 2018.
