D2 XC TOP 20: #10-6
By: John Cusick
#10 Logan Ramlet, Junior (Colorado School of Mines)
Ramlet added his second cross country All-American award in 2017 when he finished 12th at NCAA's, besting his 2016 finish of 20th. Ramlet was a key runner for the Orediggers as they pursued the team title. He was a valuable and consistent piece of their lineup throughout the entirety of last fall.
The Mines low-stick finished 8th at the RMAC Championships and followed that up with a 13th place finish at the South Central Regional. Despite his grand success during the fall, it's slightly concerning to see that Ramlet hasn’t participated in a track season yet. Track season aside, we will see if his progression continues at the same rate in 2018.
#9 Joshua Joseph, Junior (Adams State)
Joseph had a great 2017 cross country season which saw him finish 9th at the South Central Regional. Two weeks later, he duplicated that result at the national meet, placing 9th overall once again. It was his second cross country All-American award after a 37th place finish in 2016.
Joseph qualified for the indoor national meet where he ran 14:10. He ultimately finished two spots out from the podium in 10th. Given the jump from 37th to 9th in a single year, it’s only right to at least slot him here (for now). With the way he is progressing, Joseph should have an even better 2018 than 2017.
#8 Mason Phillips, Senior (Sioux Falls)
Phillips had a wonderful cross-country season last year. In fact, he didn’t lose a single race until the National Championships that saw him finish 15th. Phillips notched wins at the Roy Griak Invitational, Fort Hays State, the NSIC Conference Championships, as well as the Central Regional Championship over the likes of Aidrus, Klemz, and Young.
Phillips rode his momentum into the indoor season where he secured new personal bests in the 800 (1:50), mile (4:07), 3000 meters (8:18), and 5000 meters (15:06). Phillips ran fast enough in the mile to qualify for the Indoor National Championships where he missed the final by finishing 12th in the prelims.Luckily, his team did qualify for the Distance Medley Relay where they finished 8th and became All-Americans.
Phillips didn’t participate during the outdoor season, so we don’t have a gauge on what we should expect come fall. However, finishing inside the top ten at the national meet should be within reach.
#7 Leakey Kipkosgei, Senior (American International)
Kipkosgei enjoyed the same type of success that Phillips had during the 2017 season. Kipkosgei ran 23:43 for 8K at the Paul Short Invite where he finished 5th. He then won the Northeast 10 Conference Championships and then proceeded to win the East Regional in a solid time of 32:38, nine seconds better than the runner-up. He bettered that time at the National Championships, running 31:10, finishing 8th, and giving him his sixth All-American honor.
Kiposgei would add his seventh All-American award during the indoor season after he successfully qualified for the 800 meter final with a time of 1:51. He didn’t compete during the outdoor season, but expect the Yellow Jacket star to be back in the thick of it come November.
#6 Elias Gedyon, Senior (Adams State)
Gedyon was a Trinidad State Junior College transfer last year and had a smooth transition into the Division II world. He finished 5th at the RMAC Championships and then saw a better result when he finished 2nd to lead the Grizzlies to a regional title. Gedyon proceeded to place 7th at the national meet that helped the Grizzlies win another team title.
The rising senior then ran 4:01 at the Husky Classic during the indoor season and qualified for the final at the national meet where he finished 5th. He also anchored the Grizzlies DMR team to a 4th place finish the night before, giving him 3/3 in All-American bids on the year.
Gedyon helped the 4xMile team participate in the Penn Relays where they easily solidified themselves as the best group of milers in Division Two. Gedyon later ran 3:49 (for 1500) at altitude which gave him a qualifying time for the outdoor meet. The ASU Grizzly ran a PR of 3:45 and finished 3rd to improve upon his indoor finish.
Given the success of the Adams program, expect Gedyon to find himself back in the top ten for the 2018 season.