Three Sentences Or Less: 2024 Joe Piane Invitational Preview & Predictions

Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Oct 2, 2024
11 min read

Updated: Oct 2, 2024

The Joe Piane Invitational is one of the nation's more competitive regular season cross country meets each and every year. And while the Notre Dame-hosted invitational may not hold the same Kolas implications that the Nuttycombe Invite did/will, there are still a number of teams that deserve plenty of attention.

Not only that, but this meet will even feature multiple national title and podium threats going head-to-head -- a rare treat for the very first weekend of October.

Just like last week, I am implementing our "three sentences or less" rule.

I will list every men's and women's team at the 2024 Joe Piane Invitational, but I'll only be able to offer a maximum of three sentences of analysis for each of those programs. In order to get this preview out at a reasonable time, this felt like the most effective method to utilize.

Oh, and don't forget to check out our predictions below!

Let's begin...

Click here for list of entered teams

Men's Preview

Adams State Grizzlies

After losing a number of top scorers from their 2023 lineup, this year's Adams State squad will enter the Joe Piane Invite with the goal of figuring out what their new additions are capable of. We know that Romain Legendre is one of the best individuals in this field regardless of division, but it's the returning veterans and high-upside newcomers who make the Grizzlies massive x-factors.

Romain Legendre crossing the line to win the D2 outdoor 5k title // Photo via Jaqueline Kirby

Appalachian State Mountaineers

Calbert Guest and Ethan Lipham are two respectable names who should give the Mountaineers decent enough scoring on Friday. However, the absence of a few key names from last year's conference title-winning lineup (despite still being listed on their TFRRS roster), leaves this team limited on scoring options.

Belmont Bruins

This is a better team than some people realize. Guys such as Carter Cheeseman, Kevin Vanderkolk, Jacob Ricks, Nick Mota, Zach Brill, Zac Shaffer and Ethan Hammer don't necessarily stand out as individuals. However, as a collective group, the Bruins should at least be able to hold their own on Friday.

Boise State Broncos

This will be a very telling race for a Boise State squad that was better last fall than some people may remember. Tom Graham-Marr and Brian Kiprotich both have a chance of being top-30 names in this field and Tom Patrick is a sneaky-solid name as well. With enough returners from last year, we don't expect there to be too many major gaps in this lineup.

Bradley Braves

Jayde Rosslee has a chance to prove on Friday that he can be a lead scorer despite his youth. Michael Rebello should be a respectable enough secondary scorer and the depth on this team should be passable. However, simply cracking the top-10 would likely be considered a highly successful outing for the Braves.

California Baptist Lancers

After losing a number of top names from last year's team (as well as their coach), it's going to be challenging for the California Baptist men to match last year's success. The runners who they do bring back -- Valentin Soca, Matias Reynaga and Daniel Abdala -- should give the Lancers a solid core to rally around on Saturday. Even so, the depth on this team seems far more limited than it's been in recent years.

Cincinnati Bearcats

Patrick Kiprop is an overseas rookie from Kenya who looks like he has enough raw talent to be a top-20 name in this field. Thomas Ashby and Isaac Schachleiter are two other underclassman who showed promise as rookies and could be due for big races. That being said, the Bearcats will most certainly be underdogs to crack the top-half of this field after a relatively unexciting 2023 fall campaign.

Patrick Kiprop competing at the Sam Bell Invite // Photo via Cincinnati Athletics

Grand Valley State Lakers

We're expecting the Grand Valley State men to have excellent depth this year (again). However, we're mainly looking to see how potent their low-sticks -- specifically, Caleb Futter, Koby Fraaza and Brock Wooderson -- will be in this field. The Lakers are capable of being a podium team this fall, but Futter being a top-10 name and him having multiple All-American teammates will be necessary if that is going to happen.

Liberty Flames

In theory, this is a great team, but they need all of their best pieces to come together and run well on the same day. Nicholas Kiprotich is a low-stick-caliber talent, Tristan Merchant has the pedigree to be a high-impact scorer and a freshman named Edwin Kiprop who has run 13:47 (5k) gives the Flames plenty of firepower. Don't sleep on Liberty, they could be a major sleeper team in this field.

Miami (OH) RedHawks

Mhalicki Bronson, Patrick Wills and Chris Perkins are a respectable top-three. However, that group will need to exceed expectations in an effort to cover the limited depth of their lineup.

Michigan State Spartans

This is going to be a huge first test for the Michigan State men who have tons of depth and one or two names who could emerge as low-sticks. It seems highly unlikely that the Spartans will have a poor outing on Friday, but can they find enough upfront firepower to be a top-five team in this field?

Jack Pennewell competing in the 5k at the Raleigh Relays // Photo via Noah Burton

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks

The NAU men are seemingly going to run a full lineup this weekend at the Joe Piane Invite. As long as their top names go out and execute, then the Lumberjacks should be able to win somewhat comfortably...although not necessarily easily.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The amount of depth that the Notre Dame men could showcase on Friday feels almost overwhelming. However, the biggest question is, how many runners can they put in the top-10 without Josh Methner? The Fighting Irish have multiple men who have the potential to be low-sticks, but actually delivering on that upside is far from a given.

Oklahoma Sooners

Thobias Cheruiyot, a talented transfer from Toledo, should be able to give the Oklahoma men a low-stick via a top-20 finish on Friday. However, there are a small handful of individuals on the Sooners' TFRRS roster (all of whom seem to be international additions) who are not listed in the entries. Regardless of Friday's outcome, don't be too eager to jump to assumptions about what Oklahoma can or cannot do this fall.

Purdue Boilermakers

This was a young team last year that showed tons of promise. The trio of Nathan Walker, Douglas Buckeridge and Caleb Williams all have a somewhat realistic shot of cracking the top-25 individuals spots and their depth should at least be good enough to get by. They'll be slight underdogs to crack the top-five, but it's plenty possible.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

After adding a handful of international talents with possible low-stick capabilities, the Red Raiders suddenly look like a national-caliber team. We know that Ernest Cheruiyot is a top name in this field, but there remains plenty of uncertainty regarding the rest of this lineup. That's especially true given that their prized signee, Solomon Kipchoge, isn't shown in the entries at the time of writing this article.

The Texas Tech men on the starting line // Photo via Texas Tech Athletics

Washington State Cougars

Evans Kurui looks like he has the potential to be a national-caliber star, but that's only based off of his early-season rust-buster. Pairing Kurui with Brian Barsaiya and Kelvin Limo should give this team a fairly complete top-three, but it's the latter-half of this lineup that will ultimately determine where the Cougars finish on Friday.

Wyoming Cowboys

After a highly encouraging win at the Roy Griak Invitational, the Wyoming men need to show that they are, in fact, the real deal. We feel good enough about Ryker Holtzen, Jacob White and Mason Norman, but will a larger and stronger field exploit the gap between those three and their latter-two scorers?

Youngstown State Penguins

The Penguins are probably better than their 7th place finish at the Roy Griak Invite suggests. Even so, this team needs to close down on the gap between low-stick Hunter Christopher and the rest of their lineup.

Women's Preview

Adams State Grizzlies

The overwhelming favorites for the women's D2 national title this year enter South Bend as legitimate threats for a top-five finish. While they don't have a superstar ace like Brianna Robles or Stephanie Cotter to lean on, their mass number of All-Americans should raise their floor high enough to the point where they'll avoid a poor outing.

BYU Cougars

The BYU women will venture to South Bend, Indiana to compete against a handful of fellow national title contenders such as Northern Arizona and Notre Dame. The former seemingly won't have star low-stick Elise Stearns, opening the door for the Cougars' quartet of Lexy Halladay-Lowry, Jenna Hutchins, Carmen Alder and Riley Chamberlain to overwhelm the front of this field. Carmen Riano is not listed in the entries, but BYU should have more than enough reinforcements to ensure that the scoring of their top-four is fully supported.

Lexy Halladay-Lowry after competing in the 3k at the NCAA Indoor Championships // Photo via Andrew LeMay

Belmont Bruins

Rachel Soukup had a quietly-great showing at the Southern Showcase and could find herself in the top-30 of this field on a good day. Brooke Garter and Grace Litzinger also showed promise and are experienced veterans. It would be a massive performance if this group cracked the top-10, but gunning for a top-15 finish seems more realistic.

Boise State Broncos

The very best versions of Autumn Ost, Yasmin Marghini and Kaiya Robertson make the Broncos a sneaky-good team capable of pulling off upsets. That's especially true if 15:59 (5k) runner and recent Pitt transfer, Emily Jobes, is able to emerge as a low-stick. The talent is there for Boise State, but we'll be looking to see if each woman can deliver on their potential.

Bradley Braves

The loss of Wilma Nielsen leaves the Braves without their lead scorer from last year. Thankfully, they do return most of their women from last fall and it seems like there are many women who hold great youth-based upside. Nadia Potgieter will be a key name to watch after running a 5k PR of 16:10 in the spring, but this field is going to force the somewhat-young Braves to grow up very fast.

California Baptist Lancers

Yasna Petrova will likely be a top-15 low-stick in this field and she could even crack the top-10 on a good day. However, after a mass number of crucial departures from last year's group, the Lancers will simply be aiming to rediscover their identity as a team this weekend.

Central Michigan Chippewas

If Emily Paupore is firing on all cylinders, then she can be a solid low-stick in this field. However, the Chippewas lost a couple of key middle-lineup scorers from last fall (or at least, they're not listed in the entries) and their pack was well off from Paupore. The Central Michigan women have tons of younger runners, so it's possible that someone has a big breakout race on Friday.

Eastern Michigan Eagles

Paige Marchant looks like she could be a solid lead scorer for the Eagles as could Anita Zaro who had a nice spring campaign in the steeplechase. However, Eastern Michigan lost a number of scorers from last year's group, leaving us to wonder how they will fill the gaps.

Grand Valley State Lakers

At first glance, this looks like a fully-stacked lineup. However, the Lakers do not have their star low-stick, Lauren Kiley, listed in the entries. That certainly isn't ideal, but the more important objective for the GVSU women should be to find another low-stick who can run alongside/near Kiley, Abby Olson and Allie Arnsman.

Lauren Kiley crossing the line at the NCAA D2 XC Championships // Photo via Jaqueline Kirby

Kansas Jayhawks

Dorcas Kiptanui likely has a shot of being a top-30 talent for this team on Friday and you could say the same thing about Kenadi Krueger who has had multiple moments of promise as of late. That would be a welcomed development for a Kansas squad that didn't have much of an scoring edge last fall. Even so, they'll be underdogs to finish in the top-half of this field.

Liberty Flames

Do not sleep on the Liberty women this season. To our surprise, Adelyn Fairley (a strong low-stick at her very best) has returned, as has a promising secondary scorer in Ava Gordon. Of course, with the addition of high school superstar Allie Zealand, the Flames have a chance to fight for a top-five finish on Friday.

Michigan State Spartans

It feels like the Michigan State women have their entire roster listed in the entries. That, of course, makes sense as they showcased some of the best depth in the entire NCAA last fall. The return of Kaitlyn Hines and Katelyn Stewart-Barnett should allow this team to crack the top-five, but the absence of low-stick Makenna Veen seemingly limits MSU's ceiling.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Ramat Jimoh should be a somewhat competitive name, but this is going to be an uphill battle for the Mississippi State women.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks

The absence of Elise Stearns and Ali Upshaw is hardly ideal as the BYU women seemingly have their full catalog of low-stick weapons listed for this weekend. Even so, this course heavily favors women like Maggi Congdon and Alex Carlson while Karrie Baloga and Alyson Churchill could break up the scoring groups of BYU and Notre Dame. You could argue that the Northern Arizona women are still favored to win this race, but it wouldn't surprise us if they dropped to 2nd place.

The Northern Arizona women on the podium at the NCAA XC Championships // Photo via Andrew LeMay

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

There is a very realistic scenario where the Notre Dame women secure the team title over two strong national title favorites this weekend. They are, after all, racing on their home course. However, a team victory will likely require Emily Covert, Siona Chisholm, Sophie Novak and Erin Strzelecki all delivering on their peak talent as well as a younger runner having a breakout race.

Oklahoma Sooners

The additions of Leah Jeruto (9:32 PR in steeple) and Megan Johnson (2024 D3 steeple champion), as well as a few others, should keep the Sooners somewhat competitive on Friday. Even so, it feels like Oklahoma still has a long ways to go if they want to be a top-10 team in this field.

Purdue Boilermakers

Emma Squires is a very solid name while Jaelyn Burgos showed promise in the steeplechase this past spring. Payne Turney should add decent enough supporting as well. Even so, the Boilermakers seem to be underdogs to earn a top-half finish in this field.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Juliet Cherubet is going to a true standout name in this field and someone who could maybe even earn the overall win. Anastasia Chepkorir also looks like she can be a very strong secondary scorer. The key to this team, however, is freshman Taytum Goodman who has shown early promise and could bridge the gap between the two halves of this lineup.

Juliet Cherubet (center) on the starting line of the 1500m prelims at the NCAA Championships // Photo via Andrew LeMay

Vanderbilt Commodores

Bria Bennis looks like she could be a standout for the Vanderbilt women throughout her collegiate career if she's able to maintain this rate of growth. Caroline Eck made plenty of great progress on the track and the same could be said about Julia Rosenberg. However, Eck isn't listed in the entries for this weekend, something that the Commodore women will need to cover on Friday.

Washington State Cougars

Between Zenah Cheptoo, Neema Kimtai and Caroline Jepkorir, the overall firepower of this lineup is quietly very dangerous. If we see the 2022 version of Alaina Stone Boggs on Friday, then it wouldn't totally shock us if the Cougars were a top-five team.

Western Ontario Mustangs

I would be lying to you if I said that I knew much about this team. However, they seem to be one of the better collegiate cross country programs in Canada, leading us to believe that they could at least remain competitive with a good portion of this field.

Wyoming Cowgirls

A 3rd place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational two weeks ago was an encouraging start to Wyoming's season. On that stage, Kylie Simshauser and Abigail Whitman looked like solid lead scorers via their top-10 finishes. However, the gap between those two women and their latter three scorers will need to be tightened if they don't want a larger field exploiting that opening.