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TSR's 2022 Preseason D1 XC Top 50 Rankings: #50-41 (Men)
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Jul 19, 2022
- 10 min read
50. Ed Trippas, Senior, Washington
Everyone knows Ed Trippas for his steeplechase success...and rightfully so.
The 2021 Aussie Olympian has put together a steeplechase resume that is amongst the best in collegiate history. His 8:19 personal best along with his recent 5th place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships (in a historically elite field) gives his resume tons of firepower.
However, the former Princeton runner and recent Washington graduate transfer has a sneaky-good cross country resume as well, one that is much better than I was expecting to see going into my ranking debates with Gavin and Ben.
Last fall, Trippas won the "Open" race at Paul Short, although that was only his rust-buster for the season. He would later on go on to secure a modest, but respectable, 39th place finish at Pre-Nationals before finishing runner-up at the Ivy League XC Championships.
A 6th place finish at the Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championships followed by a 67th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships were solid results. However, they largely mirrored the same talent level that we saw from Trippas throughout the entirety of the season.
On paper, those cross country results would probably put Trippas closer to our "Just Missed" portion rather than our TSR #50 spot. However, his steeplechase results are hard to ignore. Running 8:19 and in the low 8:20s multiple times is elite-level stuff.
Because of those marks, people will likely expect to see Trippas higher in our rankings. But keep in mind that Trippas' 8:19 PR came before the fall of 2021 and while his outdoor track season was phenomenal, he didn't necessarily improve time-wise from the prior summer.
Even so, Trippas is too good to leave out of our rankings. Despite his veteran status, he still has some strong upside and for the most part, he feels like a generally reliable runner to put in our XC Top 50.
49. Will Smith, Sophomore, Gonzaga
Maybe one of the most underrated names in the NCAA is Gonzaga's Will Smith. While many people rightfully view James Mwaura as the face of the Bulldogs' cross country roster, it's Smith who has a high-potential resume as far as scoring is concerned.
Smith was first introduced to the NCAA during the winter cross country season when he placed 11th at the West Coast Conference XC Championships and then faltered quite a bit at the NCAA Winter XC Championships by placing 217th.
Fast forward to the fall and Smith was a different runner. After a few unexciting rust-busters, Smith threw down a monster 11th place finish at Nuttycombe, asserting himself as Gonzaga's unexpected new low-stick. In that race, Smith took down top-tier names such as Alec Basten, Olin Hacker, teammate James Mwuara and many other All-American-caliber stars.
After 7th and 14th place finishes at the West Coast Conference XC Championships and the West Regional XC Championships, Smith would toe the line for the national meet once again...and yet again, he would struggle, placing 241st overall.
Admittedly, Smith really only has one result on his resume which is worthy of a ranking. We also can't ignore that his two national meet appearances have also been flat-out bad.
Still, finishing 11th at Nuttycombe doesn't come as a fluke. That's an incredible result and there are other aspects of his resume that are at least good enough to validate his talent.
The fall of 2022 will be a big "prove it" season for Smith, but if he does "prove it", then he could be a massive problem for his competition.
48. Nickolas Scudder, Junior, Charlotte
"Garrett, why did you have Scudder in your rankings? He didn't even qualify for the national meet last year!"
That's what one of our writers asked me when we sat down to construct our XC Top 50.
And honestly, it was a fair question.
Yes, it's true. The Charlotte veteran didn't qualify for the national meet last year and when you look at his previous cross country results, the best finish he had was a 76th place finish at the NCAA Winter XC Championships.
So what happened during the fall of 2021 that ultiamtely allowed Scudder to crack our top-50?
Well, a 3rd place finish at Joe Piane and a 14th place finish at Nuttycombe are two incredible results. Those are two of the three most competitive regular season meets in the country. To finish that highly in both races is fantastic and if the entire season were just those two races, then Scudder would comfortably be one of the best names in the country.
And it's not like Scudder was horrific in the postseason. He earned silver at his conference meet (behind a teammate) and placed 11th at the Southeast Regional XC Championships. Unfortunately, Athanas Kioko, Fearghal Curtin, JP Flavin and teammate Paul Arredondo are very challenging names to defeat when individual national qualification is on the line.
Now, admittedly, if Scudder is going to be a top-50 name in the country this fall, then being one of the four individual at-large bids to the national meet seems like a bare minimum requirement for 2022.
Even so, we can't ignore how good Scudder was in high-pressure, national-caliber meets. For that reason, we have him ranked at TSR #48.
47. Ahmed Jaziri, Senior, Eastern Kentucky
Much like Ed Trippas, a lot of people reading this will know more about Jaziri's steeplechase accolades than his cross country accolades, which is entirely understandable.
Jaziri has been a great steeplechaser and solid distance runner for a few seasons now. However, he didn't truly solidify himself as an NCAA elite until this past winter and spring.
The Eastern Kentucky star posted a strong 7:47 (3k) personal best this past winter before going to the outdoor oval, running 8:23 in the steeplechase, qualifying for the national meet and then running 8:18 in the steeplechase to win the national title.
Not too bad, huh?
However, Jaziri's entire cross country career has consisted of very little racing, easy conference titles and little national meet experience.
During the winter cross country season, Jaziri placed a respectable 33rd at the FSU Winter XC Classic, won the ASUN title and then placed 71st at the NCAA Winter XC Championships. During the fall of 2021, he was 2nd in the "Open" race at Joe Piane, won Panorama Farms, won another ASUN title...and that was it.
Everything about Jaziri's steeplechase resume has us wanting to put him much higher than this. In fact, we feel like we're making a mistake by ranking him this low.
However, Jaziri rarely faces top-tier competition on the grass. When he does, he holds his own, but he doesn't necessarily look like a top-50 runner, either.
Jaziri was not a name we had fun ranking, mainly because there's a good chance that he'll make us regret this decision later this year.
46. Fearghal Curtin, Senior, Charleston Southern
Despite this being the first set of 10 names in our rankings, it's possible that Fearghal Curtin could get lost in this star-studded list.
But make no mistake, Curtin is more than deserving of this ranking.
The fall of 2021 was an all-around strong one for Curtin. A 5th place finish at the FSU XC Open likely caught your attention, especially when you realize who he beat, but it was his 21st place finish at Pre-Nationals that validated (what was about to be) a breakout cross country season.
A 2nd place finish at the BIG South XC Championships to Athanas Kioko, followed by a 3rd place finish at the Southeast Regional XC Championships, ultimately sent Curtin to the national meet where he finished a respectable 82nd place overall.
Generally speaking, Curtin has a very strong cross country season, but those results alone wouldn't have put him in these rankings. However, after running 13:35 (5k) and 28:25 (10k) this past fall, the Charleston Southern ace and outdoor national qualifier clearly showed us that he had the necessary talent to be a top-50 cross country runner in the NCAA.
Compared to the other men in this section of our rankings, Curtin doesn't necessarily have one attribute on his resume that truly stands out and wows you...but he doesn't need to. Sometimes, a well-rounded resume with great consistency is all you need for a ranking in our XC Top 50.
45. Gable Sieperda, Rs. Sophomore, Iowa State
Sieperda is one of my personal favorites in these rankings. His resume is a very solid and it doesn't have any major flaws that we need to be concerned about. While he's certainly not the most complete in the country, he may be the most undervalued.
The Iowa State standout made his first collegiate appearance on the grass during the fall of 2020 and the winter of 2021. A 14th place finish at the BIG 12 XC Championships would essentially be the major highlight of a somewhat unexciting rookie campaign.
However, Sieperda slowly improved over time. Last fall, he placed 8th in respectable Roy Griak field before placing 23rd at the loaded Nuttycombe Invitational. It was that result that would ultimately spark a string of strong for performances for the Cyclone ace.
Sieperda would place 8th at the BIG 12 XC Championships, get out of his regional meet and then earn a huge 41st place finish at the NCAA XC Championships, just one spot out from All-American honors.
That national meet performance was huge. However, just because it was the best result of his career doesn't mean that he got lucky or that it was a fluke. After all, his Nuttycombe result suggested that Sieperda had an outside chance of All-American honors.
It also doesn't hurt that Sieperda put together great results on the track, earning personal bests of 13:44 (5k) and 8:43 (steeple) during the winter and spring months.
This Iowa State front-runner has proven to be an all-around problem for his competitors. However, he still needs to reach that next level of fitness. He's not necessarily a true low-stick yet and it's clear that he was hovering around this "really good, but not incredible" tier over the last year.
But if Sieperda can make a jump in the fall of 2022, then he'll also see his name skyrocket in our rankings.
44. Austin Vancil, Junior, Colorado
One of the more promising up-and-coming runners that the country has to offer, Vancil is a key name who needs to be on your radar heading into this fall.
Vancil is someone who has greatly improved with age. As a freshman in 2019, he was 38th at the PAC-12 XC Championships and 150th at the NCAA XC Championships. Then, as a sophomore during the 2021 winter cross country season, he placed 13th at the PAC-12 XC Championships and then 87th at the NCAA Winter XC Championships.
Fast forward to last fall, and things really began to click.
Vancil dropped a strong 24th place finish at Pre-Nationals, but that promising result would only be a precursor to a much more impressive 6th place finish at the PAC-12 XC Championships. Vancil would later advance to the national meet where he finished 70th overall.
On the track, the Colorado standout ran excellent marks of 13:49 (5k) and 28:16 (10k). That latter PR was a breakout race for Vancil who has suddenly thrusted himself into the All-American conversation this fall.
We really like Vancil. He has given us tons to like and very little to dislike. He is consistently getting better, runs well in championship races and is trending towards an All-American finish.
Vancil is still looking to make that next leap and to deliver on the raw firepower that is reflected in his 10k result. We do, admittedly, still need to see more scoring potency more consistently.
Regardless, there isn't anyone in this section who has more upside that Vancil does, and that's an exciting thing to think about if you're the Colorado Buffaloes.
43. Andrew Kent, Senior, Colorado
It's hard not to be a fan of Andrew Kent. He was excellent at Georgia Tech, but he has since elevated his fitness to an entirely new level ever since joining the Colorado Buffaloes as a graduate transfer.
Kent's 2021 fall cross country season can be split into two parts: Decent and excellent.
A 20th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree could have been better, but that was Kent's opening race of the season and it was hardly a poor result, either. It's a similar story for his Pre-Nationals performance as he placed 36th overall.
Again, that was a fine result, but it didn't necessarily turn any heads.
However, what did capture our attention was Kent's 7th place finish at the PAC-12 XC Championships. That result came somewhat out of nowhere, especially when you consider that this was someone who had finished 54th at the ACC XC Championships the year prior.
After cruising through the Mountain Regional XC Championships, Kent proved that his PAC-12 performance was no fluke at the national meet. The Buffalo veteran threw down a very strong 45th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships to solidify himself as a rising star to watch.
Sure enough, Kent's momentum followed him to the track where he ran incredible times of 4:00 (mile), 13:28 (5k) and 28:15 (10k). On paper, those personal bests suggest that Kent has All-American potential this fall.
With experience, a year of living and training at altitude, new personal bests and promising momentum all in his favor, Kent could end up being one of the most lethal cross country runners in the NCAA this fall. He still needs to deliver on his upside and put together a more complete season, but everything on his resume suggests that he can do exactly that.
42. Yaseen Abdalla, Junior, Tennessee
Some people will look at this ranking and shake their heads.
"How on Earth is a 32nd place All-American and a DMR national champion only ranked at TSR #42 after joining one of the best distance coaches in he country?"
Great question, Mom.
Allow me to explain.
The 2021-22 academic calendar was the year of Yaseen Abdalla. The former Texas runner placed 32nd at the NCAA XC Championships, ran jaw-dropping marks of 7:46 (3k flat-track converted), ran 13:33 (5k) to upset Wesley Kiptoo, split 3:55 on the anchor leg of Texas' DMR to win the national title and ran 28:33 for 10,000 meters on the outdoor oval.
On paper, Abdalla is one of the most electric distance runners that the country has to offer.
However, when looking at Abdalla's overall 2021 fall cross country season, his results didn't exactly blow you way.
The former Longhorn was 9th at the top-heavy Cowboy Jamboree and then a respectable, but modest, 29th place at Pre-Nationals. His 20th place finish at the BIG 12 XC Championships left us with something to be desired.
On paper, those results probably weren't going to put Abdalla in these rankings...until he earned that huge 32nd place All-American finish. It also doesn't hurt that he just had an incredible year on the track.
Yes, there is a very good chance that we are undervaluing Abdalla. Still, we're hoping to see a more complete cross country season from before we put him much higher.
41. Brodey Hasty, Rs. Junior, Northern Arizona
It always feels like a challenge trying to rank Brodey Hasty. The Northern Arizona veteran will occasionally have moments where he blows you away. But other times, he underwhelms.
And on the national stage? Well, in those races, he's just flat-out solid.
During the 2021 winter cross country season, Hasty finished a not-so-great 39th place at the Silver State XC Challenge. However, in his next race, he earned a very clutch 8th place finish at the very competitive Battle Born XC Challenge.
During the 2021 fall cross country season, Hasty placed an underwhelming 37th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree...but then placed 7th at Pre-Nationals!
How do you reconcile those kinds of result fluctuations in these rankings?
Lost in all of those results is a fun fact: In Hasty's three appearances at the NCAA XC Championships, he has finished 39th (2021 fall), 44th (2021 winter) and 46th (2019 fall). That is a metronomic level of consistency!
Usually, someone like Hasty would be extremely difficult to rank. However, Hasty's highs are just as a significant as his lows (and vice versa). But when it comes to the most important, career-defining meet of the year, Hasty is consistently in the "fringe All-American" category.
That's why it's only fitting that he comes in at TSR #41 in these rankings.
