TSR's 2023 D1 Outdoor Top 25 Individual Rankings (Men): Update #2

Click here to see our Just Missed and Honorable Mention names.

Listed eligibility takes redshirts and Covid-related extensions into consideration.

TFRRS is used as a general guide when determining eligibility.

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25. Ezekiel Rop, Senior, Iowa State (Unranked)

Wow…where did that come from?

Iowa State ace Ezekiel Rop, who originally ran for Eastern Kentucky a few years back before joining the Cyclones, just had the race of his life over 1500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational. The midwest standout dropped an insane 3:36 mark for the metric mile, a monster PR from his 3:40 mark that he ran just a few weeks earlier.

Rop, in my mind, has always been a longer distance talent. He was a top cross country runner during his time at EKU and he ran a 13:36 (5k) personal best last spring. And with a mile PR of 4:01, it seemed fair to say that he was an endurance-centric athlete.

But a 3:36 mark over 1500 meters forces us to completely reevaluate how we view Rop. Can he replicate this kind of performance? How will this effort translate to the other distances? Can Rop mesh this elite fitness with effective tactics?

I don’t know the answers to those questions which is why he “only” sits at TSR #25…for now.

24. Tarees Rhoden, Junior, Clemson (Unranked)

A recent 1:46 (800) mark en route to top collegiate honors at the University of Florida had to be a highly encouraging performance for the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championship All-American. Rhoden’s aggressive front-running and ability to thrive in all-out affairs clearly benefitted him in a race that was going to favor his strengths.

Of course, it’s not just his ability to run fast times that allows him to re-crack our rankings. Rhoden was able to take down a loaded field of collegiates, including a handful of fellow 1:46 half-milers such as teammate Aman Thornton and Oklahoma State’s Yanouri Mehdi.

Rhoden isn’t perfect tactically, but that largely doesn’t matter when you’re as fit as he is. He is one of the few men in the NCAA who can consistently hold his own in ambitiously-paced races.

23. Victor Shitsama, Senior, Oklahoma State (Unranked)

He’s only raced twice this season, but Victor Shitsama has been a nice surprise in the steeplechase so far this spring. The Oklahoma State veteran had a fantastic 2022 cross country season this past fall, but it was unclear how that fitness would transition to the oval.

Well, as it turns out, that change in seasons wouldn’t make Shitsama any less effective.

After running a five-second steeplechase PR of 8:40 at the Stanford Invitational in his season opening rust-buster, the Cowboy standout ventured to the Payton Jordan Invitational this past weekend. There, he rallied from a fall, closed the gap on veteran Ed Trippas over the final lap and ran a huge 8:31 (steeple) PR, just a tenth of a second out from the win.

We’ve only seen Shitsama race twice this spring and both of those efforts came in the steeplechase. But each of those races resulted in new personal bests, each by fairly significant margins. And in each instance, the Cowboy star was neck-and-neck with All-American ace Ed Trippas.

Pairing this upper-tier rise in the steeplechase with Shitsama’s 10k prowess gives him enough of an argument to be ranked at TSR #23. We’d still like to see how the rest of his season goes, but his latest effort was way too impressive for him to be left out of our top-25.

22. Eliud Kipsang, Sophomore, Alabama (Unranked)

Trying to rank Eliud Kipsang always feels like a test that is harder than anything I had in college.

This winter was obviously not a good one for the Alabama star who was clearly not at 100%. Between an unexciting rust-buster, a DNF result at the Millrose Games and a poor SEC Indoor Championship showing, Kipsang didn’t have an argument to be ranked in our top-25.

Of course, then the Crimson Tide star returned to the outdoor oval at the Bryan Clay Invitational, running 3:37 for 1500 meters in his season opener. And now, with over a month to go until the national meet, the idea that Kipsang could get even faster between now and then seems highly realistic.

We simply can’t ignore the fact that this Alabama megastar is the collegiate record holder in the metric mile in a time of 3:33, an accolade that he earned last year. Knowing that, and seeing his return rise to the top of the NCAA, makes Kipsang a natural selection to rejoin our rankings at our TSR #22 spot.

21. Parker Stokes, Junior, Georgetown (-6 / 15)

I don’t know if I entirely know how to rank Parker Stokes. His 3k steeplechase PR sits at 8:18 from 2022 outdoor national meet, making the Georgetown a very realistic threat to win NCAA gold in that event come June.

However, Stokes just hasn’t looked super sharp as of late. He underwhelmed quite a bit in his 3k and mile races this past winter and his 1500 meter effort at the Duke Invitational left us wanting so much more. Had he not run like he did this past weekend, then he would have potentially been dropped from our rankings entirely.

Of course, an 8:34 (steeple) mark at the Rick Erdmann Twilight (at Eastern Kentucky), finishing behind Duncan Hamilton and taking down a handful of accomplished steeple/distance talents is encouraging. And with over a month until the national meet, all Stokes has to do is continue to build up his fitness.

If he does that, then Hamilton won’t exactly have a clear path to the national title.

20. Handal Roban, Freshman, Penn State (+2 / 22)

Handal Roban has not competed since our last ranking’s update.

19. Ky Robinson, Sophomore, Stanford (-5 / 14)

Gosh, how on Earth do we evaluate Ky Robinson? The Stanford star was fantastic during the winter months, but then underwhelmed in the 5k/3k double at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

That effort seemed like a fluke as Robinson later rebounded with a sub-28:00 (10k) effort at the Stanford Invitational, a time that seemed like a great indication of a bounce-back performance. But just when we thought we had an understanding of where this Aussie star was at in his fitness, he faltered at the Bryan Clay Invitational over 5000 meters, settling for a 13:29 mark and finishing behind a couple of collegiates…who he should have beat.

I refuse to believe that Robinson still isn’t one of the 20-best distance runners in the NCAA. He is simply too accomplished and too talented to not be ranked at this spot despite the recent developments. However, in terms of momentum, it would be nice to see greater consistency from this Stanford ace moving forward.

18. Ed Trippas, Senior, Washington (+7 / 25)

An underwhelming season debut in the steeplechase, producing a time of 8:40 in the steeplechase at the Stanford Invitational, we felt pretty confident that this Princeton-turned-Washington graduate student would thrive in a rebound race.

And sure enough, he did just that, running an excellent mark of 8:31 over the water pits and barriers to take home a confidence-boosting win at the Payton Jordan Invitational.

Admittedly, Trippas was nearly caught by Victor Shitsama on the final lap, but in terms of in-race execution, the Aussie steeplechaser proved to be more effective than he was a few weeks ago. And when you think about his extensive experience and 8:20 (steeple) PR, this Husky runner is almost certainly a top-20 distance runner in the NCAA right now.

Plus, when you really sit down and think about it, the ceiling for Trippas’ national meet finish in the steeplechase right now could be as high as a runner-up result.

17. Matthew Wilkinson, Senior, Minnesota (+7 / 24)

Seeing the 8:29 (steeple) mark that we saw from Matthew Wilkinson at the Raleigh Relays back in March was one of the more impressive early-season performances of 2023. And since then, the Minnesota distance talent has been able to largely maintain his momentum.

After a speed-refining 1500 meter effort where he ran 3:48, Wilkinson ran 13:40 for 5000 meters at the Virginia Challenge, taking down a very solid field.

There truthfully isn’t a whole lot to talk about when it comes to this Golden Gopher All-American. Yes, he does move up a heavy number of spots in our rankings, but that’s more based on how a few others have performed.

16. Sam Ellis, Senior, Washington (+2 / 18)

After an incredible indoor track season, Sam Ellis has finally returned to the NCAA scene with a season of eligibility. The Washington graduate student put together a very solid 1500/800 double at the University of Florida earlier this spring and just ran a 1:47 mark for the half-mile distance at the Bryan Clay Invitational the other weekend.

There truthfully isn’t too much to talk about with Ellis. Sure, he hasn’t quite matched the thrilling results he threw down on the indoor oval this past winter, but he hasn’t done anything that would force us to lose confidence in his fitness (or his ability to be nationally competitive).

Remember, this guy was the bronze medalist in the 1500 meters at last year’s outdoor national meet…and has only gotten better since then. He is very much deserving of our TSR #16 spot in these rankings.

15. Brian Fay, Junior, Washington (+5 / 20)

Let’s be clear: Brian Fay had a very strong indoor track season. He continued to flex his range and he ran upper-tier times across the board. In terms of the value that his resume held, the Washington ace was undoubtedly one of the best distance talents in the NCAA.

However, Fay’s versatility didn’t always translate to great tactical execution. The New Balance Grand Prix (3k) and NCAA Indoor Championships (mile) were just a couple of examples.

That’s why it was so encouraging to see Fay thrive at the Bryan Clay Invitational, running 13:21 over 5000 meters en route to a convincing win over a handful of upper-tier collegiates and strong pro athletes. The Washington dropped a massive final lap after quietly moving up throughout the race. And while it wasn’t all that close to his PR, it was still a quick time, a great display of racing IQ and a great win.

Fay will need to replicate that kind of performance on the national stage (which hasn’t always been a given for him), but this was a

14. Charles Hicks, Junior, Stanford (-1 / 13)

This past weekend, we saw Stanford superstar Charles Hicks toe the line for the 5000 meters, a race that he was favored to win (or at least emerge as the top collegiate in). But instead, the endurance-centric standout settled for a 9th place overall finish and a time of 13:33 for that distance.

Was this kind of result intentional? Was it just an “off” day? How heavily should we look into this performance? Truthfully, I’m not entirely sure what the answer to any of those questions are.

Hicks was so. darn. good. over 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational, running 27:57 for the distance and taking home a monumental win with a thrilling kick. Just that one race alone forced me to ask the question, “Could we potentially snag 10k gold at the outdoor national meet this year?”

Now, in fairness to Hicks, it’s not like running 13:33 for 5000 meters is a bad result. And truthfully, that 10k effort was so impressive that I don’t feel comfortable moving him down any further than this.

Still, I’ll be monitoring this Cardinal ace over the next few weeks as he continues to flex the greatest aspects of his fitness.

13. Kenneth Rooks, Junior, BYU (+4 / 17)

After running a fantastic mark of 8:33 in the steeplechase at the Stanford Invitational, easily cruising to a comfortable and dominant win, Kenneth Rooks opted to contest the event once more at the Bryan Clay Invitational.

And in his second effort, it was almost an identical result.

Once again, Rooks dominated. He stuck with Charles Harders of Miami, Ohio until the last lap and then dusted his competition with a series of powerful hurdles over the barriers and water pits. His soon-to-be patented finishing kick gave him a winning time of 8:31 and further solidified his seasonal resume.

Has Rooks run a new PR? Or even come close to his 8:22 steeple mark from last year? Has he taken down any elite national title contenders in the event? Depending on how you feel about Ed Trippas at the Stanford Invitational, the answer to those questions are, “no”.

But Rooks has looked unbelievably poised and in control as of late. He is easily destroying competitive and deep fields. He was already great last year, but the BYU veteran looks like a legitimate threat to Duncan Hamilton in 2023, something I couldn’t necessarily say last spring.

12. Luke Houser, Junior, Washington (-3 / 8)

I’m not entirely sure why Luke Houser, the recent indoor national champion in the mile, was not seeded in the top section of the men’s 1500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational. But that move may have been intentional after seeing him run 3:39 for the metric mile in the second-fastest section, finishing towards the latter-half of that heat.

It’s just one race and this guy just won a national title. I’m going to look too heavily into that result. Houser ran absurdly fast at the tail-end of the winter months and just won NCAA gold. Is his latest result (and his pre-race seeding) and encouraging sign? No, not necessarily, but dropping him any further than three spots in these rankings would be a clear overreaction.

11. Navasky Anderson, Rs. Senior, Mississippi State (-1 / 10)

Navasky Anderson has not competed since our last ranking’s update.

10. Casey Clinger, Sophomore, BYU (+1 / 11)

There’s really not a whole lot to talk about here. Casey Clinger exchanged the lead with his BYU teammates and Dylan Jacobs over 10,000 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational. And unsurprisingly, the race came down to the final 200 meters as Clinger battled with Jacobs.

In the end, Clinger settled for a runner-up finish in a time of 28:01 (10k), but no one is looking at this result with any level of shock. Truthfully, this was a super predictable time and finish that didn’t really tell us anything new about this BYU superstar.

That said, it’s nice to see Clinger continuing to be competitive with national title contenders. That consistency is encouraging to see.

9. Isaac Basten, Junior, Drake (+3 / 12)

I am absolutely thrilled to see Isaac Basten run 3:36 for 1500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invite the other week. I thought that kind of time was possible for him, but I also thought it was unlikely and it would have been more on the generous side of my predictions for him.

In my eyes, all Basten had to do in that loaded 1500 meter field was run a fast-enough time. He didn’t need to run 3:34, 3:35, 3:36 or even 3:37. As long he improved upon his 3:39 (1500) PR, I would have maintained the same amount of confidence about him winning national title as I did this past winter.

This Drake superstar is easily one of the best tactical runners in the NCAA. And now, he has a 3:36 (1500) PR to complement his incredible race IQ, making him a top-10 talent in my eyes and a very contender for NCAA gold in June – maybe even more so than he was in March.

8. Anass Essayi, Sophomore, South Carolina (-2 / 6)

After running 3:50 in the mile this past winter, I thought Anass Essayi would be capable of running around 3:34 or 3:35 for 1500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational this past weekend. That, however, didn’t happen as the South Carolina superstar ran 3:36, finishing as the third-best collegiate overall.

Of course, no one is looking at a 3:36 result for the metric mile and thinking that it’s a “poor” performance. Essayi just ran an absurdly quick time and he is still very much a national title contender.

Admittedly, some of his postseason tactics haven’t been quite as refined as we thought they would be in his last few championship efforts. Even so, everything about this Moroccan distance star suggests that he should be able to win NCAA gold at some point in the next year or two.

When that will happen? Well, I’m not totally sure.

7. Joe Waskom, Junior, Washington (+2 / 9)

Is it weird to say that I don’t have much analysis for Joe Waskom’s 3:35 effort over 1500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational? It certainly feels weird, but after running a 3:51 mile and 2:18 mark for 1000 meters this past winter, this kind of result felt like it was within Waskom’s reach.

Of course, just because a certain time/result isn’t surprising doesn’t mean that it’s not impressive (how many times have you heard me say that?).

The fact that Waskom finished 3rd overall less than a second behind Cooper Teare and Fouad Messaoudi is wildly impressive. And if the 1500 meter finals at the outdoor national meet becomes fast, which it very well could if Eliud Kipsang makes it past the prelims, then Waskom’s chances of winning gold feels like it would be higher than if he were in a tactical scenario.

That’s just one man’s opinion, but then again, this is a guy who won the 1500 meter national title last spring in a race that turned out to be VERY tactical.

6. Crayton Carrozza, Senior, Texas (+1 / 7)

The silver medalist over 800 meters from the NCAA Indoor Championships has finally returned to the outdoor oval. At the Payton Jordan Invitational, Crayton Carrozza toed the line against Nike’s Cooper Teare who was dropping down in distance to work on his speed.

In the end, Carrozza only got a narrow win, but running 1:47 for 800 meters and taking down a guy as accomplished as Teare deserves respect. And seeing that this Texas ace is still sharp enough to win these kinds of battles is ultimately why he gets a one-spot bump.

There’s not a whole lot more to analyze with him, but that’s by no means a bad thing. Carrozza is still in the best shape of his life and capable of winning an 800 meter national title this spring.

5. Yusuf Bizimana, Sophomore, Texas (0 / 5)

Yusuf Bizimana has not competed in a distance event since our last ranking’s update. He did, however, run the 400 meters at the University of Florida, although that effort produced an unexciting 49.16 second mark.

4. Drew Bosley, Junior, Northern Arizona (0 / 4)

Drew Bosley has not competed since our last ranking’s update.

3. Duncan Hamilton, Senior, Montana State (0 / 3)

Well, there’s a reason why Duncan Hamilton opened this outdoor track season ranked at TSR #3 and this past weekend couldn’t have been a better example.

Against a loaded field of upper-tier steeplechase stars, it was Duncan Hamilton easily dominating the loaded field with a monster time of 8:25. That effort gave the Montana State ace a very convincing win over the likes of Parker Stokes and company.

As of right now, I can’t see Hamilton losing the national title in this event. Sure, Rooks looks great and the other top contenders will likely run faster in the near future. But running 8:25 in the steeplechase in the third weekend of April is hard to top. With a personal best of 8:18 over the water pits and barriers, I don’t know how anyone can match the raw talent of this Bobcat veteran.

And when you tack on his exceptional range across the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters, there just aren’t that many guys in the NCAA who can deliver similar value with their own resumes. Sure, that could change, but gosh, that was one heckuva win for this Montana State ace.

2. Dylan Jacobs, Junior, Tennessee (-1 / 1)

There’s not a whole lot to chat about here. Dylan Jacobs traded off leading duties with the BYU men over 10,000 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational. And in the final 200 meters, he got an edge over Casey Clinger, ultimately willing himself across the line in a mark of 28:01.

Was it surprising to see Jacobs run 28:01 over 10,000 meters? No.

Was it surprising to see him narrowly take down Clinger? Also no.

But the fact that he secured that kind of win only helps his resume. Of course, the main reason why drops in our rankings this week is more because of what his fellow NCAA opponents did, not necessarily anything that he has done.

1. Fouad Messaoudi, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (+1 / 2)

It’s time to stop lying to ourselves. Fouad Messaoudi is (currently) the best distance runner in the NCAA. He just is. He is tactically perfect, has exceptional range, can consistently throw down unbelievable times and has seemingly not yet hit his ceiling.

Running 3:35 for 1500 meters is one thing. But to run that fast in the top section of the Bryan Clay Invitational while taking Nike superstar Cooper Teare to the line deserves an unreal amount of respect.

I’ve been following this sport for about eight-ish years now and I’ve been running The Stride Report for about six years. Over that time, I’m not sure that I have ever seen a distance talent as complete as Messaoudi. I still believe that Edward Cheserek is the greatest collegiate distance runner ever, but in terms of skillset and development, Cole Hocker is the best comparison I can make to this Oklahoma State megastar.

I don’t know if Messaoudi has a cap on his talent – that’s what leaves me in such awe of his talent. And if that’s the case, then I don’t how we could rank anyone else at TSR #1.

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ADDED

Tarees Rhoden (Clemson)

Ezekiel Rop (Iowa State)

Victor Shitsama (Oklahoma State)

Eliud Kipsang (Alabama)

KICKED OFF

Ryan Schoppe (Oklahoma State)

Nico Young (Northern Arizona)

Alex Maier (Oklahoma State)

Nathan Green (Washington)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Abdullahi Hassan (Wisconsin)

Jesse Hunt (North Carolina)

Adam Spencer (Wisconsin)

Conor Murphy (Virginia)

Tiarnan Crorken (Ole Miss)

Baylor Franklin (Ole Miss)

Sam Gilman (Air Force)

Graham Blanks (Harvard)

Nick Foster (Michigan)

Ryan Schoppe (Oklahoma State)

Nico Young (Northern Arizona)

Alex Maier (Oklahoma State)

Nathan Green (Washington)

Parker Wolfe (North Carolina)

Anthony Camerieri (Ole Miss)

Jonathan Jones (Texas)

Victor Kiprop (Alabama)

Liam Murphy (Villanova)

Scott Beattie (Tulsa)

Patrick Kiprop (Arkansas)

Bob Liking (Wisconsin)

Jackson Sharp (Wisconsin)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Colin Sahlman (Northern Arizona)

Matthew Payamps (Georgetown)

Cole Sprout (Stanford)

Isai Rodriguez (Oklahoma State)

Aidan McCarthy (Cal Poly)

Yanouri Mehdi (Oklahoma State)

Devin Hart (Stanford)

Aman Thornton (Clemson)

Zach Facioni (Wake Forest)

Sam Austin (Florida)

Jason Gomez (Iowa State)

Kirami Yego (South Alabama)

Patrick Thygesen (Providence)

Camden Marshall (Indiana)

Yaseen Abdalla (Tennessee)

Ethan Strand (North Carolina)

Michael Power (Tulsa)

Kash Powell (Long Beach State)

Chandler Gibbens (Kansas)

Theo Quax (Northern Arizona)

Kirami Yego (South Alabama)

NOTES

• N/A