TSR's 2023 D1 Outdoor Top 25 Individual Rankings (Men): Update #4 (FINAL)

NOTE: These rankings are based on how an individual fared throughout the entirety of a season, not just how they ran at the NCAA Outdoor Championships or at a singular meet. You will notice that these rankings may mirror the national meet results, but not precisely. That is intentional. These rankings are intended to be an aggregate. They are not recency lists.

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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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KEY

(Unranked):

Was not ranked in our last update.

(#/#):

First number indicates how much the athlete has moved in our rankings.

The second number indicates where the athlete was ranked in our last rankings update.

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25. Conor Murphy, Junior, Virginia (Unranked)

I said this in our First Thoughts article and I'll say it again here: I don't know how many men in the NCAA could realistically be an All-American in the mile during the winter and an All-American over 800 meters during the spring.

I actually took a quick glance through this season's NCAA leaderboard and depending on how you feel about certain names, I'd say that the number of men who can realistically do that is around 10, maybe slightly more.

The difference, however, is that Virginia's Conor Murphy was the only one who pulled off that dual All-American combination in 2023.

But as far as this outdoor track season goes, the UVA middle distance talent ran a 1:46 (800) PR in the finals on Saturday en route to a new PR and a 5th place All-American finish. Pairing that result with a 3:39 PR over 1500 meters, which gave Murphy the overall win in that event at the Raleigh Relays, was enough for him to sneak into our rankings.

24. Sam Ellis, Senior, Washington (-10 / 14)

Trying to explain what happened to Sam Ellis this past weekend is an exercise that is admittedly exhausting. Simply put, the Washington graduate student finished in the top-two of his 800 meter prelim at the national meet, allowing him to advance to the finals. However, a highly questionable disqualification ended his season early.

You can read more about that here.

Whether or not Ellis was supposed to be disqualified isn't necessarily what I want to talk about. It was very clear from that 800 meter prelim that Ellis was, at the very least, one of the eight or nine best men over the half-mile distance in the entire NCAA. He was patient, tactically excellent and had enough fitness to be an All-American.

Ellis only dipped under the 1:47 mark for 800 meters once this season. However, that 1:46.77 PR would ultimately lead him to winning the PAC-12 title. The Washington star didn't venture from the half-mile event too often this spring, but he did run 3:40 over 1500 meters at the Stanford Invite, securing an overall win.

When you pair that victory at a major meet with his PAC-12 title, a 1:46 PR over 800 meters, a likely All-American finish had he not been disqualified and great consistency, then you can see why Ellis is still listed in these rankings.

23. Matthew Wilkinson, Senior, Minnesota (-7 / 16)

I don't really have a ton to say about Matthew Wilkinson, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. For the most part, this guy was just a really great steeplechaser throughout these spring months who also turned out to be a strong 5k talent as well (something that we already knew).

The Minnesota veteran ran 8:29 in the steeplechase earlier this season at the Raleigh Relays. He later secured two gold medals by doing the 5k/steeple double at the BIG 10 Championships, ran 8:26 over the barriers at the West Regional Championships and then settled for 5th place at the national meet in that event.

Wilkinson, a former Division Three star, was favored to be the bronze medalist in this race at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. That's ultimately why he falls to TSR #23 in these rankings. Still, no one can deny how solid and reliable he was for the Golden Gophers this spring and in previous seasons.

22. Abdullahi Hassan, Junior, Wisconsin (Unranked)

When it comes to Abdullahi Hassan, we have to be honest with ourselves.

If Sam Ellis wasn't given a highly questionable disqualification from the 800 meter prelims, then Hassan doesn't make the 800 meter finals and therefore doesn't crack these rankings. That's ultimately why he isn't listed any higher than TSR #22. Of course, when he actually did get to the finals, the Wisconsin ace made the most of his opportunity.

In those finals, Hassan dropped a 1:46 mark over the half-mile distance, snagging 4th place in a historically fast race. And while it wasn't necessarily shocking to see him beat the men that he did, it's still fair to suggest that this Canadian middle distance star delivered on the potential that he had flashed throughout this season.

Hassan has always been an absurdly talented 800 meter runner, but he looked far more refined and simply more fit this spring compared to previous seasons. He was willing to be much more ambitious with his moves, he finished runner-up over the 800 meter distance at the Bryan Clay Invite and he ended his season with three 1:46 marks.

Sure, this Badger standout wasn't always perfect, but there were very few flaws on his overall resume this spring, making Hassan a no-brainer name for these rankings.

21. Brian Fay, Senior, Washington (-13 / 8)

This is a tough one to write. The expectations for Brian Fay this season were the highest that they have ever been in his collegiate career. In fact, we even called him a national title contender.

The Washington star entered the West Regional Championships with three marquee wins on his resume. He put together a masterful 5k race at the Bryan Clay Invite en route to an overall win and a time of 13:22. Fay later secured double gold during the 10k/5k double at the PAC-12 Championships. At that meet, he took down Charles Hicks for the 10k title in a time of 28:24 and later defeated Stanford's Cole Sprout and Ky Robinson for the 5k title.

Not only that, but Fay was viewed as one of the top contenders for NCAA gold in the men's 5k at this year's national meet. Not just because he was having a great season, but because he was going to be completely fresh (unlike most other top names).

And yet, despite that, Fay faded on the national stage. In fact, the Husky veteran didn't even finish as an All-American, placing 9th overall.

Fay is one of the most talented and versatile distance runners in the entire NCAA. That is undeniable. But the Irish standout has never finished higher than 6th place on the national stage, consistently earning backend All-American honors despite outstanding regular season campaigns.

Yes, Fay had another terrific season as a whole. And for that reason he sticks in our rankings. But his potential was so much higher than what his national meet performances would suggest.

20. Nathan Mountain, Sophomore, Virginia (Unranked)

Seeing Nathan Mountain finish 4th place in the steeplechase finals on the national stage was probably the least surprising result that anyone in these rankings produced. In fact, five of our six writers predicted Mountain to finish anywhere from 4th place to 7th place.

Of course, just because this was a predictable performance doesn't mean that it wasn't impressive. Taking down numerous steeplechase veterans on the national stage, specifically Matthew Wilkinson and Ed Trippas, demands respect.

And frankly, Mountain's entire season demands respect, too.

The Virginia sophomore ran as fast as 8:32 over the barriers and water pits this season. That performance ultimately gave him the ACC steeplechase title. In total, he ran sub-8:40 in this event a total of five times. Mountain also ran a quietly-excellent time of 3:39 for 1500 meters and even added a 13:47 (5k) PR to boot.

Mountain isn't someone who we would necessarily say is an elite superstar in his main event, but he was flat-out awesome across the board this spring. His consistency in such a chaotic event was impressive. He thrived in the postseason and he posted nationally competitive times in more than just one discipline.

Just like a lot of guys on this list, Mountain could have an argument for a better ranking.

19. Luke Tewalt, Rs. Sophomore, Wake Forest (Unranked)

It has been quite the whirlwind season for Luke Tewalt, the Wake Forest redshirt sophomore who took his fitness from "good" to "great" this spring.

Throughout the last few months, this Demon Deacon distance talent looked like a true 1500 meter runner. His 13:47 (5k) mark at the Raleigh Relays was solid, but then he ran 3:38 for the metric mile on his home track. He later replicated that mark at the ACC Championships where he settled for 2nd place in that same event.

Tewalt also finished runner-up in the 5k at the ACC Championships.

The rising Wake Forest ace ultimately decided to do the 1500/5k double at the East Regional Championships, a decision that would ultimately save his season. In the 1500 meter prelims on the regional stage, Tewalt fell after being clipped from behind. However, unlike at the ACC Championships where he also fell to no fault of his own, he didn't move on to the finals.

That, in turn, was a blessing in disguise. Tewalt eventually qualified for the national meet over 5000 meters and then battled on the national stage in a tactical race that perfectly favored his incredible 1500 meter speed.

In a 5k race where no one ran under 14:00, it was Tewalt's combination of improved racing IQ and lethal turnover that helped him secure a 4th place All-American finish. And in retrospect, that was a result that was far better than what he was likely going to earn in the 1500 meter finals.

This Wake Forest standout is beginning to develop into a true established star and this season was the first real evidence of that. His fitness is simply at a new level, he is far more well-rounded, he was increasingly more consistent and he was at his best in the postseason.

There's an argument for him to be ranked a couple of spots higher in our top-25.

18. Handal Roban, Freshman, Penn State (Unranked)

In an effort not to be repetitive (and admittedly save time), I am simply going to quote myself from our First Thoughts article which discussed Handal Roban's 3rd place finish in the 800 meter finals at the national meet...

"The Penn State middle distance star capped off a fantastic indoor track season with a bronze medal over 800 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships back in March. That was a huge, career-defining performance for Roban and it gave him excellent momentum going into the spring months.

However, while Roban was plenty respectable this season, it was understandable as to why he wasn't picked by many of us at The Stride Report to be an All-American.

Roban had never run under 1:47 for 800 meters coming into the national meet. He also faded to a 3rd place finish in the 800 meter finals at the BIG 10 Outdoor Championships back in May. In that race, he lost to Camden Marshall (who didn't even qualify for the national meet) and Adam Spencer (whose best event is actually the mile/1500 meters).

Simply put, there wasn't a lot, on paper, to suggest that Roban was going to be an All-American this season. And if he was, then he likely wasn't going to match his 3rd place finish from the indoor national meet.

That, of course, is why you run the races.

Roban has still never run in the 1:46 range for 800 meters...but he did post a monster PR of 1:45.95 in the event on Friday night! That was enough for him to earn yet another 3rd place result and for him to be viewed as one of the best postseason competitors over the half-mile distance that the NCAA has to offer."

With a huge 1:45.95 (800) PR on his resume, as well as two instances of peaking perfectly for the postseason, we now know better than to doubt this Penn State star on the national stage moving forward.

17. Dylan Jacobs, Sophomore, Tennessee (-15 / 2)

Dylan Jacobs had a quiet outdoor track season leading up to the East Regional Championships, but he was still plenty dominant. He took down a loaded 10k field at the Bryan Clay Invite earlier this spring and later cruised to a SEC title over 5000 meters, comfortably defeating All-American Patrick Kiprop in the process.

But at the national meet, Jacobs faded in the 10k, dropping out of contention a little past the halfway point. He would ultimately finish 14th place overall. The Tennessee star would later scratch out of the 5k as his coach Sean Carlson would cite "some back problems" as the reason.

Truthfully, I wanted to keep Jacobs higher in our rankings. But when you look at his season as a whole, there just wasn't enough to put him at a spot that was better than this. None of his times were any better than the other top men in the NCAA and his national meet finish didn't stand out in any major way.

While it's unquestionable that Jacobs is one of the absolute best distance talents that the nation has to offer, this season, specifically, just didn't give him enough of a resume to be ranked higher than TSR #17.

16. Victor Kibiego, Rs. Freshman, UTEP (Unranked)

Gosh, what a postseason for Victor Kibiego!

The redshirt freshman from UTEP had proven to be a competitive distance runner coming into this season, but the hot streak that he caught in the latter-half of these spring months was flat-out incredible.

Kibiego was having a solid season going into West Regional Championships, running 8:41 in the steeplechase and putting together some decent 1500 meter and 5k marks that would be fairly competitive in the rather unexciting Conference USA.

But then this Miner star ripped off an incredible 8:26 mark in the steeplechase at the West Regional Championships, showcasing a level of fitness that we didn't at all expect. And after cruising through the steeple prelims on the national stage with ease, it felt increasingly more likely that this UTEP runner was going to be an All-American.

Sure enough, Kibiego was the only one not deterred by the chaotic battle of Duncan Hamilton and Kenneth Rooks in the steeplechase finals. Despite his inexperience, the UTEP runner showed amazing poise and nearly caught a fading Duncan Hamilton at the line, ultimately settling for 3rd place overall.

I have said this numerous times before, but younger athletes like Kibiego often have a high ceiling and a low floor. Sure, they could blow up on the national stage and simply be overwhelmed by their competition, but younger guys also don't know just how high they can go. And as long as they keep pushing, their upside makes them incredibly dangerous.

That's exactly what we saw from Kibiego in the postseason. And when he comes back next year, he may be viewed as the national title favorite assuming Rooks goes pro.

15. Isaac Basten, Junior, Drake (-5 / 10)

I still believe that Isaac Basten is one of the best tactical runners in the NCAA and undoubtedly in the top-three...even if he gives me heart attacks at the end of each race.

A 5th place finish at the NCAA Championships over 1500 meters is a result that I'm sure that the Drake ace didn't want. That, however, is the risk that you take when you sit on the inside rail as often as Basten does.

In many instances, that race plan has worked out beautifully for him. But in a race where literally everyone was in contention going into the last lap, Basten was stuck at the back and just had nowhere to go.

Historically, that inside rail has opened up for him.

But on Saturday, it was closed shut.

The fact that this Bulldog ace still finished 5th on the national stage is incredible. However, if this Drake star had simply put himself closer to the front going into that final lap, then he would have had a realistic shot at winning gold. He did, after all, have the second-fastest last lap split of anyone in the field (behind only Nathan Green).

Regardless, Basten put himself in a new tier this year. He was far more consistent and he added a 3:36.99 (1500) PR to resume, pairing newfound firepower with his usually elite racing IQ. In my eyes, he was the most talented 5th place finisher of any middle or long distance runner at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

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

Running 3:36.89 for 1500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invite seemed about right.

Winning an SEC title over 1500 meters with ease seemed about right.

Finishing 4th at the NCAA Championships at the metric mile distance seemed about right.

There just isn't a whole lot to discuss with Anass Essayi. He simply did everything that was asked of him. He didn't necessarily stand out in any major way, but he was still plenty strong in every race that he toed the line for.

Essayi was viewed as one of multiple national title contenders over 1500 meters this season. But seeing him fade outside of the top-three on the national stage forces us to drop him back by a margin that, on paper, is arguably more than it should be.

13. Jackson Sharp, Junior, Wisconsin (Unranked)

Another national meet, another masterful showing for Jackson Sharp.

Everyone knew that Sharp was a highly talented distance runner in the NCAA, especially after the cross country season that he had. However, no one saw him finishing 3rd over 3000 meters at the indoor national meet and he wasn't necessarily favored to finish 3rd in the 5k at the outdoor national meet this past weekend (but he did).

Prior to the West Regional Championships, Sharp's best result was a 13:29 (5k) mark at the Bryan Clay Invite. He would later improve that time to 13:26 on the regional stage, but the rest of his season was highly unexciting as it was littered with speed-refining races (which includes a 1500 meter title at the BIG 10 Championships).

But once again, Sharp showcased incredible championship poise. He knew exactly how he wanted to navigate this 5k field on the national stage and his late-race kick proved to be enough for him to earn bronze. I don't know what more he could have done to catch or even contend with Robinson, but in terms of execution, Sharp was incredible.

12. Casey Clinger, Sophomore, BYU (-3 / 9)

I can only shrug my shoulders. Casey Clinger did exactly what we thought he would do. He finished 3rd overall at the national meet over 10,000 meters in a race that played out exactly to his strengths. He didn't have the last lap kick that the Stanford men had, but he was clearly better than the rest of this field.

The Cougar distance star also contested the 5k on Friday night, but simply didn't have much pop left in his legs following the 10k from two nights before.

Clinger reached a new level of fitness this year. He looked far more sure of himself and his turnover definitely improved by a good margin. The BYU ace is still working to get himself into the "national title favorite" category, but 2023 certainly got him closer to that point than he has ever been before.

11. Adam Spencer, Sophomore, Wisconsin (+2 / 13)

There was never any question that Adam Spencer was a top distance talent in the NCAA, but the Wisconsin star undoubtedly reached a new level of fitness this spring.

After running 3:37 for 1500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invite (despite nearly taking a fall on the last lap), this Badger ace would go on to flex incredible tactical prowess, upper-tier fitness and surprisingly great speed.

A massive 1:46 PR over 800 meters, a 3:38 mark for 1500 meters at the West Regional Championships and a bronze medal finish at the national meet this past weekend were results that gave Spencer a stacked resume.

Taking down Handal Roban at the BIG 10 Championships in the event that Roban would eventually finish 3rd in at the national meet, while also legitimately being in the mix to win the 1500 meter national title over the last 200 meters, are subtle aspects of Spencer's resume that need to be fully appreciated.

And as a result, the Aussie sophomore now sits at TSR #11.

10. Graham Blanks, Junior, Harvard (Unranked)

Alright, hand up, I'll admit it: I was probably the least biggest fan of Graham Blanks out of everyone at The Stride Report. To be clear, I never thought he was a "bad" runner or anything like that. In fact, I absolutely believed that he could be an All-American on the oval!

But for whatever reason, his 10k loss to Kirami Yego at the Raleigh Relays stuck in my head more than it should have. And after seeing him record a pair of 13th place finishes during his 5k/3k double at the indoor national meet, I just didn't know if Blanks was going to be THIS good this season.

Of course, in retrospect, that was an incredibly dumb thought process. Following that Raleigh Relays performance, the Harvard star ripped off four-straight wins, including a 5k victory over Zach Facioni and Parker Wolfe where he ran 13:24.

A 6th place All-American finish in the 10k on the national stage with a 28:15 PR was definitely on the better end of what I thought Blanks could do, but it was still a very realistic result.

However, what I didn't expect was for Blanks to thrive in a tactical 5k race where no one broke the 14-minute barrier. To me, this Crimson distance standout struck me as someone who did better in aggressively-paced races.

But in a 5k battle all about tactical nuance, it was Blanks who perfectly timed his moves and proved to be patient enough to earn a silver medal.

It's one thing to earn double All-American honors in one weekend. It's another thing for one of those All-American honors to be a runner-up effort. But it's a completely separate thing for someone to have those kinds of results in vastly different race scenarios.

Kudos to Graham Blanks. I was happy to be so very wrong about you.

9. Fouad Messaoudi, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (-8 / 1)

Gosh, how should we rank Fouad Messaoudi?

When it came to this season, the Oklahoma State superstar proved to be a problem over 1500 meters. He ran 3:35 for the distance at the Bryan Clay Invite and nearly upset Cooper Teare for the overall win. That mark now sits at NCAA #4 all-time.

Messaoudi would also take down Ezekiel Rop at the BIG 12 Championships with another fantastic mark of 3:36. In total, the Cowboy standout would run under 3:40 for 1500 meters four times this season.

But there were also moments where the Moroccan ace didn't look quite as sharp, namely the Penn Relays. And in a highly tactical 1500 meter final at the national meet, there was simply no pop in Messaoudi's legs as he faded to 9th place overall.

This was still a fantastic season for Oklahoma State's newest superstar. He was clearly a juggernaut talent over 1500 meters. And yet, there were also subtle signs that not everything was clicking for him this season.

Regardless, his raw talent, sub-3:40 consistency and all-time 1500 meter performance was enough in our eyes to keep him listed in the top-10 of our rankings.

8. Joe Waskom, Junior, Washington (+3 / 11)

No one should really be surprised that Joe Waskom finished runner-up in the 1500 meter finals at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. He was the defending national champion in this event from 2022, ran a 3:51 mile PR during the winter months and holds the NCAA #11 all-time mark in this event with a 3:35.89 result from the Bryan Clay Invite.

Waskom was one of a small handful of 1500 meter national title favorites going into the national meet. Admittedly, his highly underwhelming performance at the PAC-12 Championships left me concerned, but he knew exactly what he wanted to do on the national stage. And for the most part, it worked out, securing the silver medal on Friday night.

Waskom's season was fairly quiet and unexciting outside of his Bryan Clay Invite performance. But in his two biggest races of the season, both of which were wildly different, the Washington runner rose to the occasion and delivered big results.

7. Charles Hicks, Junior, Stanford (+8 / 15)

This was a good season for Charles Hicks, maybe even a great season...right?

This Stanford star never had a poor race, but certain efforts of his were certainly better than others. His 10k victory over Victor Kiprop at the Stanford Invite was absolutely electric, but his 13:33 (5k) mark at the Bryan Clay Invite left us wanting so much more.

Hicks would later be upset by Brian Fay for the 10k title at the PAC-12 Championships, but he then put together a solid 10k/5k weekend double at the West Regional Championships.

Truthfully, it was hard to get a good gauge of this Cardinal runner over these last few months.

But then Hicks snagged a huge silver medal result in the men's 10k at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, losing only to his teammate while comfortably defeating the rest of the field. And when he came back for the 5k, Hicks still put together a 6th place All-American finish.

Much like Robinson, it didn't really matter what Hicks did during the regular season. He peaked when it mattered the most and looked like a complete long distance talent with limited weaknesses. For that reason, he sneaks into our top-10.

6. Yusuf Bizimana, Sophomore, Texas (-3 / 3)

Sometimes, there's just not a whole lot that you can do.

That was the case for one 800 meter superstar earlier this weekend.

In the men's 800 meter finals on Friday night, Yusuf Bizimana followed Will Sumner around his home track for two laps. And while the Longhorn middle distance star did put together a strong race void of any legitimate flaws, that largely didn't matter.

Will Sumner was just flat-out better on Friday night. Plain and simple. But running 1:45.74 for 800 meters and still earning a silver medal behind a historically elite performance deserves respect. Bizimana was flat-out incredible this spring and he was the only man in the NCAA to go under 1:46 for the half-mile distance twice this season.

5. Duncan Hamilton, Senior, Montana State (0 / 5)

Among all of the non-national title winners from this past weekend, Duncan Hamilton was the best among them. You could make the argument for Yusuf Bizimana, but the Texas ace didn't run an NCAA #2 all-time mark like Hamilton did in the steeplechase. He also didn't make the national title winner of his event work for gold the same that Hamilton did.

And by showcasing incredible value with upper-tier 1500 meter and 5k times, it's clear that this Montana State star deserves to stay in our top-five.

Sure, he didn't win the national title, but he did everything that he was supposed to do. Yes, I would have made a few changes to how he approached his race, but Hamilton understood that he was more of a strength-based runner and he clearly tried to use that to his advantage.

That plan didn't work out and he didn't win the national title, but it's important that history remembers this Bobcat ace as one of the single-best steeplechasers that the NCAA has ever witnessed.

4. Nathan Green, Sophomore, Washington (Unranked)

Here's the thing: We didn't leave Nathan Green out of the last edition of our rankings because we questioned his fitness or his talent. That's not at all the case. It's largely because this Washington sophomore didn't make his season debut until the PAC-12 Championships!

And when he did debut, he ran a modest 1500 meter time of 3:42, eventually entering the West Regional Championships as an unexciting 26th seed.

But then Green won the West Regional Championships with a highly promising 1500 meter time of 3:38. And after cruising through the national meet prelims in 3:39, it was clear that this Husky underclassman was still fit enough to be a top contender.

Sure enough, Green threw down an insane 51.88-second split over the final lap in the 1500 meter finals to win the national title. And with that victory, he had won three-straight postseason titles (conference, regional and national), never losing a metric mile final throughout his (very short) outdoor track season.

Tactically, Green has proven to be truly elite and maybe the absolute best tactical runner in the NCAA over this distance. His kicks at both the PAC-12 Championships and the national meet show us that he should be legitimately feared. If he had raced more often this season, then there may have been an argument for him to be ranked somewhere in the top-three.

3. Ky Robinson, Sophomore, Stanford (+18 / 21)

Prior to the regional and national meets, Ky Robinson was having a good season, but it certainly wasn't his best. While he never truly had a poor performance, some races of his were clearly better than others.

His 10k race where he ran 27:59 and finished 3rd at the Stanford Invite was highly encouraging. But then he underwhelmed at the Bryan Clay Invite with a good, but comparatively unexciting, 13:29 (5k) mark.

Leading up to the West Regional Championships, Robinson simply focused on refining his fitness with a few speed-based races. And once he reached the national stage, he put together a solid weekend double of 28:22 (10k) and 13:22 (5k).

But regional meets naturally hold less weight. Those races are all about placement, not time.

Seeing Robinson win the men's 10,000 meter national title in Austin, Texas didn't necessarily surprise me. However, given the spring campaign that he put together, he wasn't one of my first choices to win. Still, the Aussie distance ace persevered over a very deep field with a masterful kick.

It was one thing to see the Cardinal star win the 10k national title, but seeing him also win the 5k national title (in essentially the exact same fashion) stunned me. No one had pulled off double gold in the 10k/5k double at the Division One NCAA Outdoor Championships since Edward Cheserek did it in 2016 (and 2015).

Well, no one until Ky Robinson.

And truthfully, that is not something that I thought I would be typing right now.

Overall, this wasn't Robinson's greatest season, but clearly, it didn't need to be. The Stanford superstar peaked far better this spring than he did during the winter months and he looked downright dominant because of that.

2. Will Sumner, Freshman, Georgia (+15 / 17)

Will Sumner's incredible end to what turned out to be a fantastic outdoor track season has him catapulting up our rankings. But truthfully, it wasn't until the postseason when Sumner really began to find his groove.

The regular season for this rookie featured numerous 400 meter efforts as well as a highly underwhelming 1:50 mark for 800 meters at the Bryan Clay Invite. That clearly wasn't Sumner's full potential, and we don't entirely know what happened in that race, but it was odd, nonetheless.

However, once this true freshman reached a championship setting, he looked like a completely different runner, one that carried himself with the poise of an established veteran.

Sumner cruised through the SEC Championships, comfortably winning the 800 meter title and making it look easy with a 1:46.20 mark. And after navigating past the East Regional Championships, the Georgia star ran 1:46.00 in the 800 meter prelims on the national stage, making the race look like it was a jog.

The idea that Sumner could win the national title over 800 meters was growing and becoming increasingly realistic. Of course, what he did on Friday night was undoubtedly on the better end of what his possible performances could have been.

A 1:44.26 mark for 800 meters puts him at NCAA #5 all-time in that event. He pulled away from a loaded field and a national champion in Yusuf Bizimana like it was nothing. We knew he could be good, and I even mentioned the idea that he could scare the 1:45 barrier, but Friday far exceeded my already-high expectations.

It's not just that Sumner ran a fast time that has him ranked so highly. It's the fact that he showed such incredible poise, unreal control of his fitness and he made it all look like a workout rep...as a legitimate 19-year old freshman.

That is still hard to fathom.

1. Kenneth Rooks, Junior, BYU (+3 / 4)

The main argument when it comes to these rankings is who deserves our TSR #1 spot.

But truthfully, when you look at the overall seasonal resumes of Kenneth Rooks, Will Sumner, Nathan Green and Ky Robinson, the conversation isn't all that close.

Rooks ran an NCAA #3 all-time mark of 8:17 in the steeplechase and took down an insanely loaded pro field in the process. The BYU star easily cruised past deep fields at the Stanford Invite and the Bryan Clay Invite. He also showcased tremendous last lap strength throughout the entire season.

Oh, and he also took down one of the greatest steeplechasers in NCAA history fairly comfortably en route to a national title. It's one thing to beat Duncan Hamilton, but to make it look easy is a completely different level of fitness that needs to be appreciated.

What more could you have possibly wanted from Rooks this season?

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ADDED

Conor Murphy (Virginia)

Nathan Mountain (Virginia)

Luke Tewalt (Wake Forest)

Handal Roban (Penn State)

Victor Kipiego (UTEP)

Abdullahi Hassan (Wisconsin)

Jackson Sharp (Wisconsin)

Graham Blanks (Harvard)

Nathan Green (Washington)

KICKED OFF

Mehdi Yanouri (Oklahoma State)

Liam Murphy (Villanova)

Ethan Strand (North Carolina)

Camden Marshall (Indiana)

Victor Shitsama (Oklahoma State)

Ezekiel Rop (Iowa State)

Ed Trippas (Washington)

Crayton Carrozza (Texas)

Navasky Anderson (Mississippi State)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Mehdi Yanouri (Oklahoma State)

Liam Murphy (Villanova)

Ethan Strand (North Carolina)

Camden Marshall (Indiana)

Victor Shitsama (Oklahoma State)

Ezekiel Rop (Iowa State)

Ed Trippas (Washington)

Crayton Carrozza (Texas)

Navasky Anderson (Mississippi State)

Victor Kiprop (Alabama)

Sam Whitmarsh (Texas A&M)

Tiarnan Crorken (Ole Miss)

Jesse Hunt (North Carolina)

Aidan McCarthy (Cal Poly)

Colin Sahlman (Northern Arizona)

Parker Wolfe (North Carolina)

Isai Rodriguez (Oklahoma State)

James Mwaura (Gonzaga)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Patrick Kiprop (Arkansas)

Carter Solomon (Notre Dame)

Evan Dorenkamp (Penn State)

Abdelhakim Abouzouhir (Eastern Kentucky)

Derek Johnson (Virginia)

Luke Houser (Washington)

Jackson Sharp (Wisconsin)

Nico Young (Northern Arizona)

Parker Stokes (Georgetown)

Chandler Gibbens (Kansas)

Tarees Rhoden (Clemson)

Anthony Camerieri (Ole Miss)

Baylor Franklin (Ole Miss)

Nick Plant (Virginia Tech)

Zach Facioni (Wake Forest)

Bob Liking (Wisconsin)

Scott Beattie (Tulsa)

Sam Gilman (Air Force)

Toby Gillen (Saint Louis)