TSR's 2023 D1 XC Top 50 Individual Rankings (Men): Update #2

NOTE: These rankings are based on how an individual fared throughout the entirety of a season, not just how they ran at a singular meet or (eventually) at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships. Click here to learn more about our ranking criteria.

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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 update.

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50. Santiago Prosser, Junior, Northern Arizona (Unranked)

There is an argument for Iona's Damien Dilcher to take this final spot in our rankings, but Santiago Prosser has been great in both of his two major races so far this fall. A 17th place finish at the Virginia Invite was complemented by a very strong 29th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational.

The big thing that we're looking for in Prosser this fall was his ability to consistently race at a high level. His 2022 national meet performance came somewhat out of nowhere, and although he hasn't replicated that kind of result yet, the NAU runner has still put together multiples races this fall where he has looked like an All-American.

49. Florian Le Pallec, Senior, Butler (-7 / 42)

Admittedly, a 47th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational is not what you would expect out of a top-50 runner in the entire country.

Even so, Florian Le Pallec is still plenty talented. His 9th place finish at the Virginia Invitational makes it very hard to drop him from our rankings and truthfully, a 47th place finish at Nuttycombe is hardly a terrible result -- it just needs to be better.

48. Ryan Kinnane, Junior, Auburn (Unranked)

Both last year and this fall, we have been trying to find way to get Ryan Kinnane into our rankings. That has been a challenge at times given that his schedule doesn't often send him to races like the Virginia Invitational or the Nuttycombe Invite.

However, so far this fall, the Auburn standout has been quietly impressive. He won the Southern Showcase over Bradley Makuvire, he settled for runner-up finish at the Battle in Beantown behind only Graham Blanks and he just took 3rd place behind Victor Kiprop and Hillary Cheruiyot at the Alabama Crimson Classic.

Kinnane's only losses this season have come to men who sit in the top-21 portion of our rankings. He has still taken down a handful of great talents and seems fit enough to defeat a couple of ranked names come the SEC XC Championships.

47. Isaiah Givens, Rs. Freshman, Colorado (Unranked)

After a fantastic freshman year where he ran 3:55 in the mile, we had high expectations for Isaiah Givens in his first season of collegiate cross country. However, when he settled for a 117th place finish at the Virginia Invitational, it was hard to be optimistic.

Luckily, Givens proved that his race in Charlottesville was largely a fluke. A 24th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational puts this rising Buffalo in the All-American conversation. It also gives Colorado more firepower next to Austin Vancil which they so desperately needed.

That performance from September is hard to shake from our minds, and that's why he's "only" ranked at TSR #47, but you gotta commend him for a huge rebound race.

46. Kenneth Rooks, Junior, BYU (-2 / 44)

A 31st place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite is a fairly solid result even if we thought that Kenneth Rooks would be closer to the top-25.

Admittedly, that result would probably drop most runners from our rankings who were previously at TSR #44. However, Friday was Rooks' season debut and it's hard to forget about his wildly elite steeplechase performances. We're willing to keep him just inside our top-50, although his upcoming race at the BIG 12 XC Championships should be very telling.

45. Brodey Hasty, Rs. Senior, Northern Arizona (-16 / 29)

Yes, he may be dropping a good number of spots in our rankings, but we're not exactly concerned about Brodey Hasty.

The long-time NAU veteran finished 43rd at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Friday, but it's hard to put much stock into any of Hasty's regular season performances. Historically, he has always peaked for the postseason after being far quieter in his lead up to that point. And frankly, Friday was one of the better regular season results he's ever had.

44. Acer Iverson, Senior, Harvard (-26 / 18)

Much like we described with Florian Le Pallec, a 36th place finish for Acer Iverson at the Nuttycombe Invitational is hardly a bad result. Of course, for someone who was battling for a top-10 spot in our rankings last fall, we certainly wanted a bit more out of this Harvard ace.

We're opting to keep Iverson inside of our top-50 rankings for a variety of reasons. Friday was his first race of the season, he holds highly competitive long distance marks, he has an extensive history of success on the grass and a top-40 result at Nuttycombe is still very respectable.

For now, we'll keep Iverson at TSR #44.

43. Ethan Strand, Junior, North Carolina (Unranked)

Ethan Strand may not be as potent of a low-stick scorer as fellow teammates Alex Phillip and Parker Wolfe, but he's not far behind. A 20th place finish at the Virginia Invitational was very solid, but a 27th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational gives us reason to believe that he is closer to the All-American tier than not (despite what this ranking says).

It's important to remember that this UNC standout may be a junior, but he didn't really begin to break out until this past winter and spring. This is his first cross country season where there are major expectations on his shoulders. So far, he has handled the role of a low-stick exceptionally well, but as he grows more comfortable, he may continue to improve.

42. Izaiah Steury, Sophomore, Oregon (-2 / 40)

Has not raced since our last rankings update.

41. Dylan Schubert, Junior, Furman (0 / 41)

When we heard that Dylan Schubert was recovering from mono and saw that he finished 47th at the Joe Piane Invitational, we'll admit, it was hard to stay optimistic about his season. Luckily, the Furman ace (and his whole team) rebounded beautifully at the Nuttycombe Invitational.

On Friday, Schubert posted a very strong 26th place finish. It showcased faster-than-expected recovery and the idea that he could still be a low-stick this fall. And conveniently, that finish was (very roughly) on par with his last ranking.

The Paladin star has proven in the past that he can be significantly better, but the fact that he has rallied back to this point this early in the season is highly commendable.

40. Arturs Medveds, Senior, California Baptist (Unranked)

Seeing Arturs Medveds produce a 4th place finish at the Griak Invitational felt very impressive, although at the time, it was hard to properly gauge just how good that result was. But after placing 23rd at the Nuttycombe Invitational and seeing how others have performed, Medveds undoubtedly deserved a spot in our rankings.

With this past weekend behind us, Medveds' early-season result looks much stronger in retrospect. Habtom Keleta was unsurprisingly great, but Wil Smith has reached a whole new level and Evans Kiplagat (who Medveds beat at Griak) surprised us with a top-20 finish.

However, maybe more importantly, this CBU veteran looks like a true low-stick for a team that is also boasting a complete top-five this fall.

39. Nickolas Scudder, Senior, Charlotte (-2 / 37)

Has not raced since our last rankings update.

38. Perry Mackinnon, Senior, Syracuse (Unranked)

We knew that Perry Mackinnon could be good this fall, but I don't know if we realized that he would be this good.

A 31st place finish at the Virginia Invitational was a very solid result and relatively on par with his most recent outdoor track season. But a 19th place finish at Nuttycombe? Well, that might be the best performance that this former Cornell runner has ever had during any season of competition.

We feel like TSR #38 is a fair middle ground between both of Mackinnon's results this season. His first effort wasn't all that close to putting him in a ranked spot, but Friday's result alone suggests that he belongs just inside the top-30.

Regardless, this northeast veteran has been a major recruiting win for a Syracuse team that looks so much stronger with another true low-stick in their lineup.

37. Victor Kibiego, Rs. Sophomore, UTEP (+2 / 39)

There's nothing too exciting to report with Victor Kibiego. The UTEP ace has only entered a handful of smaller, less competitive meets, but he has still faced plenty of great competition.

On Saturday, at the Arturo Barrios Invitational, the redshirt sophomore took home the win in an ultra-fast race and was chased by highly respectable talents such as Bradley Makuvire and Eric Casarez. That wasn't too surprising, but it deserves a nod of respect, nonetheless.

36. Chris Devaney, Senior, Loyola (Ill.) (Unranked)

Last year, the Loyola men had a nationally competitive breakout name in Ryan Martins emerge as a major cross country talent. And in 2023, the same thing seems to be happening with Chris Devaney. The only difference is that Devaney has faced stronger regular season competition and has thrived in each of his efforts.

A 3rd place finish at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational was excellent. The only men who Devaney didn't beat were the Wisconsin duo of Bob Liking and Jackson Sharp. Even so, that field wasn't the necessarily loaded from an individuals perspective. Luckily, Devaney proved that he was the real deal at the Nuttycombe Invitate with a season-defining 22nd place finish.

It's one thing for Devaney to have a breakout season with a big finish in a loaded field. But to also find success in different race scenario is something that should put him in the top-40 of our rankings.

35. Evans Kiplagat, Freshman, New Mexico (Unranked)

A 5th place finish at the Griak Invitational was fine, but much like I mentioned with Arturs Medveds, it was hard to gauge just how good that result was. But on Friday, Evans Kiplagat threw down an 18th place finish which felt like a better-than-expected result for the newest Lobo low-stick.

We're still trying to learn more about Kiplagat. He's brand new to the NCAA, only has two collegiate cross country races under his belt and it was very difficult to find some of his times. Even so, this is a very promising result for someone who could become an even more refined low-stick over the next year or two.

34. Theo Quax, Rs. Senior, Northern Arizona (-9 / 25)

Finishing 6th at the Virginia Invitational was an incredible result for someone who was so talented, but had yet to fully translate his success to the grass. Admittedly, Theo Quax's performance in early-September suggested that he was better than TSR #25 at the time, but seasonal consistency is vitally important aspect when it comes to our rankings.

On Friday, Quax crossed the line at the Nuttycombe Invitational in 25th place. And while that performance does push him back a bit, it still validates the great effort that he put forth in Charlottesville. And if you're NAU, then you can also feel encouraged knowing that Quax may have an even better result in him come November.

33. Brian Masai, Rs. Freshman, Akron (-2 / 31)

Has not raced since our last rankings update.

32. Liam Murphy, Junior, Villanova (-2 / 30)

There's not really a whole lot to say when it comes to Liam Murphy. A 21st place finish at Nuttycombe is very roughly on par with the 7th place finish that he produced at the Virginia Invitational (maybe). He may be moving back two spots, but I'm not sure that we learned anything new about this Wildcat ace on Friday.

31. Paul O'Donnell, Senior, Syracuse (Unranked)

Earlier this year, we saw Paul O'Donnell take a clear step up in his fitness, although that first started on the track during the winter and spring months. Since then, the Syracuse veteran has only gotten better, further refining his aerobic strength and thriving in large, nationally competitive fields.

A 19th place finish at the Virginia Invitational was a very nice result and it hinted at fringe low-stick potential in the postseason. However, a 20th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite is clearly a better result. And with two impressive finishes on his resume so far this fall, paired with his extensive experience and ongoing improvements, it's hard to find anything to dislike about O'Donnell.

30. Said Mechaal, Junior, Iowa State (Unranked)

Iowa State has to be thrilled that they landed Said Mechaal. The newest Cyclone ace has given his team a legitimate low-stick to lean on -- and they have certainly needed it.

A 23rd place finish at the Virginia Invitational may not have been top-50 ranking worthy, but it was a good low-stick result and it certainly made Mechaal a name to watch. Even then, his 15th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational was better than what we expected and it has now firmly placed this Cyclone star in the All-American conversation.

Mechaal seems to have a fairly aggressive front-running tendency where he puts himself near the top of the field early-on in big races. That approach inherently carries risk, but so far, it has been highly effective.

29. Victor Shitsama, Rs. Junior, Oklahoma State (-1 / 28)

Has not raced since our last rankings update.

28. Ben Shearer, Rs. Sophomore, Arkansas (Unranked)

Wow, where did that come from?

Ben Shearer showed signs of promise throughout last year and even ran 7:54 for 3000 meters. He was a solid runner, but it was clear that he was still refining and developing as a second-year talent. That's why you can understand our surprise when the Arkansas talent came out of nowhere and secured an outstanding upset victory at Pre-Nationals over a field of men who, frankly, are more accomplished than he is.

These kinds of performances are always the most challenging to rank. You want to reward the athlete for breaking through to the next level, but it's also fair to ask, "Can you do it again?"

To be clear, I don't think there's much of a chance that Shearer's race on Saturday was a fluke, but I also want to see how he handles the SEC XC Championships which will be just as top-heavy as this past weekend, if not more so.

27. Devin Hart, Rs. Junior, Texas (0 / 27)

A 17th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational was great to see from Devin Hart. He has only had two races so far this season, so it's still hard to gauge his consistency, but he has shown up on both occasions.

No one should be too surprised about Hart's performance on Friday. That kind of result very matches expectations and I don't think it tells us anything new about the Longhorn low-stick.

26. Luke Houser, Rs. Junior, Washington (+17 / 43)

Coming into this fall, I wasn't as high on Luke Houser as maybe a few others were. He was certainly talented and in the conversation for an All-American honor, but some races were better than others and his best performances didn't suggest that he was going to be a top-30 talent in the country.

But so far, Houser has proven me wrong (convincingly, I might add). The Washington star was 10th at the Virginia Invitational which was an excellent result, but not too surprising given where he previously was in our rankings.

Of course, a 16th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational is undoubtedly more impressive and it forces me to change the way that we view the 2023 indoor mile national champion.

And unbelievably, he may actually be favored to finish runner-up at the PAC-12 XC Championships later this month.

25. Brian Musau, Freshman, Oklahoma State (-3 / 22)

Has not raced since our last rankings update.

24. David Mullarkey, Junior, Florida State (+24 / 48)

A 5th place finish at the Joe Piane Invitational was certainly impressive as it confirmed our suspicions that David Mullarkey's 13:37 (5k) PR could be translated to the grass. However, to go on and earn a 14th place finish at Nuttycombe alters our understanding of just how good this Florida State star may be.

We're still trying to learn more about Mullarkey who has never competed in NCAA cross country before. But so far, we're learning that his floor is likely a backend All-American finish and that his ceiling is a potentially a top-half All-American honor.

And that's assuming that he doesn't keep improving...

23. Patrick Kiprop, Junior, Arkansas (-8 / 15)

A 6th place finish at Pre-Nationals was fine and when you look at who beat Patrick Kiprop, you can only shrug your shoulders and say, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Even so, I thought Kiprop would be slightly more of a factor on Saturday, although we're happy to keep him in our top-25 for now.

22. Kirami Yego, Junior, Arkansas (+4 / 26)

A 3rd place finish at Pre-Nationals behind only his teammate, Ben Shearer, and Tennessee's Yaseen Abdalla is really encouraging. Taking down Chandler Gibbens is also a huge result as is defeating Patrick Kiprop.

Even so, Kirami Yego's performance doesn't necessarily blow us away. A bronze medal in that field is roughly what we thought he was capable of. The Arkansas star also benefits from certain names having tough races and falling back in our rankings.

21. Hillary Cheruiyot, Junior, Alabama (-1 / 20)

I don't have much to say with Hillary Cheruiyot. He finished runner-up at the Alabama Crimson Classic, unsurprisingly behind teammate Victor Kiprop (who actually beat him by 10 seconds). Overall, we didn't learn anything new about Cheruiyot, although he did take down a strong name in Ryan Kinnane.

20. Creed Thompson, Junior, BYU (+12 / 33)

A 26th place finish at the Virginia Invitational admittedly felt underwhelming for what we wanted (and what BYU needed) Creed Thompson to be this season.

Luckily, a monster 10th place result at Nuttycombe this past weekend has turned the tides. That's a big result, not just because it gives the Cougars a lethal low-stick, but because it shows us that Creed Thompson has some upside and potential that he is still tapping into.

That will be a hard to result to replicate moving forward, but it's nice to know that Thompson's best race of the season (so far) has come on a stage that best mimics the national meet.

19. Chandler Gibbens, Senior, Kansas (-2 / 17)

A 4th place finish at Pre-Nationals isn't quite as strong as we would have liked to see from Chandler Gibbens, but the Kansas star still ran very well and it validated his victory from the Joe Piane Invitational. And while it feels like we should have more to discuss with this effort, I'm not sure that we do.

18. Alex Phillip, Senior, North Carolina (+16 / 34)

Wow, Alex Phillip is the real deal and Division Three fans must be thrilled right now.

An 8th place finish at the Virginia Invitational was the first sign that the former John Carroll ace was going to be more of a problem than we thought he would be at the Division One level. But to then place 11th at Nuttycombe? Well, that's flat-out so much better than I thought he would be.

Yes, we know that Phillip has had plenty of experience racing against Division One competition while he was at John Carroll, but his ongoing rise, despite being this experienced, is fairly rare.

17. Wil Smith, Junior, Gonzaga (+30 / 47)

For the last year two years, Wil Smith has been a fringe All-American contender. He has had a handful of great performances, but he has lacked consistency. But so far this fall, that seems to be changing.

At the Griak Invitational, Smith earned runner-up honors. But without any idea as to how good that field was (among individuals), we struggled to rank this Gonzaga star. Luckily, the Bulldog standout took full advantage of his opportunity at Nuttycombe, posting a jaw-dropping 9th place finish which blew away anything that he had posted before.

I'll admit, I would have never predicted Smith to finish that high if you gave me 10 different sets of predictions to make for this meet. That, of course, would have been a mistake. Smith is at a completely new level right now and while I'd like to see that kind of effort again, I do feel comfortable about having him crack our top-20.

16. Yaseen Abdalla, Junior, Tennessee (+7 / 23)

Really strong race from Yaseen Abdalla at Pre-Nationals. Yes, he lost to Ben Shearer, but taking down long distance studs such as Kirami Yego, Chandler Gibbens and Patrick Kiprop is incredibly impressive.

It's only one race, and the SEC XC Championships will tell us more about his fitness, but Abdalla would be getting a lot more attention right now if one Razorback didn't happen to have the race of his life.

15. Joey Nokes, Junior, BYU (-5 / 10)

14. Aaron Las Heras, Rs. Senior, Northern Arizona (+2 / 16)

I'm lumping these two men together because the analysis for each of them is fairly straightforward: They both ran up to expectations on Friday. At the Nuttycombe Invitational, Joey Nokes finished 13th overall while Aaron Las Heras settled for 12th place.

Nokes could have been a bit better based on his Virginia Invitational performance, but generally speaking, I don't think either of these men left us with tons to analyze.

13. Bob Liking, Junior, Wisconsin (-2 / 11)

Has not raced since our last rankings update.

12. Denis Kipngetich, Freshman, Oklahoma State (+1 / 13)

Has not raced since our last rankings update.

11. Victor Kiprop, Junior, Alabama (+1 / 12)

A fairly convincing victory over teammate Hillary Cheruiyot at the Alabama Crimson Classic has Victor Kiprop moving up just a singular spot. But for the most part, there's nothing new to discuss. We'll learn more about Kiprop's current fitness at the SEC XC Championships.

10. Rocky Hansen, Freshman, Wake Forest (+14 / 24)

Wow.

Wow, wow, wow.

It's one thing to finish 5th at the Virginia Invitational as a true freshman. But to finish 6th at Nuttycombe in your very first season of collegiate competition as a legitimate rookie? That's almost unheard of, at least for Americans.

In fact, my fellow podcast co-host Ben Weisel asked an interesting question: Who was the last American true freshman to have this kind of impact before the postseason? I'm sure we're missing someone, but we can't figure out who that is which only goes to show you how incredible Hansen has been.

For now, we're keeping Hansen at TSR #10. His youth and inexperience at this level is still a factor to consider whether it looks like it or not. Even so, if he produces a similar performance at the ACC XC Championships, then we'll be happy to push him higher.

9. Alex Maier, Senior, Oklahoma State (0 / 9)

Has not yet raced this season.

8. Fouad Messaoudi, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (0 / 8)

Has not yet raced this season.

7. Parker Wolfe, Junior, North Carolina (0 / 7)

6. Jackson Sharp, Senior, Wisconsin (+8 / 14)

5. Ky Robinson, Junior, Stanford (-1 / 4)

This may seem lazy, but there's basically no point in individually analyzing each of these men one by one when the analysis for them is largely the same.

At the Nuttycombe Invitational, each of those men sat in the lead pack and waited to respond to the leaders. They later found themselves in a mad barrage of kicks which had Ky Robinson placing 4th, Jackson Sharp placing 5th and Parker Wolfe placing 7th.

None of those results are particularly stunning, although Sharp was definitely the most impressive. His track turnover clearly came in handy on the final straightaway.

4. Drew Bosley, Senior, Northern Arizona (-3 / 1)

You have to commend Drew Bosley for an aggressive front-running effort at the Nuttycombe Invitational. However, in the muddy and rainy conditions, Bosley's race approach ultimately took a toll on him and he couldn't respond in the final moments of the race. In the end, he faded to 8th place overall.

We wouldn't panic about that final result. Bosley is very clearly fit enough to contend for the national title and he may have won this race if he had tried a few things differently. He does fall a bit, but this isn't necessarily to say that he's the fourth-best bet to win the national title.

3. Habtom Samuel Keleta, Freshman, New Mexico (-1 / 2)

2. Nico Young, Junior, Northern Arizona (+1 / 3)

Much like the Wolfe-Sharp-Robinson trio above, we saw Nico Young and Habtom Samuel Keleta simply bide their time in the lead pack for almost the entirety of their Nuttycombe battle. And when Graham Blanks made his move, they tried to follow.

Young finished runner-up just ahead of the madness while Keleta fought well for 3rd place. And despite those results being incredibly impressive, I can't say that we learned anything new about either of these men.

That said, Young looks like he's getting closer to top form after a shaky year on the track.

1. Graham Blanks, Junior, Harvard (+5 / 6)

What a brilliant win by Graham Blanks who made the smartest move of the race at the Nuttycombe Invitational.

When it felt like the pack was gearing up to make a move while Bosley was pushing, Blanks capitalized on the opportunity and jolted to the lead over the last 1000 meters. The rest of pack simply couldn't respond and the Harvard star took home the win.

If the race was a little tighter at the end, then maybe there would be more of a discussion as to who should be ranked at TSR #1. But Blanks' victory was a convincing one and it was beautifully executed.

And with that win, we now have to realize that the individual national title conversation is way more wide-open than we initially thought.

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ADDED

Santiago Prosser (Northern Arizona)

Ryan Kinnane (Auburn)

Isaiah Givens (Colorado)

Ethan Strand (North Carolina)

Arturs Medveds (California Baptist)

Perry Mackinnon (Syracuse)

Chris Devaney (Loyola (Ill.))

Paul O'Donnell (Syracuse)

Evans Liplagat (New Mexico)

Said Mechaal (Iowa State)

Ben Shearer (Arkansas)

KICKED OFF

Haftu Knight (Texas)

Lukas Kiprop (New Mexico)

Austin Vancil (Colorado)

Marco Langon (Villanova)

Aidan Troutner (BYU)

Luke Tewalt (Wake Forest)

Haftu Strintzos (Villanova)

Cole Sprout (Stanford)

Carter Solomon (Notre Dame)

Shay McEvoy (Tulsa)

Casey Clinger (BYU)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Haftu Knight (Texas)

Lukas Kiprop (New Mexico)

Austin Vancil (Colorado)

Marco Langon (Villanova)

Aidan Troutner (BYU)

Luke Tewalt (Wake Forest)

Haftu Strintzos (Villanova)

Cole Sprout (Stanford)

Carter Solomon (Notre Dame)

Shay McEvoy (Tulsa)

Casey Clinger (BYU)

Toby Gillen (Ole Miss)

Sean Maison (Air Force)

Jacob McLeod (Arkansas)

Dylan Throop (Penn)

Davis Bove (Cal Poly)

Damien Dilcher (Iona)

Jack Meijer (Ole Miss)

Andrew Nolan (Michigan State)

Corey Gorgas (Northern Arizona)

Dean Casey (Tennessee)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Sam Lawler (Syracuse)

Nicholas Russell (Santa Clara)

Gary Martin (Virginia)

Josh Methner (Notre Dame)

Isaac Alonzo (Texas)

Tom Brady (Michigan)

Joshua DeSouza (Iona)

Vincent Yegon (Middle Tennessee State)

Brian Kiptoo (Middle Tennessee State)

Jason Bowers (East Tennessee State)

Bradley Makuvire (Tulane)

Simeon Birnbaum (Oregon)

Timothy Chesondin (Akron)

Abdirizak Ibrahim (Florida State)

Carson Williams (Furman)

Evan Dorenkamp (Penn State)

Quincy Norman (Oregon)

Ryan Schoppe (Oklahoma State)

Notes

- N/A