TSR's 2023 Preseason D1 XC Top 25 Rankings (Men): #23 Tulsa Golden Hurricanes

NOTE: Earlier this summer, The Stride Report reached out to nearly every team that was considered for a possible ranking this summer. While we did receive numerous responses and great clarity, we did not get a 100% response rate. On rare occasions, we are referencing TFFRS in order to talk about returners and athletes who are out of eligibility.

---

Click here to see our "Just Missed" & "Honorable Mention" teams

---

Forget everything that you know about the Tulsa men.

What we saw out of the Golden Hurricanes over the last few years was nothing short of exceptional. Despite their mid-major status, this midwest cross country powerhouse emerged as a legitimate podium threat across multiple seasons (even if they never reached that point).

But in 2023, almost all of the top stars who made Tulsa such a dominant national power are gone. Left in their place remains one star low-stick and a large slew of high potential, but still-developing, youngsters looking to make a name for themselves.

And yet, somehow, we still see an avenue towards national-caliber success for these men as soon as this fall.

* * *

In 2022, the Tulsa men began their fall campaign at the Cowboy Jamboree. There, they faced numerous top-level teams and would have their top low-sticks facing some of the best men in the country.

And yet, despite the pressure, things went wonderfully for the Golden Hurricanes.

The combination of Cormac Dalton (12th), Michael Power (18th) and Isaac Akers (32nd) proved to be highly effective. However, as far as expectations went, no one at The Stride Report was too surprised by those results.

We were, however, surprised to see a fourth low-stick enter the fold in Shay McEvoy who ended up placing 22nd overall.

The rise of McEvoy was huge. With a fourth lineup gap seemingly filled, there remained only one true hole at the fifth scoring spot that could send Tulsa's team score skyrocketing. And even then, Malte Propp's 60th place finish wasn't bad at all.

In the end, the Golden Hurricanes walked away from the Cowboy Jamboree with a 5th place finish, losing only to the four teams that would end up on the podium later that November.

At the Nuttycombe Invitational, it was more of the same thing.

Power, McEvoy, Akers and Dalton were fantastic yet again, going 11-14-18-19, respectively, in the overall results. Tulsa's top-four was better than everyone except Stanford and they also put their first four men across the line before everyone else except Stanford.

However, with the fifth Tulsa scorer dropping back all the way to 155th place, their lead group could only do so much. In the end, the Golden Hurricanes walked away with a 6th place team finish. It was hardly a poor result, but it was clear that this squad would only go as far as their fifth scorer (whoever that would be) could take them.

After cruising through both the AAC XC Championships and the Midwest Regional XC Championships, the Tulsa men toed the line for the NCAA XC Championships. And while they certainly weren't favored to be on the podium, that possibility wasn't totally out of reach, either.

But in the end, it largely didn't matter.

Cormac Dalton (15th) and Shay McEvoy (23rd) ended outstanding cross country seasons with top All-American honors as expected. Isaac Akers (44th) didn't have a perfect day, but he still offered very solid scoring value. Michael Power (61st), however, didn't have his strongest race and was likely 30ish spots back from where he could have been.

And with Tulsa's final scorer dropping out of the top-200 spots, there was only so much that those top-four men could have done. In the end, the Golden Hurricanes ended their 2022 cross country season with a 9th place finish on the national stage.

* * *

Let's just rip off the band-aid and get the bad news out of the way.

Cormac Dalton is gone, Isaac Akers is gone and Michael Power is gone.

We'll admit, that may be one of the most severe losses of scoring potency that any team in the country has experienced this year (compared to last fall). Only Wake Forest and maybe Air Force can reasonably argue that their losses have been heavier.

It's extremely unlikely that Tulsa is going to be anywhere close to the same team that they were last fall. Their low-stick scoring is almost entirely gone and the little depth that they do have is very unproven.

There are, however, a handful of highly encouraging bright spots which have led to Tulsa being ranked at TSR #23.

The Golden Hurricanes still have a star in Shay McEvoy, they had Christian Baker emerge as a nationally competitive steeplechaser this past spring and there are a ton of younger guys who could make a significant impact this fall.

And when you put all of those factors together, you get a team that could find their way back to the national stage three months from now.

* * *

Let's start with Shay McEvoy, one of the biggest breakout stars from the 2022 cross country season. This is a guy who was respectable during the fall of 2021, but emerged as a legitimate ace just a year later. He's now ranked in the top-20 of TSR's Preseason XC Top 50 Individual Rankings.

Even if McEvoy becomes the best runner in the country this fall, he's not going to make much of a dent in the lost scoring that Power, Dalton and Akers left behind. He is, however, a highly reliable name. His consistency throughout last fall, especially on larger stages, leaves us with a sense of reassurance.

But let's be clear: If the Tulsa men are going to be nationally competitive in the slightest, then Shay McEvoy has to be just as good as he was last year. Truthfully (and unfortunately for him), he's the only guy on this team who the team can't afford to have an "off" day.

Alright, so that's their top scorer...now who's gonna be their second option?

That question isn't easy to answer (at all). However, if we had to guess, we would give the nod to Christian Baker, the aforementioned steeplechaser who ran 8:38 over the barriers earlier this year. And if you think that was a fluke, then you should also know that he also ran a 3:59 mile PR during the winter months.

We'll admit, Baker's cross country resume is fairly limited. Yes, he did have a few passable performances in the fall of 2021, but his 2022 campaign largely didn't impact the Tulsa men.

But the year is now 2023 and one thing is for certain -- Baker isn't the same runner that he was last fall. This is someone who has taken his fitness to a new level and he now has two competitive marks to back up that claim.

Sure, he wasn't the most consistent this past spring, but it's hard to think that Baker can't be a legitimate scorer for the Golden Hurricanes later this fall.

And then there's Malte Propp, the man who was already a scorer for Tulsa.

Propp's 2022 cross country season was a bit up-and-down. A 60th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree was a very solid result for a fifth scorer and the same could be said about his 8th place finish at the AAC XC Championships. But larger meets like Nuttycombe and the NCAA XC Championships proved to be a major challenges for Propp.

That, however, could change after seeing him run new personal bests of 14:00 (5k) and 28:56 (10k) this past spring. Clearly, this Tulsa veteran has improved his fitness, but can he translate that to the grass and do so on a consistent basis?

In our eyes, Propp could be the guy who allows the Golden Hurricanes to remain nationally competitive. There are enough signs to suggest that he'll be better this fall than in 2022, but it's hard to know for sure.

Of course, you could say that about pretty much everyone on this roster.

* * *

Despite the expectations that we have for McEvoy, Baker and Propp, it's the rest of this team, specifically the younger guys, who give us enough of a reason to rank Tulsa at TSR #23.

Johnny Livingstone is probably the biggest name to watch of this group. After redshirting last year, this English distance talent could be a major player for the Golden Hurricanes this fall.

With a 13:51 (5k) PR from his time overseas, and experience as a member of Great Britain's team for the 2022 U20 Euro XC Championships, it's hard to dislike the potential that this guy brings to the table. Plus, he now has a year of collegiate experience under his belt, effectively priming Livingstone for what could be a big season on the grass.

Sure, there's no guarantee that he'll be an impactful name for the Tulsa men over the next few months, but nearly every sign we have suggests that he will be.

Charlie Krasnoff is another name to keep an eye on. While racing unattached this past spring, the Tulsa distance talent took down JUCO star Sanele Masondo in an extremely tight battle. And if we're high on the prospects of Masondo, then whose to say that Krasnoff can't be a strong top-five scorer for his team this fall?

Oh, and for those wondering at home, Krasnoff is actually younger than Masondo, just in case you were curious about his potential upside...

Luke Birdseye could play a role for the Tulsa men this year. He was the 28th place finisher at the U20 World XC Championships back in February and he's only 18 years old. For perspective, the 2022 Champs Sports XC National Championship winner, Kole Mathison, was only three spots ahead of him in that race.

And how about Ben Brown? He's run 14:01 for 5000 meters, a personal best that came less than two months ago. If that's what he's able to do in June, then what will his fitness be like when he reaches the months of October and November?

There are plenty of other names on this roster who could rise to the occasion and find themselves in Tulsa's varsity lineup. Guys such as Chris McLeod, Sean Korsmo, Chanel Muir, James Knockton and Ryan Shumaker have all flashed hints of promise with some of their performances.

Whether or not those men take that next step has yet to be seen, but McLeod's 157th place finish at the 2021 NCAA XC Championships shouldn't be forgotten. Sure, that wasn't an amazing result by any means, but for a team that is rebuilding and just wants to be competitive, that kind of result would be welcomed by Tulsa at their fifth scoring spot.

* * *

For observant fans of our rankings, you may be asking yourself, "Wait, what's the difference between Tulsa and Wake Forest? Why are the Golden Hurricanes ranked, but the Demon Deacons aren't? It looks like both teams have one star low-stick and young developmental names who are just as good as one another."

And that, hypothetical reader, is a very fair point.

The difference, however, is that Tulsa has experienced veterans such as Christian Baker, Malte Propp and Chris McLeod. And while none of those men are going to be perfect scorers, we at least know that they have produced nationally competitive collegiate marks / finishes before.

But that trio is just a small part of a bigger picture. McEvoy gives Tulsa a true low-stick, the returners of this team offer a decent scoring structure to work around and the newcomers on this squad are maybe the best youngsters that the Golden Hurricanes have ever had.

No, this is not going to be the prettiest season for the Tulsa men, but it doesn't have to be. There are numerous ways for this team to find scoring and their lineup options are plentiful.

And in the grand scheme of things, the 2023 cross country season will likely be the starting point of a rebuild towards yet another run at the podium in the years to come.