.png)
TSR's 2023 Preseason D2 XC Top 10 Rankings (Men): #3 Wingate Bulldogs
- Gavin Struve
- Sep 12, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 13, 2023
Written by Gavin Struve, edits & additional commentary by Garrett Zatlin
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.
With much of their lineup returning from an exceedingly high-achieving 2022 group, the Wingate men are set up for more grand success in 2023. But when you factor in several high-profile additions with proven NCAA success, you begin to realize that the Bulldogs could be even more talented than last year’s national runner-up outfit.
Now, they’ll be expected to maintain the level of success that they established a year ago, but with a few new faces and new expectations.
* * *
Wingate began last fall in-state at the Catawba Fleet Feet XC Invite. They seemingly treated the meet like a rust-buster, winning narrowly over Catawba despite the Indians getting three runners across the finish line before any Bulldog. Even so, the Wingate men prevailed on the strength of their depth, taking spots 5-6-7 and 10-11-12-13.
Coach Pol Domenech’s group then took over three weeks off from racing before taking a sizable step up in competition at the Paul Short Invite. And while none of their individual results jumped off the page, Wingate was by far the best non-Division One team.
At the Lehigh-hosted meet, the combination of Scott Nutter (43rd), Bastian Mrochen (77th), Cas Kopmels (84th) and Yonas Sauers (88th) all placed in the top-100, helping the Bulldogs to a strong 12th place finish among 46 programs.
Their final scorer didn't cross the line until 122nd place, but that was still a good enough effort to give Wingate a fairly complete lineup. In a field where they could have been overwhelmed, the Bulldogs seemed to have a stable group of scorers.
From there, Wingate appeared far more dominant against more level competition at the UAH D2 Festival Year Showcase.
At that race, Pierre Galbourdin produced a huge 3rd place finish after settling as the team's fifth man at Paul Short. Behind him, Nutter placed 5th overall to give this team a lethal 1-2 punch. The supporting cast of Mrochen (12th), Kopmels (15th), Oliver Way (18th) and Sauers (20th) joined them in the top-20, offering tremendous stability and depth.
On paper, there were no true flaws in Wingate's lineup. And as a result, they earned a comfortable victory over teams like Lee (Tenn.), Charleston (WV) and Illinois-Springfield.
The Bulldogs then dominated Catawba and the rest of the South Atlantic Conference while resting their varsity group on the conference stage. Soheil Boufrizi won the individual conference crown. He later carried that momentum into the Southeast Regional XC Championships finishing 3rd, just behind Way, as all five Wingate scorers placed in the top-11 and contributed to a comfortable win.
But for the most part, all of that was expected.
While the Wingate men carried as much momentum as anyone entering the cross country national meet, their runner-up finish in Seattle probably still came as a surprise to some. They were a ways off from the national champions, Colorado Mines, but the Bulldogs emerged as the best of the rest.
Nutter gave this team a high-end low-stick in 22nd place while Kopmels and Way weren’t far behind in 27th and 32nd, respectively. With Galbourdin placing 34th, the Bulldogs looked incredible through four scorers. They had showcased a variety of different low-sticks throughout the season, but seeing four men all deliver on their All-American potential was distinctly unique.
Yes, Wingate experienced a bit of a drop-off to their fifth runner, Boufrizi, in 92nd place, but that didn’t end up making a difference in the team race. When all was said and done, the Bulldogs were one of the most consistent teams throughout the fall months.
* * *
With much of their scoring lineup returning, Wingate has a shot at a well-earned encore to their fantastic 2022 season.
Scott Nutter should be primed to be this team’s lead scorer in the fall of 2023, something we feel more comfortable about after he reached the outdoor national meet in two different distance events this past spring.
Kopmels joins Nutter as a returning All-American and was nearly as impressive on the track, running 8:12 (3k) and 14:07 (5k) to Nutter’s marks of 8:12 and 13:54. It’s hard to believe that last year was Kopmel's first season with Wingate and first time competing at the NCAA XC Championships -- because he certainly didn't look inexperienced.
But the craziest part is that Nutter may not even be Wingate’s top runner this fall -- and it isn’t Kopmels that we see pushing him for that role (although it is possible). Instead, we would suggest looking at Hamza Chahid who did not race last fall, but was spectacular on the oval over the first half of 2023.
Chahid won a 3k national title in his first NCAA Championship appearance, dropping an 8:00 (3k) PR in the process. On the outdoor oval, he went on to run 3:44 for 1500 meters and finish as an All-American in that event.
However, his most impressive mark is undoubtedly the 13:33 (5k) PR that he ran against a loaded field at the Bryan Clay Invitational. In that setting, Chahid took down multiple Division One stars.
The raw talent of Chahid is undeniable, and frankly, it would be a surprise if he didn’t emerge as an All-American this November. In fact, his TSR #13 ranking in our preseason top-25 individual rankings errs on the conservative side, mainly because we have yet to see him race over an entire collegiate cross country season.
* * *
While that aforementioned troika gives the Bulldogs three men with top-half All-American upside, Wingate does have some holes to fill.
That’s because Oliver Way and Pierre Galbourdin are both gone after finishing their NCAA cross country careers as All-Americans. That cuts the amount of Wingate’s top-40 finishers returning from the 2022 NCAA XC Championships in half. Yonas Sauers is also gone after finishing in the top-100 on the national stage last year.
And now, one of the deepest teams in the country last fall will have fewer proven options to fill out their top-five, although they'll still have multiple distance talents to work with. While they don’t necessarily lack returning experience, two of the Bulldogs’ top-four runners this fall may be men who weren’t part of last year’s national runner-up squad.
Enter Richardo Barbosa who joins this team from the JUCO ranks where he was a nine-time All-American and two-time national champion.
While Barbosa’s 3rd place finish at the 2022 NJCAA Division One XC Championships was a highly impressive result, it’s his 8:42 steeplechase personal best that makes him a potential superstar moving up the Division Two level. His separate PRs of 4:08 (mile), 8:12 (3k) and 14:18 (5k) are all very promising as well.
It’s been well-documented that steeplechase stars can’t always directly translate their track success to the grass. And Barbosa already enters with the uncertainty of making a move up in competition. Even so, it helps that he has already been plenty successful on the cross country course and holds competitive marks in other distance events.
It’s a lofty expectation, but this guy could realistically give the Bulldogs a potential fourth All-American in a couple months. And fortunately, Barbosa shouldn’t face too much pressure this fall thanks to returning scorers Bastian Mrochen and Soheil Boufrizi.
While the former did not finish at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships, he looked very much like a top-70 runner, nationally, throughout the regular season.
Similarly, Boufrizi enters this year as an excellent backend scoring candidate. He ended his 2022 campaign as Wingate’s fifth scorer and appeared to gain momentum earlier this year as he ran 8:49 (steeple) and reached the national stage in that event.
Like Mrochen, Boufrizi could be a fringe All-American after winning last year's conference title and placing top-95 at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships.
Other names like Titouan Le Grix, Saul Valdez, Brent Surratt, Jakob Rettschlag and Lars Laros could close out the lineup in 2023. The latter, in particular, is an intriguing option after running 14:04 (5k) this spring. Don't be surprised if Laros finds himself in this team's top-five at some point this fall.
This team has a wealth of returning options to choose from to close out their lineup, and Wingate’s conference title with their “B” group last year showcased it.
* * *
There may or may not be an elite low-stick on this roster depending on Nutter’s progression and Chahid’s acclimation to his first NCAA cross country season. But Wingate has a horde of All-American candidates and appears to have a high baseline for success.
An improvement on last year’s breakout season will be difficult with Colorado Mines still sitting atop the Division Two landscape and Adams State is expected to return to the pinnacle as well. That, however, doesn’t mean that Wingate won’t be better than last year.
The North Carolina-based program appears here to stay near the top of the NCAA. We may not see this team lose to a Division Two opponent until the national meet, but we’ll be very interested to see how their lineup shakes out and how their additions fit in during their lead-up to that point.
