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TSR's 2023 Preseason D2 XC Top 25 Rankings: #10-6 (Men)
- Marissa Kuik
- Jul 30, 2023
- 5 min read
Written by Marissa Kuik, additional edits by Gavin Struve & Garrett Zatlin
10. Dayton Brown, Rs. Senior, Adams State
To be honest, Dayton Brown was one of the more difficult names to rank.
On one hand, Brown had an incredible cross country season last fall. He won the Lewis XC Crossover, placed 2nd at the GLIAC XC Championships (ahead of Ransom Allen) and finished an incredible 7th at the cross country national meet.
However, on the other hand, he struggled on the track.
Brown failed to reach either the indoor or outdoor national meets, and it wasn’t like his seasons were super abbreviated, either. Meanwhile, his times were just not measuring up to his cross country performances. Frankly, they were quite a bit slower than his PRs from 2021.
Of course, one major change could have been the main reason for some of his struggles: his recent transfer to Adams State. For some athletes, it takes longer to adjust when going to a new school, especially halfway through an academic year and especially when that new school sits at altitude.
Though Brown did not have the year on the track that he likely hoped for, we feel confident in ranking the two-time All-American this high because of his phenomenal cross country season from last fall. He has also had more time to adjust to his new team. Don’t be surprised if Brown helps the Grizzlies come back stronger than ever after their fall of 2022 letdown.
9. Ransom Allen, Senior, Wayne State (MI)
While this may not be the most nuanced or analytically complex take, Ransom Allen simply knows how to race on the grass.
During the 2022 cross country season, Allen finished in the top-10 of every race that he toed the line for, seven in total, including the cross country national meet. That is not only fantastic consistency, but a clearly great display of understanding race tactics.
The confidence that comes from a fall campaign like that will serve Allen quite well as he enters his final year of cross country. Not to mention, Allen placed 25th at the 2021 NCAA XC Championships.
The main reason Allen isn’t ranked higher than TSR #9 is because he does not have the same track resume as some of the guys ahead of him. Yes, we know that these are cross country rankings, but by comparison to other top names on this list, Allen barely raced this past winter and spring.
This past year, the Wayne State star didn’t compete on the indoor oval and we only saw him race sparingly during the spring months. There, he ran a 5k PR of 14:15, although that seemed to be a smidge under the potential of a guy who finished 9th at the most recent NCAA XC Championships.
Again, we have no doubts about Allen’s ability to compete in the postseason. He has proved time and time again that he is a problem for his competitors on the cross country course. But for our preseason rankings, we feel like TSR #9 is just right for an athlete who doesn’t seem to have boundless momentum, but has validated his place in this range before.
8. Caleb Futter, Junior, Grand Valley State
After losing one of their greatest all-time athletes in Tanner Chada, Grand Valley State is in need of a new leader. Luckily, they may already have one in their five-time All-American star, Caleb Futter.
After closing out a strong track season, Futter looks primed to be the face of GVSU's historically elite distance program.
Chada was unable to compete this past spring, leaving an opening for someone on his team to step up. And although Futter’s indoor track season left a little to be desired, he came back with a vengeance in his main event, the steeplechase.
Over the barriers, he finished 4th at the outdoor national meet and ran an eye-popping personal best of 8:42. Futter also ran impressive PRs of 3:46 for 1500 meters and 14:01 over 5000 meters.
Now, you may be saying, "Hey, that’s great, but these are cross country rankings. What has he done on the grass that warrants this spot?"
Fortunately, Futter had a killer season last fall. He finished 3rd at both the GLIAC XC Championships and the Midwest Regional XC Championships. He then finished a highly impressive 14th place at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships.
Though Futter may have had a little lull during the winter months, he clearly had a jump up in fitness this past year as evidenced by first first cross country All-American finish followed by numerous personal bests in the spring.
That’s all to say, expect to see Futter take another jump to this level over the next few months. Or at the very least, finish within range of where he ended last season (which isn’t all too far from his placement).
7. Simon Kelati, Rs. Junior, Western Colorado
What a year Simon Kelati had.
During the cross country season, Kelati won a pair of races and then finished 6th at both D2 Pre-Nationals and the RMAC XC Championships, two crazy-stacked meets. He then capped off his fall campaign with an outstanding 12th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships.
After such a huge cross country season, Kelati backed it up on the oval. In the winter, he ran once during the regular season, in December no less, but still walked away from the NCAA Indoor Championships with an 8th place All-American finish in the 5k.
Though racing only once before the national meet is usually not recommended, Kelati was able to back it up and deliver.
Once the spring came around, this Mountaineer ace kept the momentum going and finished with strong PRs over 1500 meters (3:46) and 5000 meters (13:51). He contested both events at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships and came away with All-American honors in each, cementing a historic year for him.
There really isn’t much else to analyze here. This Western Colorado star is just really darn good. He's consistent, still improving and has his best races in the postseason. From a value standpoint, you could say that he should be ranked at TSR #5.
With a lot of top names from last fall either transferring or graduating, Kelati could be a (very deep) dark horse name to watch for the national title. Either way, he has some of the best momentum of any of the guys on this list entering the back-half of 2023.
6. Matthew Storer, Rs. Sophomore, Colorado Christian
The amount of poise that Matthew Storer displayed last year as a redshirt freshman is a large part of why he is listed so highly in our rankings.
Last fall, this Colorado Christian star appeared to gain confidence over the course of his debut campaign. The Cougar ace placed 19th among Division One competition at the CU Time Trial, but showed subtle improvements by later finishing 9th at the Lewis XC Crossover and then 6th at the South Central Regional Championships.
Finally, he finished 17th at the NCAA XC Championships to cap off his already-impressive redshirt rookie season. Of course, the growth didn't stop there.
What Storer he did in the ensuing months validated a preseason top-10 ranking as we enter the fall months of 2023. The rising RMAC standout finished his two track seasons with three more All-American performances. He locked down a 5th place finish over 5000 meters at the indoor national meet before earning a 4th place finish in the 10k and a runner-up result in the 5k, both at the outdoor national meet.
Storer’s ability to tackle everything in front of him in his first go-around was awe-inspiring. That's also why we’re projecting him at TSR #6 after just one year of collegiate competition.
He showcased adaptability by faring so well on the national stage after racing only three times before the NCAA XC Championships. He also thrived in the 10k/5k double at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Storer may still be developing and on the rise, but he proved to us through one academic year that he deserves this lofty position. His upside may the best out of literally anyone in these D2 preseason rankings.
