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TSR's 2023 Preseason D3 XC Top 10 Rankings (Men): #7 RPI Engineers
- Gavin Struve
- Sep 8, 2023
- 6 min read
Written by Gavin Struve, edits and 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.
The RPI men are a group that have been a stable fixture in the top-half of the national meet for over a half-decade. And despite some losses from last year’s high-achieving lineup, including at the very top, there’s ample reason to believe that RPI is only trending upwards.
Like any other team entering this time of the year, the Engineers have questions. However, the relatively low volume of uncertainties makes us bullish on this program's potential in the fall of 2023.
As such, we foresee RPI building upon its recent momentum and recording its best team finish in recent history. That is, if everything shakes out how we expect it to as we evaluate this team in August and September.
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RPI began their 2022 cross country campaign last fall against a horde of northeast opponents at the Siena XC Invitational -- and won. But what made their team victory so impressive is that it came over a number of mid-major Division One programs.
Matthew Lecky led the way with a runner-up result, offering predictable scoring potency that we knew he was capable of. Behind him, four other Engineers were spaced out through the top-15 as they took down host Siena and Division Three power Williams relatively comfortably.
That result turned out to be an early-season statement given how highly we had viewed the Ephs going into last fall. On paper, the RPI seemingly had a complete top-five.
The Engineers continued to sharpen themselves against higher-profile competition when they toed the line for the Lehigh Paul Short Run. And given that they were in the loaded "Gold" race, the RPI men understandably did not run roughshod over that field.
Even so, Cory Kennedy and Lecky led the way in 59th and 61st place, respectively. But with no one else cracking the top-215 spots, it was hard for this team to standout -- although they did take down D3 power Johns Hopkins in the process.
October brought a return to more level competition at the Rowan Interregional Border Battle. As Lecky won the individual title and Kennedy finished 3rd, the Engineers won a competitive meet over SUNY Geneseo with fantastic (but expected) firepower. However, it was their supporting cast, specifically Patrick Smyth (8th) and Mitchell Dailey (9th), who gave RPI fantastic scoring value within the top-10.
With Jonathan Craun (18th) and Steven Spreizer (19th) closing out the scoring and offering respectable depth, no other team came anywhere close to the Engineers.
It came as no shock when RPI dominated the Liberty League XC Championships. This time, Kennedy nabbed the outright win while Lecky placed 2nd. Dailey, Connor Wooding and Smyth closed out the scoring in short order by placing 4-5-6, and the Engineers put four other men in the next six spots for good measure.
Entering the national meet, the Engineers had to be brimming with confidence. They had tested themselves against top-level competition in deep fields, largely dominated Division Three foes and snagged key team victories in races that were far from watered-down.
And through two scorers on the national stage, everything was going mostly to plan. Lecky and Kennedy provided strong low-stick results as each landed in the top-20. But from there, RPI had a scoring drop-off. It wasn’t catastrophic, but having their third runner cross the line in 83rd place and their final scorer finish in 136th place was less than ideal for a team that had potential podium aspirations.
In the end, those finishes added up to a 9th place result on the national stage. RPI had likely hoped for more after a very strong regular season, but it was hard to be too disappointed with the team’s best finish in years.
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The most noticeable difference between last year’s version of RPI and what we will see in 2023 will be the absence of Matthew Lecky up front. The veteran amassed three All-American honors over the past academic year, including an 11th place finish at the 2022 cross country national meet.
But all is not lost. Kennedy proved to be a strong complement to Lecky in 2022 and was often just as good or better. He too earned three All-American honors over the 2022-23 campaign, culminating in an impressive 6th place finish over 5000 meters at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
As we know, Kennedy also finished as a top-half All-American on the grass and won the Liberty League XC Championships. Not to mention, 2022 was just his second collegiate cross country season.
With all of that in mind, there’s reason to believe that Kennedy should continue his emergence as a true national-caliber star -- and that’s why we have him listed at TSR #8 in our preseason individual top-20 rankings.
While Lecky’s departure is a harsh reality for the Engineers to face, Kennedy won’t be without help. Mitchell Dailey was RPI’s third scorer at the cross country national meet last fall and sometimes flashed lead scoring potential during his sophomore season.
Let's not forget, Dailey placed 9th at the often competitive Rowan Interregional Border Battle. And after posting a very strong 14:27 (5k) this past spring, there's reason to believe that he'll only improve upon his marks later this fall.
Dailey's presence, in theory, gives RPI more up-front scoring potential. His projected improvement, when paired with his consistency, alleviates some of the pressure (but not all) on Kennedy to be an elite low-stick.
While Lecky’s absence will deservedly garner the most attention, Connor Wooding and Patrick Smyth are also underrated losses. Both were lineup mainstays and valuable backend scorers a year ago. Wooding finished just outside the top-100 on the national stage while Smyth was often the more valuable scorer in the regular season.
To help offset that, RPI returns Jason Gibbons and Jonathan Craun. Both of those men gained high-level experience and held their own at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships, finishing inside the top-150 in that setting.
Gibbons, in particular, could be primed for a breakout after serving as the team’s final scorer during the 2022 NCAA XC Championships before running a new 5k PR of 14:18 in the spring. His development and recent progress has been plenty encouraging.
None of that is to suggest that Craun won't make an impact as well. His recent personal bests, while not as quick, were still plentiful during the winter and spring months. He was fairly consistent last fall with top-20 finishes at Rowan and Siena. At the very least, he offers nice lineup stability.
* * *
While having returnees like Dailey, Gibbons and Craun is reassuring, some added firepower alongside Cory Kennedy would be helpful.
Enter Vince Simonetti.
The veteran returner was the Engineers’ third scorer at the 2021 cross country national meet as a freshman, but he was injured last fall. After running praiseworthy marks of 14:18 (5k) and 29:40 (10k) in the spring, all signs seem to be pointing towards Simonetti emerging as a strong complementary piece this fall, perhaps even as a lead scorer or better.
After all, we have him listed as an "Honorable Mention" in our preseason top-20 individual rankings. And if he develops into the talent that we've seen a few RPI men reach in recent years, then we feel very confident about this ranking.
William Hawkins is another returner with varsity experience. As a senior this fall, he’ll be a solid option when it comes to building out their depth.
RPI also welcomes a robust freshman class that features eight men, two of whom have run 4:15 over 1600 meters and three who have run 9:20 or better over 3200 meters. Those kinds of marks make these rookies top-tier recruits at the Division Three level.
While conventional wisdom suggests that one will crack the varsity rotation, it’s no guarantee that those true freshmen will usurp the Engineers’ returnees. After all, coach John Lynch expects progression from last year’s freshman class after three of them broke 14:50 over 5000 meters in the first half of 2023.
* * *
When slated against their adversaries, RPI has comparatively fewer lineup questions.
The Engineers have firepower and a seemingly defined lineup structure. Kennedy brings a level of scoring potency that’s rivaled by only a few men in Division Three. We expect Dailey and Simonetti to be ready to step into complementary lead scoring roles. Gibbons and Craun are beyond capable as backend scorers.
This squad’s biggest question appears to be who will fill those final lineup spots, but that’s a commonality across the NCAA landscape, and RPI has some solid options.
With a number of pieces behind that core five, ranging from veterans to second-year leap candidates to true freshmen, it’s far more likely than not that the Engineers will develop a couple more reliable men to round out their varsity group.
And if that happens, then this team should be set for a top-10 finish for the second year in a row. In fact, as this preseason ranking suggests, we think that they’ll be even better than they were last year.
