TSR's 2024 D1 XC Top 50 Individual Rankings (Men): Update #2

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Written by Mike McKean & Garrett Zatlin

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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. We will only list a max of 20 names in both our "Just Missed" section and our "Honorable Mentions" section (each).

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KEY

(Unranked):

Was not ranked in our last update.

(#/#):

First number indicates how much the athlete has moved in the rankings.

The second number indicates where the athlete was ranked in our last update.

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50. Marco Langon, Junior, Villanova (-11 / 39)

Marco Langon finds himself taking a dip in our rankings after finishing 4th at the Princeton Fall Classic this past weekend. And yet, despite this drop, we’ve seen Langon display that he’s a consistent secondary low-stick behind Liam Murphy. The firepower that he brings as a second ace for the Wildcats is vital as we enter the championship portion of the season.

Two races into his junior campaign, it’s evident this is Langon’s best cross country season yet. With his already-impressive regular season resume, we feel like a TSR #50 ranking is a fair spot as we see him contending for an All-American honor.

49. Dominic Serem, Freshman, Toledo (Unranked)

A 3rd place finish at the Princeton Fall Classic was an impressive result for Dominic Serem. The Kenya native earns his way into our top-50 rankings after competing admirably with the likes of Ethan Strand (TSR #10) and Liam Murphy (TSR #9). Not to mention, besting a talent like Marco Langon (TSR #50) deserves recognition.

There's no denying that the Rockets’ newest low-stick has enough raw talent to compete with many of the men listed in our top-50. But how Serem handles the competition in a more elite field (i.e. the national meet) will determine whether or not he stays in our rankings by season's end.

48. Thomas Boyden, Junior, Stanford (Unranked)

We've known that Thomas Boyden, at his best very, is a nationally competitive name in the NCAA. The challenge, however, is that he has struggled with consistency and availability in recent years.

Thankfully, Boyden is seemingly rounding back into top form. His 8th place finish at the Gans Creek Classic earlier this season was fine, but a 23rd place effort at Pre-Nationals suggests that Boyden could deliver on his true talent in the postseason.

We still need to see how the next month of racing goes before we can move up the Stanford veteran any further than we are now. Even so, his latest performances have put him in a very good position entering the ACC XC Championships.

47. Lex Young, Sophomore, Stanford (Unranked)

After arguably the best cross country race of his young career, Lex Young finds himself inserted into our top-50 rankings with his 20th place finish at Pre-Nationals this past weekend. The Cardinal sophomore finally appears to be delivering on the hype surrounding him in his high school days.

Young's emergence and development on the grass provides added firepower to a Stanford team that has shattered our preseason expectations so far. While inexperience may have been a hindrance to Young’s freshman campaign at times, that seems to be a thing of the past as he’s gaining momentum by stacking quality regular season performances.

Sure, this Cardinal youngster will need to continue displaying consistency as the season progresses to remain in our rankings. But if he does do that, then Stanford’s odds to become a podium team will only increase.

46. Said Mechaal, Senior, Iowa State (-20 / 26)

Yet again, Said Mechaal put forth a reliable low-stick result at a major invitational. This time, it was a 19th place result at Pre-Nationals, a performance that is actually slightly better than his 19th place finish from the Nuttycombe Invite earlier this season.

Despite the minor improvement, we're moving Mechaal back in our rankings. Yes, he's been an incredibly reliable lead scoring talent, but other men have simply proven to be more potent All-American threats than this Iowa State veteran.

Even so, if you're someone who values consistency and experience, you'll likely still think that this ranking is too low for Mechaal.

45. Ben Shearer, Rs. Junior, Arkansas (-12 / 33)

It would be unfair to compare last year's Pre-Nationals race (which Ben Shearer won) to this year's Pre-Nationals field. After all, the latter was far more competitive than the former.

Even so, an 18th place finish from Shearer this past weekend demands respect. It's not his best result, and we think he can offer a slightly more potent performance in the future, but we thought this was a good effort that keeps him in the All-American conversation.

44. Camren Todd, Senior, Utah State (Unranked)

Yes, it's true, Camren Todd did secure the overall win at Paul Short a couple weeks back. However, that field was not nearly as competitive as a few other meets around the nation. That's why there was a still a small level of surprise when we saw Todd post an excellent 17th place result at Pre-Nationals this past Saturday.

Todd has been a sneaky-good name for a while now. He was nearly an All-American during the pandemic-altered winter cross country season in 2021 and has had a few brief moments of promise since then. However, this fall campaign feels different -- at this point of the season, the Utah State veteran has never been quite this good.

43. Valentin Soca, Sophomore, California Baptist (-2 / 41)

A 16th place effort at Pre-Nationals this past weekend was another strong result from Valentin Soca and it provided highly-potent lead scoring result for California Baptist. The sophomore standout’s leap in fitness has helped establish one of the best 1-2 punches in the NCAA alongside teammate Zouhair Redouane.

The CBU low-stick has seemingly replicated the reliability shown in 2023 as he allows his squad to remain competitive with the NCAA’s best. With Soca being more strength-based, we could see him becoming even better with the jump to the 10-kilometer racing distance at the regional and national meets.

42. Ryan Schoppe, Senior, Oklahoma State (0 / 42)

The Oklahoma State men clearly had a small contingent of their top scorers effectively tempo their home meet, the Weis-Crockett Invitational, this past weekend. The BIG 12 XC Championships is likely the first time this season that we'll see Schoppe and a few other teammates go all-out on the grass.

41. Davis Bove, Senior, Cal Poly (+9 / 50)

After a 6th place finish at the Loyola Lakefront Invite, we felt that Davis Bove was an incredibly underrated low-stick in the NCAA. Now, following his promising 15th-place finish at Pre-Nationals, we can no longer sleep on the experienced veteran.

The Mustang ace has provided incredible leadership for a Cal Poly team that was looking for a spark coming into this season. The leap that Bove has taken this year is undoubtedly impressive as he looks to redeem himself after a disappointing performance at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships (108th).

After collecting scalps like Bob Liking, David Mullarkey and Said Mechaal this season, Bove is well on his way to his best national meet finish yet.

40. Will Zegarski, Rs. Sophomore, Butler (Unranked)

Many of us at The Stride Report (or maybe just me) were very high on Will Zegarski going into these fall months. And after seeing him place 10th at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational, it seemed fair to say that he was (very slowly) evolving into a low-stick.

However, we couldn't have predicted Zegarski to then place 15th overall at Pre-Nationals this past weekend, fully delivering on the upside that we knew he had. That's an important result. Not just for Zegarski's All-American hopes, but also for a Butler team that is looking for more firepower given Florian Le Pallec's recent struggles.

Based on his intangibles -- experience, recent momentum, remaining upside, success in different fields, etc. -- Zegarski is more-than-deserving of our TSR #40 position in these rankings.

39. Carson Williams, Senior, Furman (Unranked)

We've known that Carson Williams is a strong distance runner for the last few seasons. He ran 3:55 in the mile, has been a national qualifier in the steeplechase and has had a few sneaky-good cross country performances prior to this past weekend.

Even so, seeing the Furman veteran drop a huge 13th place finish at Pre-Nationals on Saturday completely changes how we view him. In our eyes, Williams was likely closer to our "Honorable Mentions" tier before Pre-Nationals. Now, we're questioning if he can be an All-American come November.

Thankfully, it's not like this result came out of nowhere -- Williams already had some respectable credentials. That was ultimately the difference between him being inside vs outside of our top-40.

38. David Mullarkey, Senior, Northern Arizona (-18 / 20)

David Mullarkey takes a noticeable dip in our rankings after a 21st place finish at Pre-Nationals. Admittedly, we felt that Mullarkey could’ve been better this past weekend, especially after seeing him produce an impressive 4th place finish at the Joe Piane Invitational just a few weeks ago.

That being said, the British low-stick provided great scoring potency and valuable leadership for an NAU squad that seemingly improved as a team this past weekend.

It’s something to be said that a slightly “off” performance from Mullarkey at this stage of his career is a 21st place finish at the most competitive regular season meet of the year. The Lumberjack’s proven track record of consistency and reliability gives us confidence in keeping him slotted in the All-American portion of our rankings.

Not to mention, Coach Mike Smith has proven to get the most out of his athletes on the national stage, and we feel Mullarkey will be no different.

37. Carter Solomon, Senior, Notre Dame (Unranked)

In the fall of 2022, Carter Solomon was absolutely brilliant. He stunned with a huge breakout performance at the Nuttycombe Invite, earned an upset ACC title victory over Parker Wolfe and went on to validate all of his success with a top-half All-American honor.

However, the Notre Dame veteran has struggled over the last year, failing to reach the prior highs that he once hit. And truthfully, we didn't think he would return to that tier this season after seeing him produce a decent, but unexciting, 14th place finish at the Joe Piane Invite.

But on Saturday, Solomon dropped a huge 12th place effort at Pre-Nationals, forcing the NCAA to put him back on their radar as a realistic All-American low-stick threat. Yes, we still need to see if this sudden return to form can be sustained, but given his prior history, we thought this was a massively positive development for Solomon and Notre Dame as a whole.

36. Vincent Chirchir, Freshman, New Mexico (Unranked)

When Vincent Chirchir first entered the NCAA and started competing on the outdoor oval, we knew that he held tons of raw talent. However, just like many other international names, we weren't sure how he would fare in his first time on the grass against high-level collegiate competition.

A 9th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree was by no means poor, but an 11th place finish at Pre-Nationals was a far better indicator of how dangerous Chirchir can be when he realizes his full potential.

The best version of Chirchir is undoubtedly an All-American. However, trying to figure out how high up in that All-American mix is the biggest uncertainty that we have with New Mexico's newest low-stick star.

35. Matt Strangio, Senior, Portland (0 / 35)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

34. Abraham Chelangam, Sophomore, Oral Roberts (Unranked)

Prior to this season, we had already seen subtle signs of Abraham Chelangam being a nationally competitive name. But while his 13:52 (5k) PR from the spring was respectable, it also felt obvious that his raw fitness was greater than what he had shown us.

Thankfully, Chelangam has validated those suspicions this fall, placing 8th at the Cowboy Jamboree and, more recently, finishing 3rd at the Weis-Crockett Invitational.

We'll admit, it's a bit tough to evaluate those performances. The main competition that Chelangam faced in both of those fields was Oklahoma State and we truthfully aren't sure how much of an effort the Cowboys were putting forth, specifically at the latter meet. Even so, we've seen enough to know that this Oral Roberts sophomore has enough pure fitness to be an All-American come November.

33. Cole Sprout, Senior, Stanford (Unranked)

Cole Sprout is officially back as an elite low-stick for the Stanford men. It's been a long road back for the experienced veteran, but after multiple seasons of underwhelming results, we’ve long awaited his return to the star that status we once saw.

After a 9th place finish at Pre-Nationals this past weekend, Sprout is gaining momentum heading into conference championship racing. With the Cardinal standout leading the way, this young squad is showing pose well beyond their years as they’re starting to gain podium buzz. After three straight national meet “blow-ups” in cross country, Sprout aims to get back to the All-American honors that he earned in his freshman campaign.

32. Gary Martin, Junior, Virginia (Unranked)

Gary Martin finds himself vaulting into our TSR rankings after an eye-opening win at the Panorama Farms Invitational. He comfortably bested the field by a whopping 14 seconds and took the scalp of Luke Tewalt (TSR #31) in the process.

The middle distance star has quietly built an impressive cross country resume as his elite range was on display once again. He has been a key low-stick this fall for a Virginia team that has needed the firepower.

Although we’ve yet to see Martin put it all together in the postseason, the experience that he has gained over the years can’t be ignored. When looking at his entire body of work on the grass, it’s clear that Martin has all the tools to be an All-American in Madison.

There may also be questions as to why Martin is still ranked behind the guy who beat him this past weekend. Well, the Nuttycombe Invite is bigger and better meet -- and Tewalt up-ended Martin on that stage. For that reason, we gave the nod to the Wake Forest veteran.

31. Luke Tewalt, Senior, Wake Forest (+7 / 38)

Luke Tewalt finds himself nearing top-30 portion in our rankings after posting another result which further proves that he’s back to his 2022 form. The veteran filled in admirably for Rocky Hanson as the Demon Deacon’s low-stick at the Panorama Farms XC Invitational. His performance resulted in silver and only validated our belief in Wake Forest’s firepower.

Tewalt’s reliability throughout this season feels similar to his 2022 campaign. As he continues to stack great regular season performances, we find him deserving of our TSR #31 position.

30. Zouhair Redouane, Freshman, California Baptist (Unranked)

After a 6th-place result at the Joe Piane Invitational, Zouhair Redouane was officially on our radar. However, his incredible 10th place performance at Pre-Nationals proves to us that he’s the potent low-stick that this CBU team needs as they aim to replicate last year’s success.

The Moroccan ace has risen to top-tier status as he has smoothly transitioned to collegiate racing. After back-to-back impressive results, Redouane has shown us that he can compete with the NCAA’s best. With a lethal 1-2 duo of Redouane and Valentin Soca, the Lancers have bolstered their roster with high-impact scoring.

29. Aidan Troutner, Senior, BYU (+8 / 37)

A 3rd place finish at the Bill Dellinger Invite was an excellent result for Aidan Troutner. Sure, that performance wasn't necessarily super exciting, but it did offer some validation for his tremendous 9th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite from earlier this fall. That is ultimately what gave this BYU veteran a boost into the top-30 portion of our rankings.

28. Victor Shitsama, Senior, Oklahoma State (-6 / 22)

Just like we mentioned with Ryan Schoppe, the Oklahoma State men clearly had a small contingent of their top scorers tempo their home meet, the Weis-Crockett Invitational, this past weekend. We're not putting too much investment into Shitsama's recent result.

27. Evans Kurui, Freshman, Washington State (-9 / 18)

After defeating multiple upper-echelon stars at the Joe Piane Invitational, Evans Kurui’s 2nd place finish in the Pre-Nationals “B” race came as a surprise. And with that result, one thing is clear: There are still a lot of unknowns surrounding the Cougars' newest low-stick.

That being said, it’s tough to gauge this ranking given that he didn’t have a chance to compete with the elite talent in the championship race. As such, Kurui still feels like an All-American threat, meaning that we'll place him at TSR #27.

26. Fouad Messaoudi, Junior, Oklahoma State (-12 / 13)

As we mentioned above, we're not putting much investment into the results from the Weis-Crockett Invite for certain Oklahoma State runners. However, Fouad Messaoudi seemingly put forth an honest effort this past weekend on his home course, settling for 4th place finish behind two teammates and Abraham Chelangam (TSR #34).

We would like to avoid much too much emphasis on that lone result, but for the sake of fairness, it did feel like Messaoudi had to be brought back in our rankings during this update.

25. Laban Kipkemboi, Rs. Freshman, Oklahoma State (+5 / 29)

A runner-up effort at Oklahoma State's home meet, the Weis-Crockett Invitational, was sneaky-good for Laban Kipkemboi. And although he did defeat guys like Abraham Chelangam and Fouad Messaoudi (both of whom were seemingly giving their best efforts), we felt like this Kenya star was deserving of a boost in our rankings.

24. James Corrigan, Junior, BYU (0 / 24)

A runner-up effort at the Bill Dellinger Invite put James Corrigan behind superstar teammate Casey Clinger, but also ahead of his other All-American-caliber teammates.

Corrigan is one of the names who we would have dropped in our rankings this week to no fault of his own thanks to the performances of others. But given how strong he looked in Oregon two weekends ago, we felt like it was appropriate to keep him put at TSR #24.

23. Dismus Lokira, Freshman, Alabama (-6 / 17)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

22. Creed Thompson, Senior, BYU (-6 / 16)

21. Joey Nokes, Senior, BYU (-6 / 15)

After huge performances from Creed Thompson (8th) and Joey Nokes (6th) at the Nuttycombe Invite earlier this fall, it’s clear that both are real threats to be top-half All-American threats this fall. However, we do see them take a dip in our rankings this week after they produced 4th and 5th place finishes at the Bill Dellinger Invitational two weekends ago.

That being said, the Cougars have an incredibly deep team and they also have the luxury of interchanging their top-five runners on any given day. In other words, it's best not to overreact to that lone meet.

20. Yaseen Abdalla, Senior, Arkansas (+10 / 30)

Welcome back, Yaseen Abdalla!

The newest Razorback low-stick wasted no time in picking up right where he left off on the grass, earning an impressive 8th place finish at Pre-Nationals this past weekend just two months after competing at the Olympics in the marathon.

Abdalla’s ability to plug himself back into being a potent low-stick so quickly provides this Arkansas squad with lethal firepower up front, further allowing the 'Hogs to have numerous low-stick runners on any given day.

The two-time cross country All-American adds to his impressive resume on the grass, one that promotes elite consistency. His true upper-tier talent was on display this past weekend and that justifiably positions him at TSR #20.

19. Patrick Kiprop, Freshman, Cincinnati (0 / 19)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

18. Dennis Kipruto, Freshman, Alabama (+7 / 25)

17. Victor Kiprop, Senior, Alabama (-6 / 11)

This Alabama duo easily went 1-2 at their home meet, the Crimson Classic, this past weekend, crossing the finish line together. We didn't necessarily learn anything new about Kiprop, but we did feel like Kipruto further validated his fitness as a top-half All-American threat.

Kiprop only drops in our rankings due to the performances of others. We still think it's very possible for him to be a top-10 name at the national meet.

16. Casey Clinger, Senior, BYU (-4 / 12)

Casey Clinger put up another quality performance this past weekend after taking home the win at the Bill Dellinger Invitational. The BYU veteran continues to provide reliability as the Cougar’s focal low-stick.

The Cougar ace takes slight dip in our rankings to make room for other individuals who ran exceptionally well this past weekend. Our opinion of him hasn’t been altered in any significant way as he has continually shown consistency as an upper-tier star on the grass.

Let’s not forget, this strength-based senior is well suited for the 10-kilometer racing distance. We still believe that Clinger has what it takes to compete for a top-10 finish despite his TSR #16 ranking.

15. Kirami Yego, Senior, Arkansas (-6 / 9)

It feels weird and wrong to drop the 7th place finisher from Pre-Nationals to our TSR #15 spot. That, however, is just how the cookie crumbles.

Kirami Yego's performance on Saturday was brilliant. He further proved himself to be a top-tier star and, to no one's surprise, he was unafraid to run with the top men in this field.

He's maybe not the superstar ace that we originally projected him to be, but don't interpret this drop in our rankings as a penalty for a poor performance. We thought Yego's effort at Pre-Nationals was excellent.

14. Bob Liking, Sophomore, Wisconsin (+7 / 21)

We felt that a somewhat conservative racing tactic at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational was reflected in Bob Liking’s 7th place performance as we expected a bit more from him. After a 6th place finish at Pre-Nationals, the Badger ace more answered our call. A TSR #14 ranking is much more indicative of the senior’s talent.

To see Liking close the gap and mix it up with elite names in the field bodes well for the Wisconsin men. With a deep lineup full of potent scorers, the low-stick result that Liking provides this team cannot be understated.

The advantage of the national meet being on Wisconsin’s home course bears repeating. Liking’s familiarity with this course makes a top-10 finish in November well within reason.

13. Robin Kwemoi Bera, Freshman, Iowa State (+1 / 14)

Two back-to-back 5th place finishes at the two most competitive regular season meets of the year solidifies Robin Kwemoi Bera as an elite low-stick. The Cyclone freshman has continued to impress and looks to have learned from his ultra-aggressive racing strategy at the Nuttycombe Invitational.

As Kwemoi Bera gains experience, we can expect to see his ceiling continue to rise. After proving that he’s capable of refining his strategy, we have to ask ourselves, just how good could this Iowa State star be?

12. Justine Kipkoech, Freshman, Eastern Kentucky (+28 / 40)

Justine Kipkoech first entered the NCAA with jaw-dropping times of 3:32 (1500) and 7:38 (3k). But for as good as those marks were, we weren't sure how this freshman was going to fare over much longer racing distances on the grass.

At the Nuttycombe Invite, Kipkoech settled for a very commendable 13th place effort. However, that performance didn't necessarily reflect the unreal aerobic talent that the Kenyan distance star very clearly held. Thankfully, a 3rd place result at Pre-Nationals this past Saturday bolsters Kipkoech's resume in a major way.

Yes, Kipkoech is being given a fairly generous boost in our rankings despite his initial result suggesting that he wasn't a top-15 runner in the country. However, given his insane times and clear benefit from added experience, we felt plenty justified in placing him at TSR #12.

11. Ernest Cheruiyot, Sophomore, Texas Tech (-1 / 10)

A runner-up effort at the Arturo Barrios Invitational doesn't really give us much reason for concern with Ernest Cheruiyot. That's because his new teammate and the overall winner, Solomon Kipchoge, looked like a legitimate national title threat in that same race.

We didn't love how much of a gap Kipchoge put on Cheruiyot (19 seconds), but it would also be unfair to overreact to one race where there was no need for Cheruiyot to run any faster.

10. Ethan Strand, Senior, North Carolina (+13 / 23)

Ethan Strand’s stock is rising and it’s time to invest!

The North Carolina veteran stepped up and assumed the Parker Wolfe low-stick role seamlessly this past weekend as he took home gold at the Princeton Fall Classic. This win all but adds to an incredibly impressive cross country resume for the fast-twitch Strand. His decisive win over Liam Murphy (TSR #9) could be argued as the most talented name that he has defeated.

Some people may wonder why Strand is still ranked behind Murphy. However, in our eyes, we thought that Murphy's defeat over Strand at the Nuttycombe Invite was a better representation of what could happen at the national meet than what we saw this past weekend.

Regardless, Strand's consistency on the grass has been outstanding for a Tar Heel team that will depend on their low-sticks to make a run for the podium. Now, as we head into late October, we need to realize that Strand is much better than a Robin to Wolfe’s Batman.

Instead, this dynamic duo has reached Kobe and Shaq levels.

9. Liam Murphy, Senior, Villanova (-1 / 8)

Liam Murphy was incredible once again in his 2nd place showing at the Princeton Fall Classic, only being bested by Ethan Strand (TSR #10) who he already defeated at the Nuttycombe Invite earlier this fall. And despite the loss, this has undoubtedly been the Wildcat's best cross country regular season to date.

With a 2023 campaign that ended in a 14th place finish at the national meet, we have to ask ourselves, just how good Murphy can be come November? If his 2024 performances are any indication, then it feels like a top-10 finish in Madison, Wisconsin is within reach as Liam Murphy justly resides at TSR #9.

8. Rocky Hansen, Sophomore, Wake Forest (-1 / 7)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

7. Patrick Kiprop, Senior, Arkansas (-1 / 6)

Despite securing a brilliant 4th place result at Pre-Nationals this past weekend, we truthfully didn't learn anything new about Patrick Kiprop. We knew that the Arkansas veteran was an aggressive front-runner who liked to push the pace and that he was someone who often thrived in fast-paced settings.

Sure enough, that's exactly what we saw on Saturday and all of it very clearly benefitted Kiprop. The only reason why he drops in this update is to simply make room for the introduction of a new superstar talent.

6. Denis Kipngetich, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (-1 / 5)

At Oklahoma State's home meet this past weekend, it seemed like certain Cowboys opted to tempo the meet while others chose to actually race. Among those in the latter group was Denis Kipngetich, the guy who secured the overall win.

In a field as light and as unimportant as the Weis-Crockett Invite, we're not looking too heavily into this result. It's great that Kipngetich is continuing to get into a rhythm as we enter the postseason, but his latest performance didn't really change our opinion of him.

5. Solomon Kipchoge, Freshman, Texas Tech (Unranked)

Solomon Kipchoge catapults his way into our top-five following an eye-opening win at the Arturo Barrios Invitational this past weekend.

After soundly defeating teammate Ernest Cheruiyot (TSR #11) in a staggering course record time of 22:01 (8k), the Red Raider front-runner looks to be everything that he was promised to be -- and then some.

The 59:37 half-marathoner’s immediate success in the collegiate racing scene is unsurprising, to say the least. That being said, how Kipchoge fares at the BIG 12 XC Championships will be telling as we determine how much of an actual threat he poses to winning the national title.

4. Graham Blanks, Senior, Harvard (-3 / 1)

Graham Blanks takes a slight dip in our rankings after being bested by Habtom Samuel at Pre-Nationals. That being said, taking home silver in a highly-anticipated season debut is nothing to scoff at for Blanks.

For a Harvard team that has a very small margin for error, the confidence that the Crimson veteran displays will (theoretically) help the others follow suit.

There are still positives to take away from this race for Blanks. With his season getting off to a later start due to the Olympics, we can only expect Blanks to improve from here. As he continues to find his rhythm, it’s possible that this could be the "worst" result of the season for the defending national champion.

3. Parker Wolfe, Senior, North Carolina (-1 / 2)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

2. Brian Musau, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (+1 / 3)

In what was almost certainly a tempo run effort, Brian Musau posted a 12th place performance at the Weis-Crockett Invitational, finishing as the Pokes' ninth runner. The elite depth that Oklahoma State fields grants Musau the ability to rest up before championship racing begins.

Despite the pack-running tactic employed by the talented low-stick, Musau’s upset win over Habtom Samuel at the Cowboy Jamboree carries weight in our rankings, especially after Samuel’s dominant win at Pre-Nationals. As such, Musau feels deserving of our TSR #2 spot.

1. Habtom Samuel, Sophomore, New Mexico (+3 / 4)

Habtom Samuel gets the nod to our TSR #1 position after a dominant win at Pre-Nationals. Besting defending national champion Graham Blanks is impressive in-and-of-itself, but what truly caught our attention the defiant move that the strength-based Lobo star made around 7k. The sophomore low-stick was aggressive and intentional in his racing strategy -- and it worked to perfection.

We feel it’s incredibly worthwhile to repeat that Samuel is built for 10,000 meters. The fact that Samuel can be even better than he was this past weekend is a scary realization for the rest of the NCAA.

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ADDED

Dominic Serem (Toledo)

Thomas Boyden (Stanford)

Lex Young (Stanford)

Camren Todd (Utah State)

Will Zegarski (Butler)

Carson Williams (Furman)

Carter Solomon (Notre Dame)

Vincent Chirchir (New Mexico)

Cole Sprout (Stanford)

Gary Martin (Virginia)

Abraham Chelangam (Oral Roberts)

Zouhair Redouane (California Baptist)

Solomon Kipchoge (Texas Tech)

KICKED OFF

Bernard Cheruiyot (Tulane)

Max Sannes (Air Force)

Ian Kibiwot (Louisville)

Evans Kiplagat (New Mexico)

Will Anthony (Virginia)

Timothy Chesondin (Arkansas)

Wil Smith (Gonzaga)

Santiago Prosser (Norther Arizona)

Shay McEvoy (Tulsa)

Sanele Masondo (Iowa State)

Hillary Cheruiyot (Alabama)

Dylan Schubert (Furman)

Jason Bowers (East Tennessee State)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Bernard Cheruiyot (Tulane)

Max Sannes (Air Force)

Ian Kibiwot (Louisville)

Will Anthony (Virginia)

Santiago Prosser (Norther Arizona)

Sanele Masondo (Iowa State)

Mohamed Guled (Utah Valley)

Colin Sahlman (Northern Arizona)

Collins Kiprotich (New Mexico)

Ethan Coleman (Notre Dame)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Timothy Chesondin (Arkansas)

Dylan Schubert (Furman)

Dean Casey (Colorado)

Izaiah Steury (Notre Dame)

Kidus Misgina (Florida State)

Allan Kiplagat (Middle Tennessee State)

Elkana Kipruto (Stephen F. Austin)

George Couttie (Virginia Tech)

Dylan Throop (Penn)

Colton Sands (North Carolina)

Notes

- N/A