TSR's 2024 D1 XC Top 50 Individual Rankings (Men): Update #4

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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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ANOTHER NOTE: The Stride Report does not typically put much ranking weight on the regional meet results. Oftentimes, certain teams and individuals will not place much emphasis on these races and will simply run with the goal of advancing to the national meet. This is not to say that all regional results are negligible (as you'll see below). However, you may notice less movement within our top-50 lists than usual in this week's update.

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50. Mohamed Guled, Senior, Utah Valley (-13 / 37)

Friday was not kind to Mohamed Guled who toed the line for the Mountain regional meet. There, he settled for a disappointing 22nd place finish. And unfortunately for him, that wasn't enough for the Utah Valley veteran to individually advance to the NCAA XC Championships.

This is a tough pill to swallow. Guled had been quietly excellent throughout the fall months, wining the Griak Invite, the "B" race at Pre-Nationals and the WAC XC Championships. Sure, he didn't face the hardest schedule, but he did face a number of top names and emerged victorious over them.

In our eyes, Guled did enough to stick around in our rankings, at least for this update. Even so, it was very possible that this UVU standout could have been an All-American on Saturday.

49. Thobias Cheruiyot, Freshman, Oklahoma (Unranked)

An 8th place finish at the Midwest regional meet, while very solid, would not have been enough for Thobias Cheruiyot to be listed in our top-50 rankings. However, Friday's performance, paired with the rest of his seasonal resume, felt like a collection of results worthy of a top-50 result.

Finishing 18th at the Joe Piane Invite, 6th at the Arturo Barrios Invite and 10th at the SEC XC Championships are all results that, independently, wouldn't have been enough for Cheruiyot to be ranked. But when you look at everything that Cheruiyot has done from a wholistic point of view, he seemed to be a good fit for our TSR #49 spot.

48. Sam Lawler, Junior, Syracuse (Unranked)

After a slow start to the season, Sam Lawler has come alive for his championship races. A 47th place result at the Nuttycombe Invite was by no means a bad result, but a 34th place finish at Pre-Nationals felt more indicative of the All-American talent that Lawler possesses.

When you combine a 10th place result at the ACC XC Championships with a runner-up finish at the Northeast Regional XC Championships, the Syracuse low-stick is setting himself up well to earn back-to-back All-American honors. The Orange junior’s elite consistency over the past two years has him slotted into our TSR #48 ranking.

47. Carson Williams, Senior, Furman (-5 / 42)

A 12th place finish at the Southeast regional meet is hardly a poor result. Even so, Carson Williams was probably capable of finishing a few spots higher. And while we did have to drop him in our rankings, part of that was simply due to the success of other runners in our top-50.

In the grand scheme of things, we didn't really learn anything new about Williams. He'll still be a fringe All-American contender, but his chances of landing in the top-40 at the national meet feel like a coin flip at this point.

46. Laban Kipkemboi, Rs. Freshman, Oklahoma State (Unranked)

In our last individual rankings update, we noted that Laban Kipkemboi’s drop from our rankings did not feel indicative of the talent that he possesses. Yes, a disappointing result at the BIG 12 XC Championships was enough to justify a drop from our rankings, but we maintained the belief that the Cowboy freshman was still a top-50 runner.

After a runner-up finish at the Midwest Regional XC Championships, we felt compelled to bring the Pokes’ newcomer back into our top-50. Taking down the likes of Robin Kwemoi Bera (TSR #14), Said Mechaal (TSR #27) and Abraham Chelangam (TSR #28) this past weekend feels noteworthy!

It feels worth mentioning that Oklahoma State’s team title hopes would be vastly improved with a huge performance from Kipkemboi come Saturday. There’s no denying his talent. As such, we find him positioned at TSR #46.

45. Michael Mireles, Junior, UCLA (-13 / 32)

The Bruins' low-stick takes a dive in our rankings after a disappointing 21st place finish at the West Regional XC Championships. Unfortunately for Michael Mireles, his worst race of the season came at the worst possible time. What hurts even worse is that Mireles missed qualifying for the NCAA XC Championships.

A national meet without the UCLA ace feels criminal. After his huge runner-up finish at the BIG 10 XC Championships, we felt that the Bruin star reached upper-echelon star status. However, after this past weekend’s result, we’ll have to wait until 2025 for that to come to fruition.

That being said, Mireles’ regular season performances were far too impressive to drop him from our top-50, entirely. His TSR #45 ranking reflects that.

44. Camren Todd, Senior, Utah State (0 / 44)

It's admittedly hard to get a gauge on Camren Todd's 14th place finish at the Mountain regional meet. On one hand, you would think that the 17th place finisher from Pre-Nationals was capable of a better finish. But on the other hand, many of the men who beat Todd are considered national-caliber names.

It's also hard to know how much emphasis Utah State was putting on this meet and it's also hard to know how much the jump up to the 10k racing distance affected Todd.

In the grand scheme of things, our opinion of Todd hasn't changed...at all. And sure enough, that is reflected in this ranking.

43. Zouhair Redouane, Freshman, California Baptist (-5 / 38)

Zouhair Redouane takes a dip in our rankings after another underwhelming result at the West Regional XC Championships. A 12th place result in a competitive regional race is not necessarily bad by any means, but it feels like we’ve been waiting for the version of Zouhair Redouane that we saw in October.

The freshman Moroccan star made waves earlier in the year after a 6th place finish at the Joe Piane Invite and a 10th place finish at Pre-Nationals. In October, Redouane and teammate Valentin Soca established themselves as one of the most lethal 1-2 punches in the country. We became so accustomed to seeing Redouane and Soca finishing alongside one another that, admittedly, we felt a bit disappointed that Redouance wasn’t closer to his counterpart Soca, who finished 3rd this past weekend.

That being said, the Lancer freshman’s performances at two highly competitive regular season races in October hold weight in his ranking. A TSR #43 ranking may not be where we expected Redouane to be after his October efforts, but it still feels respectful to the talent that he possesses.

42. Isaac Alonzo, Senior, Texas (+4 / 46)

Isaac Alonzo has quietly stacked one great result after another this season. The Texas low-stick has competed admirably against elite upper-echelon stars from Oklahoma State, Alabama and Arkansas for the past two months.

A 7th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree combined with a 32nd place finish at Pre-Nationals was enough for Alonzo to stay on our radar. However, a 7th place finish at the SEC XC Championships told us that the Longhorn senior could no longer be denied a spot in our top-50 rankings.

A 4th place result at the South Central Regional XC Championships was yet another result where Alonzo mixed up with the elite stars of Arkansas (most notably Patrick Kiprop and Kirami Yego), even if he didn't beat them.

The Texas ace has proven that he can be competitive in a variety of fields this year, and his willingness to compete with the best feels notable as well. For those reasons, a TSR #42 ranking feels indicative of the talent that he has shown throughout the fall months.

41. Dylan Throop, Senior, Penn (+8 / 49)

When Dylan Throop finished in 4th place at the Paul Short Run, we were encouraged. He had proven to be a formidable name in the fall of 2023 and it seemed like he had a good starting point to build off of in 2024.

Sure enough, Throop's stock has slowly and steadily risen after placing 5th at the Princeton Fall Classic, 2nd at the Ivy League XC Championships and now 3rd at the Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championships.

When you look at the entirety of Throop's resume, it's hard to think that his stock has dropped at any point. While a 3rd place finish at a fairly weak regional meet may not seem super exciting, it does suggest that the Quaker standout is still at the peak of his fitness going into the national meet.

40. Valentin Soca, Sophomore, California Baptist (+5 / 45)

A 3rd place finish at the West regional meet is a much more encouraging result after seeing Valentin Soca underwhelm a bit at the WAC XC Championships. Not only that, but that performance also validates the idea that Soca will fare well on the national stage now that we have moved up to the 10k racing distance.

There is no denying that Soca is an All-American-caliber runner. However, his history in the postseason isn't necessarily amazing, either. That, in turn, has left us feeling a bit conflicted given that he has never been this good throughout the entirety of a season before.

39. Will Zegarski, Rs. Sophomore, Butler (+4 / 43)

We have to admit that we're putting limited emphasis on the Great Lakes regional meet results. After all, it was fairly clear that the Wisconsin men simply cruised to an automatic national qualifier and didn't do anything more than they had to.

Even so, Will Zegarski's win on Friday deserves a nod of respect, something that is reflected in a four-spot boost of his ranking. He threw in a hard sprint to finish line and lunged forward to barely win the Great Lakes regional title.

We felt pretty confident that this was going to be Zegarski's big breakout season. And for the most part, he has validated that suspicion. He'll need to secure an All-American honor to cap it all off, but the Butler ace has shown some underrated consistency this fall.

38. Dylan Schubert, Senior, Furman (+3 / 41)

While we don’t put too much emphasis on regional results, a bronze medal at the Southeast Regional XC Championships deserves some recognition. That 3rd place result has to give Dylan Schubert some confidence heading into the national meet, especially considering that he took the scalps of Parker Wolfe (TSR #8), Ethan Strand (TSR #6) and Gary Martin (TSR #16).

Although, admittedly, many of those men were likely holding back in an effort to preserve themselves for the national meet.

After his dominant win at the Southern Conference XC Championships, we felt like Schubert was inching his way back to the 2023 form that saw him finish 24th at the NCAA XC Championships. With the Paladin star backing that up with an impressive regional result, we feel confident in his chances of earning another All-American honor this weekend.

As such, a TSR #38 ranking feels plenty justified.

37. George Couttie, Sophomore, Virginia Tech (+10 / 47)

What an impressive run from George Couttie! A win at the Southeast Regional XC Championships earns the Hokies' sophomore star a spot in the All-American portion of our rankings!

What feels most impressive is that the former D2 standout seems to be getting better each week. In fact, Couttie feels like a freight train coming into this weekend’s NCAA XC Championships. Pairing a regional title with first-team All-ACC honors builds quite the postseason resume for the Virginia Tech low-stick.

Couttie is red-hot run going into this weekend’s national meet. With all of the momentum in the world behind him, you have to wonder what his ceiling could be in Madison, Wisconsin.

36. Luke Tewalt, Senior, Wake Forest (-3 / 33)

A 15th place finish at the Southeast regional meet is fine, but it certainly doesn't help Luke Tewalt's stock. At the very least, Tewalt was capable of being a top-10 finisher. Of course, the Wake Forest men knew that they didn't need to go all-out even without the scoring services of Rocky Hansen.

We wouldn't look too closely at this result for Tewalt who has, for the most part, shown that he is an All-American favorite going into this year's national meet.

35. Dominic Serem, Freshman, Toledo (0 / 35)

A 3rd place finish at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships is roughly on par with what we expected to see out of this Toledo ace. That result doesn't change our opinion of Dominic Serem in any significant way, but it does provide even more validation to the success that he's already had this fall.

At the end of the day, how Serem handles his inexperience on an overwhelming stage like the NCAA XC Championships will be the difference between him being or not being an All-American.

34. David Mullarkey, Senior, Northern Arizona (+5 / 39)

Seeing David Mullarkey place 5th at the Mountain Regional XC Championships doesn't really tell us anything that we didn't already know about him.

That being said, besting guys like Creed Thompson (TSR #26), Joey Nokes (TSR #21) and Vincent Chirchir (TSR #32) are impressive scalps for the British distance runner...even if they may not have been going all-out.

A slight bump in our rankings to TSR #34 feels reflective of the elite consistency that he has shown as a leader for this Lumberjack squad. Make no mistake about it, despite Mullarkey’s fringe All-American ranking, we feel extremely confident in the reliable veteran’s ability to earn yet another All-American honor this weekend.

33. Marco Langon, Junior, Villanova (+3 / 36)

Yet again, Marco Langon has put together another strong effort. A 2nd place finish at the Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championships regional meet perfectly aligns with the seasonal resume of this Villanova standout, and it further proves that this is by far his most consistent season we’ve seen to date.

The consistency that the Wildcat junior provides as a secondary low-stick behind Liam Murphy assures us that Villanova’s 1-2 punch is the real deal. Langon’s quest for his first All-American honor on the grass is more in reach than ever. A TSR #33 ranking tells us that.

32. Vincent Chirchir, Freshman, New Mexico (+2 / 34)

It seems like the New Mexico men wanted to put forth a somewhat honest performance with their national qualifying effort on Friday. As a result, they ended up crowding the top of the Mountain regional meet field to earn the second automatic national qualifying spot.

Of course, with teams like Northern Arizona and BYU clearly not going all-out for that race, it's hard to move Vincent Chirchir in our rankings more than we are now.

31. Rocky Hansen, Sophomore, Wake Forest (-22 / 9)

It feels like déjà vu with Rocky Hansen.

After a stellar start to the season with a runner-up performance at the Nuttycombe Invite, the Demon Deacon sophomore star seems to have been bitten by the injury/illness bug yet again (this time being the latter).

A 32nd place finish at the ACC XC Championships was clearly an "off" day by the Wake Forest low-stick who battled illness and heat exhaustion on that stage. And after a result like that, it didn't surprise us that Hansen sat out of the Southeast Regional XC Championships.

On his best day, Rocky Hansen is a top-10 runner in the country. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen that version of him since September. Because of that, we feel obligated to drop Hansen to TSR #31.

Despite all of that, we’re acutely aware that if Hansen toes the line on Saturday fully healthy, then he could make this ranking look silly.

30. Will Anthony, Junior, Virginia (-1 / 29)

Will Anthony is admittedly a difficult name to analyze.

On one hand, a 9th place finish at the Southeast Regional XC Championships is a respectable result that requires an honest effort. On the other hand, Anthony has been far stronger in other races this season and there wasn't much urgency in this race for the Virginia men. Just look at ACC champion Gary Martin who settled for 12th place.

In the grand scheme of things, Friday's performance doesn't really change how we view Anthony. We still see him as a high floor distance talent who should be favored for All-American honors on Saturday.

29. Matt Strangio, Senior, Portland (+1 / 30)

A runner-up finish at the West Regional XC Championships doesn't really change our view of Matt Strangio. He's been incredibly consistent all season long and he continues to deliver on the All-American talent that we've known he holds.

Yes, he was soundly defeated by Evans Kurui (TSR #23) for the second time this season. Even so, that doesn’t change the fact that the Pilot veteran has proven that he’s a top-30 talent this fall.

At the end of the day, we’re going to be looking for the Portland low-stick to fully execute on the national stage, something that he has struggled to do in the past. That being said, if this fall has been any indication, Strangio won’t have any issues capitalizing on his already impressive season.

28. Abraham Chelangam, Sophomore, Oral Roberts (0 / 28)

Earlier this season, we saw Abraham Chelangam toe the line for the Cowboy Jamboree and the Weis-Crockett Invitational. In both of those races, the rising Oral Roberts star had to face Oklahoma State's contingent of distance stars. And in both of those efforts, he held his own.

That's why Chelangam's 5th place finish at the Midwest Regional XC Championships holds limited weight for us. We already knew that Chelangam was capable of competing with a handful of Oklahoma State's scorers, but even then the Cowboys weren't going all-out on Friday.

Even so, this is the third race where Chelangam has remained competitive with the men from Stillwater, Oklahoma. That's an encouraging sign as we inch closer to Saturday.

27. Said Mechaal, Senior, Iowa State (+4 / 31)

A 4th place result at the Midwest Regional XC Championships provides further evidence that Said Mechaal has extended the elite consistency that we saw in 2023 to 2024.

The Cyclone veteran continues to be one of the most reliable runners in the country. Not only that, but it appears that the Iowa State senior is peaking at the right time. His progression throughout the season is noteworthy, and pairing a 10th place finish at the BIG 12 XC Championships with a 4th place result this past weekend shows us that his floor is still incredibly high.

Earning a first-time All-American honor on the grass feels well within grasp for Mechaal. In fact, cracking the top-30 on Saturday feels plausible.

26. Creed Thompson, Senior, BYU (+1 / 27)

Whether or not Creed Thompson and his BYU teammates were going all-out on Friday at the Mountain regional meet doesn't really matter. Seeing the Cougar veteran secure a 6th place finish was perfectly on par with our expectations for him, but it didn't tell us anything new about Thompson, either.

25. Victor Shitsama, Senior, Oklahoma State (+1 / 26)

It seems pretty clear that, after looking at the results, Victor Shitsama put forth what appears to be a conservative effort with teammate Brian Musau at the Midwest Regional XC Championships.

Admittedly, it has been tough to gauge where the Oklahoma State veteran stands on a national stage with his limited racing schedule. However, after a 9th place finish at the BIG 12 XC Championships, we feel much more inclined to rank Shitsama at TSR #25. And after factoring in the senior’s past national meet performances, it’s easy to justify this ranking when he has four All-American honors to his name on the grass.

As one of the most reliable runners in the NCAA, Shitsama feels like a lock to earn his fifth and final All-American honor on the grass this weekend.

24. Cole Sprout, Senior, Stanford (0 / 24)

It was business as usual for Cole Sprout this past Friday who took 4th place at the West Regional XC Championships.

The result feels on par for Sprout who has yet to have a poor performance this season. While it is a largely unsurprising result, the consistency that the Cardinal veteran has displayed this season feels noteworthy given the previous struggles that he has had.

In his last race on the grass in the cardinal and white, Sprout feels destined to put the cherry on top of what has been a fairly complete fall campaign.

23. Evans Kurui, Freshman, Washington State (+2 / 25)

With another postseason result under Evans Kurui’s belt, we’ve had the luxury of learning more and more about the Cougar ace after each performance.

This past weekend’s dominant win at the West Regional XC Championships gives us even more evidence that Kurui is a top-half All-American threat heading into the NCAA XC Championships. After adding Cole Sprout (TSR #24) to the list of elite runners whom he has bested this season, Kurui’s freshman campaign becomes more impressive by the week.

The Kenyan newcomer has only been defeated by Ernest Cheruiyot (TSR #11) and Mohamed Guled so far this year. But how will he fare against the rest of the NCAA’s upper-echelon stars? While we wait and see, a TSR #23 ranking feels fair.

22. Dennis Kipruto, Freshman, Alabama (+1 / 23)

A clean 1-2-3 sweep from the Alabama men at the South Regional XC Championships was hardly surprising. No other men in that field were of the same caliber as the Crimson Tide's elite trio, although Christopher Middleton-Pearson (Tennessee) did come within two seconds of Kipruto.

Even so, the Kenyan rookie did his job and has yet to have a truly poor race this season. However, the Alabama men have struggled on the national stage in previous seasons. With that in mind, will Kipruto be able to shake off his inexperience and produce an All-American finish in Madison, Wisconsin?

21. Joey Nokes, Senior, BYU (+1 / 22)

There's not much to report here. Joey Nokes took 9th place at the Mountain Regional XC Championships. Of the eight men who finished ahead of him, three of them were his teammates. Friday was clearly meant to be a conservative effort with the NCAA XC Championships being the bigger point of emphasis.

20. James Corrigan, Junior, BYU (+1 / 21)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

19. Yaseen Abdalla, Senior, Arkansas (+1 / 20)

Has not competed since our last rankings update.

18. Dismus Lokira, Freshman, Alabama (+1 / 19)

Winning the South Regional XC Championships title further complemented Dismus Lokira’s exceptional freshman campaign. Comfortably besting teammates Victor Kiprop (TSR #17) and Dennis Kipruto (TSR #22) this past weekend gives us confidence that the Crimson Tide rookie is undoubtedly a top-20 threat on the national stage.

The Alabama talent continues to develop a better feel for racing in the NCAA. Now that the racing distance has increased to his specialty (10k), we feel like Lokira can establish himself as one of the top distance talents in the country.

This strength-based star has the potential to shatter his TSR #18 ranking this weekend, but he’ll need to prove it against one of the most top-heavy fields that we’ve ever seen in the NCAA.

17. Victor Kiprop, Senior, Alabama (0 / 17)

As mentioned above, Victor Kiprop was the 2nd place finisher in Alabama's 1-2-3 sweep of the South Regional XC Championships. He was only four seconds behind teammate Dismus Lokira and frankly, there wasn't any reason for him to chase after his teammate.

16. Gary Martin, Junior, Virginia (0 / 16)

We'll admit, an 8th place finish at the Southeast Regional XC Championships isn't exactly an on-par result for someone who just won the ACC XC Championships two weeks ago. Even so, you have to imagine that a veteran star like Gary Martin knows how to conserve himself in races like the regional meet.

And on top of that, it’s important to consider how elite Gary Martin has been over the course of the entire season. Back-to-back wins between the Panorama Farms XC Invite and ACC XC Championships holds a lot of weight when deciding where to rank the Cavalier star. Those results make it clear that Martin has ascended into the upper-tier echelon of cross country.

As such, we find the Virginia junior standing pat at TSR #16.

15. Kirami Yego, Senior, Arkansas (+3 / 18)

By winning the South Central Regional XC Championships, Kirami Yego finds himself leaping into our TSR #15 spot. The Razorback veteran has been stellar all season long and this past weekend was no different.

So far this season, Yego has only lost to the following athletes: Habtom Samuel (TSR #1), Graham Blanks (TSR #4), Patrick Kiprop (TSR #5), Robin Kwemoi Bera (TSR #14), Bob Liking (TSR #12), Justine Kipkoech (TSR #13) and Patrick Kiprop (TSR #17).

I don’t know about you, but that’s incredible company to be in. Quite frankly, we wouldn’t be shocked to see the Arkansas veteran take down some of those names this weekend.

With the momentum that Yego has gained throughout the course of the season and Arkansas’ team podium finish aspirations being brought to the start line, a top-10 finish on Saturday is by no means out of the question.

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

Regardless of how much effort the top teams were putting in, a 3rd place finish at the Midwest regional meet perfectly matches our expectations for Robin Kwemoi Bera. However, what was more telling was that he crossed the line alongside his teammate Said Mechaal who recorded the same time.

With Oklahoma State clearly holding back and the Midwest region in general lacking top-tier competition, it's hard to put much emphasis on the results of that meet.

13. Justine Kipkoech, Freshman, Eastern Kentucky (-2 / 11)

Justine Kipkoech got the job done at the Southeast Regional XC Championships with a runner-up effort on Friday. It’s clear that the Colonel rookie has benefitted greatly from added experience over the course of the season.

As Kipkoech entered the NCAA with jaw-dropping times of 3:32 (1500) and 7:38 (3k), we weren’t sure how he’d fare on the grass over the longer distances. However, it’s safe to say that he has transitioned smoothly after holding his own over the 10-kilometer distance.

Not to mention, Kipkoech’s previous result on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course (3rd at Pre-Nationals) was his most impressive effort of the season. If he can replicate that success on the same course this weekend, then we could see Kipkoech finishing lower than 13th.

12. Bob Liking, Senior, Wisconsin (0 / 12)

Based on the results, it was incredibly clear that Bob Liking was putting forth a conservative effort at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships as he crossed the line with Badger teammates Rowen Ellenberg, Matan Ivri, Adam Spencer and Micah Wilson.

For the Wisconsin ace to have the luxury of being able to conserve energy is a huge advantage. As we enter the NCAA XC Championships this weekend, Liking will be somewhat rested, and that’s not something that all competitors can say.

11. Ernest Cheruiyot, Sophomore, Texas Tech (+3 / 14)

While Solomon Kipchoge and Habtom Samuel pulled away at the Mountain Regional XC Championships, it was Ernest Cheruiyot who beat everyone else with a 3rd place finish.

Whether or not the Texas Tech duo and Habtom Samuel were putting forth their hardest efforts doesn't really matter. It seems fairly clear that BYU and NAU were both being fairly conservative with their racing tactics on Friday.

So while we do like this performance for Cheruiyot, the Mountain regional meet doesn't feel like an accurate assessment of who the Red Raider star can or cannot beat come Saturday.

10. Denis Kipngetich, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (+5 / 15)

Despite everything we said above about our limited amount of emphasis on the Midwest regional results, Denis Kipngetich still makes a move back into our top-10. That, of course, is because he secured the title in a Midwest region which features two podium favorites (Oklahoma State and Iowa State).

But truthfully, the bigger reason why we're bringing Kipngetich back into our top-10 is simply because we're correcting ourselves from our last rankings update. Suggesting that Kipngetich was the 15th-best cross country runner in the NCAA this fall seemed like a stretch. As such, we're using this rankings update to make the proper corrections.

9. Casey Clinger, Senior, BYU (+1 / 10)

Seeing Casey Clinger earn a 4th place finish at the Mountain Regional XC Championships wasn't a surprise for anyone. Sure, he didn't hang with the likes of Solomon Kipchoge, Habtom Samuel or Ernest Cheruiyot, but there was no need for him to chase that pack. After all, Saturday's season finale holds all of the importance.

8. Parker Wolfe, Senior, North Carolina (0 / 8)

After an "off" day at the ACC XC Championships (where he still earned an excellent 3rd place finish), Parker Wolfe cruised to a 6th place finish at the Southeast regional meet. There, he crossed the line at the same time as teammate Ethan Strand.

Friday was clearly meant to be as easy as reasonably possible for North Carolina's top duo. Of course, that still leaves us with plenty of questions regarding where Wolfe's fitness is currently at.

7. Liam Murphy, Senior, Villanova (0 / 7)

Liam Murphy taking home the title at the Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championships was one of the most unsurprising results of the weekend. That said, the Wildcat low-stick’s ability to win races he’s heavily-favored in is nothing to down play. The Villanova senior has taken care of business all season long.

As we head into the NCAA XC Championships, only three names have bested Murphy this season: Ethan Strand (TSR #6), Parker Wolfe (TSR #8) and Rocky Hansen (TSR #31). That feels notable as we enter the national meet and it gives us an extreme amount of confidence in Murphy’s ability to earn a top-10 finish on Saturday.

6. Ethan Strand, Senior, North Carolina (0 / 6)

Just like we mentioned above, the UNC duo of Ethan Strand and Parker Wolfe placed 5th and 6th, respectively at the Southeast regional meet. It seems fairly clear that both of those men were holding back and we're not necessarily surprised that they did.

5. Patrick Kiprop, Senior, Arkansas (0 / 5)

Patrick Kiprop (3rd) was part of a 1-2-3 sweep for the Arkansas men at the South Central Regional XC Championships this past Friday. The Razorbacks cruised through their region without a couple of key names and it was apparent that Kiprop was not going all-out.

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

Graham Blanks’ dominant win at the Northeast Regional XC Championships was, arguably, the most expected result of the weekend. He takes a small dip in our rankings to TSR #4 spot only because of the brilliant performance that we saw from Solomon Kipchoge.

A dip in our rankings aside, Blanks has delivered upon expectations during the course of the year. Yes, he was soundly defeated by Habtom Samuel at Pre-Nationals, but the Harvard ace has been stacking great performances of his own. Weirdly enough, it almost feels like the defending national champion is entering this weekend under the radar.

That may just be the perfect spot for the Crimson senior to “upset” some popular choices for the individual crown.

3. Solomon Kipchoge, Freshman, Texas Tech (+1 / 4)

After defeating Habtom Samuel (TSR #1) and taking home the win at the Mountain Regional XC Championships this weekend, Solomon Kipchoge has provided even further proof that he needs to be in the individual national title conversation.

After narrowly being defeated by Brian Musau (TSR #2) at the BIG 12 XC Championships a couple weeks ago, it’s clear that Kipchoge wanted to make a statement by defeating Habtom Samuel...even if these regional results hold very limited weight.

With the jump to the 10k racing distance being advantageous for the Texas Tech 59:37 half-marathoner, it truly feels like he’s capable of taking home the win on Saturday. That being said, Musau and Samuel get the slight edge over the Red Raider when you look at head-to-head results and each athlete’s season resume as a whole.

A TSR #3 ranking feels fair...for now.

2. Brian Musau, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (0 / 2)

A 6th place finish at the Midwest Regional XC Championships may seem concerning for someone who is considered to be a national title contender. At the same time, Musau crossed the finish line at the same time as teammate Victor Shitsama.

It was clear that the Oklahoma State men were directed to take things easy if they could and we certainly don't blame them for doing so.

1. Habtom Samuel, Sophomore, New Mexico (0 / 1)

A runner-up finish at the Mountain Regional XC Championships may not have been what we expected from Habtom Samuel coming into the weekend, but it’s certainly not a poor result.

Samuel remains at our TSR #1 spot despite head-to-head losses to Brian Musau and Solomon Kipchoge. The Lobo’s dominant win at Pre-Nationals still carries weight in these rankings, especially considering this weekend’s race will be contested on that same course.

That being said, the gap between the top-four athletes in our rankings feels incredibly slim. But with Samuel’s aggressive and intentional racing strategy from his last appearance on this course still fresh on our minds, we feel he’s deserving of the top spot.

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ADDED

Thobias Cheruiyot (Oklahoma)

Sam Lawler (Syracuse)

Laban Kipkemboi (Oklahoma State)

KICKED OFF

Collins Kiprotich (New Mexico)

Nathan Green (Washington)

Patrick Kiprop (Cincinnati)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Collins Kiprotich (New Mexico)

Collins Kiprop Kipngok (Kentucky)

Nathan Green (Washington)

Patrick Kiprop (Cincinnati)

Simeon Birnbaum (Oregon)

Aiden Smith (Oregon)

Aidan Troutner (BYU)

Davin Thompson (BYU)

Lucas Bons (BYU)

Fouad Messaoudi (Oklahoma State)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Davis Bove (Cal Poly)

Bernard Cheruiyot (Tulane)

Jack Jennings (Tulane)

Santiago Prosser (Norther Arizona)

Colin Sahlman (Northern Arizona)

Joash Ruto (Iowa State)

Colton Sands (North Carolina)

Douglas Buckeridge (Purdue)

Ryan Schoppe (Oklahoma State)

JoJo Jourdon (Wake Forest)

Notes

- N/A