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TSR's 2024 D1 XC Top 50 Individual Rankings (Men): Update #5 - FINAL
Written by Mike McKean & Garrett Zatlin
IMPORTANT NOTE: These rankings are based on how an individual fared throughout the entirety of a season, not just how they ran at the NCAA XC Championships or at a singular meet. You will notice that these rankings (specifically, the top-half) may mirror the national meet results, but not precisely. That is intentional. These rankings are intended to be an aggregate. They are not recency lists. Click here to learn more about our ranking criteria (which was published in 2023).
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.
50. Carson Williams, Senior, Furman (-3 / 47)
Carson Williams finds himself earning the last spot in our TSR top-50 rankings, a nod to the overall excellence that he showed throughout the fall months.
A 13th place result at Pre-Nationals proved to be a breakout race for the Paladin veteran. From there, Williams proved that he was continually deserving of a spot in our rankings, even if he was chasing the quality of a result that he achieved at Pre-Nationals.
Sure enough, Furman's secondary low-stick finished in 42nd place on Saturday. When analyzing his TSR #50 ranking, it feels like we positioned him fairly accurately throughout the course of the season.
49. Will Anthony, Junior, Virginia (-19 / 30)
Given the step-up in aerobic fitness that Will Anthony has shown this season compared to last fall, a 109th place national meet finish has to be a tough pill to swallow for the Cavalier junior. Even so, that disappointing result was not at all indicative of what was a very strong season.
Placing 15th at the Nuttycombe Invite, 4th at the Panorama Farms Invite and 5th at an extremely competitive ACC XC Championships is clearly the resume of a top-50 runner, maybe even a surefire All-American runner at that.
This was undeniably the best cross country season yet for the Virginia low-stick. His combination of near-elite regular and postseason results hold enough weight to give Anthony our TSR #49 spot.
48. Luke Tewalt, Senior, Wake Forest (-12 / 36)
On Saturday, Luke Tewalt faded to 61st place at the NCAA XC Championships. It was a tough result for someone who had struggled in 2023, but had rebounded beautifully in 2024.
Throughout the fall months, Tewalt didn't just look like his old self -- he looked the best that he has ever been. Placing 10th at the Nuttycombe Invite, runner-up at the Panorama Farms XC Invite and 7th at the ACC XC Championships was a brilliant streak of races for the Wake Forest veteran.
It seems fair to say that Tewalt was an All-American-caliber runner this year...even if he didn't show it at the national meet. But more importantly, he emerged as a key leader who helped the Demon Deacons transition to a new era of distance running excellence.
47. Evans Kiplagat, Sophomore, New Mexico (Unranked)
Last fall, Evans Kiplagat matched our expectations for pretty much the entirety of his fall campaign. And in the end, he secured a 33rd place All-American finish. However, the fall of 2024 was distinctly different. Kiplagat wasn't racing poorly, but he certainly didn't look like his old self.
A 13th place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree and a 61st place effort at Pre-Nationals were fine results. Of course, those performances didn't signal that Kiplagat would emerge as an All-American like he did on Saturday.
Snagging a 40th place finish on the national stage is an extremely clutch performance for a guy who now has two All-American honors to his name. It also doesn't hurt that he is developing a reputation as someone who peaks perfectly for the postseason.
46. Joash Ruto, Freshman, Iowa State (Unranked)
It's hard to really get a proper handle on just how good Joash Ruto was this season. That, of course, is only because he began racing in the postseason. And as many of our TSR readers know, we don't put much stock into regional meets (which he didn't even toe the line for).
Ruto's collegiate debut came at the BIG 12 XC Championships where he snagged a respectable 13th place finish. That was a very solid result that likely put him on the fringes of the All-American conversation. Even so, it was hard to pull any major insights from just one race.
Thankfully, the Iowa State freshman beat our expectations for him on Saturday, leaning on his excellent fitness to earn a 34th place All-American honor.
There may be an argument for Ruto to be ranked higher than TSR #46 in our rankings. He did, after all, crack the top-35 at the national meet and didn't really produce a poor performance this fall. And yet, at the same time, other runners toed the line for highly competitive meets more often than Ruto did. That is ultimately why he is settling in at this spot in our rankings.
45. Dean Casey, Sophomore, Colorado (Unranked)
What a run from Dean Casey!
The Colorado low-stick took 30th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships, a result that was by far the best of his still-young career.
Truthfully, the sophomore had a bit of an up-and-down season. He was 55th at the Nuttycombe Invite (which was fine) and then had a great performance at Pre-Nationals (28th). He later put together a solid effort at the BIG 12 XC Championships (16th).
After a 38th place finish at the Mountain Regional XC Championships, an All-American performance from Casey felt out of the question, let alone a top-30 finish. Of course, he showed up when it mattered the most. And for that, he’s more than deserving of a place in our rankings.
44. Lucas Bons, Junior, BYU (Unranked)
We've typically viewed Lucas Bons as a mile-centric runner throughout his career. And while he's produced a few decent cross country results before this season, we never expected him to be a major factor on the grass.
But this fall, Bons was exactly that.
The BYU veteran was quietly great each time he toed the line, finishing runner-up in the "Open" race at the Nuttycombe Invite, 7th at the Bill Dellinger Invite and 12th at the BIG 12 XC Championships. Very subtly, Bons improved as the season unfolded.
If you thought that his momentum would be stunted by the racing distance increasing to 10k, then you'd be wrong. On the national stage, Bons secured 39th place, earning individual All-American honors to cap a surprisingly great fall campaign.
43. Santiago Prosser, Rs. Senior, Northern Arizona (Unranked)
Ah, I love being right.
In our 2024 NCAA D1 XC Championship Preview, I chose Santiago Prosser as my “sleeper” All-American pick. Sure enough, we find the Lumberjack senior rising into our rankings after a 38th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships.
“Mr. Reliable” once again proved that he’s deserving of the nickname that I coined last week. We now have three years of evidence to back up that his postseason peak is among the best in the country.
Sure, Prosser’s regular season results wouldn’t tell you that he’d finish as an All-American, but when looking at his prior two national meet performances (19th and 21st), it becomes easier to see the vision.
The NAU senior is at his best when the stakes are at their highest. As such, a TSR #43 ranking feels plenty fair.
42. Aiden Smith, Sophomore, Oregon (Unranked)
Many of us at The Stride Report really liked Aiden Smith going into the national meet. In fact, the Oregon sophomore was one of the Blue Oval Podcast's sleeper picks to earn All-American honors on Saturday.
The reason why we liked Smith so much was because of his youth-based upside. Well, that and he placed 9th at the BIG 10 XC Championships before taking 5th at the West regional meet.
And yet, despite how high we were on him, no one could have predicted that the Duck underclassmen would produce a fantastic 29th place All-American finish! Remember, this is a guy who actually earned a worse placement (30th) at the Cowboy Jamboree earlier this fall than he did at the national meet.
Smith caught momentum in the postseason and took full advantage of that. He didn't let his inexperience hold him back and he delivered a result that shattered expectations.
We're placing Smith at TSR #42 in our rankings in an attempt to balance his underwhelming regular season race, his encouraging conference and regional meet performances and his tremendous season finale effort.
41. Collins Kiprotich, Freshman, New Mexico (Unranked)
This New Mexico rookie was flat-out solid throughout this entire season.
Despite his youth and inexperience, Collins Kiprotich was surprisingly steady this fall. Sure, not all of his performances jumped off the page, but on a team that had some volatility, Kiprotich was one of the more reliable names on New Mexico's roster.
11th at the Cowboy Jamboree, 26th at Pre-Nationals and 3rd place (as part of a top-five Lobo sweep) at the Mountain West XC Championships were all very strong results. In fact, in some of those races, Kiprotich could have been considered for a fringe low-stick.
In the end, a 35th place result at the NCAA XC Championships was undoubtedly the best result of Kiprotich's season. But at the same time, it wasn't a totally unrealistic or surprising result. For that reason, we felt like a TSR #41 ranking was a good middle-ground for him.
40. Charlie Sprott, Junior, Wake Forest (Unranked)
Despite teammate Rocky Hansen faltering in the latter stages of the national meet, Charlie Sprott was still able to step up and emerge as the All-American that Wake Forest very much needed.
A 32nd place finish at the NCAA XC Championships was a massive result for Sprott. Sure, he had been one of the best middle-lineup scorers in the country this fall, but he was not necessarily a true low-stick going into Saturday.
31st at the Nuttycombe Invite, 10th at the Panorama Farms Invite and 14th at the ACC XC Championships were all results that demanded nods of respect. Even so, expecting the Wake Forest junior to land a fantastic All-American effort and barely miss the top-30 was not what we expected to see.
And in an effort to balance the value shown in his seasonal resume, we thought a TSR #40 ranking was plenty appropriate for this still-rising Wake Forest star.
39. Allan Kiplagat, Rs. Freshman, Middle Tennessee State (Unranked)
Wow...where did that come from, Allan Kiplagat?
The Alabama-turned-MTSU runner was flat-out incredible on Saturday at the NCAA XC Championships. The Blue Raider runner posted a jaw-dropping 19th place finish which felt like it came completely out of nowhere.
Why do I say that? Well, Kiplagat was 7th at the Southern Showcase, 10th at the Gans Creek Classic and 4th at the Arturo Barrios Invite. And sure, those were solid results, but they did not at all indicate that this redshirt rookie would be an All-American, much less a top-half All-American.
Kiplagat entered the NCAA with great pedigree, specifically in the steeplechase. However, that 19th place national meet effort completely blew us away. And in the end, we were left dumbfound, scratching our heads as we attempted to find a proper ranking for this breakout star.
38. Izaiah Steury, Rs. Sophomore, Notre Dame (Unranked)
Izaiah Steury's decision to return to Notre Dame turned out to be a good one. The redshirt sophomore looked like the same runner who we saw in the fall of 2022, although he wasn't quite as consistent.
An 11th place run at the Joe Piane Invite and a 28th place finish at Pre-Nationals were both very strong results. In our eyes, those performances suggested that Steury could be an All-American this fall. However, a 30th place finish at the ACC XC Championships and an 18th place run at the Great Lakes regional meet left us wanting so much more.
But once he reached the national meet, Steury delivered on the crazy-high upside that we knew he had. The Notre Dame star snagged a huge 24th place finish, shattering expectations in the process. That was the kind of result that we expected to see from Steury given his pedigree.
As a result, a TSR #38 ranking feels like a decent medium when trying to find the average of Steury's performances from this fall. There may, however, be an argument for him to be ranked a couple of spots higher.
37. Dennis Kipruto, Freshman, Alabama (-15 / 22)
A 71st place finish at the NCAA XC Championships was a classic example of how youth and inexperience can impact freshmen on the national stage. Sure enough, that was the case for Alabama's Dennis Kipruto who dropped to 71st place on Saturday.
Anyone who followed the Crimson Tide this season knows how talented Kipruto was throughout the fall months. In nearly every meet he toed the line for, he was solidly part of a trio which also featured teammates Victor Kiprop and Dismus Lokira. In fact, his "worst" placement at any meet (before the NCAA XC Championships) was a 6th place result at the SEC XC Championships.
From a raw talent perspective, it feels silly to say that Kipruto wasn't one of the 40-best distance runners in the NCAA this fall. And given that he didn't totally collapse at the national meet, we felt like a TSR #37 ranking was an appropriate placement for him.
36. Cole Sprout, Senior, Stanford (-12 / 24)
It pains us that Cole Sprout’s national meet woes continued this year.
With an incredible senior season resume coming into the NCAA XC Championships, the Cardinal veteran was one of the more consistent top-tier low-sticks in the nation this fall. A 9th place finish at Pre-Nationals paired with a 4th place result at the ACC XC Championships felt like they’d result in Sprout’s best national meet performance on the grass since his freshman year (15th).
Unfortunately, the Stanford veteran was unable to match how his season as a whole had gone this past weekend. A 72nd place national meet finish was well off from what he was capable of, especially when you look at all the incredible competition he faced (and even bested) throughout the course of this season.
With that in mind, it feels more than fair to keep the Stanford ace inside of the top-40 portion of our rankings. He still proved to be a highly potent low-stick and one "off" day shouldn't dilute his entire body of work.
35. Justine Kipkoech, Freshman, Eastern Kentucky (-22 / 13)
Our fandom for Justine Kipkoech was evident heading into the national meet. In fact, every writer at The Stride Report felt that he was capable of a top-15 finish.
The Eastern Kentucky rookie emerged as one of the most dangerous newcomers in the country after a 3rd place finish at Pre-Nationals. Despite his inexperience in the NCAA, Kipkoech was fearless in competing with the nation’s best over the last couple of months. That, in turn, gave us confidence in his ability to be a top-half All-American.
Of course, we weren't at all anticipating a DNF result in his season finale. That development is admittedly a tough to swallow when determining where the freshman should be ranked.
When it comes down to it, even after a DNF result this past weekend, Justine Kipkoech was/is still one of the 50-best runners in the country. A 13th place finish (Nuttycombe Invite) and 3rd place finish (Pre-Nationals) in the two most competitive meets of the regular season make it extremely difficult to leave him out.
As such, a TSR #35 ranking seems just.
34. James Corrigan, Junior, BYU (-14 / 20)
No one is going to pretend that a 62nd place national meet finish was what James Corrigan was truly capable of this season. The BYU steeplechase star was excellent throughout the fall months, taking 17th at the Nuttycombe Invite before securing a runner-up finish (as part of a BYU sweep) at the Bill Dellinger Invitational.
But more importantly, Corrigan was the 7th place finisher at the BIG 12 XC Championships. That kind of result was what made us very high on the 2024 Olympian going into Saturday.
Admittedly, Corrigan picked a tough time to have an "off" day. Thankfully, it didn't cost the Cougars a national title. And when you place among the top-10 at the nation's most competitive conference meet while not having a poor race anywhere else, then that was enough for the BYU standout to stay in the top-40 of our rankings.
33. Victor Kiprop, Senior, Alabama (-16 / 17)
Throughout the last academic year, Victor Kiprop looked like he had finally figured out how to perform at his best in the postseason, specifically the national meet. He placed 20th at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships and was the runner-up finisher over 10,000 meters at the outdoor national meet.
Throughout the fall of 2024, Kiprop was predictably great. None of his performances surprised us -- 2nd at Loyola Lakefront Invite and 2nd at the SEC XC Championships -- but that didn't make his resume any less impressive.
Unfortunately, Kiprop's national meet woes came back this past weekend. And while no one is going to say that a 51st place finish at the NCAA XC Championships is "bad," it's also fair to say that the Alabama runner was favored to be a top-half All-American in 2024.
32. Evans Kurui, Freshman, Washington State (-9 / 23)
Admittedly, this season has felt like a rollercoaster for us in terms of where to place Evans Kurui in our rankings.
He started his season off with a bang by taking down Edward Cheserek’s course record at the Cougar Classic. But that early-season rust-buster, while impressive, didn’t tell us a a whole lot about him. We got a better indication of the Cougar rookie’s talent after a runner-up finish at the Joe Piane Invite.
But after an underwhelming (although not bad) 2nd place result in the “B” race at Pre-Nationals, we weren’t sure how he would fare on the national stage. As postseason racing began, we felt more confident in the freshman’s top-half All-American talent after he handily defeated Matt Strangio (TSR #21) twice in a row. Now, after a 37th place result at the NCAA XC Championships, we’re again, left slightly perplexed.
When Kurui is "on," he undoubtedly feels closer to the top-20 portion of our rankings. His TSR #32 position feels like a nod of respect to that version of him. When he’s “off," he’s still an All-American, and that’s nonetheless still impressive.
31. Valentin Soca, Sophomore, California Baptist (+9 / 40)
We've always thought of Valentin Soca as a fairly underrated distance runner during his time (so far) with California Baptist. However, in the fall of 2024, it was fairly clear that the CBU ace had reached a new tier of fitness, placing 5th at the Joe Piane Invite and a fantastic 14th place finish at Pre-Nationals.
Even so, Soca had previously had a few challenges with showcasing his full talent in the postseason. That's not to say that he was running poorly, but certain efforts of his left us wanting more. Naturally, you can understand our apprehension when making our All-American picks after he took 4th at the WAC XC Championships.
Thankfully, Soca was excellent in Madison, Wisconsin where the Lancer star delivered a huge 33rd place All-American result. That was a performance that we knew he was capable of, but to see him actually deliver that result was great.
Yes, Soca did finish lower at the national meet than where he is currently being ranked. That, however, is how the natural flow of our rankings work given that breakout All-Americans don't always get placed at the same spot where they finished at the NCAA XC Championships.
30. Sam Lawler, Junior, Syracuse (+18 / 48)
Sam Lawler has done it yet again! Of course, it’s hard to be surprised when seeing that his progression in the fall of 2023 looked identical to that of this season.
It’s now becoming a trend that the Orange junior peaks in the postseason. Over the last two years, you may find it hard to identify a regular season result which suggests Lawler will be an All-American. However, when you look at his entire body of work, you start to realize just how consistent he is as a low-stick.
In 2023, the strength-based ace was 35th at the Virginia Invite, 34th at the Nuttycombe Invite, 10th at the ACC XC Championships and then 34th place at the NCAA XC Championships. This year, Lawler was 47th at the Nuttycombe Invite, 34th at Pre-Nationals, 10th at the ACC XC Championships and 28th at the NCAA XC Championships.
It feels clear that Sam Lawler is one of the most underrated talents in the NCAA. His TSR #30 ranking is a credit to the reliability he has shown during the entirety his career.
29. Sanele Masondo, Senior, Iowa State (Unranked)
Throughout last fall, we were truthfully not very high on Sanele Masondo. The former JUCO runner had seemingly struggled to find his footing in the loaded Division One distance scene...that is, until he reached the 2023 NCAA XC Championships.
Out of nowhere, Masondo secured a huge 16th place at last year's national meet, leaving many of us at The Stride Report in complete awe. Thankfully, Masondo began to catch fire and was far more consistent this fall than he was last year. Even so, nothing that this Iowa State senior did in 2024 suggested that he was going to place 23rd at the NCAA XC Championships!
After all, this is someone who was 24th at Pre-Nationals and 14th at the BIG 12 XC Championships.
Regardless, Masondo has proven to be one of those rare athletes whose regular season results are less indicative of their national meet potential than they are for other runners. For that very reason, we gave the Cyclone standout a top-30 ranking.
28. Dismus Lokira, Freshman, Alabama (-10 / 18)
Man, what a tough result for Dismus Lokira on Saturday.
It still feels perplexing that an athlete as talented as this Crimson Tide freshman found himself outside of All-American honors. Yes, Lokira finished 41st on the national stage, but his resume throughout the entirety of this fall was most definitely better than that.
The strength-based Alabama rookie debuted with an impressive win at the Loyola Lakefront Invite and then backed that up with a 4th place finish at the SEC XC Championships and a win at the South Regional XC Championships.
It's more than reasonable to infer that Lokira was better than being the 41st-best runner this fall, although his performance this past weekend exposed his inexperience on the collegiate scene. That in and of itself is deserving of a drop to TSR #28. Although, we feel we’re paying homage to the talent he has shown throughout the fall by keeping him in our top-30.
27. Dylan Throop, Senior, Penn (+14 / 41)
Throughout this season, we highlighted Dylan Throop as a name to watch. He was a sleeper All-American pick for most of us based on how he competed with upper-echelon athletes throughout the season.
Not only that, but the Penn veteran was improving as the season progressed. Opening the season with a 4th place result at Paul Short was unexciting, but a 5th place finish at the Princeton Fall Classic paired with runner-up honors at the Ivy League XC Championships were indicative of a clear jump in fitness.
That’s a great resume going into the biggest meet of the year. And although he was a sleeper choice for an All-American finish, a 27th place finish at the national meet exceeded our expectations.
It was tough to dislike anything that Throop did this fall. His grittiness throughout the year resulted in us becoming huge fans.
26. Zouhair Redouane, Freshman, California Baptist (+17 / 43)
What an incredible breakout year for Zouhair Redouane!
Some of our more astute readers may point out that the CBU ace was in his first season of NCAA competition this fall. However, the few results that we did have for Redouane coming into this season were not at all indicative of him being a low-stick this fall.
Of course, that's exactly what this Lancer rookie was in 2024. A 6th place finish at the Joe Piane Invite felt like a statement performance to the rest of the NCAA. After that, a massive 10th place result at Pre-Nationals was validation that Redouane was, in fact, a national-caliber star.
A 26th place All-American finish was right on par with Redouane who, in retrospect, likely deserved a better ranking than we gave him before the national meet. On every major stage, the CBU star stepped up and thrived against top-tier competition.
25. Camren Todd, Senior, Utah State (+19 / 44)
Admittedly, we struggled to rank Camren Todd this season. The Utah State star snagged the individual win at the Paul Short Run and went on to earn a very strong 17th place finish at Pre-Nationals.
Both of those performances were excellent, each indicating that he was capable of earning individual All-American honors in 2024. However, after not racing at the Mountain West XC Championships (along with five other teammates) and taking 14th at the Mountain regional meet, we weren't entirely sure what we were going to get out of the Aggie veteran.
A 25th place All-American result on Saturday was probably on the better end of expectations for Todd. And yet, at the same time, that performance wasn't all too surprising. The Utah State low-stick was consistent all season long and was at his best at the meets that mattered the most.
24. Robin Kwemoi Bera, Freshman, Iowa State (-10 / 14)
The NCAA XC Championships always seem to prove that you cannot underestimate how large in scale the meet is. With the immense amount of pressure built on top of that, it becomes easy to see why some falter, especially newcomers.
Unfortunately for Robin Kwemoi Bera, he was among one of the many newcomers who had their worst result of the season on Saturday.
Despite our hesitancy to how Kwemoi Bera would fare on the national stage, we still had high expectations for the Cyclone rookie coming, and justifiably so! Kwemoi Bera ran well beyond his experience level indicated throughout the course of the season. He proved that by earning back-to-back 5th place finishes at the Nuttycombe Invite and Pre-Nationals and a 4th place finish at the BIG 12 XC Championships.
Results like those assure us the Iowa State freshman is much better than his 37th place All-American finish this past weekend. That said, a drop to TSR #24 feels complimentary to his cross country season as a whole.
23. Joey Nokes, Senior, BYU (-2 / 21)
Did we think that Joey Nokes would earn a better finish on the national stage than 31st place? Yes, we did think that. But at the same time, Nokes did enough for his final ranking not to change much.
The BYU veteran was flat-out awesome this season, showcasing the highest level of his fitness on a consistent basis. Placing 6th at the Nuttycombe Invite was a massive statement result and it didn't hurt that he was 8th at the BIG 12 XC Championships, either.
Throughout the season, Nokes built up a good enough resume where he wouldn't drop too much as long as he was All-American. And given that his national meet finish was only eight spots away from this ranking, we feel plenty good about the BYU veteran settling in at TSR #23.
22. George Couttie, Sophomore, Virginia Tech (+15 / 37)
In our last rankings update, we discussed the incredible momentum that George Couttie was riding as the season progressed. We called the sophomore standout a “freight train” heading into the NCAA XC Championships and that ended up being extremely accurate.
The former D2 standout found himself on our radar after a 3rd place season opener at Panorama Farms Invitational. However, it quickly became apparent that the Hokie sophomore was only just getting started. When postseason racing began, Couttie jumped up another level and got increasingly better each race.
A 6th place finish at the ACC XC Championships and a win at the Southeast Regional XC Championships already established an impressive postseason resume. However, after a 14th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships, Couttie has stamped his arrival onto the Division One scene.
21. Matt Strangio, Senior, Portland (+8 / 29)
Matt Strangio finally got the monkey off of his back and delivered upon the All-American potential that we knew he could achieve on the grass. His 22nd place finish at the NCAA XC Championships had to have felt good.
A result that has felt like years in the making certainly didn’t come easy for the Pilot ace. Despite results over the course of his career which indicated that he belonged in the upper-echelon on the grass, his woes on the national stage held him back.
Those past performances aside, this season has felt vastly different for the Portland senior. In fact, this fall campaign was by far the most consistent and impressive that Strangio has ever had. An 11th place result at the Nuttycombe Invite gave us reason to believe that Strangio was in top form. But after back-to-back runner-up finishes during the conference and regional weekends, we felt confident that the experienced veteran would turn the tides on Saturday.
And sure enough, the All-American drought has ended emphatically.
20. David Mullarkey, Senior, Northern Arizona (+14 / 34)
In some of our recent rankings updates, we found David Mullarkey on the fringe of an All-American position. Despite that, we stated time and time again that he felt closer to a top-half All-American threat.
Sure enough, he proved just that on Saturday. An 18th place result at the national meet feels just about right for the British low-stick. In fact, this result feels like a culmination of the elite consistency that Mullarkey has shown throughout his career.
For a senior star with one of the highest floors in the NCAA to come away with the best result of his cross country career on the day it matters most is deserving of some flowers. This Lumberjack squad depended on the savvy veteran as a leader throughout the season, and he answered the call every single time.
As we entered the season, we wondered if Coach Mike Smith could tap into Mullarkey’s potential on the grass and raise his ceiling. Well, it appears that we have our answer (yes).
19. Will Zegarski, Rs. Sophomore, Butler (+20 / 39)
Coming into this season, we were looking for Will Zegarski to put together a breakout season where he would be a national-caliber standout. More specifically, we thought he had the potential to be an All-American.
Throughout the regular season, that looked to be the case. Placing 10th at the Loyola Lakefront Invite was fine for an early-season effort and a 14th place finish at Pre-Nationals was much more in-line with our expectations for the Butler star.
But in the postseason, Zegarski began to find even more momentum, specifically when he reached the 10k distance. After earning bronze at the BIG East XC Championships, the Bulldogs' newest star took home the win at the Great Lakes regional meet and then posted a fantastic 19th place result at the NCAA XC Championships!
Zegarski was flat-out awesome. Just when you thought he couldn't get any better, he proved you (and us) wrong. And when we look at his resume as a whole, we feel like it's more than fair to say that his national meet finish should match his final ranking.
18. Kirami Yego, Senior, Arkansas (-3 / 15)
The Razorbacks' senior star, Kirami Yego, had a very strong season in his lead-up to the national meet.
A win at the Chile Pepper XC Festival was followed up by a 7th place finish at Pre-Nationals. From there, Yego produced a bronze medal performance at the SEC XC Championships and earned gold at the South Central Regional XC Championships. All of that gave us enough reason to believe that the Arkansas veteran was capable of a top-10 finish.
Even so, Saturday was arguably Yego’s “worst” performance of the season. Of course, there's something to be said if 20th place finish at the national meet to be your “worst” result of the season.
Yego does fall a bit after that performance, but for the most part, he was incredibly reliable throughout the fall months. A TSR #18 ranking doesn’t change the fact that he was in the upper-echelon of elite runners on the grass this season.
17. Marco Langon, Junior, Villanova (+16 / 33)
During the winter and spring months, Marco Langon truly broke out as a star, running 13:28 (5k) and 7:43 (3k) on the oval. Of course, with astounding times like those, the Wildcat junior was capable of translating that success to the grass.
However, after an inconsistent 2023 fall campaign, we needed to see it to believe it. Well, we certainly saw it. Langon improved vastly this season and he seemingly got better each race.
A 12th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite was a great start to the season, but a 4th place result at the Princeton Fall Classic, followed up by back-to-back runner-up performances in the postseason (BIG East XC Championships and Mid Atlantic Regional XC Championships) was the validation that we needed.
All of those great results aside, to actually pull through on the national stage with a 15th place effort showed us that Langon has truly ascended. As such, a TSR #17 ranking feels just.
16. Creed Thompson, Senior, BYU (+10 / 26)
We are absolutely thrilled about Creed Thompson's 12th place run at the NCAA XC Championships! After showcasing his insane raw fitness throughout last fall, we were a bit underwhelmed when he just missed out on All-American honors by six spots.
But in 2024, the roles were reversed.
Sure, an 8th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite and an 11th place effort at the BIG 12 XC Championships were both good results, especially the former performance. However, those results weren't indicative of Thompson producing a borderline elite All-American result this past weekend.
15. Said Mechaal, Senior, Iowa State (+12 / 27)
What an incredible run from Said Mechaal! The Cyclone senior stepped up once again for Iowa State this past weekend, earning a massive 10th place finish. When looking at his resume, you had to have an inkling that the veteran would have a big day.
In fact, Mechaal has seemingly stepped up in virtually every big-race situation for the Cyclones during his tenure. Saturday was no different.
We felt high on the senior low-stick after his 10th place finish at the BIG 12 XC Championships and even more so after his 4th place at the Midwest Regional XC Championships. His consistency extended from 2023 into 2024 and we were assured of his incredibly high floor.
That being said, we had no idea that his ceiling was this high. His ability to step up as a leader when it matters most is noteworthy. Ultimately, he proved he was able to keep pace with the fast-rising competition of the NCAA, and that gives us enough reasoning to place him at TSR #15.
14. Patrick Kiprop, Senior, Arkansas (-9 / 5)
A 21st place finish at the NCAA XC Championships was admittedly a bit of a let-down for someone who has as much raw talent as Patrick Kiprop.
Throughout the fall months, the Arkansas veteran showcased elite raw fitness, running away from upper-echelon distance stars and consistently beating his highly accomplished teammates. Placing 4th at Pre-Nationals and winning the SEC title even had us questioning if this Razorback star had the potential to contend for the individual national title this fall.
That, of course, didn't happen.
it would be odd to drop someone as proven as Kiprop outside of our top-15. He still salvaged a near-top-half All-American finish and was utterly dominant against multiple stars. Yes, he certainly needed to drop in our rankings, but we also didn't want to dismiss all of the good that he showed this season.
13. Bob Liking, Senior, Wisconsin (-1 / 12)
"BIG 10 Bob" finishes out his collegiate cross country career with a 16th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships.
The leadership displayed by the Wisconsin veteran was invaluable for the Badgers throughout the season. Liking led the way as an elite low-stick by earning his best finish at the NCAA XC Championships yet. Not only that, but the savvy ace leaves Madison after leading the Mick Byrne-led group to an astonishing 4th place podium finish as a team.
It was apparent that the senior star was in top form all season long. For him to finally deliver on lofty expectations on the national stage has to be the cherry on top of an already impressive career.
12. Solomon Kipchoge, Freshman, Texas Tech (-9 / 3)
Has not competed since our last rankings update.
11. Gary Martin, Junior, Virginia (+5 / 16)
Gary “The Miler” Martin is officially a cross country runner. We may need to find a new nickname for the Cavalier after an incredibly impressive season on the grass.
A 13th place finish this past weekend assures us of what we already thought of Martin -- he has ascended into the upper-echelon of cross country stars. The speed-based athlete flexed his aerobic prowess throughout this fall, showcasing elite consistency during the course of the year.
Frankly, you have to look at Martin as a threat to the individual title next year if he continues to progress at this rate.
We're listing Martin at TSR #11 because of his complete resume with one of the more challenging schedules in the NCAA. With another year under his belt, it’s not crazy to think of Martin as a threat for the 2025 individual title.
10. Denis Kipngetich, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (0 / 10)
There isn't a whole lot to say when it comes to Denis Kipngetich. His 11th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships is roughly on par with how his season as a whole went.
Placing 4th at the Cowboy Jamboree, winning the Weis-Crockett Invite, taking 6th at the BIG 12 XC Championships and winning the Midwest regional title roughly aligns with this ranking. That's especially true after considering that other top-ranked men had "off" days at the national meet.
9. Yaseen Abdalla, Senior, Arkansas (+10 / 19)
My goodness, Yaseen Abdalla! What an outstanding run from the Arkansas star!
We knew that Abdalla was talented. He had, after all, showcased his talent plenty of times on the track and on the grass. Even so, it felt like his fitness reached a new tier in 2024 after placing 8th at Pre-Nationals and then 5th at the SEC XC Championships.
Even so, those results didn't suggest that the former Texas and former Tennessee runner would produce a jaw-dropping 4th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships! That was an unreal performance given that we didn't even think that he was the best guy on his own team.
A TSR #9 ranking is the middle ground that we chose in order to balance Abdalla's prior two performances and his phenomenal national meet result.
8. Dylan Schubert, Senior, Furman (+30 / 38)
WOW!
The award for most impressive run of the weekend arguably goes to Dylan Schubert. The Paladin veteran was incredible this past weekend after earning a shocking 3rd place finish at the NCAA XC Championships.
Although we did not have a bronze medal result on our bingo card for Schubert, when you take a look at his resume over the course of his collegiate career, it starts to make more sense. An 11th place finish at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships is enough evidence of that. A 24th place finish at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships becomes all the more impressive when realizing the Furman low-stick had a bout with mononucleosis to start the season.
Admittedly, the Colorado native’s 2024 campaign got off to a slow start with a 40th place finish at Pre-Nationals. But after a dominant win at the Southern Conference XC Championships and a 3rd place result at the Southeast Regional XC Championships, we felt confident that Schubert was back.
This past weekend was confirmation of that. The Furman senior progressed beautifully over the course of the season (and career) by peaking at the right moment. With that, he rightfully belongs at TSR #8.
7. Liam Murphy, Senior, Villanova (0 / 7)
A 9th place result at the NCAA XC Championships was a fairly predictable result for a guy who was as good as we could have reasonably asked for him to be this fall.
Throughout the fall months, Murphy placed 3rd at the Nuttycombe Invite and 2nd at the Princeton Fall Classic before wining the BIG East title and the Mid-Atlantic regional title. All of that led to his top-10 result in Madison, Wisconsin.
Yes, Murphy did finish two spots back from his final ranking at the national meet, but he proved to be far steadier and more consistently elite during the entirety of the 2024 cross country season. Plus, the only men who he lost to going into the national meet were Parker Wolfe, Ethan Strand and Rocky Hansen.
For that reason, he stays put at TSR #7.
6. Ethan Strand, Senior, North Carolina (0 / 6)
Ethan Strand’s 8th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships perfectly aligns with his resume this season. He won the Virginia Invitational and the Princeton Fall Classic. He was then the runner-up finisher at the ACC XC Championships and took 7th at the Nuttycombe Invite.
The Tar Heel veteran displayed elite consistency throughout the entirety of the season and his continued reliability as a lethal low-stick for North Carolina validates his position at TSR #6.
5. Parker Wolfe, Senior, North Carolina (+3 / 8)
Parker Wolfe takes a step up in our rankings after his 7th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships. Admittedly, this isn’t exactly where we felt the Tar Heel would finish at the beginning of the year.
That being said, finishing this high up is an admirable feat considering that the veteran lost three weeks of training due to a foot injury earlier in the year. When taking a look at the fully healthy version of Parker Wolfe -- notably the version that won in dominant fashion at the Nuttycombe Invite in September -- it deserves recognition when determining his final ranking.
Unfortunately for us and the rest of the country, Wolfe just didn’t have the time to get back to individual title contention. You have to wonder how this race would’ve gone if he did, though.
Nonetheless, injuries are part of the sport and you have to commend how Wolfe bounced back this year. As such, we find him at our TSR #5 spot.
4. Casey Clinger, Senior, BYU (+5 / 9)
Seeing Casey Clinger finish 6th at the NCAA XC Championships was a result that was on the better end of our expectations for him. Even so, it's hard to be surprised that someone as aerobically fit and as experienced as Clinger took 6th place on the nation's biggest stage.
I imagine that many of you are wondering how Clinger got moved to TSR #4 in our rankings despite previously residing at TSR #9 and placing two spots lower than this spot at the national meet.
Well, both Patrick Kiprop and Solomon Kipchoge fell outside of our top-five. And for as good as Dylan Schubert and Yaseen Abdalla were this fall, their stunning national meet results were balanced out (slightly) by their regular season resumes.
Plus, with Clinger placing 4th at the Nuttycombe Invite, 1st at the Bill Dellinger Invite and 3rd at the BIG 12 XC Championships, few superstar runners were more reliable than he was throughout the entirety of the fall months.
3. Brian Musau, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (-1 / 2)
Brian Musau takes a minor dip in our rankings after a 5th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships.
There’s something to be said about the talent of the Cowboy ace for a 5th place result to be slightly disappointing. Heading into the national meet, there were many who felt that the sophomore star had what it took to be crowned national champion.
And for good reason too!
Musau’s season resume was remarkable as he had what were, arguably, the most impressive wins of the season. His victories over Habtom Samuel (TSR #2) at the Cowboy Jamboree and Solomon Kipchoge (TSR #12) at the BIG 12 XC Championships are not to be downplayed.
Those wins ultimately are felt deserving of keeping the Pokes’ low-stick at TSR #3.
2. Habtom Samuel, Sophomore, New Mexico (-1 / 1)
Sure, Habtom Samuel may not have won the national title, but the New Mexico sophomore gained a ton of respect after finishing runner-up on Saturday despite losing one of his spikes. And even with his foot getting chewed up by the tough Wisconsin terrain, he still walked away with a silver medal.
There's not a whole lot to discuss when it comes to Habtom Samuels' ranking. It is, after all, fairly self-explanatory why he sits at TSR #2 in our rankings to end the season.
1. Graham Blanks, Senior, Harvard (+3 / 4)
Graham Blanks has repeated as national champion and it feels like that result should’ve been more obvious than it was. The Harvard ace established himself as the savviest racer in the field as he pulled away with 1k to go -- the same as he did at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships.
The experience that Blanks possesses on big stages helped him immensely. He was poised and confident during the entire race and it couldn’t have looked more obvious that he was a senior -- and an Olympian, at that.
A second gold medal wraps up a storied cross country career for Blanks. In his final race in a Harvard singlet on the grass, he made his mark by joining the elite club of Americans who have won back-to-back NCAA XC Championships. That list now consists of Steve Prefontaine, Gerry Lindgren, Connor Mantz and Graham Blanks.
Take a bow, Graham.
ADDED
Evans Kiplagat (New Mexico)
Joash Ruto (Iowa State)
Dean Casey (Colorado)
Aiden Smith (Oregon)
Lucas Bons (BYU)
Santiago Prosser (Northern Arizona)
Collins Kiprotich (New Mexico)
Allan Kiplagat (Middle Tennessee State)
Charlie Sprott (Wake Forest)
Sanele Masondo (Iowa State)
KICKED OFF
Mohamed Guled (Utah Valley)
Thobias Cheruiyot (Oklahoma)
Laban Kipkemboi (Oklahoma State)
Michael Mireles (UCLA)
Isaac Alonzo (Texas)
Dominic Serem (Toledo)
Vincent Chirchir (New Mexico)
Rocky Hansen (Wake Forest)
Abraham Chelangam (Oral Roberts)
Victor Shitsama (Oklahoma State)
JUST MISSED (in no particular order)
Mohamed Guled (Utah Valley)
Michael Mireles (UCLA)
Vincent Chirchir (New Mexico)
Rocky Hansen (Wake Forest)
Abraham Chelangam (Oral Roberts)
Victor Shitsama (Oklahoma State)
Colton Sands (North Carolina)
Douglas Buckeridge (Purdue)
JoJo Jourdon (Wake Forest)
Ethan Coleman (Notre Dame)
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)
Nathan Green (Washington)
Laban Kipkemboi (Oklahoma State)
Adam Spencer (Wisconsin)
Carson Noecker (South Dakota State)
Thobias Cheruiyot (Oklahoma)
Dominic Serem (Toledo)
Isaac Alonzo (Texas)
Aidan Troutner (BYU)
Davin Thompson (BYU)
Derek Amicon (Cornell)
Notes
- N/A
