TSR's 2024 D2 XC Top 10 Team Rankings (Men): Update #3

TSR Collaboration
Nov 11, 2024
7 min read

Written by Marissa Kuik & Ethan Wampler

Edits & additional commentary via Gavin Struve & Garrett Zatlin

NOTE: These rankings are based on how a team fared throughout the entirety of a season, not just how they ran at a singular meet or (eventually) at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships. 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 team has moved in the rankings.

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

10. Lee (Tenn.) Flames (0 / 10)

This past weekend at the South Regional XC Championships, the Flames took care of business against many similar foes that they faced at the Gulf South Conference XC Championships.

With 39 points and a 40-second spread, Lee (Tenn.) convincingly beat conference foes Alabama-Huntsville and Mississippi College for the regional title.

Ryan Lovelace led the Lee (Tenn.) contingent, securing a great 3rd-place result. Lovelace has proven to be a steady and reliable runner for this squad who has been quietly improving with every race.

Usual lead scorer Luke Gaddis had a bit of an “off” day, finishing 9th and was the 4th scorer for the Flames. It didn’t matter much for the regional meet, but the Flames will need Gaddis to bounce back in order to secure a big result at the cross country national meet.

9. Western Washington Vikings (0 / 9)

The Vikings of Western Washington took on one of the tougher regional meets in the country this weekend at the West Regional XC Championships. They performed admirably, scoring just 54 points by putting five runners inside the top-18, eventually falling to a strong Chico State team by 14 points.

Ryan Clough stepped up big, delivering a runner-up finish. After a 13th-place effort at the Lewis Crossover earlier this season, Clough is putting together an All-American-caliber season. The same can be said for his teammate and fellow senior, Jeret Gillingham, who placed 7th in the West region after winning the GNAC title.

One point of concern for the Vikings was the performance of usual low-stick Kevin McDermott, who had another “off” day, taking 10th place in the region after an 11th-place finish at the GNAC XC Championships two weeks ago. McDermott will need to return to form for the NCAA XC Championships and give Western Washington a complete top-three in order for the 'Vikes to really compete with the other teams in these rankings.

8. East Central Tigers (-1 / 7)

Depending on your view of East Central, you could argue that they struggled a bit this past weekend at the Central Regional XC Championships, which they won by just five points.

The Tigers continue to look less and less like the podium favorite that we thought they were entering this season, but their contingent of quality runners gives them a high floor as they still beat a quality Northwest Missouri team for the regional title.

The more alarming result was that the first Tiger to cross the line was Melvin Kipkemboi (a backend runner last year) in 10th place. That was in stark contrast to last year, when the Tigers scored 40 points at the Central regional meet and had Peter Kipkemboi and Amos Pkiach place 1st and 3rd, respectively. Those same two runners placed 17th and 16th this year.

There's still a chance that East Central has been effectively sandbagging this season and will look like a top-three team again at the NCAA XC Championships. However, that's feeling increasingly unlikely with each passing meet. The Tigers keep winning, but the majority of their varsity runners have been underwhelming in every meet.

7. Chico State Wildcats (+1 / 8)

Chico State put together an impressive performance at the West Regional XC Championships. Scoring just 40 points and besting our TSR #9 team, Western Washington, by a double-digit output, the Wildcats took down a deep field in the moderate altitude of Billings, Montana.

Mario Giannini continues to impress. After winning the CCAA title two weeks ago, he backed up that performance with a big individual victory over names like Kevin McDermott and Felix Perrier.

The rest of the Wildcats' scoring lineup looked stellar as well, finishing 4th, 9th, 12th and 14th. We would’ve liked to see Brayden McLaughlin place a little higher than 12th, but the rest of the lineup made up for what was just an “OK” day for this two-time All-American. If McLaughlin can return to form for the cross country national meet, the Wildcats will certainly be a team to watch.

6. Western Colorado Mountaineers (0 / 6)

The Mountaineers have been a steady team throughout their 2024 campaign, and the South Central Regional XC Championships was no different.

Led by Tyler Nord in 14th place, the Mountaineers scored 106 points to place just outside of the top three in very snowy conditions. Western Colorado packed up well, placing runners in 14th, 15th, 18th, 26th and 33rd place. With just a 35-second scoring spread, the Mountaineers showcased consistency amid unstable conditions and nearly took down a very good West Texas A&M team, falling to the Buffaloes by a single point.

If Tyler Nord can be just a bit better at the cross country national meet, and if freshman Oliver Diaz can keep up his incredible string of performances, Western Colorado could crack the top-five at the NCAA XC Championships in two weeks.

5. West Texas A&M Buffaloes (-3 / 2)

The Buffaloes had a tough day at the South Central Regional XC Championships. Whether it was the snow or the extra altitude, West Texas had a few key men have “off” days, and it put them well behind teams like Adams State and Colorado Mines.

William Amponsah suffered his first collegiate cross country loss, finishing runner-up behind star Frenchman Romain Legendre. However, the conditions did not suit Amponsah very well, and we’re sure that he will be ready for revenge in two weeks on a more forgiving course in Sacramento.

Harry Louradour and Adrian Legarreta continue to be excellent, placing 9th and 11th respectively. Beyond them, though, a lack of depth came back to bite the 'Buffs. Dennis Cheruiyot, their star offseason addition, faded hard to 52nd place while Enrico Oddone faded to 58th.

Matthys Bourse was able to step up with a solid 31st-place finish. However, the Buffaloes were unable to match the balance of Colorado Mines and Adams State, ultimately settling for a distant 3rd place.

Although they did not look great this past weekend, the Buffaloes are still an incredibly talented team. They will certainly be looking forward to a lightning-fast course at the cross country national meet.

4. Adams State Grizzlies (+1 / 5)

Adams State put together a great performance at the South Central Regional XC Championships. On a sloppy Washington Park course, the Grizzlies flexed their front-end firepower and found redemption at the same meet that kept them out of the 2022 NCAA XC Championships. Two years later, they've stamped themselves as podium favorites.

Low-stick ace Romaine Legendre started off the Grizzlies with a huge win over our TSR #1 runner, William Amponsah. That effort was a true statement victory as Legendre was reportedly high-fiving spectators in the final 400 meters of the race. But it was Kidus Begashaw who arguably had the most impressive day relative to expectations, taking 3rd place in an absolutely loaded South Central region.

After that strong 1-2 punch, Adams State closed out their scoring with 10th, 16th and 29th-place finishes, totaling 59 points for a very clear-cut runner-up result. With a largely new lineup in 2024, these Grizzlies seem hungry to prove that they are still among the cream of the crop in Division Two cross country.

3. Grand Valley State Lakers (+1 / 4)

Here's another team that spurned the prospect of a rebuilding year after uncharacteristically finishing just off the podium in 2023.

The Lakers scored 40 points at the Midwest Regional XC Championships, led by Caleb Futter and Koby Fraaza finishing 2nd and 3rd overall, respectively. With the rest of the scoring five just 25 seconds behind, GVSU showed a fairly tight pack behind two strong low-sticks.

That being said, an easy regional title is what was expected for a team that moves up as a result of West Texas A&M's demotion and because the Lakers hold an earlier win over Adams State.

We anticipated that the Lakers would have robust depth this year, but small improvements from Futter and Fraaza may be what gives them the edge to crack the top-four once more.

2. Colorado Mines Orediggers (+1 / 3)

Once again, the Orediggers put on a dominant showing at the South Central Regional XC Championships. In Division Two's deepest region, Colorado Mines put up a score of just 40 points and did so without focal star Loic Scomparin.

Scomparin may be Colorado Mines' usual lead scorer, but he's not their only low-stick. This time it was Jeremiah Vaille, who hadn't raced in nearly a month, placing 4th to lead three top-six finishers on his team.

Colorado Mines may not have as much firepower as Wingate, but they have as much depth as anybody apart from the Bulldogs and feel like a near-lock to be a top-half podium team.

1. Wingate Bulldogs (0 / 1)

No surprises here for Wingate. They took home the Southeast regional team title with a perfect score despite not fielding several expected scorers.

This team is incredibly loaded and has more than enough depth to produce another national title. The Bulldogs typically sit several of their top men for much of the season before the national meet, so we're not concerned about the absence of multiple All-American stars. Last year, they took everyone by surprise when they won the NCAA team title, largely because they had not raced much.

This season is no different except the surprise factor will be gone. The Bulldogs may be off the radar of some due to their limited racing schedule, but we recognize that this is an all-time team at the D2 level.