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TSR's 2024 NAIA XC Top 25 Individual Rankings (Men): Update #1 (Three Sentences or Less)
- Nolan Ryan
- Oct 17, 2024
- 8 min read
Written by Nolan Ryan, edits & additional commentary via 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 NAIA 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.
25. Cristian Mendoza, Senior, Eastern Oregon (Unranked)
At first glance, Cristian Mendoza's resume doesn't necessarily jump off the screen. However, his recent 16th place finish at the Charles Bowles Willamette XC Invitational was sneaky-good as the only NAIA runners who he fell to can all be found in the top-20 portion of our rankings. The Eastern Oregon talent continues to (slowly) close the gap between him and teammate Justin Ash which shows great promise as we get closer to postseason.
24. Bruno Villazon, Freshman, UT-Southern (Unranked)
The freshman from Spain has gotten his fair share of racing in so far this season with five efforts on his resume. In those five races, he got two wins as well as a sneaky-strong 33rd place finish at the UAH Chargers Invite (defeating solid D2 competition in the process). If he continues this progression, then he should be a strong candidate for a very strong All-American finish come November.
23. Ryan Stade, Sophomore, Montreat (Unranked)
Ryan Stade has not be able to run more than one 8k race this season due to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. In that one performance, he made some noise by finishing 3rd at the Converse Kickoff, defeating a very good runner in Scott Nutter from Wingate. We should know more about Stade’s fitness level when he squares off with the Milligan crew next week in Knoxville.
22. Ayenew Devany, Junior, Oklahoma City (Unranked)
Oklahoma City squad has rolled out their top squad only once this year. In that sole performance at the Gans Creek Classic -- which will be home to the NAIA XC Championships in November -- this junior placed 22nd overall in a stacked field. Devany had a "just okay" result at last year's national meet, but has proven before this season that he is an All-American-caliber runner.
21. Paul Moore, Freshman, SCAD Atlanta (Unranked)
Arguably one of the best freshman recruits in the NAIA, this sub-9:00 two-miler had a very strong opener for his first 8k. Paul Moore's sub-25:00 performance at the UAH Chargers XC Invite led to him placing 29th overall in a national-caliber field of talented D2 squads. He's only raced once this fall, but his youth-based upside makes him extremely dangerous as we enter the postseason.
20. Tyler Jenkins, Junior, Rio Grande (-2 / 18)
Tyler Jenkins has had himself a strong start to his season. The All-American from a season ago has finished top-three in three of his four races this fall and the only instance where he didn't crack the top-three came at the Louisville XC Classic where he placed 40th overall in the "Gold" section (the most competitive field of the meet). Yes, he does drop two spots in our rankings, but that's more so based on the results of others rather than anything that he's done.
19. Justin Ash, Senior, Eastern Oregon (-4 / 15)
Despite having only two races under his belt, Justin Ash has still held his own. The All-American staple finished 10th in his most recent outing at the Charles Bowles invite showing promising this fall. The Eastern Oregon product has not been running poorly by any means, but he has yet to defeat any nationally ranked names with the exception of his teammate, Cristian Mendoza.
18. Duncan Kogei, Freshman, Rio Grande (Unranked)
The true freshman was a recent surprise to the NAIA after not racing in the Red Storm’s first two outings. His top-40 performance in the "Gold" race at the Louisville XC Classic (38th) was a showing strong enough to crack our rankings. We're still learning trying to learn more about the Rio Grande rookie, but we like that he has fared well in two very different fields despite his inexperience.
17. Connor Ybarra, Senior, The Master’s (Unranked)
After a somewhat disappointing national meet result a year ago, the veteran from California has been on a hot streak as of late. Winning the Biola Invite and finishing among the top-three at their home meet (losing to only one NAIA competitor in Demtris Love Junior) made it undeniable that Yabarra was a top-tier name. Don't overlook that win at the Biola Invite, that is quietly one of the better individual victories in the NAIA so far this fall.
16. Dominic Malel, Freshman, Campbellsville (KY) (Unranked)
There are talented newcomers each year at every level who make an unexpected impact and Dominic Malel fits that criteria this fall for the NAIA. Between the Louisville XC Classic and the Larry Young Invite, the Campbellsville rookie has only lost two competitors (regardless of division) in Jack Anderson and Kennedy Bett, both of whom are All-American-caliber type of guys. We really like that someone as young as Malel has been able to hold his own and be competitive in two larger fields, something he'll see at the NAIA XC Championships.
15. Brandon Kleber, Senior, Grace (Unranked)
After shaking off the rust at the IWU Twilight, Brandon Kleber has been gaining encouraging momentum. He had a great showing at the Ray Bullock XC Invite, finishing runner-up to a top-tier star in Eli Fullerton. Being the fifth NAIA runner across the line (19th overall) at the undeclared “national meet preview” (the Gans Creek Classic) was debatably the best regular season result of his career, leaving us plenty encouraged about his upcoming postseason campaign.
14. Mathew Keitany, Junior, Goshen (+3 / 17)
One of the most complete runners in the NAIA, Keitany has effectively taken his talent from the track to the grass this year. He tore up the Gans Creek Classic by placing an excellent 15th place overall (4th among NAIA runners), but that result shouldn't be totally shocking given how strong he was during the regular season last year. His 4:08 (mile) wheels, plus his consistency so far this season, suggests that he has a chance to be a top-half All-American come November.
13. Jack Gladfelter, Sophomore, Corban (Unranked)
Despite only having one 8k race under his belt this year, Jack Gladfelter made to make the most of his opportunity. The Corban sophomore broke the 24-minute barrier on a very notorious Willamette course. Finishing 7th in a field as competitive as that was impressive and it will be even more impressive if he can replicate that kind of result consistently in the postseason.
12. Dominick Beine, Senior, Saint Mary (KS) (+1 / 13)
Dominick Beine was a top-20 finisher at last year's national meet, but he has run largely replicated, or even improved upon, those marks through the same schedule. Beine is one gear away from being a guy in the front group at the NAIA XC Championships. It will be a matchup to watch next week at the Blazing Tiger meet with a matchup against a top-heavy COI squad on the horizon.
11. Elias Everist, Senior, College of Idaho (Unranked)
One member of the three-headed low-stick monster from the College of Idaho, Elias Everist now resides in our TSR #11 position after showcasing a clear ability to hang with his All-American teammates. Yes, he was the 6th place finisher at last year's Blazing Tiger meet, but it's clear that he has established far greater consistency this year at that level of fitness.
10. Jack Anderson, Freshman, The Master’s (-2 / 8)
Times don’t really matter in cross country, but Jack Anderson has run between 24:20 and 24:40 four times in a row which showcases incredible consistency. He hasn’t had an "off" race yet this year and his win at the Larry Young XC Invite (in 90 degrees) shows how reliable of an All-American pick he could be at the national meet. He drops slightly in our rankings, but that's not based on anything that he's done wrong.
9. Kennedy Bett, Freshman, Cumberland (Tenn.) (Unranked)
Kennedy Bett is a new face in the NAIA this year and has been looking stronger each week that he rolls out onto the grass. He opened up his season at the Southern Showcase in early September and secured a 19th place result, a quietly awesome result which suggested that he had low-stick potential. Since then, he has validated that thought with monumental wins at both the Louisville XC Classic ("Blue" race) and Firehawk Invite
8. Luca Madeo, Sophomore, Cumberlands (KY) (+3 / 11)
Being the third finisher for NAIA men at the Gans Creek Classic (13th overall) last September makes Luca Madeo a major threat as we enter the postseason. He looks like he made a fitness jump this year and will be exciting to watch moving forward. His 41st place showing at the Southern Showcase wasn't quite as impressive, but it certainly didn't hurt Madeo's stock enough to keep him out of our top-10.
7. Hayden Bostrom, Senior, College of Idaho (+7 / 14)
Hayden Bostrom has been on a tear this season, finishing in the front of every race so far this fall. He has really built off of a great 2023 cross country campaign, making him even more dangerous than he was last year -- and that's saying a lot.
6. Eli Fullerton, Senior, Indiana Wesleyan (+3 / 9)
There could be a great argument for Eli Fullerton to be listed even higher in our rankings with the fall campaign that he has had so far this year. Winning two meets this year against strong NAIA competition, accompanied with a 9th place finish at the Gans Creek Classic, should keep him in the hunt for a top-five national meet finish. If things continue to go the way that they are, then he is going to be a tough out.
5. Demetris Love Jr., Senior, Embry-Riddle Arizona (+2 / 7)
Another guy who has been a staple in the NAIA is Demetris Love Jr. He has been an All-American on the grass a few times before and this is the fittest that he has ever been. Beating the Master’s men at their home meet -- and doing so somewhat convincingly -- makes us wonder if he still has even more upside remaining for November.
4. Brynn Woodall, Senior, Milligan (+2 / 6)
The Milligan veteran has run some quick times early-on, but the most impressive part is where he is finishing at major invitationals. Brynn Woodall finished 7th at a Division One-filled meet (the Pirate XC Invite) and he will soon get to face-off against NAIA competition. He has been super consistent this fall and has given us no reason to doubt him.
3. Daniel Butler, Senior, College of Idaho (+7 / 10)
Seeing Daniel Butler secure the win at the Willamette XC Invitational and breaking the 24-minute barrier in the process is an impressive display of raw fitness. There is no question that he's an elite NAIA star, but can he realistically challenge Silva and/or Asslouj come November?
2. Yousef Asslouj, Sophomore, Cumberlands (KY) (0 / 2)
Only running one meet so far this season, it is truthfully hard to gauge where Yousef Asslouj is at fitness-wise. What we do know is that he is still very good given that he finished 12th at the Southern Showcase in a stacked field. Eyes will be on him as we enter postseason if he steps on the line again before the national meet.
1. Evert Silva, Senior, Oklahoma City (0 / 1)
There is only one NAIA guy this season who looks untouchable -- and that is Evert Silva. His only completed race of the season came at the Gans Creek Classic ("Open" race) where he earned a runner-up result behind one of the best runners in the JUCO ranks. It will be interesting to see him race again at Texas A&M against D1 competition where we'll get an even greater gauge of how dominant he could be in November.
ADDED
Bruno Villazon (UT-Southern)
Ryan Stade (Montreat)
Christian Mendoza (Eastern Oregon)
Ayenew Devany (Oklahoma City)
Paul Moore (SCAD Atlanta)
Duncan Kogei (Rio Grande)
Connor Ybarra (The Master's)
Dominic Malel (Campbellsville (KY))
Brandon Kleber (Grace)
Jack Gladfelter (Corban)
Kennedy Bett (Cumberland (Tenn.))
Elias Everist (College of Idaho)
KICKED OFF
Jonathan Chavez (UC Merced)
Kobe Wessels (Lewis-Clark)
Luis Peralta (Milligan)
Ryan Heline (Saint Mark (KS))
Ethan Stamey (Montreat)
Mason Weisgerber (Southern Oregon)
Nathan Burns (Taylor)
Emmanuel Yego (Doane)
Cannon Angotti (Arizona Christian)
Dennis Kipkurui (Cumberlands (KY))
Serhii Shevchenko (Cumberlands (KY))
JUST MISSED (in no particular order)
Aidan Vorster (Dordt)
Austin Hess (Kansas Wesleyan)
Luke Harber (Taylor)
Dean Reynolds (Spring Arbor)
Ryan Heline (Saint Mark (KS))
Serhii Shevchenko (Cumberlands (KY))
Isaac Systma (Saint Xavier)
Isaiah Lanoy (Shawnee State)
Jacob Kocis (Midway)
Jonathan Chavez (UC Merced)
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)
Aleksandr Krikov (Saint Mary (KS))
Kobe Blanco (Spring Arbor)
Kobe Wessels (Lewis-Clark)
Carter Gordon (Lewis-Clark)
Brevin Vaughan (College of Idaho)
Michael Reif (St. Francis (IL))
D'Artagnon Beaver (William Penn)
Danuel Persinger (Rio Grande)
Mylan Nocton (IU East)
Nathan Burns (Taylor)
Ethan Stamey (Montreat)
