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TSR's 2024 Preseason D1 XC Top 25 Team Rankings (Men): Just Missed & Honorable Mentions
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Aug 7, 2024
- 11 min read
NOTE: Earlier this summer, The Stride Report reached out to nearly every team that was considered for a possible ranking this summer. While we did receive numerous responses and great clarity, we did not get a 100% response rate. On certain occasions, we are referencing TFFRS in order to talk about returners and athletes who are out of eligibility.
Just Missed (in no particular order)
NC State Wolfpack
We'll admit, last year's NC State team didn't exactly inspire a ton of confidence throughout last fall. They were "just okay" at last year's Joe Piane Invitational (placing 4th) and a 31st place effort at Nuttycombe was the exact opposite of encouraging. The same could be said for their 8th place team finish at the ACC XC Championships.
But then something changed.
When the racing distance moved up to 10k, it almost felt like the Wolfpack men became an entirely new team. That's because NC State came through with a massively clutch 3rd place result at the Southeast regional meet and landed an arguably even more impressive 17th place finish on the national stage!
Possibly the biggest reason why NC State succeeded in the postseason last fall was because Hannes Burger stepped up and filled a key scoring role in the team's lineup. Burger didn't race at Nuttycombe, struggled mightily at Joe Piane and was a DNF at the ACC XC Championships. But as he seemingly always does, he showed up for the postseason.
The only issue, however, is that Burger isn't returning. And Dan McGoey? One of the more consistent names of last fall? Well, he isn't returning, either. The same can be said for veteran Zach Hughes who is finishing his eligibility with Notre Dame.
It's hard to place NC State in our rankings after they lose a handful of fairly important scorers. Those now-departed scorers were heavily responsible for stabilizing a good portion of the scoring in this lineup during the postseason. Make no mistake, we really like Brett Gardner and Ian Harrison is way better than last fall would suggest. The Wolfpack men are also adding a decent number of strong recruits to their roster later this fall.
Even so, we'd like to see what the supporting cast behind Gardner (and maybe Harrison) will look like before we place them in our top-25.
California Baptist Lancers
Last year, the California Baptist men (and women) had a breakout season, producing highly impressive results at major invitationals leading up to the national meet. The men were led by Artur Medveds, but it was their overall scoring contingent that ran so incredibly well together.
When it came strictly to their top-five, there weren't many weaknesses. And while the Lancers did have a bit of an "off" day at the national meet (placing 16th), that performance wasn't representative of how good they had been all season long.
Unfortunately, trying to replicate that team effort in 2024 is going to be quite the task. That's because Arturs Medveds is gone. And Giedrius Valincius? A top-100 national meet finisher? Well, both TFRRS and CBU's roster also says that he's gone.
It's unclear what Matias Reynaga will do next, Joaquin Campos was in the portal (although we don't know if he actually transferred) and Rikus Van Niekerk transferred to New Mexico.
Oh, and their coach, Adam Tribble, took the head distance coaching job at Georgia.
The Lancers are expected to bring back Valentin Soca and he has a legitimate chance to be a top-50 name this fall. Plus, Pedro Marin showed decent promise this past spring. If Reynaga does come back, then there should be enough of a scoring core remaining for the Lancers to stay nationally competitive...to some degree.
But until we see what reinforcements this team has, we will have to place them in our "Just Missed" section.
Michigan Wolverines
This feels...wrong, doesn't it? Putting the Michigan men outside of our rankings?
We certainly don't like placing a historical BIG 10 power outside of our top-25. They've been plenty solid and consistent throughout the years. And while some seasons have been better than others, the Wolverine men have often found a way to be competitive.
This season, however, will be one of their biggest challenges yet.
Last year's Michigan men's cross country team was very solid. They didn't necessarily stand out in any dramatic way, but placing 14th at the Virginia Invitational, 15th at the Nuttycombe Invite and 19th place at the national meet showed us that they were at least staying competitive.
The problem, however, is that the Ann Arbor men have lost both Tom Brady and Nick Foster from last year's team. The former was leaned on heavily to provide much of the needed low-stick scoring while the latter had a few great moments last fall, specifically at the Virginia Invite (32nd) and the Nuttycombe Invite (73rd).
There is still a very solid core of men returning to this group in 2024. Despite what TFRRS says, Owen Mackenzie is returning. Caleb Jarema also had a breakout year in the steeplechase this past fall. Nathan Loepz still has some upside to tap into, Zach Stewart is an experienced veteran and Luke Venhuizen has had a few brief moments of promise. They also have a few very solid younger guys who could step up this fall.
Even so, this team relied quite a bit on Tom Brady and Nick Foster last fall. Without them, Michigan will need to find new firepower in an effort to return to the heights that they reached in 2023.
Air Force Falcons
Alright, so here's the challenge that we've had with this group.
Going into last fall, the Air Force men had lost A TON of firepower. Many of the Falcons' best scorers such as Ryan Johnson, Sam Gilman, Ethan Marshall and Scott Maison were out of eligibility. And while there were still some promising names set to return, there just wasn't enough evidence to suggest that Air Force was going to be as strong as they were in 2022.
Well, as it turns out, we were (happily) wrong.
Air Force turned out to be a fantastic team in 2023.
Now, as we enter the fall of 2024, we have run into a nearly identical issue: The Falcons lose A LOT of their scoring group from last year's team.
All-American Luke Combs is gone and so are top-70 national meet finishers Sean Maison and Eli Bennett. Those were Air Force's top-three at the national meet where the Falcons placed an impressive 12th place overall.
We're probably going to regret putting Air Force at this spot...again. Despite his DNF at the national meet, Max Sannes is a quietly great scorer at major meets. Jason Renze has also shown promise over the last year, especially after he ran 8:46 in the steeplechase.
Even so, we don't see quite as many potential scoring options on this team as we did last year. They'll find a way to stay nationally relevant, but grabbing a spot in our top-25 is, on paper, going to be more challenging than it was last year.
Furman Paladins
Truthfully, there isn't an ideal spot for the Furman men. The number of possible outcomes that we could see from this team could fluctuate from them being a top-15 squad to an "Honorable Mention" team by season's end.
The 2023 cross country season was the perfect example of that.
At the Joe Piane Invitational, this team struggled (a lot) and had to settle for 8th place. But two weeks later, the Paladins stunned the country with a monstrous 9th place result at the Nuttycombe Invite! Fast forward to the postseason and Furman oddly faded to 8th place at the Southeast regional meet.
The potential 1-2 punch of Dylan Schubert and Carson Williams could end up being sneaky-good this fall. The former has the upside of a top-15 talent (dare I say top-10?) now that he's healthy and Williams has proven that he can be a national-caliber name in his own right.
Colin Eckerman is a fantastic new recruit, Luke Taylor flirted with the 29-minute barrier in the 10k, Evan Guzman is a sneaky-good transfer from East Tennessee State, Gabe Montague is coming off of a redshirt year and Nick Goldstein is a veteran due for a productive season.
We'll admit, not having Cameron Ponder and David Ahlmeyer really hurts. The former, when healthy, was a lead scorer while the latter was a highly underrated stability scorer. And for a squad that was highly volatile throughout last fall, those feel like important names to have.
If someone wanted to rank Furman at TSR #24 or TSR #25, we wouldn't argue. But for now, we'll place this group in our "Just Missed" section.
Georgetown Hoyas
The Georgetown men are stuck in a difficult spot. For the last couple of years, the Hoyas have undoubtedly been a "good" cross country team, but they haven't necessarily been a "great" cross country team.
We'll admit, last year's fall campaign wasn't too pretty from start to finish. A second-to-last result at the Virginia Invitational was a tough season opener for a team that was likely capable of more. A 23rd place finish at Nuttycombe, however, was a slightly more accurate indication of what this team was (and was not) capable of.
After barely holding off Providence for 3rd place at the BIG East XC Championships and taking a predictable 3rd place finish at the Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championships, the Hoyas snuck into the national meet.
And that result? Well...it wasn't great. Georgetown placed 30th overall, second-to-last in the national meet standings. They did not have a runner in the top-120.
As we look ahead to 2024, there is good news for the Hoyas and there is bad news for the Hoyas. Let's get the latter out of the way first.
Parker Stokes, the team's top scorer from last fall, is gone, having turned pro after winning the NCAA steeplechase title this past spring. And for a team that desperately needs some upfront, that departure is brutal. Georgetown has also lost Camden Gilmore, although he wasn't necessarily a major player on the grass.
Thankfully, everyone else is set to return. Remember, this was a fairly young team last fall with three men holding freshman eligibility and one athlete holding sophomore eligibility. The natural growth of these returners, especially with guys like Lucas Guerra and Abel Teffra, should lead to noticeable improvements.
Not only that, but the Hoyas added a handful of promising transfers this past offseason. Derek Fearon and Colin Kirkpatrick were two crucial All-American low-sticks for a powerhouse Pomona-Pitzer team at the D3 level. James Dunne, a 3:57 miler from a D2 powerhouse in Adams State, is also set to join this squad.
Despite the loss of Stokes, this team should, in theory, be better than they were last year. Does that mean that they'll be a top-25 team? That's the part we're still waiting to see, but there is still plenty of upside remaining within this group.
Princeton Tigers
I absolutely loved the talent that the Princeton men had last fall. Nicholas Bendtsen stepped up as a low-stick, the depth came through in a big way and there weren't many major gaps in their lineup. That, in turn, led this group to an 11th place finish at NCAA XC Championships.
Of course, having a veteran group like that means that a ton of scoring will be lost in the ensuing years...which is exactly what we're seeing from the Tigers this fall.
Yes, Bendtsen is back and we really like his potential. However, this squad loses Connor Nisbet, a crucial second scorer throughout last year. They also lose long-time veteran Anthony Monte who was a lead scorer for this team in 2022. Matthew Farrell and Connor Livingstone are also gone and the same goes for Jarrett Kirk.
When you pick apart the returners and the departures from last year's Princeton team, the only remaining names who they have left are Bendtsen and Daniel O'Brien. Those are two men who cracked the top-100 at last year's national meet and were generally great throughout last fall. Even so, the rest of this lineup can only be pieced together by speculation.
Thankfully, there are numerous highly talented young guys on this roster who I am a very big fan of. Guys like Christian Groendyk, Weston Brown, Steven Hergenrother, Collin Boler and recent Tennessee transfer, Jacob Nenow, are all high-upside youngsters. Jackson Shorten was also outstanding in the steeplechase this past spring, something that he could translate to the grass.
But even if one, or maybe two, of those men do emerge as impact scorers, then that still leaves Princeton looking for a few more names to complete/round out their lineup. That's a very realistic possibility, but until then, we'll place the Tigers in our "Just Missed" section.
Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
The 2023 cross country season wasn't exactly the best fall campaign that we've ever seen from the Golden Hurricanes. The Tulsa men lacked firepower and half of their lineup was fairly inexperienced. Not only that, but they also lost a respectable scorer in Johnny Livingstone who transferred to Wisconsin.
Upon initial glance, there is an argument that this team is closer to an "Honorable Mention" than they are a "Just Missed" team. But what if I told you that they'll almost certainly be better than last year?
That's because Shay McEvoy, a top-30 All-American for the Golden Hurricanes in 2022, is set to return this fall. He'll be a massively valuable low-stick talent who give this team a much needed spark. Not only that, but both Charlie Krasnoff and Chris McLeod are set to return. The former was very solid in the postseason last fall and the latter had a very successful year on the track this past winter and spring.
With a respectable top-three, the rest of this group will need to rally behind their teammates to fill the gaps. Thankfully, the options are plentiful between the returners and the new additions, many of whom hail from overseas.
Micah Blomker, for instance, was 13th at the 2023 Foot Locker XC National Championships. Meanwhile, incoming graduate transfer, Oisin Spillane (via Ireland), was the 28th place finisher at the 2023 U23 Euro XC Championships.
And the guy who Spillane finished directly one spot in front of?
Dean Casey, Colorado's newest low-stick.
There are enough pieces on Tulsa's roster for this group to qualify for the national meet. Even so, there is still a lot of work to do before we can give the 'Canes a nod for a top-25 spot.
Washington Huskies
Let's be blunt: The 2023 cross country season was not kind to the Washington men. The Huskies struggled at a large handful of meets last fall. They failed to advance to the national meet as a group and they did not send an individual to the NCAA XC Championships.
Unfortunately, things are not going to get an easier for the Husky men in 2024.
Luke Houser was an awesome low-stick for Washington last fall. Of course, he has since turned pro with Brooks. Nathan Green is set to return, but after extending his track campaign into the summer, it's unlikely that he'll be back before the postseason. We should also note that Joe Waskom has since turned pro.
Thankfully, when you look at the Huskies' returners, you can begin to piece together some semblance of a nationally competitive group.
Evan Jenkins is a top-40 name in our individual rankings and should be able to emulate much of the firepower that Houser once provided. Green, as we mentioned, should still return as a high-impact scorer. We also can't forget that Leo Daschbach is coming back! When healthy, he can be a fairly valuable name within a team's top-five.
Other names like Jamar Distel, Tyrone Gorze, James Crabtree and Thomas Diamond are all accomplished youngsters and in theory, one of them could be due for a breakout year.
There are absolutely enough pieces on this team for Washington to be a top-25 group this fall. However, that requires a few favorable projections and a good number of men delivering on their scoring potential this season. And after losing their top name from 2023, we couldn't quite find enough of an argument to place the Huskies inside of our rankings.
Purdue Boilermakers
Truthfully, Purdue wasn't one of the first teams we thought of when thinking of cross country squads who literally "just missed" a spot in our top-25 rankings. And yet, the Boilermakers are almost certainly closer to this tier than they are the "Honorable Mentions" section of our rankings.
The Purdue men return all but one of their runners from last year's lineup which finished 4th at the BIG 10 XC Championships. That lone departure is Nathan Getachew, the team's seventh man from that meet.
The trio of Nathan Walker, Douglas Buckeridge and Caleb Williams were all very solid in 2023. That entire top-three finished in the top-20 at the BIG 10 XC Championships after Walker and Buckeridge also cracked the top-30 at Pre-Nationals (which led their team to a solid 5th place team finish).
But the biggest reason why we're high on this team is because they were very young last fall. In fact, five of their top-seven men held underclassman eligibility throughout last fall.
There is a ton of upside and potential remaining within this West Lafayette, Indiana squad. Of course, they still need to deliver on that projected talent. They'll also need to look past the fact that they have a third different head cross country coach in as many years after a change at the Director role led to multiple assistant coaches, including Connor Mahoney-Ashberry, parting with the program. That lack of continuity isn't exactly ideal.
Even so, if this year's team can build on the momentum that they established last year, then they'll have a legitimate shot at qualifying for the national meet...I think.
Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)
Cal Poly Mustangs
Wyoming Cowboys
Florida State Seminoles
Tennessee Volunteers
Boise State Broncos
Washington State Cougars
Ole Miss Rebels
Charlotte 49ers
Tulane Green Wave
Loyola (Ill.) Ramblers
