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TSR's 2024 Preseason D1 XC Top 50 Rankings: #10-1 (Men)
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Jul 30, 2024
- 12 min read
10. Liam Murphy, Senior, Villanova
Liam Murphy is a top-flight miler who is known for having incredible range. The Villanova veteran has run times of 3:36 (1500), 3:53 (mile), 7:42 (3k) and 13:21 (5k). Now, Murphy has somehow found a way to also emerge as one of the most formidable cross country runners in the entire NCAA.
Murphy's first true test of last fall came at the Virginia Invitational. There, he immediately made an impact, securing a clutch 7th place finish. That result allowed him to take down guys like Alex Phillip, Florian Le Pallec and Luke Houser. Shortly thereafter, the Villanova star ventured to the Nuttycombe Invite where he held his own, securing a strong 21st place finish.
The postseason, however, is where an entirely new version of Murphy came out.
The Wildcat veteran secured a statement win at the BIG East XC Championships in addition to the Mid-Atlantic regional title. And on the national stage, Murphy was absolutely incredible. The Villanova star secured a huge 14th place finish, surpassing expectations after not even cracking the top-20 at the Nuttycombe Invite.
Believe it or not, despite his reputation as a miler, Murphy seemingly got even better when he moved up to the 10k distance. That's exceptionally rare for someone to have that kind of aerobic prowess while still retaining their lethal turnover.
Oh, and that list of personal bests that I mentioned above? Murphy ran all of those marks earlier this year (his 5k PR was technically in December of 2023). And oddly enough, Murphy didn't become a mile or 1500-meter All-American...but he did become a 3k All-American!
Sure, Murphy may not be the same pure cross country runner in the same way that a few other men in these rankings are. That, however, may not matter. The 'Nova ace has quietly been much better in the longer distances than some people have realized despite his identity as a miler. In fact, you could argue that he's been just as good (if not better) at the 3k distance and over than he has been in the mile and the 1500 meters.
Admittedly, we still want to see Murphy replicate his postseason performances in the regular season. That would complete his cross country resume in a way that matches many of the men ranked ahead of him.
Even so, we think the best is still to come with this Villanova runner. And for that reason, he cracked our top-10.
9. Kirami Yego, Senior, Arkansas
Last summer, Kirami Yego was one of the most coveted transfer targets in the NCAA. The former South Alabama runner had proven to be an incredibly successful long distance talent who was happy to be a front-runner even against the best names in the country.
And for the most part, that method worked. He did, after all, place 37th at the NCAA XC Championships during the 2022 season. The question, however, would be whether or not Yego could further tap into his incredible raw talent and maximize his scoring output upon joining the Arkansas men.
Update: He did.
Yego was brilliant last fall, especially in his first true test of the year at Pre-Nationals. While teammate Ben Shearer secured the win and Yaseen Abdalla did pull ahead, it was Yego who still took home bronze over a handful of talented names including his teammate, Patrick Kiprop. From there, Yego kept the momentum going, securing a commendable 6th place finish at the SEC XC Championships.
It seemed fairly clear that Yego was stronger than his 2022 form when he was already an All-American. And yet, suggesting that he was going to place 13th at the NCAA XC Championships in 2023 was not a prediction that we were willing to make.
That brilliant performance, paired with a successful day from his teammates, led to the Razorback men earning the final podium spot in Charlottesville, Virginia.
On the track, Yego found more success, although the aggressive front-running tactics of both him and his teammates didn't always yield the best results on championship stages. Even so, the Razorback stud still produced new personal bests of 13:24 (5k) and 28:17 (10k), the latter mark coming on the national stage.
When it comes to raw aerobic-centric fitness, there aren't many men who are more talented than Yego. He proved that throughout last fall and his times remain nationally competitive. And while we don't always love his racing style, that becomes a slightly smaller concern for cross country races than it does for battles on the track.
Compared to the men ranked behind him, we felt like Yego had a more complete resume and greater justification for a top-10 ranking.
8. Victor Kiprop, Senior, Alabama
The knock on Victor Kiprop for most of his career has been his struggles on the national stage. At times, the Alabama veteran has looked like the single-most unstoppable distance runner in the country. He has had streaks where he has torn through his competition and there were even moments last year where he showcased a great understanding of tactics.
And yet, when it came to the "Big Dance," an All-American honor seemingly eluded this Alabama distance star. Thankfully, after a very strong 2023-2024 academic year, that narrative no longer holds any momentum.
Last fall, Kiprop looked roughly just as strong as we had hoped he would leading up to the 2023 cross country national meet. His 3rd place finish at the Joe Piane Invitational was still a good result even if he was originally favored. He would later take down his teammate Hillary Cheruiyot and Auburn's Ryan Kinnane at his home meet, the Alabama Crimson Classic.
Kiprop would go on to to defend his 2022 title and win the SEC XC Championships. It was arguably his most impressive SEC title victory of his career up-and-to that point. Of course, it was the national meet that held the most weight for Kiprop given his prior struggles.
A 20th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships, his first-ever All-American honor, effectively removed the chip off of his shoulder. It wasn't quite the top-10 result that we thought he was capable of, but it was still an excellent result that deserved to be commended.
From there, Kiprop looked like a new and more free runner.
The Alabama ace rolled to a 13:24 (5k) PR on the track and then thrived over 10,000 meters on the outdoor oval. In fact, Kiprop was in position to win the men's outdoor 10k national title until Habtom Samuel was able to rally back from a fall. Even so, Kiprop snagged a well-deserved silver medal.
In 2024, Victor Kiprop has the potential to be the best version of a racer that he has ever been. He has tons of experience, has generally been super consistent and is naturally talented enough to hang with most men. Now, with the proverbial monkey off of his back, look for the Crimson Tide star to run with even more conviction this fall.
7. Casey Clinger, Rs. Senior, BYU
Welcome back, Casey Clinger! The BYU veteran has been a staple in the NCAA for years now. He has matched most of the hype following his legendary high school career (depending on who you ask) and, depending on the season, has put sometimes himself in contention to win NCAA gold (something he has yet to win).
"But wait, where was Clinger over the last year? Why didn't we see him?" Well, a rumored injury seemingly took Clinger out of BYU's lineup throughout last fall. That was a crushing hit for a team that looked incredibly sharp at the time. And with the Olympic Trials likely being the main focus, Clinger essentially redshirted the following winter and spring seasons, too.
Of course, just because Clinger didn't compete with a BYU singlet over the last year doesn't mean that he wasn't racing.
On the outdoor oval this past spring, Clinger was outstanding. In fact, he was arguably the best that he's ever been. The Cougar star dropped a monster 10k time of 27:57 back in May to pair with his 13:24 (5k) effort from April. The BYU runner went on to race at the Olympic Trials where he ran 27:59 (10k) and placed 5th overall!
We'll admit, Clinger's lack of recent racing within NCAA confines makes it challenging to pinpoint where he should be listed in these rankings. His outstanding spring campaign suggests that he's in the best form of his life, but is it safe to assume that he can match his 7th place finish from the 2022 NCAA XC Championships?
We think that's a fairly reasonable expectation. As such, we'll place him at TSR #7 in these preseason rankings before we move him any further.
6. Patrick Kiprop, Senior, Arkansas
During his days as an underclassman, you could see that Patrick Kiprop was as naturally talented as almost anyone else in the country. His willingness to attack fast paces led to him running some outstanding times and even earning a 24th place All-American honor at the 2022 national meet.
However, Kiprop's front-running tactics, while admirable, weren't always effective. Thankfully, in the spring of 2023, we began to see Kiprop begin to the put pieces of the puzzle together. The Arkansas star was developing a greater understanding of what his greatest strengths were and he better understood when it was best to make certain moves.
That led to a pair of 2023 All-American honors on the oval as well as blistering fast times of 13:24 (5k) and 28:00 (10k). After that, the only question that remained was, could Patrick Kiprop translate what he learned on the track to produce a successful 2023 cross country season?
The answer to that question would be a resounding, "YES."
Seeing Kiprop finish in 5th place at Pre-Nationals last fall was a fine result, although it wasn't quite the top-two or top-three effort that we thought he'd earn. Even so, two of the men ahead of him were his teammates and it was his first real challenge of the fall months. The expectation was that he would rebound at the SEC XC Championships -- and he most certainly did.
While Alabama's Victor Kiprop did secure the win, it was Patrick Kiprop who put together a very impressive silver medal performance. That result gave him a wins over the likes of Hillary Cheruiyot, Yaseen Abdalla, Ben Shearer, Kirami Yego, Eliud Kipsang, Gabriel Sanchez and Ryan Kinnane.
After winning the South Central regional title (a truthfully inconsequential meet for Arkansas), the Razorbacks would venture to the national stage. There, they put together a truly outstanding team effort. Leading the way was Patrick Kiprop who secured a monumental 7th place finish in his season finale. It was a performance that, while surprising, also matched the caliber of runner that some of us at TSR thought he could be.
Admittedly, Kiprop didn't have the most exciting year on the track, although that's not to say that he ran poorly. In fact, the Razorback star was an 8th place All-American over 10,000 meters back in June.
There's a realistic scenario this fall where Kiprop legitimately battles with the likes of our top-three men for a national title. His strength-based fitness is almost overwhelming and he has clearly gotten better in some way, shape or form with each passing year. With tons of experience under his belt and a proven ability to be successful in the postseason, it seems like reaching the status of "national title contender" is the next logical step.
No, we're not saying that Kiprop is at that point (yet). He still has some work to do when it comes to replicating his most elite performances on a more consistent basis. Even so, if there's anyone outside of our top-five who can win NCAA gold this fall, it's probably Patrick Kiprop.
5. Brian Musau, Sophomore, Oklahoma State
4. Denis Kipngetich, Sophomore, Oklahoma State
Let's put these two men together, shall we? Partially to make my life easier when offering analysis and partially because it's challenging to tell the story of one athlete and not the other.
As the NCAA prepared for the 2023 cross country season, we felt like we knew what each team had. Northern Arizona had one of the most complete lineups in the country. BYU was crazy deep as always. And Oklahoma State? They had three or four low-sticks weapons...that we knew of.
But then, at the Cowboy Jamboree (which was more or less a dual meet against Texas), we saw two men named Brian Musau and Denis Kipngetich dominate a field which featured three top-30 All-Americans (Devin Hart, Rodger Rivera, Haftu Knight). Kipngetich would go on to win by 20 seconds while Brian Musau secured silver.
Those results, in turn, sent us at The Stride Report into a ranking frenzy.
"How on Earth do we rank these guys? What's a fair spot to rank them at? Does fairness even matter when we can see that they are so overwhelmingly talented? How much should we compare them to Texas who was in the same race?"
Unfortunately, many of our questions remained until the postseason as Oklahoma State didn't field any of their top men at any further regular season meets. That, of course, turned out to be a brilliant move as the Cowboys looked incredible at the BIG 12 XC Championships. There, Oklahoma State won team gold with ease while Musau fought off teammate Alex Maier to win the individual title and assert himself as a true star.
Kipngetich, unfortunately, faded to a still-strong 14th place finish, one spot behind eventual All-American (and eventual steeplechase Olympian), James Corrigan.
Our answers about Musau were largely answered after his performance. Kipngetich, however, was a different story. He first race was flat-out dominant. But his conference meet effort was just barely good enough to make us wonder if that was the best version of him.
Of course, at the NCAA XC Championships, both men ended up proving once and for all that they are both elite-caliber cross country talents. Kipngetich's phenomenal 4th place finish would lead the Oklahoma State men to the team title. Musau wasn't far behind with a huge 8th place finish as well.
Both men would go on to find plenty of success on the track, especially Musau who ran 7:38 (3k), 13:13 (5k) and was a two-time top-six All-American between both national meets. Kipngetich, however, proved that the 10k was his primary distance with a 28:10 PR and a brilliant bronze medal effort at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Let's not make the analysis for this Cowboy duo any more complicated than it needs to be. Both Kipngetich and Musau are insanely talented. They have proven that they can handle whatever is thrown their way and they have often been at their best on the stages that matter the most.
There is only one question that I still have for these two jaw-dropping Kenyans: When will we put either of these men in the national title discussion?
Some people might suggest that Kipngetich and Musau are already in that conversation. However, if that's the case, then I would imagine that you also have Patrick Kiprop, Casey Clinger and Victor Kiprop in that group as well. And truthfully, we're not willing to put any of those men in that category...yet.
Of course, by the time November rolls around, we at The Stride Report may ultimately be singing a very different tune if the Cowboy duo somehow gets even better.
3. Habtom Samuel, Sophomore, New Mexico
2. Parker Wolfe, Senior, North Carolina
1. Graham Blanks, Senior, Harvard
Am I cheating a bit on my written analysis by lumping these three men together?
Yes, I most definitely am.
However, we at The Stride Report sincerely believe that each of these three men had realistic arguments (some stronger than others) to be placed at our TSR #1 spot. Let's break down what each of those arguments are, shall we?
Graham Blanks, as everyone knows, is the defending cross country national champion. Not a single runner in the NCAA had greater control of their fitness last fall than he did. He went undefeated throughout his 2023 season, won the Nuttycombe Invite on top of his national title and he (briefly) held the NCAA 5k record with his jaw-dropping 13:03 effort at the Boston U. Season Opener.
Oh, and by the way, he's now an Olympian over that 5000-meter distance despite having to come back from an injury that sidelined him for the entirety of the indoor track season.
That is incredible!
We then come to Parker Wolfe, the North Carolina ace who had always been great, maybe even elite, but never quite a national title threat...until this past winter.
The Tar Heel star looked like a different (and much stronger) runner on the indoor oval. He ran monster times of 7:37 (3k) and 13:16 (5k) before going to the indoor national meet where he was clearly the second-best runner in the NCAA behind Nico Young, earning a pair of silver medals.
On the outdoor oval, Wolfe would defeat both Nico Young and Graham Blanks for the NCAA title over 5000 meters. He would also go to the Olympic Trials where he secured a huge 3rd place finish and fended off -- you guessed it -- Graham Blanks in a time of 13:10. However, because he didn't have the Olympic standard or enough world rankings points, Wolfe did not advance to the Olympic Games.
And then we come to Habtom Samuel. In the eyes of some, this Eritrean long distance megastar was the national title favorite going into last year's NCAA XC Championships. Sure, he didn't win, but he did settle for silver.
Fast forward to the spring months and Samuel dropped a near-unbelievable 10k time of 26:53 in California. And despite falling in the late stages of the 10k at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Samuel still rallied back to win the national title.
In most years, the resumes of these three men would almost always be good enough to earn our TSR #1 spot. Of course, it just so happens that, at the moment, we believe that all three of these men are set to return this fall.
The argument for Blanks is that he is the defending national champion and has rallied back back to a high enough level of fitness where we don't need to worry about him going into this fall.
The argument for Wolfe is that he is the one who arguably has the best momentum right now. You could also argue that he is the best racer of the group, at least based off of his last year of performances.
The argument for Samuel is that he is, without question, best built for the longer distances, specifically the 10,000 meters. In theory, that could also mean that he is best built for cross country.
At the end of the day, we went with the classic ranking method of, "Don't overthink it."
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Graham Blanks is our TSR #1 runner in our NCAA D1 Preseason XC Top-50 Individual Rankings.
