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TSR's 2024 Preseason D1 XC Top 50 Rankings: Just Missed & Honorable Mentions (Men)
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Jul 24, 2024
- 12 min read
Updated: Jul 27, 2024
Here we go. Our 2024 men's and women's preseason individual cross country rankings. Let's start with our "Just Missed" and "Honorable Mention" names.
As a reminder, you can find our rankings rubric here. This week will be our D1 rankings while next week will be our D2 and D3 rankings. Let's begin...
JUST MISSED (in no particular order)
Cael Grotenhuis, Rs. Sophomore, Northern Arizona
I am sorry, Cael Grotenhuis.
I feel terrible.
We tried everything we could to fit Cael Grotenhuis into our rankings. For 30 minutes, myself and three other writers tried to pose arguments and find logic that would be able to squeeze this fast-rising NAU talent into our top-50.
But for as much as we like the Lumberjack runner, we simply couldn't find the room. As a result, Grotenhuis takes this year's not-so-coveted honor of being the "first guy out of our rankings."
If you followed Grotenhuis this past spring, then you probably understand why we like him so much. After largely being an afterthought on Northern Arizona's roster, this Wisconsin native emerged as one of the best breakout names during the 2024 outdoor track season.
This past season, Grotenhuis won his 5k heat at the Bryan Clay Invitational with a time of 13:38. He then took down the Montana State duo of Matthew Richtman and Ben Perrin over 10,000 meters at the BIG Sky Outdoor Championships. Grotenhuis would later qualify for the outdoor national meet in both the 10k AND the 5k, something that only three other D1 men accomplished last spring. He would go on to finish 14th and 9th, respectively, at the national meet.
On paper, that's a pretty impressive resume that would make the average person think, "Wait, so then what's the issue? Why is he not ranked?" Well, the biggest challenge that we had with Grotenhuis is that he has a grand total of one cross country race on his TFRRS resume. That result was a 9th place finish at the 2023 BIG Sky XC Championships.
Simply put, we have ZERO idea what he is capable of doing on the grass. And while his outdoor track season was incredibly promising, it also didn't yield any other-worldly times or an All-American result. Pair that with a non-existent cross country resume and you can begin to see how certain men had better arguments to be ranked.
Regardless, we're dreading putting Grotenhuis at this spot. His recent momentum paired with the juggernaut factory that is Northern Arizona leaves him with a ceiling that could make him an All-American. I suppose we'll just have to wait and find out if that's actually the case.
Ben Rosa, Senior, Harvard
I will admit, Ben Rosa is not necessarily a guy who is going to jump off the page in any dramatic way when you look at his resume. The best mark on Rosa's TFRRS profile is most likely his 28:43 (10k) PR from this past spring. His 5k personal best sits at a modest 13:57 and he was 60th at the Nuttycombe Invite.
So...why is he a "Just Missed" name?
Well, believe it or not, Rosa's 60th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite was arguably his "worst" result of the 2023 cross country season (among meets that truly mattered). After that race, the Harvard veteran would go on to earn bronze at the Ivy League XC Championships (taking down an eventual All-American in the process) and place 8th at the Northeast regional meet.
But the cherry on top of Rosa's season was a 47th place effort at the NCAA XC Championships, just seven spots out from an All-American honor. And when you step back to look at his season as a whole, it feels fairly complete and void of any poor efforts. Peaking for the postseason certainly helped as well.
Yes, it's true: Rosa needs to be a more potent low-stick at meets like the Nuttycombe Invite (and maybe also the national meet) to be considered a top-50 name. Even so, he felt like a fairly reliable name who offered very underrated scoring value.
Toby Gillen, Senior, Ole Miss
In the spring of 2023, Toby Gillen was arguably the biggest breakout star in the NCAA. The former St. Louis runner suddenly became a national-caliber distance talent, winning the Raleigh Relays 5k, running a then-PR of 13:30 over that same distance and qualifying for the outdoor national meet.
Gillen would later transfer to Ole Miss where the expectation was that he would become a standout ace and among the very best cross country runners in the NCAA.
But, uh...that didn't happen.
At all.
Gillen's 2023 cross country season was underwhelming to say the least. He 7th at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational, 175th at the Nuttycombe Invite, 14th at the SEC XC Championships and 15th at the South regional meet. He would not advance to the NCAA XC Championships.
Now, in Gillen's defense, the Rebels were a team rumored to be plagued with injuries, illnesses and old fashioned bad luck. And while we don't exactly know if any of that applied to Gillen last fall, his recent efforts on the track suggest that he most certainly had more to offer on the grass.
The newest Rebel star ran a new 5k PR of 13:28 on the indoor oval and eventually qualified for the outdoor national meet where he was a 7th place All-American in the 5k.
No one is denying that Gillen is talented enough to be in our top-50 rankings. His ceiling could make him one of the 30-best men in the country this fall. And yet, despite the fantastic success that he has found on the oval, there is simply not enough evidence on the grass to suggest that he is a national-caliber cross country runner right now.
Make no mistake, that could definitely change, but the fall of 2023 was supposed to the season where he proved how dangerous he could be in October and November. We still believe in his potential, but for now, he'll reside in our "Just Missed" section.
Ben Perrin, Rs. Senior, Montana State
When I first started this website, I never once expected to put a 13:30 (5k) and 28:04 (10k) runner in the "Just Missed" section of our preseason cross country rankings.
And yet, here we are.
On paper, Perrin may have an argument to be listed among our top-50 names. His blazing fast times on the track showcase his excellent aerobic talent and his cross country results from last fall were really solid across the board.
Even so, Perrin's 2023 fall campaign can largely be described as "good," (or maybe even "really good") but it wasn't exactly "amazing," either.
An 11th place finish at the Joe Piane Invitational demanded respect. However, a 16th place finish at Pre-Nationals left us wanting more. Fast forward to the national meet and Perrin placed 53rd overall, a commendable result.
Much like we mentioned with Ben Rosa, there isn't necessarily one truly poor result on Perrin's resume from the 2023 cross country season. Sure, he could have been better at Pre-Nationals, but he didn't exactly blow up in that race, either.
But in the eyes of The Stride Report, not having a poor race isn't enough to crack our top-50. We're still waiting for Perrin to have a marquee race where he takes down multiple All-Americans and earns a top finish in a major field. And yet, what you can't knock is his consistency and reliability as a lead scorer. That's not something that all low-sticks can tout.
Ethan Coleman, Rs. Sophomore, Notre Dame
CJ Singleton, Rs. Sophomore, Notre Dame
We're going to lump these two men together for their analysis. Partially because they're on the same team and partially because they have often mimicked each other in certain cross country results.
Last fall, when both men we're redshirt freshmen, Notre Dame hosted the Joe Piane Invitational. There, both CJ Singleton (13th) and Ethan Coleman (16th) held their own. Their performances weren't anything jaw-dropping, but the redshirt rookies showed promise. From there, Coleman continued to show promise at the Nuttycombe Invite (59th) while Singleton (111th) faded a bit.
Thankfully, both men got back on the same page at the ACC XC Championships where Coleman placed 15th and Singleton placed 19th. And in their season finale, Coleman once again delivered, finishing 48th place overall. Singleton, however, struggled once more, dropping to a brutal 219th place.
On paper, Coleman proved to be the better cross country runner. He was surprisingly consistent despite his inexperience and he continued to thrive over the 10k distance by running a 28:29 PR this past spring.
Singleton, meanwhile, clearly struggled on the larger, nationally-competitive cross country stages. That, however, wasn't the case on the track. During the spring months, Singleton had the poise of a veteran, running a fantastic 8:27 steeplechase PR and earning 5th place All-American honors in that event.
In the grand scheme of things, both Coleman and Singleton are similar-caliber runners. The former proved to be more consistent on the grass, but the latter clearly reached a new tier of fitness on the track which put him in a nationally competitive echelon.
As we move into the fall months, the objectives for both of these men are clear. Coleman simply needs to replicate the consistency that we saw from him last fall and further build on his always-solid finishes. If he does that, then he'll be an All-American. Singleton, meanwhile, needs to be far better at high-level cross country meets. That, of course, shouldn't be an issue if he is able to translate his steeplechase success to the grass.
Drew Griffith, Freshman, Notre Dame
Ah, yes.
Drew Griffith.
Our first (and only) American true freshman who we will be discussing in these rankings.
If you follow the high school scene, then you know just how good this guy is. He ran 3:57 in the mile, posted a jaw-dropping time of 8:31 for two miles and was brilliant throughout last fall, ultimately winning the Foot Locker XC National Championships.
So...why is Griffith, one of the single-fastest prep runners ever, not even ranked?
Let's take a look at last year's cross country national meet results and attempt to find where the top American true freshman finished.
In total, there were eight men who were rookies by eligibility who cracked the top-50 at the 2023 national meet. But the only American of that group, Ethan Coleman (48th), was actually a redshirt freshman.
Instead, you have to go all the way back to 74th place to find the top American true freshman. That, of course, was Stanford's Leo Young. And while Young's 2023 fall campaign was very solid, it wasn't all that close to making him a top-50 talent in the country.
Need another example? Let's look at the 2022 cross country national meet.
That year, there was only ONE runner with freshman eligibility who cracked the top-50 at the national meet. That athlete was Oklahoma State's Fouad Messaoudi, a Moroccan who had already been in the NCAA for the winter and spring track seasons before then.
That year, the top American true freshman was Izaiah Steury who placed 63rd overall. He too was a freshman at Notre Dame. And yes, even though Steury was born in Ethiopia, he was adopted at the age of 11 by an American family, therefore granting him USA citizenship.
But if you're an especially picky person, then the top American-born true freshman at the 2022 national meet was Villanova's Marco Langon.
His finish? 121st place.
Now, admittedly, there's a fairly strong argument to be had that Griffith was flat-out better than both Leo Young and Izaiah Steury when they were high schoolers. Across all three seasons, Griffith was absolutely dominant. Only Danny Simmons, who is completing a mission before attending BYU, had an argument of being the better high school talent this past year.
Even so, history suggests that American youngsters need time to develop. While it's certainly not impossible for an American true freshman to be a top-50 name or even an All-American, the odds are simply stacked against them. Griffith also seemed to lean more towards to the mile and two-mile as his ideal racing distances rather than the 5000 meters. And in a sport where the championship racing distances extend to 10,000 meters, the more aerobic-centric you are, the better.
Are we scared of listing Drew Griffith in our "Just Missed" section? Yes, I'm terrified, actually. There is a very strong chance that he enters the NCAA and makes us look silly by thriving alongside his former high school teammate, CJ Singleton.
But for now, we'll lean on the more cautious side of things and settle for placing Griffith just outside of our top-50 rankings.
Vincent Chirchir, Freshman, New Mexico
We had an incredibly tricky time trying to rank Vincent Chirchir.
The raw talent of this New Mexico rookie is evident. This past spring, he ran blistering times of 13:34 (5k) and 28:19 (10k) at the Bryan Clay Invitational and the Stanford Invite. And by just looking at those two efforts alone, Chirchir clearly thrives in fast-paced, aerobic-centric efforts.
But when it came time for the championship meets, Chirchir wasn't able to match his more experienced contemporaries. He faltered to 8th place over 5000 meters at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships (although he did earn silver in the 10k earlier that weekend) and was then unable to qualify for the outdoor national meet in either event (although he was close in both).
The narrative around Chirchir is pretty straightforward: He is exceptionally talented and has tons of upside, but he's still learning the nuances of NCAA competition. We do love that he gained collegiate experience racing on the track before he was thrust into NCAA cross country racing. In theory, that should at least allow for an easier transition into a new (and very different) season.
Rodgers Kiplimo, Junior, Iowa State
I know what everyone is thinking.
"What? How on Earth can a 37th place All-American from last fall not even be ranked the following year? That makes no sense!"
Well, the story with Rodgers Kiplimo isn't as straightforward as one may believe.
Yes, it's true, Kiplimo was brilliant at the NCAA XC Championships last year, peaking perfectly alongside his teammates and cracking the top-40 to earn All-American honors. But prior to that race, you likely wouldn't have said that this Cyclone runner was a top-50 runner in the NCAA. In fact, I'm not sure that you would have said that he was a top-150 runner!
In his lead up to last year's national meet, Kiplimo placed 128th at the Virginia Invitational and 134th place at the Nuttycombe Invite. And to be blunt, those would be considered bad results for anyone in our top-50 rankings.
If you thought Kiplimo's performance would improve in the postseason, then you probably wouldn't have been encouraged after seeing him place 30th at the BIG 12 XC Championships. Although, in his defense, I'm not confident that Iowa State ran all-out for that meet -- just go back and look at the final results.
By now, you can likely see why we were so shocked by Kiplimo's All-American result. There wasn't much on his resume which suggested that he had that kind of effort in him. The national meet was, without question, the single-best race of his life.
We absolutely love that Kiplimo peaked so perfectly for the national meet last year. It was applause-worthy, really. Even so, we need to see far greater consistency from the Iowa State talent in order for him to be a ranked name. We obviously know what his ceiling is, but being able to replicate that result across the entirety of his 2024 fall campaign will be his next challenge.
Marco Langon, Junior, Villanova
As a collective group of writers, we really like Marco Langon. The Villanova junior has been an impactful contributor for the Wildcats since he first came to campus. His fast assimilation to the collegiate scene and ongoing rise has made him a high-value name.
That's especially true after seeing how well he ran this past winter and spring. On the oval, Langon ran eyebrow-raising times of 7:43 (3k) and 13:28 (5k). He would qualify for the indoor and outdoor national meets in those two events, respectively.
But for as strong as those marks are, it's cross country performances that hold the most weight in our rankings. And if you look back at Langon's 2023 fall campaign, then you'll see why we're opting to place him in this section.
Finishing 12th at the Virginia Invitational was a huge result for Langon. He looked like a true low-stick who was going to give the fringe-Philly school a three-headed scoring monster alongside Liam Murphy and Haftu Strintzos.
But from there, Langon wasn't quite able to replicate that kind of performance.
A 110th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite was a truthfully tough result. And while his 7th place finish at the BIG East XC Championships certainly wasn't bad, it also didn't raise his stock in any significant way. Once he reached the national meet, Langon would settle for an underwhelming 146th place effort.
Our hope for Langon this season is pretty obvious: Be more consistent.
We feel extremely confident that he's talented enough to be a top-50 name this fall. His track times suggest that he's at least worthy of a ranking and his Virginia Invite performance proves that he can be a national-caliber name on the grass.
Now, we just need to see it all come together.
HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no order)
Will Muirhead (Oklahoma State)
Valentin Soca (California Baptist)
Simon Kelati (Tennessee)
Dean Casey (Tennessee)
Brian Masai (Arkansas)
Brett Gardner (NC State)
Carter Solomon (Notre Dame)
Jesse Hamlin (Butler)
Aidan Troutner (BYU)
Gary Martin (Virginia)
Quick Note(s) & Key Omissions
Northern Arizona's 2024 cross country roster shows that Brodey Hasty is still a member of their team. However, The Stride Report has counted four cross country seasons on Hasty's resume (excluding the COVID year) which means that he should be out of fall eligibility. For that reason, he will not be included in our rankings.
BYU freshman Danny Simmons has been omitted from these rankings. Simmons will be completing a mission prior to joining the Cougars.
