TSR's 2024 Preseason NAIA XC Top 25 Individual Rankings (Men)

Nolan Ryan
Aug 6, 2024
7 min read

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our preseason NAIA individual cross country rankings! Like we mentioned in our rankings rubric from earlier this summer, we're making a go at offering NAIA content this year (and ideally beyond)! Of course, our team is still very small, fairly new and one writer is also contributing to our D2 crew.

While these rankings won't be quite as in-depth as you would see for our D1, D2 or D3 lists, we still wanted to put together preseason orders and offer some analysis along the way. And for the sake of editing time / sticking to our content schedule, I asked our writers to adopt our "two sentences or less" rule for analysis.

Let's dive in, shall we?

NOTE: TSR has done extensive research, checked for updated rosters, counted seasons on TFRRS and even reached out to a large handful of coaches. While we put forth our best efforts, it is possible that certain athletes may return or not return this fall despite some evidence suggesting otherwise.

25. Jonathan Chavez, Senior, UC Merced

Jonathan Chavez is an incredibly challenging name to figure out given that he won the "Open" section of the Santa Clara Invitational, faded to 36th at the NAIA Great Lakes XC Challenge, won the Cal Pac title and then barely snuck into All-American honors with a 39th place effort. We may not always know what we're getting from Chavez, but the best version of this veteran is pretty darn good.

24. Kobe Wessels, Junior, Lewis-Clark

Finishing 24th at last years cross country national meet, this Warrior ace breaks into our top-25. He may have focused on the middle distance events this past spring, but Kobe Wessels has proven before that he can effectively translate speed to the grass.

23. Luis Peralta, Junior, Milligan

The now-former middle distance standout for the University of Oregon has not run cross country since 2021, but is still a guy who could make an impact this fall if he still has any of his aerobic strength left. Being apart of a championship-caliber program, the Buffs will call upon Luis Peralta's sneaky-good 24:51 (8k) and 3:45 (1500) marks which are historically fast enough to translate to a strong NAIA cross country season.

22. Ryan Heline, Senior, Saint Mary (KS)

The senior harrier has finished 120th, 63rd and 25th at the NAIA XC Championships in the first three years of his college career. Look for Ryan Heline to continue that incredibly promising year-over-year progression, especially after a spring season where he ran 14:41 (5k) and 30:49 (10k), respectively.

21. Ethan Stamey, Senior, Monreat

Ethan Stamey didn’t have the outdoor track season that he likely wanted, but his 17th place finish at 2023 NAIA XC Championships was a huge result. We still want to see that result replicated throughout the entirety of the season, but the ceiling of this Montreat veteran seems fairly high.

20. Mason Weisgerber, Sophomore, Southern Oregon

Mason Weisgerber may have not been an All-American last fall, finishing 51st at the national meet, but the true freshman ripped a 5k this past spring in a highly encouraging time of 14:32. Showing some youthfulness at the “Big Dance,” his outstanding 3rd place finish at the Blazing Tiger meet showed us that Weisgerber is going to be a legitimate problem for his competitors on the grass, especially as he matures as a racer.

19. Nathan Burns, Sophomore, Taylor

A highly encouraging 5th place finish at the Blazing Tiger Invite and 19th place finish at the Louisville XC Classic paired with a 32nd place All-American performance was enough for Nathan Burns to put himself in these rankings. His collective season as a whole paired with his youth-based upside should make him an even more dangerous runner this fall.

18. Tyler Jenkins, Junior, Rio Grande

After finishing 201st at the cross country national meet in 2022, Tyler Jenkins finished off a very impressive sophomore campaign by placing 23rd on the same stage last fall. Winning a tough conference meet last fall at the River States XC Championships and securing an outstanding 11th place result at the Louisville XC Classic showcased a ton of poise for this Rio Grande ace.

17. Mathew Keitany, Senior, Goshen

Outside of a flukey national meet result, Mathew Keitany showed tremendous consistency last fall and his upside was highlighted by a top-10 performance at the Live in Lou XC Classic. Having 4:08 wheels in the mile is also going to make him someone who is hard to hold off late in certain races when it matters.

16. Emmanuel Yego, Junior, Doane

Despite a few up and downs last fall, Emmanuel Yego showed up when it mattered the most, finishing 22nd at the NAIA XC Championships. Yes, the Doane ace had a tough outing at the Blazing Tiger meet last year, but his 30:44 (10k) during his time at Charleston (WV) shows some real strength on the grass.

15. Justin Ash, Senior, Eastern Oregon

Finishing 20th at last year's national meet shows us that Justin Ash is not just a steeplechaser and can get it done on the grass. Running 14:40 (5k) tagged with a quietly excellent 6th place result at the LC State Invite gave Ash a complete-enough resume to crack our top-15.

14. Hayden Bostrom, Senior, College of Idaho

A fairly consistent distance talent, Hayden Bostrom was rewarded for that with a huge 18th place finish at the national meet. The two-time cross country All American also put together fairly strong efforts at Blazing Tiger and Cascade Collegiate Conference XC Championships.

13. Dominick Beine, Senior, Saint Mary (KS)

After a 19th place finish at the NAIA XC Championships and a 6th place All-American effort in the 10k this past spring, Dominick Beine is someone who has begun to consistently deliver on the national stage. Some of his performances on the grass are better than others, but his recent momentum is encouraging to see.

12. Cannon Angotti, Senior, Arizona Christian

Cannon Angotti is one of the biggest additions to the NAIA after his recent transfer from Grand Canyon University. He holds a head-turning personal best of 14:19 over the 5000-meter distance, theoretically making him more than talented enough to (maybe eventually) be a top-10 runner later this fall.

11. Luca Madeo, Sophomore, Cumberlands (KY)

Despite a slow start to the fall season last year, Luca Madeo snagged the last All-American spot at the national meet with a 40th place finish. However, the current sophomore became one of the few sub-30:00 (10k) guys in NAIA this past spring, running 29:57 which positions Madeo to make a huge jump on the grass this fall.

10. Daniel Butler, Senior, College of Idaho

The 11th place finisher last year's national meet put together a great resume in 2023 after finishing a tremendous 2nd place at the Blazing Tiger. Daniel Butler's recent lack of racing on the oval hasn't been ideal, but his talent is undeniable.

9. Eli Fullerton, Senior, Indiana Wesleyan

After a disappointing finish at the NAIA XC Championships, finishing 49th place overall, Eli Fullerton responded ripping a 30:18 PR over the 10,000-meter distance as well as clocking a 14:20 (5k) mark. He was 14th at the cross country national meet in 2022, leaving us feeling plenty confident that last November was just a fluke.

8. Jack Anderson, Junior, The Master’s

One of the best returning men in the NAIA this fall, Jack Anderson scored an 8th place finish at the cross country national meet. But more importantly, Anderson was excellent throughout the entirety of last fall, thriving in a handful of competitive meets which gave him a complete resume.

7. Demetris Love Jr., Senior, Embry-Riddle Arizona

Finishing last fall with a top-10 finish at the national meet was Demetris Love Jr. who returns as one of the strongest runners in the NAIA. He had a great spring campaign, running 14:20 (5k) en route to an All-American honor and further strengthening our opinion of what his ceiling could be this fall.

6. Bryn Woodall, Senior, Milligan

Running 25:00 (8k) or better in every race but one shows us that Bryn Woodall is going to be one the dark horses to grab a top-three spot at this year's national meet. Coming off of a 14-flat 5k effort this past spring exemplifies his promise heading into the cross country season.

5. Dennis Kipkurui, Freshman, Cumberlands (KY)

The freshman only ran during the second semester for the Patriots, but made a big impact during his limited time with the team. He truthfully did not run too well at the two national meets that he competed in, but with his 29:20 (10k) mark from this past spring, he will be a big factor come this fall if he can convert his performance to the grass.

4. Serhii Shevchenko, Sophomore, Cumberlands (KY)

The Ukrainian runner had a very impressive campaign last fall, beating most NAIA competitors he saw. He added to his 5th place finish at the national cross country meet with impressive efforts at Louisville (6th) and the Great Lakes Challenge (2nd), giving him one of the best overall cross country resumes in all of the NAIA.

3. Joseph Skoog, Senior, Bethel (Tenn.)

The national meet runner-up a year ago was also the Louisville XC Classic champion and someone who was a beast on the track. The proven raw talent of this Bethel (Tenn.) distance star makes him just as deserving of this spot compared to a few of the Cumberlands men behind him.

2. Youssef Asslouj, Freshman, Cumberlands (KY)

Despite his youth, Youssef Asslouj proved how insanely talented he is by running 13:53 (5k) this past spring. If he was able to do that in one semester at Cumberlands, then what can he do later this fall with more experience?

1. Evert Silva, Senior, Oklahoma City

Being the national title favorite this fall should be no surprise given that Evert Silva won the 5k title, the 10k title and earned a bronze medal over 1500 meters at the national meet this past spring. Silva was a borderline low-stick for a nationally competitive D1 Portland team a few years ago, making him a strong choice for our TSR #1 spot.