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TSR's 2025-26 D3 Current Freshman Class Rankings: #3-2-1 (Men)
Despite our research, it is possible that certain names have been erroneously omitted. Did we miss someone? If so, send us an email at contact@thestridereport.com & let us know!
3. NYU Violets
Many fans' familiarity with NYU's freshman class may be limited to the fact that the Violets had one of the two men's freshmen All-Americans at the 2025 NCAA XC Championships. However, this wouldn't be among the top three freshman classes in the country if it were simply a one-man show.
Theo Udelson-Nee is the athlete I referenced in the preceding paragraph. He placed 31st at the 2025 cross country national meet, a massive result that didn't come out of nowhere, given that the freshman phenom also placed 6th in the Paul Short Run "White" race and won the UAA individual title.
Udelson-Nee was the top name in this class entering the season. After all, he ran 4:18 (1600), 9:00 (3200) and 14:34 (5k). Those latter two marks made him an all-state honoree in California and earned him an 8th-place finish at Nike Outdoor Nationals last spring, respectively. If he wasn't already seen as one before this past fall, Udelson-Nee is shaping up to be a genuine D3 distance star.
A couple of the Violets' other top rookies arguably have even more range than Udelson-Nee, at least on the track. Greg Borden holds marks of 1:55 (800), 4:12 (1600), 9:05 (3200) and 15:27 (5k XC). He finished 4th in the adidas Track Nationals 2025 Mile Championship and was the 2025 Virginia indoor state 3200-meter runner-up. Borden's 34th-place finish at the 2025 UAA XC Championships was in line with our high expectations.
Paul Tranquilla has a similar profile but has been even faster on the track, running 1:53 (800), 4:15 (1600) and 9:00 (3200). A 14:29 (three-mile XC) mark suggests that he has sub-15:00 (5k) potential, and he held his own in California's largest prep cross country classification. It takes a different type of athlete to be able to simultaneously excel in the half-mile, the metric mile and the 3k collegiately, but Tranquilla could be that guy.
Edomias Mulugeta should be a cross country contributor sooner rather than later after placing 16th at the 2024 Foot Locker Northeast Regional XC Championships, coming just six spots away from reaching the Foot Locker XC National Championships. While his 4:20 (1600) mark is nothing to sneeze at, 8:37 (3k) and 15:09 (5k XC) clockings indicate that Mulugeta is more inclined to excel in the longer distances.
Beyond that strong top four, NYU has four more rookies who look like they'll be strong D3 runners at some point. John Cuzzocrea was a prep track star who ran 4:21 (1600) and 9:24 (3200), so he could be at his best over 3000 meters and 5000 meters. James Jenkins may not be all too different, given that his top prep mark was a 9:22 (3200) clocking. Meanwhile, Daniel Escribano -- 4:24 (1600), 9:36 (3200), 15:28 (5k XC) -- is more of a rangy distance ace.
London native Jordan Pearlman's only recorded mark is an 8:47 (3k), making him another distance-based runner who could be molded into a 3k/5k guy while also being a cross country contributor.
With a tentpole recruit in Udelson-Nee, three other clear prep stars in Borden, Tranquilla and Mulugeta and four more talented freshmen, NYU clearly has one of the best rookie classes in the country. While the Violet women won the NCAA team title this past fall, Coach Tyler Deck Shipley also has his men's team set up for long-term success after they reached the podium two months ago.
2. Washington U. Bears
I'm not sure if knowledge of this will serve as much consolation, but Washington U. was exceedingly close to earning TSR #1 status for the top freshman class. What should serve as consolation is the fact that the Bears featured four freshmen in their 2025 cross country national meet lineup, including their lead scorer.
Given that the group finished in the top-half of the team standings, it's easy for St. Louis-based running fans to dream about what's to come for this group.
This discussion naturally starts with Max Sudrzynski, who placed 62nd at the 2025 NCAA XC Championships and 10th at the UAA XC Championships. He simultaneously raised his game for arguably the two biggest meets of the season and was steady through his first NCAA postseason.
Sudrzynski's main claim to fame a few months ago was a 4:12 (1600) mark that made him the 2025 Illinois runner-up in the state's largest classification. A 9:45 (3200) mark didn't suggest he'd quickly become a star-level collegiate cross country runner, but Coach Jeff Stiles has apparently already helped Sudrzynski tap into his all-around potential.
Charlie Houck was also a freshman contributor for the Bears, placing 167th at the 2025 NCAA XC Championships and 17th at the UAA XC Championships. That seems about in line with expectations for someone who ran 4:19 (1600) and 9:09 (3200) as a prep star and placed runner-up at the 2025 Texas 5A State Championship 3200-meter race and 4th at the 2024 Texas 5A XC State Championships.
The other half of the Bears' freshman varsity contingent was made up of Rishi Shadaksharappa and Gavin O'Connor. The former was just behind Houck at both the cross country national meet and the UAA XC Championships, placing 170th and 18th, respectively.
Marks of 4:22 (1600) and 9:35 (3200) are decent, but a 1:55 (800) suggests that Shadaksharappa's skillset is more well-rounded than it may seem at first glance. If nothing else, that speed should help in the closing stages of races.
O’Connor placed 239th at the 2025 cross country national meet after running 4:18 (1600) and 9:16 (3200) as a Chicago high schooler.
Keon Preusser and Mateo Gros-Slovinsky have very different skillsets from all of the aforementioned men but could be just as impactful. Preusser ran 1:52.69 (800) en route to a Hawaii state title in 2024 and then ran 1:54 on three different occasions last spring.
Even if he doesn't project to have much of an impact beyond the half-mile, Preusser is already not far from being a nationally competitive D3 individual in that event.
Gros-Slovinsky is as rangy as anyone in this class, having run 1:54 (800), 4:14 (1600), 9:18 (3200) and 15:20 (5k XC). He won a Maryland 4A (largest classification) state title over 3200 meters last spring and the 1600 meters last winter.
Gros-Slovinsky hasn't been as consistent on the cross country course as some of his classmates, but that doesn't preclude him from being a varsity runner in the future. His primary focus, however, will probably be on the track where he could conceivably be molded into either a middle distance runner, a 3k/5k guy or a jack-of-all-trades.
Dominic Buckman's skillset is more straightforward as a 4:17 (1600) runner with a bit of strength to boot. Paul Fleck and Bankson Roach have also run 4:17 as their 1600-meter PRs, but their 9:17 and 9:20 (3200) marks, respectively, are just as, if not more, impressive.
William Newkirk and Charlie Glatz are more of developmental names, but they can't be discounted as potential long-term contributors after both ran around or slightly faster than 9:33 (3200) and 15:41 (5k XC).
With already-proven experience, plenty of talent in reserve and middle distance speed to burn, Stiles' latest recruiting class has set the foundation for future success at Washington U.
1. Johns Hopkins Blue Jays
There was an especially close battle for TSR #1 status in our men's freshman class rankings, but Coach Bobby Van Allen's crew ultimately got the edge by virtue of having the top freshman cross country runner in Division Three, two more stars and a number of other individuals who would be the headliners of other classes.
Anthony Clark was not only Johns Hopkins' second scorer at the 2025 cross country national meet behind the individual NCAA champion -- he was also a top-half All-American!
While Clark's 4:23 (1600), 9:16 (3200) and 14:46 (5k) prep marks were impressive, they didn't portend this kind of immediate success as a collegian. He further bolstered his profile last month, running 14:21 (5k).
Caleb Tenney actually came in as the top signee in this class. He ran 4:13 (1600), 8:55 (3200) and 14:55 (5k XC) as a Maryland star before signing in-state. He's largely lived up to the billing at the NCAA level, placing top 10 at both the Centennial Conference XC Championships and the Mid-Atlantic Regional XC Championships and running 8:19 (3k) last month.
Cedar Nichols-Barnhart joined Clark on the national stage, placing a solid 129th. Even more impressively, he placed 5th at the Mid-Atlantic regional meet and 23rd at the Connecticut College Invitational. Of course, times of 4:17 (mile) and 9:04 (3200) suggested that such a strong start was possible, as did 2024 championship performances of placing 16th at the Foot Locker South Regional XC Championships, 25th at the NXR Southeast meet and 9th at the RunningLane XC Championships.
Nichols-Barnhart came into college battle-tested, and Van Allen clearly trusted that in inserting him into the Blue Jays' postseason lineup in spite of his youth.
You may have noticed that to be one of the top freshman distance classes, you also generally need to have at least one high-end middle distance runner, and Shrey Chettiar fits that billing for the Blue Jays. After all, he ran 1:53.16 (800) and 4:19 (1600). However, 9:23 (3200) and 15:37 (5k XC) clockings indicate that he could also eventually be a varsity cross country runner if needed.
I'm only just now mentioning Marco Cunningham and Jake Albert, but they're high-level D3 recruits in their own right. The former has run 4:16 (1600) and 9:14 (3200) and was the Texas 2A state champion in both of those events, while the latter has comparable 4:18 (1600) and 9:18 (3200) marks. Albert has also run 9:38 for the 3000-meter steeplechase, giving him a pathway to immediate scoring potential in the Centennial Conference.
Tyson Bhalla continues a trend of Johns Hopkins recruiting all over the country. The Coloradoan ran 4:18 (1600) and 9:17 (3200) at altitude, marks that convert to 4:12 and 9:00, respectively. As such, he provides another star-level signee.
Henry Zhe-Heimerman and Adin Gillers may face a longer runway to contributing, but they've run 4:21 (1600) and 9:16 (3200) in the former's case and 4:17 (1600) in the latter's case! That makes for an embarrassment of riches in Baltimore.
Van Allen secured nine individuals who could be atop the Centennial Conference in their respective events with proper training. Many of the same men have All-American upside, as we already saw with Clark. Suffice to say, the class of 2029 should give the Blue Jay men as strong a chance as ever to secure their first top-half podium finish at the NCAA XC Championships.
