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TSR's 2025 Preseason D3 XC Top 10 Team Rankings (Men): Just Missed & Honorable Mentions
Updated: Sep 6, 2025
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)
UW-Stevens Point Pointers
Last year, UW-Stevens Point was a balanced team with solid depth that thrived on the national stage. That, however, was after they finished in 5th place out of eight teams at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference XC Championships.
We expect more of the same, to a slightly greater extent, in 2025 despite the Pointers losing reliable scorer Derek Penzkover to graduation. Penzkover was the Pointers' second finisher at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships, nearly cracking the top 100, but he was more regularly a middle-lineup piece. Given all that the Pointers return, they should be able to make up for that scoring loss.
That starts with Logan Murphy, who earned the final spot in our preseason top-25 individual rankings. He was consistently UW-Stevens Point's lead scorer and a fringe low-stick as a sophomore last fall, arguably peaking at the national meet with a 55th-place finish. The main reason we're so high on him isn't expected year-over-year improvement; it's the fact that he placed 10th in the 10k at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
That's the kind of result that suggests Murphy could be a top-half All-American this year. However, he may not even be the Pointers' only lead scorer. Mateo Alvarado-Venegas was their third scorer at the NCAA XC Championships as a redshirt freshman last fall, placing 121st. The University of Minnesota transfer backed up his pedigree earlier this year as well when he ran 14:37 (5k) on the outdoor oval.
The Pointers have enviable continuity beyond those two men. So much so that every member of an exciting freshman class will likely be redshirted. They bring back six of their seven varsity runners.
With returning experience and expected rises from their lead scorers, Murphy and Alvarado-Venegas, you can see why we expect the Pointers to build upon and exceed their 16th-place finish from the 2024 cross country national meet.
North Central Cardinals
It's going to be a bit of a reloading year for the North Central as the Cardinals lost three of their top four scorers and an additional runner from their 2024 NCAA XC Championships lineup.
The losses include program stalwart Emerald Svienty, a back-to-back top-10 finisher at cross country national meets, and fellow 2024 cross country All-American, Matthew Jett.
Fortunately for the 'Cards, the return of BJ Sorg provides a foundational focal star to rally around. While he was "only" 74th at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships, Sorg looked like a potential top-half All-American the rest of his sophomore season and then placed 12th in the 10k at the 2025 outdoor national meet.
Sorg is a "Just Missed" name right outside our preseason individual rankings, but he could certainly make us look foolish for leaving him out if he lives up to his full potential.
Jacob Kluckhohn and Kyle Nofziger also return as veterans with varsity experience. Oscar Frontjes and Owen Christy both gained valuable reps as underclassmen last fall and could step into scoring spots after each ran 14:55 (5k) or faster this past spring.
The version of the Cardinals that we see toe the starting line this month will likely be quite different from the more fully formed iteration that should hold its own on the national stage in November. North Central may not be favored for a fourth-consecutive top-10 finish at the NCAA XC Championships, but we trust the bedrock that Coach Matt Sinnott has built this program on.
MIT Engineers
The Engineers are a tough team to place heading into the 2025 cross country season. They lost their lone All-American and two other top-101 finishers from the 2024 NCAA XC Championships.
At the same time, MIT returns four men from the 13th-place team at the national meet. There's also reason to think that each of those men could be somewhat dangerous for opponents over the coming months.
Jacob Cobb is the top returner after placing 77th at the 2024 cross country national meet, and he brings momentum into this season after competing in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 2025 outdoor national meet.
Tim Neumann also competed at the 2025 outdoor national meet, reaching the 1500-meter final, and seemingly improved his strength as he placed 12th in the 3k at the 2025 indoor national meet. He profiles as a quality middle-lineup contributor or backend scorer.
Renne Cooper was MIT's seventh runner at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships, placing 212th as a rookie, and he should now transition into the role of a scorer. After all, he ran 14:40 (5k) in his freshman finale.
Yichen Sun was the Engineers' fifth scorer on the national stage last fall, placing 130th to end his sophomore cross country season, and then ran 14:47 (5k) and 30:37 (10k) on the outdoor oval earlier this year.
They're nothing exceptionally exciting on paper, but the Engineers have been one of the steadier teams in D3 under Coach Riley Macon and have more of their lineup back than not from a strong squad. MIT will likely need each of Cobb, Sun, Neumann and Cooper to elevate their games, but there's reason to think they all will.
We also feel more confident about MIT rounding out the lineup through development than most teams.
Amherst Mammoths
After a 20th-place finish at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships, Amherst could be in store for additional advancement. The Mammoths return their low-stick leader as well as their third, fourth, fifth and sixth runners from their 2024 national meet lineup.
The catch, however, is that this was a relatively top-heavy team, relying on two men, and everyone else placed 179th or worse. Even so, Amherst should have a more potent lead scorer now that Harrison Dow (TSR #18) is an upperclassman. He looked like a top-20 talent for much of last fall before finishing 47th on the national stage.
The Mammoths also have a weighty incoming class of freshmen to pull from as they see fit. That includes two individuals who have run 9:18 (3200) and Carter Bengston, a two-time Oregon 4A cross country state champion who has run 8:26 (3k), 9:15 (3200) and 14:55 (5k).
All of that should add up to improvement for a squad that was one point away from taking down a top-10 team in Williams at their conference meet last year.
Washington & Lee Generals
Washington & Lee finished one place behind Amherst at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships. However, the Generals have even more continuity and perhaps more front-end firepower as well.
That's because they have two low-stick candidates between Keaton Rush and Robert Cooper, both of whom were "Honorable Mentions" in our preseason top-25 individual rankings.
Rush, a 75th-place finisher at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships, ran borderline elite track times of 14:23 (5k) and 29:37 (10k) on his way to advancing to the outdoor national meet this past spring. Cooper was Washington & Lee's lead scorer a year ago, finishing 51st at the NCAA XC Championships in his sophomore season.
There was a drop-off after those two men, and the Generals do lose one scorer, but their fourth and fifth finishers (Thomas Franklin and Jackson Kodenski) were sophomores last season and were followed by two freshmen.
With all of that in mind, you may be thinking that the Generals are primed to peak in 2026, when all of their men are upperclassmen. But they'll be motivated to make their push into the top-half of the team standings this year, when Rush is a senior. It'll take internal development throughout the lineup and some of the backend men closing the gap on Rush and Cooper, but the Washington & Lee men have the tools to get there.
Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)
UW-Whitewater Warhawks
Roger Williams Hawks
U. of Chicago Maroons
Wesleyan Cardinals
Hope Flying Dutchmen
Washington U. Bears
Moravian Greyhounds
