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TSR's 2026 Preseason D3 XC Top 10 Team Rankings (Men): #2 NYU Violets
Written by Conor Daly, edits & additional commentary via Gavin Struve
NOTE #1: 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.
NOTE #2: The Stride Report is aware that a number of meets have already taken place during the 2026 cross country season. However, The Stride Report believes that these early-season races (often called "rust-busters") hold little-to-no importance on a team's national standing due to the limited competition and the lack of top names being entered at these meets.
Even if their female counterparts have been slightly ahead in the last few years, the NYU men are having an impressive resurgence of their own.
In 2022, the Violets did not qualify for the NCAA XC Championships. They then placed 16th a year later before finishing in the top-five each of the past three seasons.
And we expect the same for this team this fall, with the potential for their second-ever NCAA cross country title at the exact course they won their first.
Yes, that seems like a tall task for a team that loses two of key scorers from last year’s group. However, with two true low-sticks and an increasingly strong supporting cast returning, the Violets will be hard to catch.
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The Violets got over to the 2025 cross country national meet course last August, competing at the Eye Opener XC Meet. Considering the race did not yield any meaningful results in the greater scope of the season, we will fast-forward to their first large Invitational against Division Three powers: the Paul Short Run “White” race.
There, NYU put on a masterclass, winning the team title by scoring 54 points to runner-up Amherst’s score of 101 points. The biggest surprise of the day was the breakout performance by freshman Theo Udelson-Nee (6th), who delivered a huge low-stick run that suggested he could be an All-American as soon as that fall. Sure, he was a blue-chip high school recruit, but to see him instantly translate those talents to the 8k racing distance was stunning.
Teammate Liam Hagerty (7th) was right with him in a nice (but less surprising) performance of his own. Meanwhile, the efforts of Andy Taylor (10th) and Jeffrey Chen (11th) should not be overlooked, as the duo gave NYU four men ahead of any other team’s second scorer.
The team battle was pretty much over by then, but Huck Oakes (20th) and Alex Hrycyszyn (21st) were plenty good in their own right.
At the next outing, the Connecticut College Invitational, Liam Hagerty (4th) delivered a career-best outing that vaulted him into top-half All-American favorite status. He took down our now-TSR #4 runner, Emerson Comer, as well as the eventual NESCAC XC champion, Eli Welch.
There was not too much to report on with the Chen-Oakes-Hrycyszyn trio, who ran up to expectations by placing 15-33-34, respectively.
However, the team score ballooned with Udelson-Nee (36th) showing his inexperience with what we now know to have been an uncharacteristic "off" day. We also would have liked to see Taylor (66th) in NYU’s scoring contingent and among the top-30 finishers in the race.
That all summed to a 4th place team finish, which was not outright bad, but was definitely shrug-inducing based on what the Violets had shown in their last outing.
At the UAA XC Championships, however, they looked to be back to top form. Udelson-Nee won the individual conference title to prove his Paul Short Run performance was no fluke, while Hagerty (3rd) was excellent as well, giving NYU a lethal 1-2 punch.
Taylor (4th) was right with them in what was his best race of the season, while Oakes (8th) and Hrycyszyn (11th) were more than competent backend scorers.
For a team as talented as NYU, the Niagara Regional XC Championships were mostly a technicality. The group put forth a conservative racing effort to settle for a comfortable runner-up finish and punch a ticket to the race that mattered most: the NCAA XC Championships.
In Spartansburg, the Violets did not set the world on fire, but were strong throughout and rewarded with a trophy thanks to a 4th place finish.
Udelson-Nee (31st) and Hagerty (33rd) were an expectedly strong 1-2 punch. Even if their earlier season performances suggest each could have finished a little bit higher on their best day, that did not make a material impact on the team scoring.
Chen (40th) and Hrycyszyn (44th) were better than they had been all season, executing a perfect postseason peak that was huge for the team. Even if Taylor (68th) could have been right with them, he limited the damage and closed out the scoring relatively quickly.
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From that successful fall campaign, the Violets graduated two key names that they relied on heavily not only in 2025, but also in prior years to get the team to where it is now.
Although he was not as potent as we would have expected during the regular season, Jeffrey Chen was a reliable scoring name who was twice a top-50 finisher at the cross country national meet. Losing someone with the type of aerobic engine he had as a sub-30:00 (10k) runner will not be easy to replace.
Andy Taylor was also an integral part of this program. There will be no quick fixes to replace the scoring value that he showed at the Paul Short Run (10th) and the UAA XC Championships (4th) in particular.
And even if we have not mentioned him yet, Elijah McCauley is also gone. With a 14:53 (5k) personal best, he would likely be in the top-seven this fall if he were to return.
Yes, replacing Chen and Taylor will be a challenge, but not one that we expect to be insurmountable for NYU this fall. That starts with much greater firepower from Udelson-Nee and Hagerty.
Udelson-Nee had a stunning fall season in 2025, especially for a rookie. Finishes like 6th place at the Paul Short Run “White” race, a victory at the UAA XC Championships and 31st at the NCAA XC Championships are spectacular regardless of age.
What’s scarier is that he continued to improve on the track, which is why we have factored in some projection to his TSR #3 individual ranking. Winning bronze in the 5k at both the indoor and outdoor national meets takes great fitness and execution, making him all the more prepared for the chaotic fields he will face this fall.
And if you are someone who wants to hear more about a red-hot personal best to be convinced, look no further than his 13:56 (5k). In other words, Udelson-Nee should be a stud who scores just one point, if not close to it, in each Division Three race this fall.
Liam Hagerty (TSR #11) also has potential to be one of the best individuals in the country. His greatest strength last fall was his consistency. Sure, he has not (and likely will not) reach the same heights as Udelson-Nee, but with him having the floor of a top-20 guy in the country, his team will be in a great spot.
Let’s not forget that he finished 33rd at the 2025 NCAA XC Championships but is also super versatile. He was a near-finalist in the mile at the indoor national meet and, more importantly, is a 29:45 (10k) runner. That latter mark gives him the credentials to beat nearly anyone in the country.
The next two returners, Huck Oakes and Alex Hrycyszyn, had nearly identical fall campaigns in 2025. The two were side by side at the Paul Short Run (20th and 21st, respectively) and Connecticut College Invitational (33rd and 34th, respectively).
However, the two diverged at the NCAA XC Championships, with Hrycyszyn coming up with a huge 44th place finish while Oakes had a tough day that landed him outside the top-180.
It does not feel overly generous to say that Oakes could have been right with his teammate in that season finale, and if you believe that to be true, then NYU all of a sudden has four men who are very realistic All-American picks for this fall.
Each comes from a middle distance skillset and prioritizes the mile/1500 meters on the track. But it’s been their aerobic development during their time in the Big Apple that has been most promising to see over the years. On the oval, both ran massive 5k personal bests in the low-14:30s to back up their progress on the grass.
The final man who returns from that podium team is Luke Munoz, who had a nice postseason peak in his own right, even if it was overshadowed by his headline teammates. Munoz first came onto the scene as the 24th place finisher at the UAA XC Championships before placing a very respectable 114th at the 2025 NCAA XC Championships.
The then-sophomore continued to make nice strides on the track, with 8:28 (3k) and 4:12 (mile) personal bests that showed signs of improvement, although it is unclear how much those will translate to the grass.
Although he was not up to Munoz’s level last fall, Greg Borden is at a similar level and could even surpass his teammate this fall. Borden was slightly ahead of Munoz at the Connecticut College Invitational, but slightly behind at the UAA XC Championships, which ended his fall campaign. However, a recent 14:40 (5k) personal best on the track suggests that he may be ready for a much better season on the cross country course.
The other returning men take a bit more projecting to see as varsity contributors. The most interesting of the bunch is sophomore Paul Tranquilla, who did not race at all during his freshman year. He’s back in action this year, and his 9:00 (3200) high school personal best suggests it would be silly to count him out.
There’s also Jordan Pearlman (14:56 for 5k), Micah Taffet (14:57 for 5k) and Trey Davidson (15:07 for 5k) who all deserve a shoutout.
But those last few returners will be under heavy fire from newcomers, the most impactful being Tripp Roemer. A transfer from Furman, the junior is a middle distance specialist with a 3:49 (1500) personal best.
Roemer, admittedly, does not have the most extensive cross country resume, but he has shown real glimpses of talent on the grass. He ran 24:34 (8k) on last fall’s Division Three national meet course last October. And while this is very much an imperfect calculation, that time would have put him 32nd at the 2025 NCAA D3 XC Championships.
All of a sudden, the Violets have another key scoring name this fall who could be as high as their third runner. And if Roemer could actually produce that 32nd place finish that we have projected for him, NYU will be in an especially excellent place and be more of an NCAA title contender.
NYU's freshman class has numerous stars who will certainly be crucial names in the years to come, but it’s hard to say if they will be impactful in their first year.
The long distance-inclined stars of this class are a pair of California natives: Sebastian Taylor (9:02 for 3200m) and Charles Abemayor (9:04 for 3200m). You could also argue that Wyatt Lendon (4:11 for 1600m) has shown the most talent.
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When it’s all said and done, it really doesn't take that much convincing to envision NYU with five All-Americans. And that is a scary realization for the opposition.
We have little worries about Udelson-Nee and Hagerty, who have already proven themselves on this stage and should be one of the best 1-2 punches in Division Three. But the key to NYU’s success will be whether Hrycyszyn continues to take a step forward, if Oakes can overcome national meet stage fright and whether Roemer can consistently be as effective as his performances have occasionally hinted at.
Even if that does not all come to fruition, there are many youngsters who have run well on the track or who come to New York City with red-hot aerobic-based personal bests.
Although it has only been a couple of years since NYU emerged as a top-five team in the country, it is apparent that this is the Violets' new reality. Can they continue to surprise and finish upon the Division Three mountaintop this fall?
