TSR's "If Everything Was Normal" D3 Top 20 XC Rankings: #10-6 (Men)

Additional contributions from Brett Haffner

As mentioned in our rankings rubric article, we are aware that certain conferences and universities will not be competing this fall due to ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19. However, for the sake of content, we have constructed these rankings as if a regular cross country season will happen.

10. Declan Hines, Senior, Johns Hopkins

One of the best duos in the country comes from Johns Hopkins. Declan Hines is part of that 1-2 punch alongside another name who we'll get to later on in our rankings. Had the national meet not been cancelled, Hines would have been trying to help Johns Hopkins get on the podium this year.

Last year was Hines' first year competing for Johns Hopkins after transferring from the College of Charleston. He was 11th at the Centennial conference meet and then 10th at the Mideast regional meet. He finished just out of All-American status last year, placed 43rd overall.

On paper, those cross country results don't exactly scream "top 10 talent". However, what he did this past winter certainly boosted his resume to a record high. Hines flourished during the indoor track season, running personal bests of 4:17 (mile), 8:24 (3k) and 14:51 (5k). That 3k mark had him ranked at NCAA #10 in Division III.

If he continues to trend upwards (and we fully expected him to do so), he would have been one of the top guys in the nation in 2020.

9. Alex Phillip, Sophomore, John Carroll

The fastest freshmen from last year's national meet was Alex Phillip from John Carroll. He finished 15th at the national in a time of 24:46 for 8000 meters and was one of only three freshmen to claim All-American honors last fall.

This was not completely unexpected as he had finished 2nd at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships and the only man to beat him was last year’s 12th place finisher from the national meet, Chase Hampton (Otterbein). Phillip then went on to finish 5th at the Great Lakes Regional Championships.

Phillip was clearly better on the grass than he was the track, but what he accomplished as only a freshman leaves the door wide-open for what he could have done this fall. With another year of training at the collegiate level, Phillip could have made that jump into the top 10.

8. Gabriel Pommier, Senior, North Central

It wouldn’t be a normal cross country season if North Central didn’t land an individual in the top 15 of our preseason rankings. This year, the strongest contender to do so looks to be senior Gabriel Pommier.

Running at North Central, Pommier has no shortage of good training partners and he should be ready to take on the lead runner role after Matt Osmulski graduated, although it will be a pretty tough role to fill.

After a streak of finishing in the top 10 in all of his meets, Pommier ended his 2019 cross country season at the Nationals Championship by finishing in 33rd place to earn his first All-American honor. It was a strong result, but one that likely could have been better based on what we saw from him throughout the season.

But what really gave Pommier's resume a spark was the fact that he has truly stepped up his fitness over the past two years, as evidenced by his times on the track. The North Central runner secured a personal best of 4:12 in the mile in 2019 and recently brought his 5k PR down to 14:34 this past winter.

Stepping into the lead role for the Cardinals won’t be easy, but his championship experience and NCC's extensive history of success should allow him to be one of the top talents in the nation (whenever that time comes).

7. Joe Freiburger, Senior, Wartburg

Much akin to Wartburg’s female low-stick in Carina Collet, Joe Freiburger has maintained a strong level of consistency on the grass, no matter the competition.

Sans the national meet, Freiburger did not finish outside of the top three in any regular season or postseason meet, including a 3rd place finish at the KollegeTown Invitational, a 2nd place finish at the Central Region Championships and a win at the American Rivers Conference Championships. Ultimately, he would go on to finish 22nd at the national meet which was an improved finish on the year prior, but not fully indicative of what we saw throughout the season.

Freiburger has some lethal marks on the track, including times of 14:31 in the 5000 meters and 8:31 in the 3000 meters. Competing in the Central region and against many of the Midwest powerhouses, Freiburger has been tested against great competition all year long which would have prepared him for the 2020 postseason.

He could be a definite sleeper to earn a top-five finish at the national meet -- either on the track or on the grass -- at some point in the future.

6. Ryan Cutter, Senior, U. of Chicago

While he’s quite the talented runner on the track, Ryan Cutter has really shown his prowess on the grass. The U. of Chicago runner added to his impressive resume last year by placing 9th at the 2019 National Championships.

Making his presence known up-front, Cutter threw down against the stacked Midwest region throughout the regular season and continued doing so into the postseason. After winning four out of his first five meets, including the UAA Championships and Midwest Regional Championships, One could argue that Cutter was better than his 9th place finish at Nationals indicated.

Regardless, his gutsy racing style and long list of accolades show that he’s more than capable of doing bigger and better things whenever we next have a cross country season.

Cutter would have been one of the guys to get out front and push the pace throughout the 2020 season and I don't think him being in the top three conversation for this year's national meet would have been a stretch by any means.