Production vis Wyatt Barnsley On this week’s episode of The Stride Report Podcast, Ben and Garrett go all-in on bold predictions for the 2025 NCAA cross country season. The guys share their final preseason thoughts, debate how much first-year athletes and international athletes could swing the title races, and discuss which men’s team is best positioned to fill the national talent gap. They also dive into how NAU will respond to their surprising TSR #14 ranking, the impact of racing at Gans Creek, and how the World Championships timetable could affect top contenders. Finally, it’s time for some hot takes on both the men’s and women’s sides — including a bold call on where Stanford will finish! Be sure to listen, subscribe and review! (2:44) Ben’s Final Rankings Thoughts (15:03) How Will First-Year Athletes Affect Title Races? (18:49) How Big of an Impact Do International Additions Make? (21:43) What Men’s Team Will Fill the Talent Gap? (26:18) How Will NAU Men Respond to Their TSR #14 Ranking? (29:35) How Will Racing at Gans Creek Impact NCAA XC Championship Race? (33:23) How Does Timetable of World Championships Impact Top Runners? (38:51) Hot Takes (Women) (43:17) Hot Takes (Men) You can listen to that episode (and others) on our PODCASTS  page! You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Soundcloud. If you like it, be sure to leave us a rating  and a review ! Note: If you're having issues loading the episode on the site via mobile, try refreshing  the episode page. We will look into this issue for future episodes.

Two weeks ago, Northern Arizona University announced the hiring of Jake Reed as an assistant distance coach. Reed will also operate as the head of men's distance recruiting for the Lumberjacks. Reed joins Jarred Cornfield, the team's newest Director of Cross Country and Track and Field, after an eight-year tenure at Lynchburg. There, he built one of the best distance programs in Division Three. Prior to taking over the Lynchburg program in 2017, the Hornet men had not achieved a team berth to the cross country national meet since 2012. The women, meanwhile, had not reached the cross country national stage since 1998. Since 2021, however, both squads have qualified for the national meet in four-consecutive seasons under Reed's leadership. Their NCAA XC Championship finishes have been as high as 7th place on the women's side and 9th place on the men's side. Lynchburg's men's team has shined particularly bright on the oval. In just the past two academic years, Reed has coached a national-title winning DMR, along with three individual national champions in Chasen Hunt, Tor Hotung-Davidsen and Sam Llaneza. The latter two of those men also broke the four-minute mile barrier this past spring, while Hunt, who transferred to North Carolina this past offseason, holds the D3 national record in the outdoor 5k. Reed joins NAU at an interesting moment in their program's lifecycle. The Lumberjack men, who have won six national cross country titles in the past decade, enter the 2025 fall campaign ranked at TSR #14 . The women have established themselves among the truly elite programs much more recently, but may find themselves in contention for a third-straight podium finish after 30 years without reaching that level. Many of NAU's top athletes in recent history have been on the more aerobic side. The program's greatest successes have come on the cross country course along with the 5k and 10k distances on the track (specifically with the men). But in recent years, the Lumberjacks have made some more headway in the middle distances, headlined by Colin Sahlman and the now-departed Maggi Congdon. With Coach Jake Reed's proven ability of developing top milers at Lynchburg, it's not unreasonable to think that the 800 meters, 1500 meters and 3000 meters could be greater areas of emphasis for this roster moving forward.

Earlier today, North Central Athletics announced the passing of Coach Al Carius. The famed Division Three coach passed away at the age of 83 following a battle with cancer. During his 50+ years at the helm of North Central's program, Carius was responsible for leading the Cardinals to unprecedented success. In doing so, he established an extended dynasty in which the NCC men were consistently the foremost blue-blood in Division Three. Carius' tenure at North Central included 19 team cross country national titles between 1975 and 2018. No other men's Division Three program has won more than four. Carius also coached eight individual cross country national champions and over 100 All-Americans. In 2009, the North Central men became the only team to have all seven runners earn All-American honors. The unreal level of success by Carius earned him 12 USTFCCCA Coach of the Year awards and an induction into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006. North Central emphasizes that his influence extended beyond success on the grass and track, with President Abiodun Goke-Pariola noting that Carius, "was a true believer in the NCAA Division III student-athlete experience and the role that athletics plays in helping young men and women develop the habits and skills they need to be successful in life".