Note: Keep in mind that what our writers value for the men's rankings varies from the criteria that we use to rank the women. 25. Nicholas Turco, Junior, Western Colorado Turco made his first NCAA XC Championship appearance last fall, where he finished 42nd, just missing out on an All-American spot. After finishing 30th at the South Central region, and not scoring for Western Colorado, he had a very good showing at Nationals, and was a big reason why Western Colorado ended up with a 3rd place team finish. His surprise postseason success and ability to step up in the clutch is a key reason why he was able to make it in our XC Top 25. On the track, Turco stuck to the 5k and 10k last year, as he did not run another event during either season. He had a decent showing, as he picked up PR's in the 5k during indoors and in the 10k during outdoors. After securing personal bests on the track and making notable improvements from his freshman to sophomore year during cross country, it's safe to say that Turco is on a path towards even better performances later this fall. 24. Jhavahn Holston, Sophomore, Chico State Holston only has one season of collegiate running under his belt, but it was a very good one. After sitting out of the West regional meet, Holston finished 40th at NCAA's to capture his first All-American trophy in what may have been a surprise for the avid D2 fans. Of course, his regular season was still respectable in it's own right. He was part of a clean sweep at UC San Diego before replicating another sweep again the CCAA Championships. A 39th place finish in a quietly strong Santa Clara Bronco Invite meet should not be overlooked. After redshirting both indoor track and outdoor track earlier this year, Holston will be a part of a Chico State duo that is trying to carry their team into national contention this season. The need for a top low-stick makes us believe that Holston will be motivated to hit a new level of fitness this fall. 23. Wyatt Baxter, Junior, Chico State The other part of that Chico State duo is Wyatt Baxter. Baxter bested his teammate at NCAA's last year by one spot, finishing 39th overall and claiming his first All-American honor. He was extremely consistent all year, with four top 10 finishes, including an 8th place finish at the West regional and a 1st place finish at the UC San Diego Triton Classic. Like Holston, we have not seen Baxter race since the cross country season, so he has got to be itching to toe the line once again. With the loss of some important seniors on last year’s roster, he will need to step up this fall if Chico State is expected to contend on the national stage. 22. Karim Achengli, Senior, Northwest Missouri In his first cross country season running for Northwest Missouri, Achengli captured four top 10 finishes including a 1st place finish at the ESU Homecoming Invitational and a 2nd place finish at the Central Regional Championships. He then claimed his first All-American trophy by finishing 38th at NCAA's. It may go overlooked, but Achengli's consistency makes him one of the most valuable scorers in the NCAA this fall. Achengli also qualified for his first D2 Indoor National Championships last year in the 5k, just missing out on another All-American spot as he finished 9th. He did not run during outdoors, but we can expect to see a motivated Achengli as he prepares for another All-American performance over the next few months. 21. Brian Patrick, Junior, Northwood (MI) Patrick made his first appearance at an NCAA XC Championship last year. After finishing 12th at the Midwest Region Championships (with a 10k PR), he finished 36th at NCAA's, picking up his first All-American trophy. It was his 9th place finish at the GLIAC Championships that sparked his phenomenal postseason streak and what was likely what vaulted him into an All-American finish. With PR's by over a minute in both the 8k and 10k during cross country last year, and after picking up new personal bests in the indoor 3k and 5k, as well as the 10k during outdoors, it is very realistic to think that Patrick could take a big leap this cross country season. It is clear that his progress and momentum is putting him in the right direction towards becoming one of the better distance runners in D2 this fall.

Note: Keep in mind that what our writers value for the men's rankings varies from the criteria that we use to rank the women. 20. Ross Husch, Rs. Senior, Western Colorado Husch is a multiple-time national qualifier in the mile and 1500 during the track season and is arguably one of the best runners in our Top 25 when it comes to range. Husch saw lots of success in 2018 during the cross country season. He’s been apart of every Western team at Nationals since he came in as a freshman and saw his strongest finish occur in 2017 when he finished 25th overall. Last year, he finished 34th and helped the Western team to a 3rd place finish in 2018. Prior to that though, he had a strong pre-season finish of 8th place at the Joe I. Vigil Open in Alamosa. He had an impressive finish of 16th at the Lewis Crossover that saw Western Colorado take home the team title. During the championship season, Husch put together a string of consistent finishes and was easily counted on to step up when needed. At the RMAC Championships, he finished 11th overall and then followed that up with a 15th place finish at the South Central Regional Championships. Western has a chance at taking home the team title this year and Husch is going to be a major component in that quest. 19. Luke Julian, Rs. Sophomore, Colorado Mines Julian was just a freshman last year during the cross country season, meaning that we will likely see his name pop up a lot more in the next three years. His 2018 cross country season was relatively short in comparison to most athletes that hail from Golden, Colorado. And that would make sense given his ability to race the mile distance so well. He debuted at the RMAC Championships where he finished 22nd and served as the number three man for the Orediggers. Two weeks later, he finished 17th at the South Central Regional Championships and was the number five man for Colorado Mines. He ended up 41st at the NCAA Championships, narrowly missing All-American status. We saw what Julian did during the indoor and outdoor seasons as he showcased an elite ability for the mile and 1500. There’s no doubt that Julian could become a strong contender by the end of the season. He is clearly making massive leaps in his fitness and that should very easily translate to major success later this fall. 18. Luc Hagen, Rs. Junior, Colorado Mines Another Oredigger makes the list with Luc Hagen coming in at the #18 position. Hagen had a strong 2018 cross country season and he built upon momentum to have a successful indoor season and outdoor season as well. Hagen will likely be one of the key low-stick for the Orediggers this season. Hagen had three top 10 finishes in 2018, including a very strong bronze medal finish at the Division 2 Pre-Nationals meet held in Slippery Rock. Two weeks later, he followed that up with an 8th place finish at the RMAC Championships, serving as the lead man for Mines that day. Despite those strong finishes, Hagen mysteriously DNF’d at the South Central Regional meet. Of course, he wasn’t needed as the Oredigger upset Adams State (who were likely conserving for Nationals), but it certainly was a curious finish for him. However, Hagen bounced back though at the national meet he finished 33rd overall and was the final scorer for Mines. Despite the All-American honor, that placing was likely not up to par for where he probably should have finished when it was all said and done. We mentioned a few strong indoor and outdoor seasons for him earlier and those culminated in national meet appearances for the 5000 meters (indoors) and then the 10,000 meters (outdoors). Hagen should be back and ready to roll for 2019. With him comes a strong and deep Colorado Mines team that is looking to make some noise in November. 17. Ahmed Jama, Rs. Senior, Western Colorado Jama didn’t make an appearance for the Mountaineers officially last year as the coaching staff decided to redshirt him. However, James comes into our rankings at #17 because of his previous experience. Jama, a transfer from Mercer, was 24th at the 2017 NCAA XC Championships and then finished in a strong 6th place for 10,000 meters during the 2018 outdoor season. Yes, he missed an entire year of competition, but back in 2017, he placed 19th at the RMAC Championships. Then he placed 16th at the South Central Regional Championships. And after that, he placed 24th at Nationals. His level of consistency is spectacular and an entire year of training should only help him take the next leap and become a contender. I believe that Jama’s level of talent is greater than an 18th place finish, but until we actually see him in action and healthy (we’ve been told that he is) there is some hesitation in moving him up higher than this. 16. Corbin Hansen, Senior, Nebraska Kearney Hansen had his best cross country season in 2018 and it ended with an All-American finish at Nationals where he placed 31st overall. Leading up to that point, Hansen had finished 9th at the Southern Stampede, 3rd at the Rim Rock Classic, 3rd at the Fort Hays State Tiger Open, and then 4th at the MIAA Championships. Those may not be flashy, standout meets, but they certainly hold a handful of underrated talent. Two weeks later, Hansen finished 7th at the Central Regional Championships, bettering his performance by eight spots from the year prior. His development has continued at a rapid pace and this past outdoor season is evidence of that. Just a few months ago, Hansen lowered his steeplechase time down to 9:02. He also saw personal bests in the mile (4:19), the 3000 (8:33), and the 5000 (14:39). As long as Hansen continues on this trajectory, he should be able to improve upon his 31st place finish. He has a very good chance at sneaking inside our Top 20 at the end of the year.

Note: Keep in mind that what our writers value for the men's rankings varies from the criteria that we use to rank the women. 15. CarLee Stimpfel, Sophomore, Saginaw Valley Stimpfel is a difficult name to gauge. Not because of any poor performances, but simply because he raced very sparingly. The rising sophomore had a very impactful performance at the 2018 GLIAC XC Championships where he finished 11th overall, thus helping Saginaw Valley secure a runner-up finish to the eventual nation champions Grand Valley State. It is unclear as to why, but Stimpfel oddly did not race at the Midwest region after his huge performance at the conference meet. However, he did get the opportunity to race at the NCAA Championships after his team earned an automatic bid with a runner-up performance at the Midwest Regional Championships. Stimpfel did not let this opportunity surpass him as he impressively came away with an All-American finish of 26th which helped the Saginaw Valley team secure 6th place in the team standings. He has a lot to prove, and his lack of performances isn't a great sign, but every time he has toed the line, Stimpfel has secured a strong performance. For that reason, he's made it into our Top 25. 14. Titus Winders, Sophomore, Southern Indiana Winders failed to win his first ever XC race in the regular season, but I am sure that does not bother him as he got his first win in a much more important race. Winders, only a freshman during the 2018 XC season, shocked the Midwest region by beating national champion and now professional runner for Hansons-Brooks Zach Panning of Grand Valley State for 1st place. Whether or not Panning was going all-out so that was prepared for Nationals isn't necessarily the important part. The fact of the matter is that Winders stepped up in a big way and proved that he didn't need years of experience to contend with the D2's top talents. That was also evident after he finished 7th in a super deep Lewis Crossover meet. Winders ended his first collegiate cross country season by claiming an All-American finish of 30th place at Nationals. Despite redshirting outdoor track and missing almost all of the indoor season, his win win at regionals and his All-American performance proves why he should be in our Top 25. 13. Jack Mastandrea, Senior, Charleston (W.V.) Mastandrea will be the top returner this fall for Charleston after his 35th place All-American finish in 2018. His performance at Nationals was impressive, but regular season is what keeps him at the top of our rankings. Mastandrea finished 4th in the ultra-deep Paul Short Brown race before winning the Concord Invite and placing 6th in the D2 Pre-Nats meet. While most runners would crumble under the pressure of large invite fields, Mastandrea thrives. The rising senior had an even stronger performance during the outdoor track season. With PR’s in the 5000 and 10,000, Mastandrea found himself qualified in both events at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, including a 4th place finish in the 10k, thus giving himself another All-American medal. On paper, Mastandrea has the potential to be even better than just 35th place at Nationals. Don't sleep on what this established veteran brings to the table. 12. Joseph Humes, Senior, Hillsdale Humes took a HUGE jump in 2018...and I mean HUGE as he went from 168th place at the national meet in 2017 to 25th place at the NCAA XC championships in 2018. The Hillsdale veteran kicked off his 2018 cross country campaign by winning three out of five regular season races before he claimed his first All-American performance. During the indoor track season, Humes lowered his PR’s in both the 5000 and 3000. Although Humes did not qualify for either the indoor or outdoor National Championships, he will still be a huge threat during cross country this fall. His consistency, experience, and progression is a difficult combination to ignore. 11. Braden Reichl, Junior, Michigan Tech Reichl got the redemption he was seeking during cross country last fall. After failing to qualify for the national meet during the 2017 season, he had a stellar championship season placing 6th at his conference meet, 11th in the Midwest region, and then eventually claiming his first All-American honor at the NCAA XC Championships by placing 24th overall. Reichl was not finished earning All-American medals and trophies just yet as he secured an impressive 8th place in the 3000 steeplechase this past outdoor season. With a steeplechase PR of 9:00, and over a minute improvement in his XC 10k personal best over the past two seasons, Reichl will continue to further establish himself as a national contender and make another huge statement this fall.