Upload a Photo Upload a Video Add a News article Write a Blog Add a Comment
Blog Feed News Feed Video Feed All Feeds

Folders

 

 

Final Top 25 DI Men's XC with Season Notes - college.runnerspace.com Rankings

Published by
DyeStatCOLLEGE.com   Nov 18th 2014, 10:51pm
Comments

The D1 regionals give no indication as to winners and losers at the NCAA championship meet but do give us an idea about individual runners statuses.  Last year Northern Arizona beat Colorado at the Mountain Region and then lost to Colorado at the NCAA meet.  

 

1. Colorado - Colorado won the Mountain Region with a 4-7-9-12-13 finish and 45 score.  They did just what they needed to do, nothing more.  The Buffaloes have dominated each of their races and put all five (finished 4-8) ahead of Wisconsin Adidas winner Maksim Korolev of Stanford at Pac-12 championships.   Ammar Moussa has gotten to the level expected when he joined the Buffaloes.  At Pre-Nationals Colorado dominated in taking 6 in top 18 of the race. Top runners ran at Rocky Mountain Shootout and made it an easy run. Season preview - Colorado.  

2.  Northern Arizona - The Lumberjacks barely lost to Colorado at the Mountain Regional (45-60 without #5 Weitz) and proved they are a trophy team and could beat the Buffaloes if they falter.  2013 NCAA 29th place finisher Tyler Byrne continued his improvement by finishing 17th at the tough Mountain Regional.  The Lumberjack top 3 dominated Big Sky for an easy team win.  Byrne and Weitz finished in top 10 and ran their best races of the year.  Behind the top 3, #4-#5 dropped them to 6th at Wisconsin Adidas.  The Lumberjack Top 3 finished in top 6 at Washington Invite.  Weitz skipped Mountain Region. - Northern Arizona.   

3. Syracuse - The Orangemen barely held off  Providence 45-48 as many runners did not seem to be pushing themselves in anticipation of the NCAA meet in 8 days.  Hehir led dominating performance at ACC championships.  Won at Wisconsin Adidas with #1-5 and a great :14 spread.  Could easily be ranked 2nd if not for all of the possible changes and potential for Northern Arizona.  Ran a strong second to Oregon at Battle-In-Beantown.  Preview -  Syracuse 

4. Stanford - They tried to not push too hard at West Region and while Korolev and Joe Rosa ran well the rest (sans a resting McGorty) did not run as expected and the team was third with 97.  Sean McGorty opened at Pac-12 (9th) and #4 (Atchoo) runners ran well enough to almost catch Oregon at Pac-12 (57-60) but #5 was not far enough ahead of Oregon #5 to make up for Oregon 1-2.  Korolev impressed with his win at Wisconsin Adidas (blew up at Pac-12, 9th) and Joe Rosa ran well but # 3-7 runners will have to improve significantly for Stanford to trophy.    Jim and Joe Rosa feature  preview -  Stanford.  Sea McGorty returned at Pac-12 (not expected to run West Region) and #4-#5 coming around.  

5. Oklahoma State - They scored 62 to win the Midwest Region meet.  They took 7 of the first 12 spots at Big 12 to easily win a weak conference.  They ran at Santa Clara and a lack of good competition may cost them at the end of the season with a young squad.  Took first 11 spots at Jamboree with Erassa leading the way.  Preview -   Oklahoma State

6. Oregon - The Ducks, led by 2-3 effort of Cheserek and Jenkins, ran well at the West Region (60) to win but there is concern for the non-LD guys about energy expenditure.  Oregon 1-2 at Pac-12 (2nd as a team) and Ducks went 1-3 at Pre-Nationals and Jenkins and Cheserek went 1-2 (switched order) at Beantown, top 5 finished in first 10 at a good Battle in Beantown. Coach Powell is giving his young runners some needed experience as three freshmen ran at Pre-Nationals (#5-7).  Vets Melancon and Leingang did not run well at West Region but that was overcome but a surprise 17th by Winn and 20th by rFr Neumann.  Outside of a great 1-2, so many questions except for Sr Pepiot.  Preview - Oregon Headed into NCAAs this team has the biggest question marks for a trophy contending team.

7. Portland - #1-#4 ran very well at West Region to get 2nd (71).  Biggest ? is #5 runner.  Spring injuries have slowed several runners but many recovering.  David Perry finally seems back to top level after winning WCC.  Too many runners behind BYU may cost them at nationals but team won WCC.  Finished 4th at Wisconsin Adidas with 3-7 likely to see significant improvement by the end of the season.  Sat top 7 at Washington Invitational. Preview - Portland .  Continuing recovery from injuries could help them trophy.  

8. Villanova - They easily won the Mid-Atlantic championships (41).   It was not surprising to see Tiernan win the Big East championships but what was surprising was 1-2-3 finish and 23 points.  Earlier in the year if you put performance from Paul Short and Washington Invitational together and it was a good weekend led by Tiernan's great run in Seattle.  Preview -  Villanova

 
9. Iona - They finished third at the Northeast Region to two very good teams (Syracuse and Providence).  That was all they needed to do.  Took the first 9 spots at MAAC as Kieran Clements ('!3 #1) ran his first race.  The team seemingly jogged through the event.  2nd at Wisconsin Adidas with top team as Byrne established as #1 runner.  3rd at Virginia Panorama behind Virginia and Furman.  Freshman Gilbert Kirui is running well. 

10. Wisconsin - They won the Great Lakes Region (61) but did not run as well as at Big 10.  The Badgers won their 47th Big 10 cross country title.  The 1-2 finish by Schrobilgen and Vanvooris is a solid front pair.  They were 4th at home Wisconsin Adidas.  #1-#2 established with #3-#6 all freshmen.  In meets they have run, the freshmen are running better.   Preview - Wisconsin.  They will attempt to retake Great Lakes Region Title 

11. Georgetown - The Hoyas were second at the Mid-Atlantic meet (74) and barely beat Penn State (87) and Princeton (88).  Pack running (#1-#5, :32) got them (51) 2nd at Big East but way behind Villanova (23).  The style worked to get 3rd at Pre-Nationals. Tight Packs are paying off for the Hoyas.  They were 3rd at Battle-In-Beantown (1-5 :28).    

12. BYU - The Cougars got their tough performance at the Mountain Region (3rd, 121) to qualify for the NCAA meet.   Finished 2nd at WCC.  Coach Eyestone is very good at preparing his team for the end of the season.  It will be interesting at the Regional meet.  13th at Wisconsin Adidas - seems like runners trained through Wisconsin Adidas.  Won BYU Autumn against UCLA and then finished 2nd Notre Dame to Michigan.  Preview - BYU.  

13. Providence - They barely lost to #3 Syracuse at the Northeast Regional, 45 to 48, showing they will likely beat their goal of surpassing last season (16th at NCAA meet) and could break top 10.  The Friars finished a strong third at Big East (64) as the team ran well as a group (#1-#5 :37).  They finished 11th at Wisconsin Adidas.  The team ran well but struggling with #5 runner and theat was fixed at Big East.  3rd at Battle in Beantown without everyone running well. Preview -  Providence.  Coach Treacy will have to get his crew ready to beat Villanova and Georgetown at Big East. 

14. UCLA - After looking like they were on a downward performance trajectory they saved their season with a strong fourth place finish (104) at the West Region.  They were 5th at Pac-12 and way back.  they finished 7th at Wisconsin Adidas.  Was 2nd at Washington Invitational using pack running after finishing 2nd at BYU Autumn Invitational.

 

15.Michigan - The Wolverines joined their teammates with an at-large bid after a third place finish (94).  Looking just to qualify they finished ahead of a other desperate teams. They finished 2nd at Big 10, 9th at Wisconsin Adidas, and 1st at Notre Dame led by Mason Ferlic. Smoragiewicz was running much better this year until Wisconsin Adidas. Also won Big 10 preview.  Preview - Michigan 

16. Washington - This relatively young Husky team may have trouble running a 10k as  they were fifth at the West Region (139).  They ran a very strong 4th at Pac-12 as the inexperienced teammates of Nelson are starting to be more consistent.  Finished 8th at Wisconsin Adidas.  Colby Gilbert was #6 at Washington Invite and was #2 at Wisconsin Adidas.  Nelson is solidifying himself as a strong #1 with his third place finish at Adidas, sixth at Washington Invite.  In the tough Pac-12 finishing better than fourth would be a great performance.  On a roll at Pac-12, now it will be really tough to get better than fourth at West Region meet.  

- 17. Penn State - Matt Fischer was the only returnee from the NCAA meet last year (78) but was not the #1 runner until Big 10 (led team to third after he finished 8th).  In his second big meet of his short year he wins the Mid-Atlantic Regional and the team is third with 87 ahead of Princeton with 88.  This is probably the best non-qualifying team.    Glenn Burkhardt had been #1 all year until the conference meet and overall the team had struggled without Fischer.    Three teams that they beat at Big 10s qualified for the NCAA meet (Indiana, Michigan State @, and Minnesota) 

18. North Carolina - Finished third at ACC and Southeast Regionals as it looks like top runners rounding into shape.  Finally ran all of the runners from last year's NCAA meet (17th) at Wisconsin Adidas.  Mullherin has developed this year in the absence of his teammates..  Team finished 18th at Wisconsin Adidas with many runners from last year way off what they have done. 

19. Michigan State - They needed a big performance to qualify and made NCAA meet by finishing an automatic qualifying 2nd (82) at the Great Lakes Regional.  They were 15th at Wisconsin Adidas.  Before that they had run well in the few meets they have had.  Preview - Michigan State .  

20. Virginia - In the deepest (most teams ranked together) region, they Cavaliers won the Southeast Regional barely over Furman, 75-79.  They finished fourth at ACC meet and won a competitive Virginia Panorama.  Their other meets have not been impressive.  .  Preview - Virginia.  

21. Furman - Nipped by Virginia at Southeast Regional.  Repeated as Southern Conference champions.  4th at Pre-Nationals as they pushed pace early and paid the price.  Head Coach Gary will help team adjust for next appearance at NCAA meet. 2nd at Virginia Panorama and barely lost to Virginia and beat Iona.  Beat southern '13 NCAA teams in two previous meets too.  Preview - Furman.  

 

 

22.  Southern Utah - They were fourth at the Mountain Region (126) to qualify for the NCAA meet.  Finished 2nd to Northern Arizona at Big Sky.  34th at Pre-Nationals without runners running at top level.  Won against a weak Griak Field and finished 6th at Notre Dame.   Jewkes is a good #1 meant to run quality 10ks.  This team may be underrated now and may have intentionally not run hard at Mountain Region.

 

23.  New Mexico - They were 7th at the Mountain Region and barely qualified for the NCAA meet.  Clearly it was just a bad meet, they are a lot better team than that.  They won the Mountain West Championships by taking 5 of the first 8 spots.  This is an experienced team with 4 seniors and 3 juniors but only two returners from last year's NCAA team.  12th at Wisconsin Adidas.  Matheson go in his first race but Zacharias did not run.  Finished third at Notre Dame with 5 of top 7 returning from last year's 11th place finish.  


24. Tulsa - They were second to Oklahoma State at the Midwest Region (77). They dominated the American Conference taking 5 of the top 9 spots.  Top four runners are Jr or Sr. They finished fifth at the Pre-National meet.

25. 
Arkansas - The Razorbacks' #6 runner had to move up 12 spots to get Arkansas the win after the #5 runner crashed at the finish of the South Central race.  Won SEC as 4 runners finished in the top 10 spots.  Best performance of the year for the Razorbacks.  16th at Wisconsin Adidas with Kebenei in expected high spot at 6th.  Rest of team down further than expected.  Could be training through or bad race.  Good 1-2 in Kebenei and Gonzales and may finally have 3-4.

 

Other Teams Considered

 

 

Eastern Kentucky - They finished a barely qualifying fourth at the South Central Regional.  They took the first five spots in the Ohio Valley Conference and won their ninth consecutive title.  They were 21st at Wisconsin Adidas.  Kosgey is doing well overcoming a slow starting Hesselbjerg. 5th at Notre Dame without everyone running well yet.  Preview -  Eastern Kentucky.  Ohio Valley Championships are up next and another chance to prove whether they are prepared to qualify for the NCAA championships.  

Mississippi - Barely lost to Arkansas at SEC and then qualified with a win at the South Region over Florida State (52).  This is a young inexperienced team with a fairly new, experienced coach.  They were 8th at the Pre-Nationals meet 

- North Carolina St - Top runners ran well at ACC to help team get second but not as well in Southeast Regional where they finished fifth.  Sophomore George Parsons and Graham Crawford have improved dramatically from last year and this team has seemingly trained through the early season.  #1 to #5 was :50 at ACC and that will make it hard for them to make the top 10 at NCAA meet..  

Florida State - They were 2nd at The South Region (94).  Finished fifth at ACC as #4-#5 fell back from Wisconsin Adidas.  The team was focused for Wisconsin Adidas meet and finished 9th after running first early.  It looks like they have solidified a chance to qualify for NCAA meet by scoring so many pelts at Wisconsin Adidas.  With two down meets they could recover and finish in the top 20 at the NCAA meet.

Texas - NCAA veterans Lutz and Pinales helped push team to automatic qualifying 2nd at South Central.  They finished 4th at Big 12 (84), 7th at Pre-Nationals and 6th at Roy Griak.  With the veterans that have returned from their experience at last year's NCAA meet they could finish in the top 20.  

Indiana - They finished fourth at the Big 10 meet and followed with a fourth place run at Great Lakes.   They could have easily not qualified and are clearly not running as well as last year.  They did not run well in Washington or Wisconsin Adidas (14th) but still have great returners and ran well earlier in the season.  They did not run well much of last year until Big 10, regionals and NCAA. Finished fourth at Great Lakes last year but only 5 points out of first.  Not sure if they will return to an expected top 10 finish at NCAAs or continue their missed expectations and struggle to make top 25.

 

 Oklahoma  - They had best finish in a few years with runner-up performance at Big 12.  Many of their runners had an off meet (3 sophomores) at Wisconsin Adidas and finished 17th.  Coach Dunn likely preparing them for rest of season.  Against a tough Washington Invite Field they showed they belonged by finishing a very competitive 5th. Preview - Oklahoma

Colorado State - They were 5th at Mountain Region and did barely qualify.  They were third at Mt West in a tight battle for second.  They finished 6th at Pre-Nationals with 4th-6th teams separated by 10 points. They have done well overcoming the transfer of #1 runner Jacob Morgan.  Finished a very close 2nd at a weak Griak, 7th at Notre Dame. 

 - Princeton - The Tigers took long to get going this year and were 4th at Mid Atlantic and they won an Ivy League championships (30). They are considerably better than Griak finish (weak competition and finished 8th place).   It was too little too late for the Tigers this year.  

UTEP -  They are led by Mountain Region winner and defending NCAA Steeplechase champion Anthony Rotich.  Rotich represented the Miners last year at the NCAA XC champs with a 19th place finish.  They barely beat #22 New Mexico  156 to 158 to get 6th place at Mountain Region.  #2-#3 are Sophomores.  They were 2nd (58) at Conference USA to North Texas (50).  If the Lobos had not run poorly it is unlikely UTEP would have made it.  They were fourth at Chile Pepper behind two teams that did not make the NCAA meet. 

Underlined Teams have preview articles hyperlinked

- Did not qualify for the NCAA meet


History for University of Oregon Track and Field and Cross Country - Eugene, Oregon
YearVideosNewsPhotosBlogs
2024 5 4    
2023 16 3    
2022 30 8    
Show 20 more
 
+PLUS highlights
+PLUS coverage
Live Events
Get +PLUS!