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NCAA XC Class Recruiting Class Countdown #2a: University of Oregon Men

NCAA XC Class Recruiting Class Countdown #2a: University of Oregon Men

Sep 18, 2013 by Mitch Kastoff
NCAA XC Class Recruiting Class Countdown #2a: University of Oregon Men
National championships aren’t gift-wrapped. Though these perennial powerhouses may have their appeal, recruiting isn’t easy. Neither is signing.

The fall will soon be upon us and Flotrack is ranking the top NCAA recruiting classes for the fall. Who will have an immediate impact on a team’s top five? What team is built for longevity?

The University of Oregon Men

All statistics are based on the ASICS Fast 100 Rankings. The cutoff times selected were the 100th fastest marks in the country last season. See the complete list here.

# of sub-15:30 5k – 5
# of sub-9:08 3200m – 3
# of sub-4:13 1600m – 5
# of sub-1:53 800m – 3
# of NXN / FL Qualifiers – 3

“The biggest reason behind the high ranking of Oregon lies in its awesome recruiting class. Getting Ed Cheserek and Jake Leingang was huge for the future success of Oregon and both of these athletes are immediate impact guys.”

There will be plenty of ever-watching eyes on the Ducks this fall. Then again, when is this not the case in Track Town, USA? The reason why this upcoming fall is so special is because there should be two freshmen in the Ducks’ top seven… maybe two in their top five.

The question we’ll answer in a few days is whether a team should place a higher value studs or depth? We’ll get to that in due time. Now, it’s time to find out why the Oregon men may return to the podium this fall.

Edward Cheserek (Newark, NJ); St. Benedict’s Prep
800m – 17th
1600m – 6th

King Ches goes from high school cross country royalty to a prince-to-be in the NCAA. We’re not even going to discuss “if” Cheserek will have an immediate impact on the Ducks. The question is, “How much?”

If he has a good day at NCAAs, then a lot. Rankings guru Isaac Wood slated Cheserek for an All-American honor this fall and went a step further to say that he’ll finish 29th. He still has a lot to prove, but back-to-back Foot Locker titles ain’t no joke in high school and 13:57.04 for 5k ain’t no joke in the NCAA.

Jake Leingang (Bismarck, ND); Bismarck HS
1600m – 11th
3200m – 13th

It’s inane to think that an incoming freshman with a 14:11.61 5k PR to his name is second on the incoming depth chart. Oregon just gets the studs, man.

While Cheserek certainly has the pedigree, we think Leingang has the most potential for Oregon. Full disclosure: we really enjoy watching him run. Whether it’s during the fall (except on the anti-nimble ’12 NXN course) or on the track, he’s as smooth as a new pair of socks on a freshly buffed wood floor.

There’s a lot on Leingang’s resume, so we’ll just list some of the nuts and bolts. The North Dakota native is a nine-time state champion, double NBON 5k champion, and was the Gatorade ND Cross Country Runner of the Year for three straight years.

The last time we saw him, he decimated the field at the Portland Track Festival mile.


Bryan Fernandez (Goleta, CA); Dos Pueblos HS

This fall, Fernandez made a bit of history. Let's start from the beginning. We first saw him when he won the Mt. SAC Invitational in 14:34. He went on to win the CIF California State Cross Country Championships (15:09) and was the state’s Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year.

But the record books were rewritten at the Seaside Invitational where Fernandez ran 14:05 for the three mile course. That broke the old record of 14:21 held by some guys by the name of Meb Keffleghzi and Louie Quintana.

Dan Oekerman (Beaverton, OR); Beaverton HS

A solid instate addition. Oekerman was third at Oregon’s State Cross Country Championships in 2011 and runner-up in 2012. Fast forward to the track where he captured the '12 Oregon 6A state 3000m title. Last spring, he attempted the 15/3k double at the state meet and finished third in both events.

Oregon is one of the few states that runs metric-based races (1500m and 3000m instead of 1600m and 3200m), so he’s not ranked in the ASICS Fast 100. Still, he’s run 3:55.36 for 1500m (4:12.66 for 1600m) and 8:28.04 3k (9:05.38 for 3200m), which puts him on the national radar, statistically speaking.

Photo: Milesplit

Travis Neuman (Bend, OR); Summit HS

The back-to-back Oregon 5A state cross country champion was also the ’12 Gatorade Oregon XC Runner of the Year. He doesn’t have the same credentials as some of the other guys, but Neuman is tough. He scored as a freshman at the state outdoor meet in both the 1500m and 3000m and was runner-up in cross country as a sophomore.

It’ll be interesting to see his development at Oregon.

Samuel Prakel (Versailles, OH); Versailles HS
800m – 50th
1600m – 43rd

Here come the milers. Prakel has some dirty 800/1500 speed, but he’s not just a quick two trick pony. Last fall, he ran a 15:04 (PR) for 5k at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional and ran 16:03 at FL Nationals, which was good for 33rd.

Though he’s well-ranked on the ASICS Fast 100, his spot should be higher. Just as we thought we were done talking about 1500m conversions, we should note that Prakel ran 3:46.93 for 1500m at the USA Junior Outdoor T&F Championships.

He comes to Oregon with a lot momentum.

Brett Willyard (Seaside, OR); Seaside HS

Another middle-distance guy with some range. Last outdoor season, Willyard was the Oregon 4A double champion in the 800m and 3000m. He doesn’t have the same chops for the longer distances, but we do like that he ran the 200m this year (24.55).

Photo: Youth Runner

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