NCAA Men 1500m Top 50

Mar 24, 2014 by Isaac Wood

Just to clear the air and any misunderstanding, this is the list of the top 50 1500m runners in Division I. Basically, we're trying to figure out, right now, who stands the best chance of qualifying for regionals, nationals, and who is going to score at NCAAs.

I will once again be breaking down only those that I feel will score in the 1500m and then list the rest of the 42 by how I feel they stack up against the each other.

It is also important to note that I did my best to only include those athletes that seem to focus primarily on the 1500m. There are many very good 1500m runners that are not on this list because they generally run the 5k, 10k, or 3k Steeple more often than not. Some of the PRs listed are converted from a mile.

Again, I am certainly imperfect, so if there is someone that isn't on this list that isn't a very good 5k or 10k guy, let me know, so we can give them some love--I'm not trying to offend you or your family, I swear.

1. Mac Fleet (Oregon) - 3:38.35

Coming off a third place finish at the high altitude 1500m in Albuquerque, Fleet is definitely the favorite to defend his title this year. Considering the race is at Hayward Field, and that Fleet looks to be much better on a 400 meter track than 200, Fleet is as tactically gifted as they come. With is speed really coming around in the 800m and his very strong base from cross country, Fleet is fit and ready to repeat in 2014.

2. Lawi Lalang (Arizona) - 3:33.20

So the PR difference between Fleet and Lalang is astonishing, but here's why we put Lalang at no. 2. He's most likely going to double. If this is the case, he'll be facing his stiffest competition yet with not only Cheserek, but now Kennedy Kithuka thrown in the mix. If he's doubling and has to come back on a hot June day in Eugene to beat reigning champ Fleet, that seems to be a tall order.

Still, we cannot forget that Lalang, on paper, should be the favorite. Maybe, we're just jaded because we all wanted him so badly to triple at indoors and it didn't happen. We'll see how things pan out this outdoor season for Lawi.

3. Peter Callahan (New Mexico) - 3:41.14

Forget about him? I almost did (thanks Gordon Mack), but you shouldn't. Remember the guy that shocked a lot of teams in the DMR in 2013 and anchored Princeton to a national title? Now a Lobo at New Mexico, Callahan is primed for a big final season.

With his finishing ability, you can never leave Callahan out of the conversation when it comes to athletes that are capable of winning any race. His PR is not indicative of what he is capable of doing and we will certainly see him scoring big points in the 1500 for Joe Franklin and the New Mexico Lobos at NCAAs in Eugene.

4. Austin Mudd (Wisconsin) 3:40.37

Although Mudd had a somewhat lackluster indoor, that gives me even more reason to put him high on this list. He is a very very tough competitor and is very well-rounded on the track. Mudd was fourth last year and with the extra motivation to overcome his challenges this indoor, I feel that Mudd is ready to reach the next tier of 1500 meter runners in the NCAA.

Don't be surprised to see Austin run sub-3:38.00. With a possibly deeper 1500m field than last year, Mudd would do well to repeat his performance from 2013.

5. Rich Peters (Boston U.) - 3:37.67

Although, our boy "Dicky P" has yet to really tear it up outdoors, he is looking great coming off a fantastic indoor season. His fourth place indoors was great in the mile, but almost as if not more impressive was his national 1k record earlier in the year.

I think Peters is better suited for a 400 meter track that allows his frame to take advantage of the straights. Although he was 19th in 2013, Peters is certainly one of the best five 1500m runners in the NCAA and will prove it in Eugene.

6. Will Geoghegan (Dartmouth) - 3:40.47

I have jumped aboard the Will Geoghegan bandwagon and for good reasons. Not only was he maybe one of the biggest surprise performances from NCAA XC, he had an amazing indoor season to follow that u,p where he finished 5th at NCAAs in the Mile. He might not have the best chops in the 1500, right now, but if he doesn't break 3:40 his first or second attempt in the 1500 this season, I will be very surprised.

7. Jordy Williamsz (Villanova) - 3:36.74

One of the most impressive races this recent indoor season was the Iowa State Classic Mile, where Jordy Wiliamsz proved his 3:36.74 1500m PR legit with a sub-3:57 performance. Williamsz ended the season off decently, finishing 8th in Albuquerque. Considering his chops though, I think he underachieved. It's hard to leave a guy who has run so fast in both mile and 1500m out of the scorers at NCAAs and if Williamsz can keep his momentum from indoor and race well when it matters, he should be looking at scoring some serious points for 'Nova.

8. Zach Perkins (Air Force) - 3:41.46

I almost feel like a bad person putting last year's 2nd place finisher six places lower than where he finished the year before. It's just that Perkins did not put up anything worthwhile enough this past indoor to really merit that much.

To his benefit, Perkins is a big guy and sometimes those tight turns are difficult to manage for bigger fellas. Also, he could have had some injury or illness that we were not made aware of. Either way, Perkins was only beaten by Fleet in the final in Eugene last year. He should definitely be in the mix for scoring again and hopefully can prove us wrong and repeat 2013.

9. Sam McEntee- Villanova- 3:36.81

10. Brett Johnson- Oregon- 3:38.91

11. Matt Hillenbrand- Kentucky- 3:39.51

12. Mike Atchoo- Stanford- 3:39.57

13. John Gregorek- Columbia- 3:41.32

14. Robby Creese- Penn State- 3:39.61

15. Kirubel Erassa- Oklahoma State- 3:40.66

16. Nick Happe- Notre Dame- 3:41.11

17. John Simons- Minnesota- 3:41.66

18. Alex Hatz- Wisconsin- 3:39.87

19. Isaac Presson- North Carolina- 3:40.16

20. Sam Penzenstadler- Loyola (Ill.)- 3:40.63

21. Tyler Stutzman- Stanford- 3:40.43

22. Jake Hurysz- Colorado- (Possible 5k)- 3:40.63

23. Nathan Weitz- NAU- 3:42.33

24. Rorey Hunter- Indiana- 3:46.94 (Don't forget his nasty 3:57 DMR Anchor)

25. Matthew Gillespie- Iona- 3:40.88

26. Grant Pollock- Virginia Tech- 3:40.77

27. Chad Noelle- Oklahoma State- 3:41.09

28. Steve Mangan- Dartmouth- 3:41.04

29. James Shirvell- Yale- 3:41.09

30. Zach Dahleen- Southern Illinois- 3:41.18

31. Elmar Engholm- New Mexico- 3:41.27

32. Izaic Yorks- Washington- 3:41.40

33. Michael Williams- Princeton- 3:41.56

34. Robert Denault- Villanova- 3:41.58

35. Josh Munsch- Kansas- 3:41.58

36. Shane Moskowitz- Oklahoma State- 3:41.81

37. Sam Stabler- Lamar- 3:41.67

38. Jesse Garn- Binghamton- 3:41.70

39. Todd Wakefield- Washington State- 3:41.83

40. Sean Tobin- Ole Miss- 3:42.20

41. J.P. Malette- Notre Dame- 3:42.45

42. Martin Hehir- Syracuse- (Not sure about 5k here) 3:42.33

43. Tom Curr- Butler- 3:42.39

44. Kieran Clements- Iona- 3:42.62

45. Weston Strum- Loyola Marymount- 3:42.67

46. Daniel Everett- Columbia- 3:42.82

47. Jake Shelley- New Mexico- 3:42.72

48. Graham Crawford- North Carolina State- 3:42.81

49. Eric Speakman- Stony Brook- 3:42.94

50. Tommy Gruenewald- BYU- 3:43.56

***Adam Palamar of Tulsa should definitely be near the top of this list with his 3:38.92 1500m PR he set this past summer that broke a Canadian Junior Record. ***