The Southern Utah men lose a key low-stick in Nate Jewkes, who has exhausted his cross country eligibility. However, eager to assume his leadership role on this team will be senior Hayden Hawks, who was Jewkes’ sidekick in the 2014 season. He has run 13:51 and 28:53 on the track, so he will be the solid #1. The Thunderbirds had a subpar showing in Terre Haute last year, but this team is eager to bounce back in 2015.

The addition of freshman Josh Collins to the roster will fill a much needed #3 spot for Southern Utah. Collins, who had a stellar season as a prep in Utah, has run a converted 4:07 and 8:51 on the track, as well as placing 11th at the Footlocker Cross Country Championships. He will call on the leadership of Hawks and junior Mike Tate, who have both done great things on the track this past spring. Tate, who has run 3:42 and 14 flat, will be the solid #2 for the squad, but if he can take young Collins with him, we could see a dangerous trio of Thunderbirds battling in the front pack.

Running the number four and five cleanup spots for the Thunderbirds, junior Ibrahim Ahmed and Istvan Szogi will be called upon to shorten the spread. Last year in Terre Haute, we think that runners 3-5 could have run at least 20-25 places faster than they did, which would have put them in the top 20. Even with the loss of Jewkes, this team has the personal and potential to easily place in the top 20.