Probable Top Five:

SO Michael Vennard (8:09 3K; 13:51 5K; 29:55 10K)

SO Andrew Rafla (14:15 5K; 83rd NCAA XC ’14)

FR Elijah Armstrong (4:07 Mile; 8:52 3200; 3rd FL ’14)

SO Louis McAfee (3:52 1500; 8:20 3K; 14:22 5K)

SO Jack Curran (8:14 3K; 49th World Junior XC ’13)

 

Impact Freshmen/Transfers: 

Elijah Armstrong via Pocatello, ID (4:07 Mile; 8:52 3200; 3rd FL ’14)

Stuart Smith via Seattle, WA (4:14 Mile; 8:56 3200)

Chandler Austin via Oklahoma State University (4:09 Mile; 8:51 3200; 29th NXN ’13)

Addison Dehaven via University of Wisconsin (8:58 3200; 17th NXN ’13; 18th FL ’13)

 

Analysis: 

The last time the Boise State men qualified as a team to NCAAs was 1996. That all changes this year.

 

The Broncos are the team of the future, and 2015 will be their big coming out party. Last season, coach Corey Ihmels’ squad was very young outside of senior David Elliot, who won the Mountain West and was an All-American in the 1500 this past spring. Remarkably, despite losing Elliot to graduation, the Broncos should take a big step forward this fall.

 

Don’t get us wrong, this team is still very young. Andrew Rafla qualified individually to NCAAs last season as a true freshman, and he’ll be this team’s top returner in just his second season. Rafla finished a respectable 83rd in Terre Haute in 2014, and should be either Boise’s #1 or #2 man in 2015.

 

Fellow sophomore Michael Vennard is set to have a breakout season this fall. Vennard ran PRs of 13:51 and 29:55 on the track this spring, which should translate to big things on the cross country course. The Brit doesn’t have any NCAA XC experience, but he’ll be a crucial low stick for this team to grab some Kolas points early in the season and get to the big dance in November. 

 

One of the top recruits in the country headlines Boise’s freshmen class. Elijah Armstrong is one of just four athletes to finish top 10 at Foot Locker each of the last two years, and should contribute immediately for the Broncos. Armstrong has all the intangibles a coach could want- good mile speed (4:07), sub-9:00 3200 ability (8:52), and collegiate-level strength in the 5,000 (14:28). Along with Stanford’s Grant Fisher and Oregon’s Matthew Maton, Elijah Armstrong should be among the very best in the NCAA in the coming years.

 

This team has the talent at the top to really impress, but they also have the most important factor for any successful XC team- depth. The Broncos could have any number of guys step in to fill out their 4-5 man spots, including transfers Chandler Austin and Addison Dehaven. These two didn’t run last year as they sat out while attending other schools, but their high school credentials show that the talent is there. 

 

Corey Ihmels’ group is still very young, but their depth and talent alone will get them back to NCAAs for the first time since most of this team were still in diapers.