1. (-) Stanford

 

Weekend Performance- Stanford solidified their spot as the top team in the country with an impressive 47 point victory at Pre-Nats Saturday. Sophomore Chris Derrick surprised NCAA runner-up Sam Chelanga by patiently moving through the field to overtake Chelanga in the final kilometers. Elliott Heath also stepped up on the big stage finishing 3^rd overall in 23:39.

 

Analysis- There was some doubt early on as to how legit the Cardinal would be this season, but they should have silenced most of their critics after their dominating performance this weekend. Stanford of course needs to get through Oregon at the Pac-10 meet, but they should remain in the top spot until regionals.

 

2. (7) Oregon

 

Weekend Performance- After a poor race at the Dellinger Invite, Oregon climbed back up the ladder to the number two spot with a nice win in the Blue race at Pre-Nationals. Luke Puskedra returned to last season’s form with a convincing win in 23:40.  Danny Mercado and Kenny Klotz bounced back by finishing 6^th and 11^th respectively.

 

Analysis- I mentioned in my last article not to give up on Oregon, and they proved this weekend that they’re still a contender. Many wanted to jump ship after a 3^rd place finish at Dellinger, but the Ducks look like a solid podium team this year.

 

3. (4) Oklahoma State

 

Weekend Performance- Oklahoma State decided to avoid the drama in Indiana and instead raced at the Chile Pepper Invite. The Cowboys came away with a 21-52 victory over in state rival Oklahoma. German Fernandez was pretty quiet finishing 7^th as teammates Colby Lowe, John Kosgei, and Ryan Vail went 1-2-3.

 

Analysis- Oklahoma State is essentially a lock in the Midwest as their only real competition at the Regional meet will be Oklahoma who they beat easily at Chile Pepper. It will be interesting however to see who wins the Big-12 Conference meet this year between OK State and red hot Colorado.

 

4. (-) Colorado

 

Weekend Performance- Colorado was second in the white race to Stanford. Christian Thompson was the top finisher for the Buffs finishing 14^th in 24:04.  Kenyon Neuman who won the Rocky Mountain Shootout may have had an off day finishing fourth for the Buffs. Colorado was 83 points behind winner Stanford however they were without Matt Tebo who DNF’d.

 

Analysis- Colorado may be the most dangerous team in the country this year. They had an unbelievable 18-second spread between their 1^st and 5^th runners. With that type of packing, CU could slip into the top three if any team ranked above them has an off day at Nationals.

 

5. (2) Northern Arizona

 

Weekend Performance- NAU dropped down a few spots after a third place finish in the Blue race at Pre-Nats. Junior College transfer Jordan Chimpanga was once again their top finisher placing third overall in 23:47. Diego Estrada also had a great race finishing fourth. Part of the Lumberjack’s struggles was due to a poor performance by All American David McNeill who finished 61^st.

 

Analysis- McNeill obviously had a bad day, however this was his first race of the season. Assuming he takes over as one of NAU’s top two runners, the team should be fine going into Regionals.

 

6. (3) Alabama

 

Weekend Performance- Alabama also experienced a drop in the rankings after finishing second to Oregon in the Blue race. Moses Kiptoo and Julius Bor lead the charge finishing 13^th and 15^th. The Crimson Tide probably expected a higher team result with the return of Emmanuel Bor, however Bor looked a little flat finishing 96^th.

 

Analysis- Once again, Alabama struggled a bit in the cold wet conditions at Terre Haute. They’re going to need to figure out a way to run well in less than ideal conditions if they are going to be a podium team.

 

7. (6) BYU

 

Weekend Performance- BYU ran well on Saturday finishing third in the White race. The Cougars had a good pack up front with Miles Batty, Thomas Gruenewald, and Rich Nelson all running within 12 seconds of each other.

 

Analysis- I’m sure BYU was pleased after picking up a few much needed points this weekend. There are no guarantees in the Mountain region with NAU and Colorado.

 

8. (-) Portland

 

Weekend Performance- The Pilots came into last weekend hoping to pick up some points over teams like Florida State and Iona and they did just that. All American Alfred Kipchumba lead the Pilots finishing 8^th in 23:53. He was followed by freshman Joash Osoro, Tommy Betterbed, and Trevor Dunbar.

 

Analysis- Portland’s 1-4 can compete with any team in the country right now. They had a large drop off to their 5^th runner last weekend by more than 100 spots. If the Pilots 5^th man has a good race, Portland is an instant contender.

 

9. (-) William & Mary

 

Weekend Performance- William & Mary remain in the ninth spot after a solid fourth place finish in the Blue race. They were only 14 points behind Alabama, which means William & Mary could have seen a huge jump this week had they picked off some more runners.

 

Analysis- William & Mary should be an automatic qualifier along with Virginia from the Southeast. I’m sure they will be pretty quiet until Regionals.

 

10. (-) Georgetown

 

Weekend Performance- Did not race.

 

Analysis- The Hoyas won’t race again until the Big East conference meet on October 31^st.