NCAA XC Class Recruiting Class Countdown #1: Stanford University Men
NCAA XC Class Recruiting Class Countdown #1: Stanford University 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 Stanford University Cardinal
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 – 4
# of sub-4:13 1600m – 6
# of sub-1:53 800m – 3
# of NXN / FL Qualifiers – 4
The Wood Report: The Stanford University Men (#10)
"The Cardinal reload with the best class of incoming freshman in the country. Their recruiting class is a combination of quantity, but not diminishing quality. At the very top, Stanford has one of the best young groups in the NCAA."
After we put the Oregon men at number two on our recruiting countdown, we knew we’d get a few emails. We ended with a silly amount of emails. Though the Ducks got the studs, we felt that Stanford had a better overall recruiting class. Here are three reasons why.
1. We just put the two classes head-to-head
Note: We didn’t make our picks based on any single event, but the general impact each recruit will have on either Oregon or Stanford.
2. This
Tweets about "#mammothchillin"
3. This
Sean McGorty (Chantilly HS); Fairfax, VA
View Fast 100 rankings
1600m – 4th
3200m – 1st
McGorty won every single one of his cross country races last fall, except for a runner-up finish at Foot Locker Finals. Not too shabby.
He also ended his high school career with personal bests in the 1600m (4:03.05), two mile (8:45.61), and 5000m (14:28 at Foot Locker South).
We especially liked McGorty’s moxie at the end of the outdoor season. First at New Balance Outdoor Nationals, he lead the boy’s two-mile wire to wire to capture the national title. But his week didn’t end there. He then stepped down to the 1500m and tried to win his second national title at the USA Junior Championships.
Though he lead for a good portion in the heat, McGorty would come up short and finish fourth in 3:49.26 (his future teammate Justin Brinkley took the win in 3:46.64).
Sam Wharton (Tippecanoe HS); Tipp City, Ohio
View Fast 100 rankings
3200m – 21st
The “Man With The Headband” capped off an impressive 2012 cross country season with a win at the ’12 Nike Cross Nationals in Portland. We think Wharton’s potential in cross is absolutely immense because he’s all about that Midwest toughness.
Prior to his win at NXN, a few big names college coaches were talking about Wharton and how he was diamond in the rough. After his national title, we agreed with just the diamond part.
He’s run 8:56.61 for 3200m, but his 14:33.09 fifth place finish at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals 5k last spring should be just the beginning of things to come.
Jack Keelan (St. Ignatius College Prep); La Grange Park, IL
View Fast 100 rankings
1600m – 12th
3200m – 7th
If we’re on the topic of potential, then we should look no further than Jack Keelan. At New Balance Outdoor Nationals, Keelan decided to end his high school career with a tough 5000m / mile double. To make this grand finale even more interesting, the 5k would be Keelan’s track debut at the distance.
He finished fourth in 14:29.20. He then came back two days later and finished runner-up in the mile in 4:08.73. Don’t sleep on another tough Midwesterner.
Patrick Gibson (Squalicum HS); Squalicum, WA
View Fast 100 rankings
1600m – 79th
3200m – 48th
The Washington native should help the Cardinal’s depth in the years to come. At the Washington State Meet, Gibson capped off his senior year with two personal bests where he finished second in the WA 2A 3200m (9:01.80) and first in the 1600m (4:11.85).
In the fall, he took 24th at Foot Locker and set the Nike Border Clash record with a time of 13:44 for the 2.73 mile course.
Ryan Silva (Rincon University HS); Tuscon, AZ
View Fast 100 rankings
1600m – 51st
Silva’s impressive win at the Arcadia Invitational Mile (4:12.06) puts him on our radar, but we don’t know if he’ll have a huge immediate impact this fall. Last fall, he finished 28th at NXN Southwest and 35th at Foot Locker West. He’s also run 9:12.00 for 3200m (and a quick 50.33 for 400m).
Nick Obletz (Oregon Episcopal School); Portland, OR
View Fast 100 rankings
He may not have the same cross country resume as the others, but Obletz is still a solid addition for Stanford. He’s run 4:02.18 for 1500m, 8:41.97 for 3000m, and 15:32.05 for 5000m on the track. Even though he won the Oregon State title (15:58), he did not run any post-season races last fall.
Scott Buttinger (Waterloo, Canada); Resurrection Catholic Secondary School
The fastest Canadian high schooler at 1500m apparently came out of nowhere. Before he toed the line at the London Distance Series, Buttinger was just on the radar. He had run 3:55.55 for 1500m at a meet in Windsor, which was good enough for him to get into his breakthrough race. Though he was seeded 16th of 16, Buttinger “responded with the race of his life” and ran 3:47.91. After that, "more than 30" college coaches contacted him to express interest. Overwhelming.
He finished sixth at the 2013 Pan Am Junior Championships in the 800m (1:52.23), finished second at the ’13 Canadian junior national 800m, and sixth in the 1600m.
His personal bests include 1:50.06 for 800m and 49.48 for 400m. That’s a big pickup for an already strong DMR and middle-distance Stanford squad.
Other strong additions include Pennsylvania’s Connor Harriman (9:18.94 for 3200m) and Idaho’s Thomas Rigby (pulled off the first Idaho 5A 1600/3200 sweep in 21-years).
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 Stanford University Cardinal
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 – 4
# of sub-4:13 1600m – 6
# of sub-1:53 800m – 3
# of NXN / FL Qualifiers – 4
The Wood Report: The Stanford University Men (#10)
"The Cardinal reload with the best class of incoming freshman in the country. Their recruiting class is a combination of quantity, but not diminishing quality. At the very top, Stanford has one of the best young groups in the NCAA."
After we put the Oregon men at number two on our recruiting countdown, we knew we’d get a few emails. We ended with a silly amount of emails. Though the Ducks got the studs, we felt that Stanford had a better overall recruiting class. Here are three reasons why.
1. We just put the two classes head-to-head
Oregon |
Stanford |
Winner |
Edward Cheserek |
Sean McGorty |
Oregon |
Jake Leingang |
Sam Wharton |
Oregon |
Dan Oekerman | Jack Keelan |
Stanford |
Bryan Fernandez | Patrick Gibson |
Stanford |
Travis Neuman | Connor Harriman |
Stanford |
Samuel Prakel | Scott Buttinger |
Oregon |
Brett Willyard |
Ryan Silva |
Stanford |
2. This
Tweets about "#mammothchillin"
3. This
Freshman haircuts 2013. #MammothChillin #FreshmanHaircuts @CDerrickRun pic.twitter.com/dsYil6eBhr
— Joe Rosa (@JoeRosa3) September 4, 2013
Sean McGorty (Chantilly HS); Fairfax, VA
View Fast 100 rankings
1600m – 4th
3200m – 1st
McGorty won every single one of his cross country races last fall, except for a runner-up finish at Foot Locker Finals. Not too shabby.
He also ended his high school career with personal bests in the 1600m (4:03.05), two mile (8:45.61), and 5000m (14:28 at Foot Locker South).
We especially liked McGorty’s moxie at the end of the outdoor season. First at New Balance Outdoor Nationals, he lead the boy’s two-mile wire to wire to capture the national title. But his week didn’t end there. He then stepped down to the 1500m and tried to win his second national title at the USA Junior Championships.
Though he lead for a good portion in the heat, McGorty would come up short and finish fourth in 3:49.26 (his future teammate Justin Brinkley took the win in 3:46.64).
Sam Wharton (Tippecanoe HS); Tipp City, Ohio
View Fast 100 rankings
3200m – 21st
The “Man With The Headband” capped off an impressive 2012 cross country season with a win at the ’12 Nike Cross Nationals in Portland. We think Wharton’s potential in cross is absolutely immense because he’s all about that Midwest toughness.
Prior to his win at NXN, a few big names college coaches were talking about Wharton and how he was diamond in the rough. After his national title, we agreed with just the diamond part.
He’s run 8:56.61 for 3200m, but his 14:33.09 fifth place finish at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals 5k last spring should be just the beginning of things to come.
Jack Keelan (St. Ignatius College Prep); La Grange Park, IL
View Fast 100 rankings
1600m – 12th
3200m – 7th
If we’re on the topic of potential, then we should look no further than Jack Keelan. At New Balance Outdoor Nationals, Keelan decided to end his high school career with a tough 5000m / mile double. To make this grand finale even more interesting, the 5k would be Keelan’s track debut at the distance.
He finished fourth in 14:29.20. He then came back two days later and finished runner-up in the mile in 4:08.73. Don’t sleep on another tough Midwesterner.
Patrick Gibson (Squalicum HS); Squalicum, WA
View Fast 100 rankings
1600m – 79th
3200m – 48th
The Washington native should help the Cardinal’s depth in the years to come. At the Washington State Meet, Gibson capped off his senior year with two personal bests where he finished second in the WA 2A 3200m (9:01.80) and first in the 1600m (4:11.85).
In the fall, he took 24th at Foot Locker and set the Nike Border Clash record with a time of 13:44 for the 2.73 mile course.
Ryan Silva (Rincon University HS); Tuscon, AZ
View Fast 100 rankings
1600m – 51st
Silva’s impressive win at the Arcadia Invitational Mile (4:12.06) puts him on our radar, but we don’t know if he’ll have a huge immediate impact this fall. Last fall, he finished 28th at NXN Southwest and 35th at Foot Locker West. He’s also run 9:12.00 for 3200m (and a quick 50.33 for 400m).
Nick Obletz (Oregon Episcopal School); Portland, OR
View Fast 100 rankings
He may not have the same cross country resume as the others, but Obletz is still a solid addition for Stanford. He’s run 4:02.18 for 1500m, 8:41.97 for 3000m, and 15:32.05 for 5000m on the track. Even though he won the Oregon State title (15:58), he did not run any post-season races last fall.
Scott Buttinger (Waterloo, Canada); Resurrection Catholic Secondary School
The fastest Canadian high schooler at 1500m apparently came out of nowhere. Before he toed the line at the London Distance Series, Buttinger was just on the radar. He had run 3:55.55 for 1500m at a meet in Windsor, which was good enough for him to get into his breakthrough race. Though he was seeded 16th of 16, Buttinger “responded with the race of his life” and ran 3:47.91. After that, "more than 30" college coaches contacted him to express interest. Overwhelming.
He finished sixth at the 2013 Pan Am Junior Championships in the 800m (1:52.23), finished second at the ’13 Canadian junior national 800m, and sixth in the 1600m.
His personal bests include 1:50.06 for 800m and 49.48 for 400m. That’s a big pickup for an already strong DMR and middle-distance Stanford squad.
Other strong additions include Pennsylvania’s Connor Harriman (9:18.94 for 3200m) and Idaho’s Thomas Rigby (pulled off the first Idaho 5A 1600/3200 sweep in 21-years).
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