The 2011 Wisconsin men’s XC squad placed five in the top 35 and took the NCAA Championship with an astonishing 97 points. All five opened up at the early season Bill Dellinger Invite, followed by the adidas Wisconsin Invite, Big Ten Championships, NCAA Regionals and ending at the big dance. This made for a total of five races in 2011.

In 2012, the Badgers finished runner-up in Louisville, KY. Two of their three All Americans, however, did not open their seasons until the Big Ten Championships, just three weekends before NCAAs. It took simply three races to accumulate All Conference, All Region and All American honors for Mohammed Ahmed and Reed Connor in 2012.

Looking at our Saucony Flo50 men’s individual rankings, we have yet to see the debut of several of these competitors, yet we rank them in the top 25. We can guess all we want about when these athletes will toe the line, but the fact remains that several of the best men’s programs in the nation hold out to race their top men. While women's teams are typically racing every other weekend, men's programs limit their athletes to less competition. The 2011 success of the Badger men racing 5 races, and the runner-up season following (with two of their best only racing three times) makes it tricky to predict when a men's team will debut their full squad, and how many races it takes for an athlete to achieve the ultimate success.

Last season, #4 Ben Saarel did not make his NCAA debut until Pre-Nats, and went on to finish 8th in Terre Haute and lead the Buffs to an NCAA title, all while completing only four races in his freshman year. 

This weekend features three prominent races: The Paul Short Invite (LIVE ON FLOTRACK), the Notre Dame Invite, and the Washington Invite. No, it’s not the Wisco/Pre-nats weekend we are all anticipating, but we’ve got a feeling some of these teams have the 2011 Wisconsin men’s team in mind by racing these Top 25 competitors before the big October 17-18th block.

WHO’S TO DEBUT?

The #3 Northern Arizona men’s team will bring their full squad to the Washington Invite. #8 Futsum Zienasellassie raced unattached at NAU’s George Kyte Classic, and will join forces with #14 Matt Mcelroy and #21 Tyler Byrne, making his NAU debut after transferring from Louisville. Last season, Zienasellassie competed in only four races, finishing 4th in Terre Haute. He’s giving his go at a longer season in 2014, and will try to prove our #8 ranking wrong.

Jim Rosa, Stanford, UW Invite
We saw his twin brother, #3 Joe, hold hands with #2 Maksim Korolev at the Stanford Invite, finishing 1-2. But where was Jim? Likely resting up for the west coast heavy UW Invite. Jim placed 5th in Terre Haute last season, racing in six meets in 2013. Six races may have led to Jim’s absence from the 2014 indoor season.

Sam McEntee, Villanova, Paul Short Invite
‘Nova will split squads this weekend, sending teams to UW and the Paul Short Invite. #22 McEntee is the only ranked competitor at Paul Short and this will be his first race of 2014. After failing to advance to the NCAA Championships in the 1500m last spring, McEntee may be trying to slow his roll in 2014. Last season, he completed seven races on the grass, ending with a 27th place finish in Terre Haute. Will less races in the fall help McEntee finish higher at the big dance, and better yet, reunite with his 3:36 1500m PR (set in 2012)?