2017 FloXC CountdownSep 6, 2017 by Dennis Young
2017 FloXC Countdown: #9 Loras Men
2017 FloXC Countdown: #9 Loras Men
2017 FloXC Countdown: #9 Loras Men
Follow our 2017 FloXC Countdown, where FloTrack ranks the top ten cross country teams and individuals in the NCAA this season which will be LIVE on FloTrack. The No. 9 men's spot goes to Loras, and here's why:
SR Mason Tope (14:52 5K; 30:41 10K; 33rd at '16 NCAA XC; 30th at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Timothy Sevcik (14:48 5K; 127th at '16 NCAA XC; 63rd at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Brien Nugent (4:18 Mile; 89th at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Justin Adams (15:34 5K; 31:56 10K; 79th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Jack Carroll (227th at '16 NCAA XC; 113th at '15 NCAA XC)
SO Patrick Wolak (15:24 5K)
SO Cole Conklin-Little (1:54 800)
2017 is the year toward which this program has been building since its seniors stepped on campus three years ago. The Duhawks were 25th in DIII that year, 14th in 2015, and 10th last year -- the best finish in program history. And now their four best runners are all seniors. Should they return to the national meet, this would be the third cross country nationals for Mason Tope and Jack Carroll, and the fourth for Tim Sevcik. That's an astonishingly experienced team.
Tope, Sevcik, fifth-year Brien Nugent, and Justin Adams were all in the top 90 at NCAAs last year, giving Loras the third-best returning quartet in the country; only North Central and UW-Eau Claire return four runners that combine for a lower score. And UW-La Crosse is the only other men's team in the country to return its entire top five from last year. If the squad can merely replicate its quality from 2016, they're a lock for a top-10 finish. But if they step up even a little bit -- and have a strong fifth man -- they can absolutely achieve their goal of making the podium.
According to head coach Bob Schultz, it will come down to health, as it will with so many other teams.
Schultz says that he is "very confident in what we're able to do, as long as the right guys are on the line at nationals."
He added, "I've told them that, 'We cannot do this if you're not healthy on the line on November 18th.' It's a fine line that distance runners live.
"We get at it pretty hard here mileage-wise, intensity-wise, but usually by seniors they've adapted to what we're doing," he said. "None of them have missed seasons, but they've had little setbacks here and there. There's not a distance runner in the world with an Olympic gold medal that hasn't had to persevere through an injury. It's an unfortunate reality."
Schultz's big four have gotten through each of the last three seasons with no major injuries, and gotten better every year. If that trend continues this fall, Loras could finish the season standing on the podium for the first time ever.
FULL MEN'S RANKINGS HERE
Probable Top Four:
SR Mason Tope (14:52 5K; 30:41 10K; 33rd at '16 NCAA XC; 30th at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Timothy Sevcik (14:48 5K; 127th at '16 NCAA XC; 63rd at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Brien Nugent (4:18 Mile; 89th at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Justin Adams (15:34 5K; 31:56 10K; 79th at '16 NCAA XC)
Fifth Man Battle:
JR Jack Carroll (227th at '16 NCAA XC; 113th at '15 NCAA XC)
SO Patrick Wolak (15:24 5K)
SO Cole Conklin-Little (1:54 800)
Analysis:
2017 is the year toward which this program has been building since its seniors stepped on campus three years ago. The Duhawks were 25th in DIII that year, 14th in 2015, and 10th last year -- the best finish in program history. And now their four best runners are all seniors. Should they return to the national meet, this would be the third cross country nationals for Mason Tope and Jack Carroll, and the fourth for Tim Sevcik. That's an astonishingly experienced team.
Tope, Sevcik, fifth-year Brien Nugent, and Justin Adams were all in the top 90 at NCAAs last year, giving Loras the third-best returning quartet in the country; only North Central and UW-Eau Claire return four runners that combine for a lower score. And UW-La Crosse is the only other men's team in the country to return its entire top five from last year. If the squad can merely replicate its quality from 2016, they're a lock for a top-10 finish. But if they step up even a little bit -- and have a strong fifth man -- they can absolutely achieve their goal of making the podium.
According to head coach Bob Schultz, it will come down to health, as it will with so many other teams.
Schultz says that he is "very confident in what we're able to do, as long as the right guys are on the line at nationals."
He added, "I've told them that, 'We cannot do this if you're not healthy on the line on November 18th.' It's a fine line that distance runners live.
"We get at it pretty hard here mileage-wise, intensity-wise, but usually by seniors they've adapted to what we're doing," he said. "None of them have missed seasons, but they've had little setbacks here and there. There's not a distance runner in the world with an Olympic gold medal that hasn't had to persevere through an injury. It's an unfortunate reality."
Schultz's big four have gotten through each of the last three seasons with no major injuries, and gotten better every year. If that trend continues this fall, Loras could finish the season standing on the podium for the first time ever.
FULL MEN'S RANKINGS HERE