2017 FloXC CountdownSep 14, 2017 by Dennis Young
2017 FloXC Countdown: #3 UW-La Crosse Men
2017 FloXC Countdown: #3 UW-La Crosse Men
2017 FloXC Countdown: #3 UW-La Crosse 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. 3 men's spot goes to UW-La Crosse, and here's why:
JR Tom Schultz (14:34 5K; 30:12 10K; 67th at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Ian Ewers (9:05 3K SC; 1st at '17 NCAA 3K SC; 82nd at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Austin Zajkowski (87th at '16 NCAA XC; 60th at '15 NCAA XC)
JR Sam Hinz (98th at '16 NCAA XC; 111th at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Jonah Weisse (15:00 5K; 30:59 10K; 133rd at '16 NCAA XC; 42nd at '15 NCAA XC)
SO Tyler Nault (15:06 5K; 31:13 10K)
JR Zachary Shoemaker-Allen (14:59 5K; 9:13 3K SC)
SO Josh Schraeder (14:54 5K; 119th at '16 NCAA XC)
Chris Pahnke via McFarland, WI (9:34 3200)
No one -- not even North Central -- returns a stronger group of five runners from last year's national meet. UW-La Crosse's entire top five crossed the line in a 19-second span last November; while none of them finished in the top 65, that incredibly tight compression was good for a sixth-place finish. They're all back, and that might be underselling how good the Eagles can be if they're healthy.
Tom Schultz was only 67th last year, but his 2016 track season -- 14:34, 30:12, seventh in the 10K -- indicates that he's capable of a top-25 finish. Ian Ewers won the steeplechase at outdoor nationals in May. Austin Zajkowski was 60th at nationals two years ago, and ran 14:25 on the track this spring. Josh Schraeder, Zachary Shoemaker-Allen, and Tyler Nault all ran between 14:54 and 15:06 this year. And Jonah Weisse was 42nd and 33rd at cross country nationals in 2015 and 2014. That's an embarrassment of riches, and a national title contender some years.
The only question is health. Coach Derek Stanley is optimistic there, saying, "This team is more disciplined. They didn't get too amped up over the summer, and [past] teams did, because they saw themselves as potentially winning a national title."
Right now, the squad is largely healthy, though Weisse has racked up stress fractures the last three years. Stanley believes that with "any level of fitness, he can be an All-American. In the three weeks leading up to nationals in 2014, he ran a total of five miles on the ground."
By my count, that's four All-American caliber athletes: Schultz, Ewers, Zajkowski, and Weisse. Past that, Hinz has been in the top 115 the last two years, and Schraeder was 119th last year. This team will be in the single digits with a pack like that; with everyone healthy and a bad day from North Central, they could win a national title. Even with an injury here or there, La Crosse should still be in the top 10 for the sixth straight year.
But in order to be the best team in the country, they'll have to be the best team in their conference first. Despite finishing third, ninth, and sixth at nationals from 2014-16, La Crosse took second in the WIAC behind UW-Eau Claire all three years. That's been the best conference rivalry in the country in that time, and that should continue this year.
FULL MEN'S RANKINGS HERE
Probable Top Four:
JR Tom Schultz (14:34 5K; 30:12 10K; 67th at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Ian Ewers (9:05 3K SC; 1st at '17 NCAA 3K SC; 82nd at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Austin Zajkowski (87th at '16 NCAA XC; 60th at '15 NCAA XC)
JR Sam Hinz (98th at '16 NCAA XC; 111th at '15 NCAA XC)
Fifth Man Battle:
SR Jonah Weisse (15:00 5K; 30:59 10K; 133rd at '16 NCAA XC; 42nd at '15 NCAA XC)
SO Tyler Nault (15:06 5K; 31:13 10K)
JR Zachary Shoemaker-Allen (14:59 5K; 9:13 3K SC)
SO Josh Schraeder (14:54 5K; 119th at '16 NCAA XC)
Impact Freshmen/Transfers:
Chris Pahnke via McFarland, WI (9:34 3200)
Analysis:
No one -- not even North Central -- returns a stronger group of five runners from last year's national meet. UW-La Crosse's entire top five crossed the line in a 19-second span last November; while none of them finished in the top 65, that incredibly tight compression was good for a sixth-place finish. They're all back, and that might be underselling how good the Eagles can be if they're healthy.
Tom Schultz was only 67th last year, but his 2016 track season -- 14:34, 30:12, seventh in the 10K -- indicates that he's capable of a top-25 finish. Ian Ewers won the steeplechase at outdoor nationals in May. Austin Zajkowski was 60th at nationals two years ago, and ran 14:25 on the track this spring. Josh Schraeder, Zachary Shoemaker-Allen, and Tyler Nault all ran between 14:54 and 15:06 this year. And Jonah Weisse was 42nd and 33rd at cross country nationals in 2015 and 2014. That's an embarrassment of riches, and a national title contender some years.
The only question is health. Coach Derek Stanley is optimistic there, saying, "This team is more disciplined. They didn't get too amped up over the summer, and [past] teams did, because they saw themselves as potentially winning a national title."
Right now, the squad is largely healthy, though Weisse has racked up stress fractures the last three years. Stanley believes that with "any level of fitness, he can be an All-American. In the three weeks leading up to nationals in 2014, he ran a total of five miles on the ground."
By my count, that's four All-American caliber athletes: Schultz, Ewers, Zajkowski, and Weisse. Past that, Hinz has been in the top 115 the last two years, and Schraeder was 119th last year. This team will be in the single digits with a pack like that; with everyone healthy and a bad day from North Central, they could win a national title. Even with an injury here or there, La Crosse should still be in the top 10 for the sixth straight year.
But in order to be the best team in the country, they'll have to be the best team in their conference first. Despite finishing third, ninth, and sixth at nationals from 2014-16, La Crosse took second in the WIAC behind UW-Eau Claire all three years. That's been the best conference rivalry in the country in that time, and that should continue this year.
FULL MEN'S RANKINGS HERE