Conference Championships Loom For Teams This Weekend

Published by Adam Schneider/DyeStatCOLLEGE.com Editor on October 25th, 2016

Last weekend was used by coaches to test some runners, most of whom trained through without a race. Senior Adam Palomar of Syracuse was a runner that was tested at the John Reif Memorial. He won the 5000m race and became USTFCCCA.org athlete-of-the-week. Whether he runs at the ACC Championships this weekend is another question. 

Athletic directors, coaches and athletes love to perform well at their conference championships. This coming weekend will finally show who will run well this season or who will just try to help the team and do their best under difficult circumstances, such as injury.  

(previous week’s ranking)

1. Northern Arizona - Until last year the Lumberjacks had not missed out on a trophy since 2011. The 2016 roster starts with 10,000m list leader and NCAA runner-up senior Futsum Zeinasellasie, who was third at the 2014 NCAA cross country championships, senior Nathan Weitz was 118th (76th in 2013), and junior Andy Trouard has been hampered by the injury bug but he has shown he can contribute when he is healthy. Junior Cory Glines and sophomores Tyler Day and Jeff Miller developed during the cross country season (8th at the Mountain regional) a1nd junior Matthew Baxter developed during the track season. Glines, Day and Baxter all nearly qualified for the NCAA meet in the 10,000m. With this being the last season for coach Eric Heins and the first season for the former Georgetown coach Michael Smith, this team will be inspired to succeed. The Lumberjacks took five of the first six spots at the George Kyte Classic on Sept. 3 and they beat Arizona State 20-43 without four of their expected top five runners. Northern Arizona ran all but their top three at the Sycamore Invitational on Sept. 10 but still dominated led by Baxter (25:01.3) and Glines (25:06.5) as the Lumberjacks gained experience on the NCAA course. Northern Arizona dominated the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on October 14th with 78 as they beat #7 Stanford (118), #4 BYU (144), #3 Syracuse (167), #1 Iona (240), unranked UCLA (246), and #10 Portland (257). Ziensellasie was second followed by Baxter (8th), the debut of Tyler Day (17th), Glines (20th), and freshman Gordie Beamish (31st). The #1-#5 gap was 31 seconds. Next for the Lumberjacks is the Big Sky Championships at Moscow, Idaho on October 28th.   (1)

2. Oregon - Senior Edward Cheserek will attempt to be the first to win four NCAA cross country titles. Last year Cheserek spent extra time working with and mentoring his teammates to win a trophy and the Ducks were fourth at the NCAA meet last year. Most of their depth (Nos. 2 - 5 and 7) is back as junior Travis Neuman was 46th (he missed the track season due to injury), senior Jake Leingang was 50th, sophomore Tanner Anderson was 56th, and sophomore Matthew Maton was 85th. They all return, as does Ryan Gill, contributors in juniors Blake Haney and Sam Prakel, and potential freshmen contributors Levi Thomet, Jack Yearian, Austin Tamagno and Jackson Mestler and senior transfer Tom Gorman. Coach Andy Powell is looking for his first NCAA cross country title since Galen Rupp was on the roster. Neuman is a question mark after his injury. The Ducks edged Portland 28 to 29 in their season opener at the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Sept. 16th as Oregon went 1-2 with Prakel and Anderson. In his debut Cheserek (23:06.3) made a big move with 1000m to go and dominated (nearly a :19 victory) the Washington Invitational on Oct. 1. Oregon took four of the first six spots as Prakel was next for the Ducks in 23:27.3. Oregon’s first four was better than last year (#2 to #4 gap for Oregon was :04). Potential #2s Neuman and Leingang are not as healthy as last year at this time. Tamagno, Thomet and Mestler ran unattached and went 1-2-3 at Chuck Bowles Invitational.  Oregon won ISU Pre-Nationals on October 15th with a dominating win (:21.4) for Cheserek. Maton was fourth, Anderson was 18th, Thomet was 26th, and Prakel was 36th. The next Duck was Bryan Fernandez in 151st. Neuman and Gorman went 1-2 in the open race and they would have closed the gap as Oregon’s #6 and #7 runners. Next for Oregon is the Pac-12 Championships on October 28th in Tuscon, Arizona  (2)

3. Stanford - Last spring senior Sean McGorty took another step in his development on the track after finishing seventh at the NCAA cross country championships. Sophomore Grant Fisher was 17th and the No. 2 freshman in the race. Junior Garrett Sweatt was 69th last year as fellow juniors Sam Wharton (207th) and Jack Keelan (231st) did not run as well as in 2014 (39th and 100th respectively). It seems likely though that the pace this year will push harder than in 2014. There is a lot of talent on the roster and they will push each other. Three of the Cardinal top seven (Sweatt, Wharton and Keelan) ran as a pack at the San Francisco Invitational and they were fourth. Also, expect Alex Ostberg to make some noise. At the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational on Sept. 23 Stanford ran without McGorty and Fisher and finished fifth. Veterans  Sweatt (10th) and Wharton (17th) led an inexperienced team in Virginia. Freshman Thomas Ratcliffe ran unattached at the Stanford Invitational on October 1st and won in 23:17, faster than Grant Fisher (23:33) ran last year. The Cardinal ran their top runners at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on October 14th and finished second (117 to 78 for Northern Arizona) with the debut of Fisher (2nd) and McGorty (6th). The Cardinal put their top five runners in the first 41 (:34 gap). and NCAA Pre-National Invitational on October 15th. Next for Stanford is the Pac-12 Championships on October 28th in Tuscon, Arizona.    (3)  

4. Iona - Even with health issues affecting them for much of last year the Gaels almost trophied with their fifth place finish. Iona returns their top three and four of their top five. Juniors Gilbert Kirui (20th) and Chartt Miller (43rd) led Iona at the NCAA meet. At the Marist Invitational Marist beat Iona 21 to 42 as the Gaels did not run any of their top seven. The Gaels were sixth at home in the Br. Doyle Meet of Champions on Sept. 16 and again did not run anyone in the top seven. Iona ran their top 7 at the Paul Short Run on October 1st and dominated the competition (34 to 115 for Georgetown and 142 for Adams State). The Gaels took five of the first 12 spots and six of the first 23. Iona put five runners under 24:00 (#1 to #5 gap was :19). Clements led Iona with a second place finish (23:37.4). Last year only Villanova’s Patrick Tiernan and Jordan Williamsz and Georgetown’s Jonathan Green broke 24:00. The Gaels were fifth (240) at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on October 14th.  Clements (7th) and Kirui (12th) ran well but instead of the :19 gap at Paul Short there was a 1:05 gap in Wisconsin. A similar gap to Paul Short would have put them in a tough battle with Northern Arizona for first. Some athletes that did not travel to Wisconsin ran at the Princeton Invitational on October 15th and finished 17th. Freshman Jac Thompson (24:30.1 for 8000m) led Iona with a fifth place finish in his first collegiate race.  The Gaels will next race at the MAAC championships at Lake Buena Vista on October 29th, Florida. Iona wants to win their 26th consecutive title. (4)

5. BYU - Coach Ed Eyestone returns three of his top four but he always has more talent ready to run. The Cougars can never be counted out. Last year they finished 12th led by sophomore Dallin Farnsworth (74th last year) and junior Connor McMillan (84th). BYU easily won the Autumn Classic on Sept. 3. The Cougars won the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational on Sept. 23 with a solid pack up front. They put 7 runners between places four and 19 (four in the top nine) led by senior Nicolas Montanez (fourth) and sophomore Clayton Young (fifth). BYU won the Steve T Reeder Memorial Invitational on October 7th (15 to 50 for Utah State) BYU took the first four spots in the 8800m race led by sophomore Rory Linkletter (28:20.2). The Cougars finished third (144) at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on October 14th. Montanez led the Cougars again (9th), followed by junior Jonathan Harper (18th) and Linkletter (22nd).  Their top five finished in the first 55 with a :36 gap. Farnsworth was second in the open race and McMillan did not run.  The Cougars will next race at the WCC championships on October 28th at San Diego. (5)

6. Syracuse - Juniors Justyn Knight (4th at 2015 NCAA XC) and Colin Bennie (8th) lead this year after the graduation of Martin Hehir (9th). Junior Philo Germano (39th) and senior Joel Hubbard (47th) also return.  Syracuse is looking for depth and at least a No. 5 runner from last year’s transfer Adam Palomar (13:59 5k) and this year’s transfers, senior Adam Visokay from Virginia and sophomore Iliass Aouani from Lamar. Visokay (222nd) and Aouani (185th) ran at the NCAA meet but will need to improve to help the Orange. Coach Chris Fox is very good at recruiting and training runners for a tough 10,000m course. Between redshirts and none of the top five, Syracuse took the first eight spots at the Harry Lang Invitational. Freshman Griff Molino (20:09) led what may be the junior varsity. The Orangemen dominated the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Classic on Sept. 10 running everyone except Knight and Bennie. Aouani led the team in his debut over the 5.2-mile course (26:18). At the Virginia Panorama Farms Invitational on Sept. 23 the Orangemen lost to BYU, 39 to 44. Knight won the race but the rest of the team did not run as well as last year. The fastest average time still went to Syracuse (23:58 to 24:02 for BYU) and if there were more teams, in the race, Syracuse would have won. This team did not peak in Virginia but they are not as strong as last year. Syracuse was fourth (167) at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on October 14th. Knight won the race (23:53) and he was followed by Bennie’s 14th place finish. Neither Germano (28th) or Hubbard (38th) ran that well and Aouani was 86th as Syracuse still has not found a #5 runner. Syracuse took 6 (two raced unattached) of the first 7 at the John Reif Memorial on October 23rd. They were led by Palamar’s win. Potential contributor Wilson was 7th. Next for Syracuse is the ACC Championships on October 28th at Cary, NC. (6)

7. Arkansas -  The Razorbacks return two finishers (two of their top three) from the top 40 at the NCAA meet, junior Jack Bruce (23rd) and senior Frankline Tonui (40th). They also have five of their top 7 with juniors Austen Dalquist (89th) and Alex George (176th) and senior Christian Heymsfield (170th) returning from the meet last year. Sophomore Andrew Ronoh ran 28:36.20 for 10,000m last year and should contribute among the top three for the Razorbacks. Arkansas did not run its top seven and lost to Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Tulsa at the Cowboy Duals on the 5000m course. The Razorbacks (61) were third to Dartmouth (40) and Providence (50) at the Battle in Beantown on Sept. 16. George won the race ahead of Tonui (8th). Arkansas ran without four of the top seven as the team is in a hard training phase.  Arkansas easily won the Chile Pepper Festival on Oct. 1 and beat Wichita State 32 to 115. George and Tonui went 2-3 in the race and the #1 to #5 gap was :33. The Razorbacks were 2nd (110 to 85 for Oregon) at Pre-Nationals on October 15th. Tonui was 2nd and the #2 -#4 gap was :41. Next for the Razorbacks is the SEC Championships on October 28th at Fayetteville, Arkansas.  (7)

8. Colorado - Senior Ben Saarel will likely be back to Top 10 form this year and with sophomore John Dressel (26th) they have a strong 1-2 punch. The Buffaloes will have to cobble a team from returnees including Joe Klecker, Zach Perrin, Ryan Forsyth, Ryan Peterman, and Paul Miller and from a talented group of recruits. Coach Mark Wetmore is very good at maximizing his athletes' performances. This team will definitely require a wait and see approach. The Buffaloes ran all of their top runners (with Dressel and Saarel running unattached) at the Colorado State Invitational and dominated the competition as Forsyth led the Buffaloes to the first nine positions in the race. Colorado dominated the Rocky Mountain Shootout on Oct. 1 without Saarel and Dressel (24:38) in Buffalo uniforms. Klecker led the uniformed Buffs in 24:42. Colorado was third (124 to 85 for first place Oregon) at Pre-Nationals on October 15th and they were led by Ryan Forsyth (15th).  with the #1-#5 gap of :12.  Dressel (24th) and Saarel (25th) debuted in Colorado uniforms. If they ran to their ability they would have beaten Oregon. Next for Colorado is the Pac-12 Championships on October 28th in Tuscon, Arizona (8) 

9. Portland - The Pilots return their top three, junior Jeff Thies, senior Danny Martinez and sophomore Nick Hauger. Portland won the John Frank Invitational, led by Logan Orndorf in third. Once again without their top seven, they raced at the Bill Dellinger Invitational and finished second to #2 Oregon, 28-29. Portland won the Roy Griak Invitational (69 to 97 for second place Iowa State). As good as the women’s race has been the last few years, the men’s race at Roy Griak has been mediocre. Last year’s winner, Michigan State, was 25th at the NCAA meet and runner-up, Southern Utah, was 21st. That Michigan State team averaged 25:19 compared to 25:26 for Portland’s winning team this year. Jeff Thies was the top Pilot in fifth but the average time wasn’t as strong this year partly due to seniors Timo Goehler (28th) and Danny Martinez (38th) not having a good race. This year also contained no high expectations but Portland is a deep team set up for the 10,000m race and Goehler and Martinez will likely run better by the end of the season. The Pilots placed six in the top 28 and four in the top 16. The #1 to #5 gap was :25. Portland scored a near perfect 23 at the Charles Bowles Invite on October 1st. They did not run their top seven. The Pilots were 7th (257) at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on October 14th without veteran Danny Martinez. Even including other adjustments they would have only finished sixth. Senior Tim Ball ran great (24th) to lead the Pilots.  Portland will next race at the WCC championships on October 28th at San Diego.   (9)

10. Wisconsin - Coach Mick Byrne’s Badger team was bit by the injury bug last year but it is unlikely that will happen two years in a row. This team could trophy with so much depth. Senior Malachi Schrobilgen was 10th in 2014 and a group of juniors led by Morgan McDonald (75th in 2014) showed their potential in 2014. It will be interesting to see this group finally run again. The Badgers dominated at the Oz Memorial Invitational on September 9. McDonald (19:53.5) and Schrobilgen (19:53.9) came in together in a dominating performance at Minnesota. Wisconsin took the top four spots at the Badger Classic on September 23. They were led by senior Russell Sandvold. Wisconsin was 11th at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on October 14th. McDonald led the Badgers with a third place finish but Schrobilgen did not run. Freshman Olin Hacker with #2 for Wisconsin, :46 back. With adjustments for Schrobilgen and other team adjustments they could have finished 7th. The Badgers will next race at the Big 10 championships on October 30th in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  (10)

11. Oklahoma State - The Cowboys had to rebuild their roster after last season but the team is led by junior Cerake Geberkidane, 125th in 2015. Adding JC all-Americans juniors Sylvester Barus (2nd at NJCAA XC) and Hassan Abdi (5th) will boost their chances at the NCAA championships this year. Oklahoma State swept the Cowboy duals on Sept. 1 against powerhouses Arkansas and Oklahoma, and others. Oklahoma State dominated (24 to 44 for Tulsa) the Cowboy Jamboree on Sept. 24. Barus won the race and the Cowboys took five of the first nine spots without Geberkidane and Abdi in the race. The Cowboys (47) won the Penn State National meet on Oct. 14th over Mississippi (49). Abdi debuted for OSU with a second place finish. The Cowboys had a :32 gap from #1 to #5 and Geberkidane still has not run. Next for Iowa State is the Big-12 Championships on October 29th in Lubbock. (11)

12. Mississippi - Last year the talent was there for the Rebels. Injuries slowed them but they ran well outdoors. Senior MJ Erb was 39th in 2014 and junior Sean Tobin was 68th last year. Seniors Wes Gallagher, Robert Domanic and Craig Engels could have great cross country seasons. This team could trophy. The Rebels did not run their top runners and finished third at the Memphis Twilight Classic 4-mile race. Unattached freshman Parker Scott led Mississippi at the Rebel Invite on Sept. 9 as they dominated over the 6000m course.  Ole Miss won the Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 30 led by Sean Tobin. The Rebels (49) were second at Penn State Nationals on October 14th. MJ Erb led Ole Miss with a victory over the 8000m course. The Rebels took three of the top four spots. Their #1 to #5 gap was :47. A few runners not in the top seven ran at the Crimson Classic on October 14th. Next for Ole Miss is the SEC Championships on October 28th at Fayetteville, Arkansas.(12) 

13. UTEP - The Miners were 11th at last year’s NCAA cross country championships They lost #2 runner Anthony Rotich (15th) to graduation but they return five of their top six including sophomore Jonah Koech (11th). The Miners took five of the first 13 spots to win the Lobo Invitational on September 3rd. Cosmas Boit and Daniel Cheruiyot shared the win for UTEP over the 5000m course. At the Lori Fitzgerald Classic on September 9th sophomore Antony Kosgei led the Miners over the 6.4k course and they took 5 of the first 10 spots. At the next meet on September 17th the Miners took five of the first ten spots led by Daniel Cheruiyot (19:24.25) as the first three for UTEP came in together. UTEP was second at the Notre Dame Invitational with 99 points to 83 for Mississippi. Jonah Koech (23:52.6) led the Miners with a fifth place finish over the 8000m course with senior Antony Kosgei seventh (23:55.0). UTEP (264) was sixth at the NCAA Pre-Nationals on October 15th. Boit (9th) and Kosgei (10th) led the Miners. UTEP ran without their top runner, Koech, and had a #1 to #5 gap of 1:21. With Koech in the race they would have finished fourth.  The Miners will next race at the Conference USA champoinships on October 29th at Charlotte, NC.  (13)

14. UCLA - The Bruins finished 14th at the NCAA championships last year but lost their top runner (Lane Werley was 21st). Seniors Jonah Diaz (122nd) and Ferdinand Edman (181st) will lead the Bruins this year after UCLA lost three of their top four runners. The Bruins dominated the Nature’s Bakery Twilight on September 2nd using runners outside their top seven. They were led by junior winner Daniel De La Torre (15:55 for 5000m).  The Bruins were sixth at the Roy Griak Invitational on September 24th. They were led by Edman’s 8th place finish. At the Mustang Challenge on October 1st they sent a group outside their top seven. Redshirt freshman George Gleason (25:01.3 for 8000m) led the Bruins with a third place finish. UCLA ran a very solid race at Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on October 14th and finished 6th (246). Seniors Edman (10th) and Diaz (27th) led the Bruins. Their #1-#5 gap was :50. UCLA’s runners outside the top seven finished second at the Bronco Invitational on October 15th. De La Torre was fourth to lead the Bruins. Next for UCLA is the Pac-12 Championships on October 28th in Tuscon, Arizona.   (14)

15. Colorado State - The Rams return one of the best 1-2 punches in senior Jefferson Abbey (13th) and junior Jerrell Mock (19th) plus runners that redshirted last year and had run on Colorado State's 19th place 2014 team. This team is flying under the radar. The Rams did not run Abbey and Mock and lost to Colorado the CSU Invitational dual meets. The Rams finished seventh the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 24 without Jefferson Abbey and others in the top five. Mock won the race. Colorado State finished second at the Washington Invitational (behind #2 Oregon 26 to 39 and ahead of UW with 64) on Oct. 1. Jerrell Mock was second overall as Abbey (10th in 23:43.6) has yet to run at the level he ran at last year (he improved significantly over Roy Griak). The Rams ran their top squad, with Abbey not running healthy, at Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on October 14th and finished a solid 10th (298). Mock (29th) and junior Grant Fischer (30th) led the way as the #1-#5 split was :29. Next for the Rams is the Mountain West Championship on October 28th at Boise. (15)

16. Iowa State - Coach Martin Smith has a major project on his hands but also a lot of talent. Sophomore Dan Curts ran at the 2014 NCAA meet and he is the only one with experience. Redshirt freshman Thomas Pollard recently won the US junior 10,000m title. Senior Kevyn Hoyos transferred from Syracuse and should provide knowledge and experience. This is also another fun team to watch this year. Iowa State won the deep Hawkeye Early Bird Invitational on Sept. 2. The Cyclones finished second at the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 24. They put their five runners between 17th and 23rd, led by junior Toby Hardwick. Iowa State finished 8th (260) at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational. The Cyclones were led by Hoyos (21st) and Pollard (25th). The #1 - #5 gap was almost :41. Next for Iowa State is the Big-12 Championships on October 29th in Lubbock. (16)

17. Virginia - The Cavaliers return their top five and all but one (Thomas Madden) ran well on the track. Juniors Chase Wavering (55th) and Henry Wynne (59th) continued their development with good track seasons this last spring. No one else was within the top 150. The Cavaliers won the UVA duals as they ran as a pack taking five of the first seven spots. The Cavaliers finished third at Adidas XC Challenge (66 to 34 of Florida State) on Sept. 16 without any of the top seven. Virginia finished third (82) at the Virginia Panorama Farms Invitational behind #4 BYU (39) and #1 Syracuse (44). They placed their five scoring runners between 11th (junior Brent Demarest) and 22nd. Wynne (59th at 2015 NCAA championships) did not run. The Cavaliers were third (78) at Penn State National on October 14th. Demarest (6th) and freshman Lachlan Cook (7th) led Virginia. There was an :11 gap from runners #1 to #4. If Wynne comes back they would have finished close to the lead teams, OSU (47) and Mississippi (49).  Next for Virginia is the ACC Championships on October 28th at Cary, NC. (17)

18. Michigan - The Wolverines lost their top two runners from last year’s ninth place NCAA team. The top returners among the four back this year for Michigan are seniors Ben Flanagan (83rd) and Nick Renburg (92nd). They opened their season with a 5000m race at the Michigan Michigan Open on September 2nd. Junior Aaron Baumgarten finished first in 15:09.3. Michigan (37) was second (behind Northern Arizona’s 18) at the Sycamore Invitational on September 10th. They were led by senior Connor Herr (3rd). Michigan was fourth (158) at the Roy Griak Invitational on September 24th. They were led by Baumgarten’s third place finish. At the NCAA D1 Pre-Nationals the Wolverines were fourth again. This time Baumgarten led Michigan with an 8th place finish. Michigan had a :55 gap from runners #1 to #5.  The Wolverines used runners not expected to be in the top 7 at the EMU Fall Classic on October 21st and took 6 of the first 8 spots. Freshman Keenan Rebera led Michigan by finishing second over the 5000m course (15:20.9). Michigan next races at the Big 10 championships on October 30th in Minneapolis, Minnesota.(18) 

19. Indiana - In Bloomington there is a lot of hope that a number of injured runners will have success. Seniors Matthew Schwartzer was 43rd and Jason Crist was 65th in 2014 and Carl Smith was 52nd in 2013. NXN runner-up Ben Veatch joins the group. This group could make the Top 10 with any luck. The Hoosiers won the Indiana Open 8k with most of their expected top seven running and taking the top 6 spots. The Hoosiers won the Indiana Intercollegiate Championships on Sept. 16 with 26 points ahead of Purdue (46). Schwartzer led a pack of Hoosiers that placed five between places 3 and 8. Indiana easily won the Rim Rock Farm Classic on Oct. 1st. They took five of the first 10 spots (#1 - #5 spread was :24). The Hoosiers competed at the Bradley “Pink” Classic on October 14th with runners not in their top 7 currently as Carl Smith had his fastest race of the year and led Indiana in 22nd.  The Hoosiers were fifth (257) at Pre Nationals on October 15th. Crist was the top Indiana finisher in 31st. The #1 to #4 gap was :18. Indiana is struggling with a #5 runner (even with Smith running the same time at Pre-Nationals they would have finished fifth). The Hoosiers will next race at the Big 10 championships on October 30th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (19)

20. Middle Tennessee State - This team has won all three of its races this year. New additions, freshman Jacob Choge and junior Sampson Laari, have made a big impact and seem to have helped push their teammates to improved performances. What has been clear so far this season is that they only have six runners and they have been inconsistent. An injury or a bad race would knock them out of the top 20 at the NCAA meet. In their toughest race at the Commodore Classic they faced 2015 NCAA 7th place finisher Louisville and others and they won (63 to 81 for runner-up Georgia). Middle Tennessee State’s top runner, Choge, battled 2015 NCAA all-American Edwin Kibichiy (40th) to the finish, 24:01.6 to 24:03.7. The Raiders were edged at the Greater Louisville Classic on October 1st, 59-62 loss to Virginia Tech. Middle Tennessee  State did have a better time average of 24:23 to 24:31. The Raiders took the first six places at the UTC Front Runner Invitational on October 15th to dominate the race. Middle Tennessee State will next race at the Conference USA championships on October 29th at Charlotte, NC. (20)

Teams to watch  

Washington State, Georgetown, Eastern Kentucky, Washington, Southern Utah, Tulsa, Boise State, Louisville, Oklahoma, NC State, Furman, Providence, and Illinois