Official 2025 NESCAC XC Thread

The mystery Tufts recruit is Tadhg Murray (1:57, 4:13, 9:01).

Damn bro go get a job or something 😭

Haha, good chirp!

Hoping to see more friendly banter in the Nescac this year - seems like the conference has gone soft these past few years aside from than those Midd guys with aura

Middlebury are in shambles after the departure of their glorious king Ziggy "Ziggy" Goddard. I hear that Charlie Kessler has gone into hiding with Solomon McDow somewhere in the forest, and that Shef West is nearing 800lbs. I also have intel that GTG somehow has an extra year of eligibility and is transferring to Midd to finish out his collegiate career. Will this be the hero they needed to keep the program intact? Only time will tell.

Interesting - Yes, I thought Kessler was a very promising talent coming out of hs (maybe even a 1:50.xx guy) and had the potential to be the breakthrough guy for their mid-d squad, but still love the energy he brings to the team's social scene and sport in general. Also, would love to see the GTG transfer to Midd if he still has the eligibility. Not only would he make them a very serious contender for the title, but I think he'd be a very solid locker room fit given his newfound "British Aura" in the post-Oxford era.
Just to add, I could also see Wesleyan or Amherst being the ones to step up with that competitive spirit, but I haven't seen enough yet to say anything too decisive. All that I know is that with Chuckie Namiot gone and his mustache's lost volume, it doesn't seem like it will be Williams.

expect a major talent uptick next year in Nescac recruiting based on uncertainty and dislocation at the top academic D1s. it will have waterfall effect downstream - less spots at Stanford ND Georgetown UVA UNC UMich (all T25 academcially) will mean more talent at ivies, then more pushed down to nescac - fewer spots at top squeezes kids down the chain. Guarantee more 4:15 rising seniors and upcoming NXN qualifiers are talking with nescacs this summer..Nescac tries to do pre-reads over summer and grab the kids early. A great path imo - and much wasted talent just chasing that “D1 commit” post on insta, followed up by middling collegiate career, when a nescac D3 experience would be such a better fit for many..

Don’t forget the UAA

Amherst and Midd look pretty good this year, and I'd expect that at least one of their frosh will make a big step up when they reach the college ranks and likely be a key impact player in their success heading into champs. Midd could definitely make a big step up and it wouldn't surprise me if they're a dark horse heading into nescacs. This recruiting class from Amherst also has me put them confidently over Williams now when combined with their current team, they'll be dangerous for sure.

Williams has definitely brought in some good new talent but their freshmen traditionally struggle compared to their incoming performances from high school, and the team was injury prone last year. The likely return of Zanuck and Hardiman will certainly help, and Mamiya will definitely be an x-factor for the team given his end of season performances in track, but I don't know if Williams have the depth or talent to retain the grip they've had on the nescac over the past decade and it wouldn't surprise me if both Wesleyan and Amherst surpass them by the end of the season. I'd go 1) Tufts, 2) Amherst, 3) Middlebury, 4) Wesleyan, 5) Williams, 6) Bowdoin, 7) Colby, 8) Bates, 9) Conn, 10) Hamilton, 11) Trinity.

wow Williams predicted as 5th??? when was the last time they were that low - just think their floor is higher given the level of talent that naturally gravitates to Williams - being the undisputed top LAC in recent memory creates that type of pipeline imo - guarantee they land sub 4:15 juniors and NXN qualifiers next cycle given the dislocation and uncertainty with roster limits etc at top schools

Crazy hot take over here... I think you're really underestimating Williams and overestimating Midd a ton. Yeah they've got some good recruits coming in but it's still a rebuilding year for them. Middlebury is also known for getting some good recruits that don't end up contributing and the whole team is infamous for choking in the late xc season.

You may well be right, but so will Amherst and many others in the nescac given the current level of uncertainty nationwide. Williams has a better chance than most at getting that type of talent, and they've had the pedigree in the past, but they've also squandered a lot of that recruiting success. Namiot was out all spring when he was a clear contender for the 10k title, GTG never came close to returning to his freshman success, and even if you go back 3-4 years, the program has struggled to convert its big names into consistent championships that they ought to have won. Simply getting good recruits is never enough, you also have to train them and get them to success, and for a team with as lengthy a history of winning as Williams, only having one qualifying distance athlete last season makes me hesitant to rank them any higher when it feels like Amherst, Midd, and Wes have all made big steps up last year and appear poised to do the same this year.

Williams's chances are entirely dependent on whether their seniors are in shape after a full year off and if there frosh can make that next step up without getting injured in the process. We'll get a very good picture at Little Three's as to where they're at. I could be entirely wrong and maybe they beat both Amherst and Wes handily, but it very well could be the opposite and I get the feeling that the two may just be better this year.

This is a bad take. Oakes ran great for williams last year, and has potential to be their 2-3 this year. He was one of their top guys at nationals and had a great track season. Nikhil also has been training very consistently and cannot be counted out. Even not at full strength, he can be a solid 4-5 at the least. If he's back, he's the favorite to win. Williams should still be the favorites or close to it. If they don't win, they'll be damn close.

Individual all-NESCAC predictions?

My predictions for first team all cac

1. Gregory Baldinucci, Amherst

Beer steeple champ at nescacs, should translate to a championship on the grass.

2. Liam Calhoun, Wesleyan

Can't count out a guy with a 14:14 5k pb and great range.

3. Luke Munch, Wilmington Delaware

Funny name, maybe graduated but still expect to see something of him

4. Amokrane, Tufts

All american last year or smth like that.

5. Charlie Kessler, Middlebury

Heard lots of buzz around this kid in the cac 25 thread, sleeper pick for next year.

6. Harrison Dow, Amherst

Top returner from 2024 cacs, dont count this kid out.

7. Ray Pavlik, Middlebury

Just a real student of the xc game, someone you would want to date your daughter, high cross country iq, sneaky athletic particularly at his super bowl Conn College.

HM. Henry Reichle, Colby

Kind of put up a sell job to lose the 2023 new balance nationals 4xmile with the above 3 people, but I still predict a concord carlisle 5-8.

What do you all think?

Do you really think Gregory Baldinucci at 1? Haven't heard too much of him, and could find any results on him from last Nescacs but seemed to be a promising SC guy in high school. Agree with Calhoun and Amokrane being at the top - both had really great seasons last year and seem like clear low sticks for their respective teams. Would love to see Kessler and Ray make these jumps, followed the CC guys back in '23 and have been waiting to see their breakouts for Midd. Another CC guy, Dow from Amherst obviously a threat for the individual title. He's also been a very nice and friendly guy, so I'll definitely be rooting for him this year. I don't dislike Reichle as an HM either - he's run fast on the track but we gotta see if he can convert that fitness to the track. I also think we see a Williams guy or two up there - any predictions for who that could be?

I think you're right that Williams may lose Little 3s, but I don't think they'll lose Nescacs. I agree they didn't have much national success last year, apart from Namiot in the fall, but they were definitely in a worse spot last year heading into the fall and still managed to beat Amherst when it counted. They had 3 guys run 14:3x, 2 run 3:51 in the 15, a frosh run 31:09, and 2 of their juniors were abroad. They don't have any low sticks, but I don't think Amherst or Wesleyan is going to overcome that depth.

If anyone, I think Tufts is the most likely to take down the ephs. They were a close 4th last year and ran well in track

I agree that you can only read so much into little three's so much given Amherst's tendency to decline as the season progresses, but you're also giving Williams a bit too much credit here. Williams won by a single point over Amherst last year with a lock on the individual title, and a strong 2-5. They lose that hold on the individual title this year, and most of that core hasn't raced since last fall and I'm not certain will return at the same level, especially if they were out with injury. Combined with there performances at outdoor nescacs, end of season progression, and terrible record of talent development over the last two years, and I have a feeling that the ephs may be going in the opposite direction of the rest of the nescac.
totally agree about Tufts though, I put them first in my rankings and I feel pretty confident that the Jumbos will take the victory this year. The new head coach seems to be a real difference maker and the team looks to be on the path to dominance over the next few years if things hold. I think at best Williams finishes 3rd, most likely 4th, but I still get the feeling that they very well could be 5th this year and I'll stick with my original rating until after the start of the season and we have a better idea of where the teams actually stack up.

Oh please. A classic case of Mr. Munch gassing up his teammates. Let's get real, your first 6 guys are soft as some liberal hands on grass. The real guys to watch are numbers 39-45 from last year's finish. Henry Reichle showed last year that he's him and can lead colby to a top 10 finish. Double A runs like the energizer bunny and is way better than his similarly named Wesleyan counterpart. Now that the Scardignshow has graduated, I'm excited to see if he gets replaced by the Ellis Iurilli-Shough (show). Honestly really rolls off the tongue just as well. Throw a Stephens twin (either one) and Nikhil in there and you get two guys who frankly haven't lived up to their sophomore seasons (how was bro 17th) but could make a huge impact this year. If Nikhil is healthy, and as a true Eph glazer I hope he is, he could be the favorite to win. Let the strava comparing commence, and munch on!