Texas Tech is running a 29 year old out there.
U.S. Frosh:
(Mile rankings): Powell and Tostenson (3:36/3:56-57)--did nothing in xc, literally or figuratively,
Kitchen (32nd xc, damn good), Noonan, T.J. Hansen, Coombs, Latham, Socarras (800/1500 type), add in Charlie Vause, NXN champ and 8:07 3k, add in Aiden Monistere and Juan Gonzalez, 8:46-47. Really got virtually nothing from these guys at 8k or 10k xc this year, except for Kitchen at BYU. Usually, BYU's contribution is to send them off to get fat for two years before competing, getting more of their prime at BYU and less of it as pros. That is what happened to the high school 5000m record holder, still off. 11 seniors were sub-8:50 in the 2M and only Kitchen has done much. There have been years where freshmen did contribute on the men's side, Nico Young 4th in March of 2021, had time to adjust but also ran fast on the track in December, Dathan Ritzenhein, 4th as a true frosh, and Chris Derrick, but it's rare to be top ten as a true freshmen of the appropriate age. Kitchen was an older senior, by the way.