Official 2025 NCAC XC Thread

I see three teams in the second tier of the conference: Kenyon, Oberlin, and Wittenberg. Each of these teams has a shot at the title, but it would take an underperformance from John Carroll. I'm pretty conflicted on how to rank them, but I'll give Kenyon the slight edge as of now.

#2 Kenyon returns most of their major players from last year, although they lose a 15:06 man in Peter Bernhardt. For most of last fall, they had the tightest spread in the conference, with a pack of runners in the 26-minute range. It seems like they had a bad day at the conference meet last year, as they only placed 6th. However, all their runners are trending in the right direction, which earns them the second seed in these very early rankings.

• #6t Charlie Blackmer [SO] had a decent freshman season on the grass, consistently running in the high 26-minute range. He was much better on the track, running 1:56/3:59 and landing on three conference podiums (2nd indoor mile, 3rd indoor 800, 3rd outdoor 1500). If he can translate that success up to the 8k, he’ll be Kenyon’s best runner this fall.
• #8 Joshua Breard [SR] was just ahead of Blackmer for much of last fall, and seems to thrive at longer distances: this track season, he ran 4:44/9:13/15:28/32:29. He’s clearly aerobically fit, and has good momentum going into next year.
• Colt Murphy [SR] ran pretty poorly at last year’s conference meet, placing 52nd in 28:09. But this spring, he raced much better on the track. Murphy ran 15:20 at the outdoor conference 5k, and also 9:47 in the steeplechase. He should be solidly in Kenyon’s scoring five.
• Owen Rodstrom [SR] had a very similar year to Murphy. Rodstrom was barely under 28 minutes at the conference meet, but ran 15:26 behind Murphy at the outdoor conference 5k. He ended his season with a 9:36 steeplechase.
• #9 Henry Rodrigues [SR] is somewhat of an unknown. He was Kenyon’s top returner at last year’s conference meet, taking the last all-conference spot at 21st in 26:59. However, he didn’t race at all on the track this year. Hopefully he was studying abroad rather than injured.

#3 Oberlin has better top-end talent than Kenyon, but doesn't seem to be as deep. The Yeomen graduate three of last year's top seven, losing Walter Moak (8:57 steeple), Jonah Barber (14:48 5k), and Danny Markey (32:16 10k). These three placed 3rd, 5th, and 14th at last year's conference meet. Let's see who they return this fall:

• #5 Piers Shirk [JR] took 7th at last year’s conference meet, and ran a 25:22 at Geneseo. He had a great track season, as he won the NCAC 1500 title and set PRs of 3:54/8:31/14:49. Shirk will almost certainly be Oberlin’s top runner this fall.

• #10 Liam Newman [SR] has never run all that well on the grass, but it’s hard to ignore his track times. Newman ran 3:57/14:59 this spring, and was third in the NCAC steeplechase in 9:27. He’ll need to drop about a minute from his 8k PR of 26:40.

• #6t Charles Endres [SR] was the fourth returner at the conference meet last year, placing 12th in 26:25. He ran 8:35 in the 3k indoors, but has been otherwise inconsistent on the track. Oberlin will need him to meet the moment this fall.

• #14 Will Gordon [JR] was consistently in the mid-27s last fall, but ran 26:37 at Geneseo as a freshman. He showed progress on the track, including a 33:08 10k at All-Ohio.

There’s no clear number five for the Yeomen, so one of their rising sophomores will need to step up.

• Daniel Beyda [SO] is the most likely candidate, with an 8k PR of 27:36. He progressed nicely on the track, with a 16:25 5k this spring.

I never could figure out why Wooster wasn’t better. Great school in a great setting.

Yes, Wooster has never been very good. We'll get to them near the bottom of the rankings.

#4 Wittenberg loses Conor Kolka (2023 conference XC champ, 29:42 10k), but returns the top three runners in the conference, at least on paper. However, they have a depth issue, as their 4-5 are nowhere near their 1-2-3. What's more, one of their top runners (Anderson) was likely injured this spring, which Wittenberg really can't afford. On the bright side, Wittenberg typically has strong recruits, so they could bring in some freshmen to fill the gaps. Let's see who they have:

• #1 Lukas Rieben [JR] will lead the Tigers, having placed 6th at last year’s conference meet. With all seniors ahead of him, he’ll be the top returner in the field. On the track this season, Rieben ran some fast times (8:39/15:06/32:13) and placed third in the 5k and 10k at the outdoor conference meet. He should be eyeing the individual medals this fall.
• #3 Lucas Eisele [SR] provides a very solid #2 for Wittenberg. Eisele placed 13th in cross last year, and was fourth in the outdoor 10k. Despite racing only three times on the track this year, he capped his season with a PR of 15:13 in the 5k.
• #2 Brandon Anderson [SO] was sensational last cross season, placing 8th at the conference meet in his freshman season. During indoors, he moved down in distance with some success (4:18/1:56), but barely scored at the conference meet. He must have gotten injured, as he didn’t race at all outdoors. Anderson has a lot of upside, but he’ll need to be healthy.

After these three, it becomes harder to find compelling runners.

• #15 Kamren Graham [SO] was consistently in the 27s last fall, and will probably be in Witt’s scoring five. His best track result is probably his 4:11 1500.
• Evan Haemmerle [JR] has run some good times in the past, with a 32:51 10k to his name. But his most recent race was a 27:34 8k last October. He’ll need a real turnaround to help his team in the fall.
• #19 Zayden Taylor [SR] is a competent mid-distance runner, and has run 50.9 in the 400 and 1:57 in the 800. But he’s out of his element in the 8k, placing 40th last year, just inside 28 minutes.

Alright, let's get back to the rankings after a brief hiatus. Next up we have the third tier of the conference in DePauw, Denison, and Wabash. None of these teams has a shot at the title, but their top runners should be aiming for all-conference recognition (top 21). These three teams are pretty close in strength.

#5 DePauw was third at last year's conference meet, and second among NCAC schools at regionals. However, they graduate their entire scoring five in Jacob Kissling (2022 NCAC XC champ), Brennan Jensen (15:08 5k), Matt Vennemann (14:41 5k), Matt Rowley (1:53 800, 3:57 1500, 15:18 5k), and Max Morgan (15:26 5k). Unlike Denison and Wabash, DePauw has proven they can be good. The Tigers won four consecutive cross titles from 2017 to 2021, and their current women's team is stellar. This fall, they'll have to count on some solid mid-d guys to step up to the 8k. Here's their lineup:

• Ian Porter [SO] ran 15:39 and 4:02 this spring, and seems to be DePauw’s best returning runner. He struggled on the grass last fall, and was 64th at the conference meet in 28:42.
• #12t Ian Ross [SO] focused on the 800 this track season, running 1:56 and scoring at both conference meets. His 8k PR is 26:24, so there’s evidence he can run well in cross.
• Dominick Dell [SO] also moved down in distance on the track, setting PRs of 1:57 and 4:26. He’s less proven in cross country, with an 8k best of 27:28.
• Andrew Hepner [JR] is yet another mid-distance man for DePauw. Hepner hovered right around 2:00 for most of the outdoor season. Unfortunately for the Tigers, his 8k PR is 28:46.
• Spencer Hughes [SO] is probably DePauw’s best option for a fifth man. Hughes was a disastrous 30:09 at the conference meet last year, but his track times of 2:01/4:37 suggest he can do much better.

#5t Wabash finished 5th at last year's conference meet, and 6th among NCAC schools at regionals. They lose a major player in Brayden Curnutt (2024 NCAC and Great Lakes Regional Champ, All-American) and also Jacob Sitzman (15:19/32:24) and Will Neubauer (1:50 800, 2x All-American on the track). On paper, Wabash is about as strong as DePauw – a young team, with a couple solid runners, and some mid-d guys that will need to step up. I was planning to rank them lower, but I think that's not really fair. I also have to recant my statement that Wabash hasn't proven they can be good – they did win the conference title in 2023. As such, I'll rank Wabash tied for fifth. Here are their returning runners:

• #6 Haiden Diemer-McKinney [SR] is an incredibly talented 800m runner (1:49 PR!), and will likely be Wabash’s top runner this fall. Although he hasn’t come close to his freshman year times in the 800, he has developed a lot aerobically. Last cross season, he was in the 26-minute range all season, with a PR of 26:09 at Terre Haute.
• #16 Jonathan Loney [SO] is a likely number two for the Red Pack. His 5k PR of 15:47 isn’t particularly impressive, but he has progressed very consistently in every event. With a strong summer, he should be in the mid-26s for the 8k.
• Angel Perez [JR] soloed a 4:04 from the slow heat of the conference 1500, which suggests he can improve his 8k best of 28:04. However, he hasn’t run anything longer than a mile on the track, so his aerobic fitness is unknown.
• David Adesanya [JR] is another strong 800m runner, but his cross country abilities are doubtful. Despite running 1:53, Adesanya has barely cracked 28 minutes on the grass. However, he has Neubauer and Diemer-McKinney as models for stepping up to the 8k.
• Carter Norris [JR] has run 34:17 in the 10k, which is worth a 27:00-mid in the 8k. That’s likely good enough to make Wabash’s scoring five.

Wabash has a stellar recruiting class coming per their IG. I fully expect several of those men to run 4/5 for da Bash and move them into the top 3, thus supplanting the Dannies yet again.

Thanks for the tip on Wabash's recruits. I'm waiting to make a post on each school's recruiting class, as most haven't announced their freshmen yet.

#7Denison was near the top of the conference for a few years, finishing 3rd in both 2021 and 2022. Since then, they've been slipping, placing 5th in 2023 and 8th in 2024. With their top two runners (presumably) injured last fall, the Big Red beat only Hiram. On paper, Denison's returners are about as strong as Wabash's or DePauw's, but I can't overlook their injury problems and poor momentum. Here are their returners:

• Oliver DiCerbo [SR] will likely lead the Big Red on the grass this fall. He had a good track season in the mile and 1500, running 4:18 indoors and 3:59 outdoors. At the outdoor conference meet, he also doubled back with a 15:46 in the 5k. Last season, DiCerbo was likely injured, as his only result was a 29:09 at the conference meet.
• Noah Cyr [SR] has the potential to be very good in cross country, as he has twice finished 5th at the conference meet. But since the 2023 cross country season, his results have been poor or non-existent. Things may be turning around, though, as Cyr ran a 33:10 10k at All-Ohio. Denison will need him healthy this fall.
• #17t Phinnigan Spindler [SO] ran two 10ks this spring, in 33:53 and 34:00. With an 8k PR of 26:53, he’ll likely be in Denison’s scoring five.
• Leo Wisnefski [JR] ran some solid mid-d times this spring (1:57/4:02), but hasn’t historically been very good in cross. Last fall, he barely cracked 28:00 and was 59th at the conference meet.

It’s hard to pick a fifth runner for Denison, and not in a good way. A couple possibilities:

• Cole Clodgo [JR] has a 26:33 PR in the 8k, but his recent results have been poor by comparison. A 9:22 3k was his best result this spring.
• #17t Hudson Jones [SO] was consistently in the high 27s last fall, and improved his track times throughout the winter and spring. He seems reliable, if not stunning.

#8 Ohio Wesleyan beat Denison by one point to place 7th at last year's conference meet, but it's unlikely they'll do so again. The Battling Bishops lose Wes Horton (7th in 2022 XC, 1:55 800) as well as two top-seven runners in Simon Leck and Kory Kaiser. OWU has had good runners before, but it seems that their best talent transfers away (e.g. Levi Killian, Ben Blaumeiser). This fall, OWU will need to beat Wooster to avoid placing last in the conference. Here's their lineup:

• Preston Pethtal [SR] is OWU’s top returner, with respectable track times of 9:00/15:41/32:42. Last fall wasn’t great, but during the 2023 season he was in the mid-high 26-minute range. However, OWU would need him to return for a fifth year. I'm not sure what grad programs OWU has, but it seems unlikely.
• #20 Jacob Blubaugh [SO] is more of a mid-distance runner, with an 800 PR of 1:58. His 8k isn’t as good by comparison (27:28 PR), but it’s good enough to be OWU’s number two.
• Lucas Weaver [JR] has run reasonably good track times (1:57/4:05), but recently he’s been far from that form. OWU will need him to step up in both distance and fitness.
• Perry Jackson [SO] has run 16:37 in the 5k, and 27:42 in the 8k. Unlike the Rick Riordan protagonist by a similar name, he won’t be able to count on divine intervention to help him.
• Xavier Platt [SR] dipped under 17 minutes at the outdoor conference 5k. That’s nowhere near competitive, but at least it shows progression from past years.

#9 Wooster placed 4th at the conference meet last year, a surprisingly high finish for the Fighting Scots. However, they lose four of their top five in Drew Robertson (14:52, 2x runner-up in XC), Will Callender (14:56, 2x indoor champ), Ben Nichols (15:53), and Eric Johnson (15:41). For the most part, their returners are not trending in the right direction, so Wooster will have to count on a strong recruiting class this fall. Here's their current lineup:

• Reese Johnson [SR] apparently only joined Wooster’s team in January, but had a remarkable progression in the 800. Here are his times in that event from January to May: (2:16, 2:13, 2:09, 2:10, 2:05, 2:05, 2:02, 2:01, 2:01, 1:58) If this was his first season running, it suggests a lot of potential. His aerobic ability is mostly unknown, as he has never run anything over 1500m.
• Zane DeMercurio [SR] ran 16:34 at Wooster’s track 5k last fall, and followed it up with some PRs on the track, such as a 4:09/9:19 double.
• Joe Ahmann [SR] had a poor cross country season last fall, as he was 72nd at the conference meet and 224th at regionals. He was slightly better on the track, running 16:38 and 4:12.
• John Keck [SO] has a 5k PR of 16:38 from last fall, but his season best this spring was a dismal 17:50. His 3k time of 9:50 is more encouraging, but still not great in comparison.
• Jack Schuller [SR] raced well at last year’s conference meet, setting a PR of 27:18. However, his indoor season was poor (4:51 mile), and he didn’t race at all outdoors.

Summary:

The team to beat: #1 John Carroll

The contenders: #2 Kenyon, #3 Oberlin, #4 Wittenberg

The middle of the pack: #5t DePauw, #5t Wabash, #7 Denison

The stragglers: #8 Ohio Wesleyan, #9 Wooster

So there you have it: my early summer rankings for the 2025 NCAC XC Championships. I think my next posts will be an overview of each team's recruiting classes, and a composite schedule for the conference. We'll just have to wait for those to come out. As of now, some schools have announced their freshmen and schedules, but not all have.

With just under a month left in the summer, all conference schools have released their schedules for the coming season. I’ve compiled them below to show who will be racing whom. Note that bold text indicates a host school. In a second post, I’ll give my thoughts on the match-ups. Here’s the composite schedule:

August 24

• Wabash Annual Alumni Run (Wabash – Crawfordsville, IN)
  • Wabash

August 29

• Port Kenyon Opener (Kenyon – Gambier, OH)
  • Kenyon, Oberlin, OWU, Denison
• Wooster Invitational (Wooster – Wooster, OH)
  • Wooster
• Wild Witt Exhibition (Wittenberg – Springfield, OH)
  • Wittenberg
• Bill Sudeck Invitational (CWRU – Hunting Valley, OH)
  • John Carroll

September 6

• Franklin College Grizzly Invitational (Franklin – Shelbyville, IN)
  • Wabash, DePauw

September 13

• Otterbein Invitational (Otterbein – Westerville, OH)
  • Wooster, Oberlin, Denison

September 19-20

• All-Ohio Intercollegiate Classic (Cedarville – Cedarville, OH)
  • Kenyon, Wooster, Wittenberg, OWU, John Carroll
• Gil Dodds Invitational (Wheaton – Warrenville, IL)
  • Wabash, DePauw
• Rochester Yellowjacket Invitational (Rochester – Rochester, NY)
  • Oberlin
• Allegheny Classic (Allegheny – Meadville, PA)
  • Denison

October 3-4

• Live in Lou Cross Country Classic (Louisville, KY)
  • John Carroll, Wabash, DePauw, Wittenberg, Kenyon (A?)
• Ohio Wesleyan Invitational (Ohio Wesleyan – Delaware, OH)
  • OWU, Denison, Oberlin, Kenyon (B?)
• Daniel Mullen Memorial Invitational (Muskingum – New Concord, OH)
  • Wooster, Denison

October 17-18

• Oberlin College Interregional Rumble (Oberlin – Oberlin, OH)
  • Oberlin, John Carroll, Kenyon
• Augustana College Interregional Invite (Augustana – Rock Island, IL)
  • Wabash, DePauw, Denison
• JennaStrong Fall Classic (Wilmington – Wilmington, OH)
  • Wooster, Wittenberg
• Conn College Invitational (Connecticut College – Waterford, CT)
  • OWU

November 1st

• NCAC Championships (Kenyon – Gambier, OH)
  • All teams

November 15th

• Great Lakes Regional Championships (Louisville, KY)
  • All teams

November 7th

• Wooster Twilight 5k Challenge (Wooster – Wooster, OH)
  • Wooster, Oberlin

November 22nd

• Division III National Championships (Spartanburg, SC)
  • Qualified teams and individuals

As far as my analysis goes, I have a few takeaways:

1. Only four of nine schools will preview Kenyon's course ahead of the conference meet. I understand that some schools don't want to give up their home openers, but I don't know why John Carroll is going to Case Western instead. I guess it's marginally closer? In any event, we'll see if familiarity with the conference course boosts the chances of Kenyon, Oberlin, OWU, and Denison.
2. DePauw and Wabash have nearly identical schedules. It's not all that surprising that the Indiana schools would go to similar meets, but it's still striking. The two schools will meet four times during the regular season.
3. We're getting most of the important match-ups. Sometimes the main championship contenders don't even race until the championship. That was the case last year with Oberlin and Wittenberg. Fortunately, this year's contenders will race frequently before the championship. From a fan's perspective, that's good news.

And one correction to the schedule: Wittenberg will be racing at the John McNichols Invitational in Terre Haute on September 20th. Sorry for the error – they changed their schedule since I originally compiled the information. Seems like a poor change to me. Terre Haute is so last year...

Alright, it's time to take a look at this year's incoming freshmen. With the exception of OWU, all NCAC teams have updated their rosters. Below, I've ranked each school's recruiting class, considering both talent and depth. I'll note that this is only for cross country, so mid-distance runners won't get much credit for their speed.

1. Wabash brings in the strongest freshmen class, hailing mostly from Indiana. Their class of 10 is headlined by Tyler Kerzee (1:58/4:26/15:40) and Jack Loftus (4:24/9:32/16:15), with support from Cordell Smith (2:01/4:40/10:18/16:53) and Sam Carpenter (51.8/2:11/4:50/10:09/16:46). On a depleted Wabash team, expect to see several of these runners in the Red Pack's top five.
2. Oberlin brings in an impressive squad of 8 freshmen, most notably Cooper Tanski (1:54/4:24/16:45) who owns the fastest 800 time of any incoming freshman in the conference. Meanwhile, Ryan Faris (4:37/9:56/15:42) and Casey Smothers (10:03) should contribute to the distance squad. The Yeomen also add Tully Valentine-Maher (1:58/4:29) and Simon Swai (1:59/4:33/17:29), whose talent seems to lie on the track.
3. Denison boasts a big class of 10 recruits, lead by Will Jackson, whose only results are 5ks (16:06 xc, 15:51 track). Will Fontana (1:59/4:49/10:49/16:27) and Sebastian Klimchak (2:00/4:35/10:14/16:15) are good finds as well. The Big Red have another sub-two man in Isaiah Irwin Evans (1:59/4:49/18:36), though he likely won't be a factor on the grass.
4. Kenyon brings in a class of 8, with solid recruits in Jackson Beemer (4:34/9:45/16:39), Noah Berg (10:33/16:12), and John Schaal (2:04/4:36/10:13). With Adam Skidmore (4:43/16:59) and Griffen Suttner (4:42/16:29), the Owls have likely the deepest freshmen class in the conference. As a downside, a lot of these recruits seem to be inconsistent, running much better either in cross or on the track.
5. DePauw claims a small class of 4, but also the top recruit in the conference. Patrick McGrail (2:01/4:30/9:26/15:34) looks like a great true-distance guy, who will step up well to the 8k. Meanwhile, Owen Mohler (4:31/9:51/16:08) and Wyatt Johnson (2:00/4:38/10:18/16:19) should also score for the Tigers. Though they have great quality, I have to rank DePauw down here due the small size of their class.
6. John Carroll similarly brings in a small but solid class. Aidan Walter (2:03/4:32/9:54/16:44) is their top recruit, joined by Declan Loftus (2:03/4:34/10:23/17:00). Ebrahim Alzraqat (52.8/1:56/5:15/18:31) and Maxwell Kollhoff (1:59/4:58/17:00) will be useful for track. Fortunately for JCU, they won't need any freshmen to form a strong top 7 for cross country.
7. Wittenberg has the smallest freshmen class of any school in the conference, at just 3. That’s worrying, as they also have the smallest total roster at only 7 men. I have to imagine that their financial problems are hurting their recruiting and attrition rates. Since one of their freshmen will have to score, it’ll likely be Jay Patel (2:03/4:44/10:23/17:20). On a bigger roster, Adam Veotte (51.7/1:57/17:46) might not even run cross country, but Wittenberg will need him to do so.
8. Wooster technically brings in 6 freshmen, but five of them have never broken 20 minutes in the 5k. (Three haven’t broken 22 minutes!) Wooster’s only good recruit is Tyler Frye (52.1/1:58/16:41) who has some impressive range.

So there you have it – this year’s incoming freshmen in the NCAC. If OWU brings in anyone noteworthy, I’ll post about it. Otherwise, we can look forward to the first meet of the season on Sunday, August 24th - Wabash’s Alumni Run. After that, most teams will open their seasons a week from today, on Friday, August 29th.

The first week of competition is now in the books. Seven of nine teams raced last week, with DePauw and Wabash as the only hold-outs. These season openers can be hard to interpret, as some teams run them as workouts. Fortunately, I was able to get some tips on who was racing all-out and who was working out. Below, I’ll write a short report on each team’s performance, and then provide my updated rankings.

Kenyon looked strong at their home opener, as Joshua Breard, Charlie Blackmer, and Colt Murphy swept the top three places in the 6k. Kenyon raced 19 of 21 men on their roster, with all their major players accounted for.

Oberlin ran the race as a workout, with seniors Liam Newman and Charles Endres leading the Yeomen. Oberlin raced 10 of 15 men on their roster, with Piers Shirk as the most notable absence.

Denison also worked out, led by freshman William Jackson. Noah Cyr was the Big Red’s second finisher, an encouraging sign for his health. Denison raced 15 of 19 men on their roster, missing Oliver DiCerbo. For unclear reasons, Leo Wisnefski ran unattached.

Ohio Wesleyan was unremarkable, but I’m not sure whether they raced or worked out. At least most of their athletes were accounted for, as the Battling Bishops raced 8 of their 9 runners.

Wittenberg looked very worrying, racing only 4 men on the 7-member roster. Lucas Eisele placed fourth, by far the Tigers’ best runner. Wittenberg’s last runner, Taylor Insyxiengmay, was dead last in 25:00. Lukas Rieben, the top returner in the conference, didn’t race. (I got a tip that he had a stress fracture over the summer.)

Wooster raced at their home opener. As expected, there weren’t any impressive performances. The Fighting Scots raced 19 of the 26 men on their roster, but a lot of those guys are track athletes who won’t run cross country seriously.

JohnCarroll raced a handful of guys at Case Western. Basically none of their top runners competed, so there’s not much I can say about their performance.

Week 1 Rankings (pre-season ranking in parentheses):

1. JCU (1)
2. Kenyon (2)
3. Oberlin (3)
4. Wabash (5t)
5. DePauw (5t)
6. Denison (7)
7. OWU (8)
8. Wooster (9)
9. Wittenberg (4)

Races this week:

• Wabash and DePauw at Franklin College Grizzly Invitational

Week 2 Report

DePauw and Wabash opened their seasons today at the Franklin College Grizzly Invitational in Shelbyville, Indiana. In a rather weak 10-team field, DePauw placed 4th (110) while Wabash was 6th (143). The race distance was 5k, rather than 8k. Times were slow across the board, so I suspect that neither of these teams were racing all-out. As such, I’m hesitant to draw any firm conclusions.

DePauw raced 12 of 15 men on their roster, led by Patrick McGrail, arguably the top incoming freshman in the conference. I may have noted this before, but DePauw is a very young team. At today’s meet, the Tigers’ top nine finishers were underclassmen. DePauw has no seniors on their roster, and just three juniors, two of whom didn’t race today.

Wabash raced just over half of their 22-man roster, which makes me think that the rest were intentionally held back. I couldn’t discern a pattern for who raced and who didn’t, and I don’t think that the racers were really going all-out. In any event, junior Jonathan Loney led the Red Pack, followed by freshmen Jack Loftus and Tyler Kerzee. Notable absences were Haiden Diemer-McKinney and Angel Perez.

Not much new information this week, so I’m going to keep the rankings the same as last week. Even though DePauw “won” today, Wabash kept it close while holding back half their roster.

Week 2 Rankings (last week’s ranking in parentheses):

1. JCU (1)
2. Kenyon (2)
3. Oberlin (3)
4. Wabash (4)
5. DePauw (5)
6. Denison (6)
7. OWU (7)
8. Wooster (8)
9. Wittenberg (9)

Upcoming races this week:

Oberlin, Denison, and Wooster at the Otterbein Invitational (Westerville, OH)

Week 3 Report

Denison, Oberlin, and Wooster raced this week at the Otterbein Invitational. This was the first 8k for all three teams, and the first true race for Denison and Oberlin. In the 14-team field, Denison was the top conference team (6th - 153 points) as Oberlin (9th - 260) narrowly edged out Wooster (10th - 288). Conditions were pretty hot in Westerville this weekend, with temperatures in the upper 70s during the race.

Denison looked slightly better than last week, led by a great run from rookie William Jackson (4th place in 25:57). That’s a very impressive result for a freshman, especially for the first 8k of the season. In other news, Oliver DiCerbo returned to racing after missing last week, serving as Denison’s 3rd man in 27:13.

Oberlin looked vulnerable this week, missing two key runners in Piers Shirk and Charlie Endres. The Yeomen didn’t have the depth to replace them, and Denison put 7 on Oberlin’s 2. Liam Newman was Oberlin’s top finisher again, 25th in 27:07.

Wooster looked about the same as last week, and their scoring five finished in the exact same order. While not spectacular, their fifth man actually beat Oberlin’s today.

I have to raise Denison and lower Oberlin in the rankings after this race. Denison had all their runners accounted for, and has good potential for improvement. Jackson was impressive, and we know how good Noah Cyr can be when he’s healthy. By contrast, Oberlin was missing Shirk and Endres, and their fifth man ran 29:30. Despite today’s result, Wooster is not as close to Oberlin as they will be in a thinner field. The (relatively) large field today exposed Oberlin’s depth issue more so than the nine-team conference meet will.

Regarding the rankings, we haven’t seen much from the Indiana teams yet, so I’m only going to lower Oberlin to fourth.

Week 3 Rankings (last week’s ranking in parentheses):

1. JCU (1)
2. Kenyon (2)
3. Denison (6)
4. Oberlin (3)
5. Wabash (4)
6. DePauw (5)
7. OWU (7)
8. Wooster (8)
9. Wittenberg (9)

Upcoming races this week:

• All-Ohio Intercollegiate Classic (Cedarville – Cedarville, OH)
  • John Carroll, Kenyon, OWU, Wooster, Wittenberg,
    
• Gil Dodds Invitational (Wheaton – Warrenville, IL)
  • Wabash, DePauw
• Rochester Yellowjacket Invitational (Rochester – Rochester, NY)
  • Oberlin
• Allegheny Classic (Allegheny – Meadville, PA)
  • Denison

Week 4 Report

All conference teams were in action this weekend, split between four meets in four states. I’ll break it down meet by meet below.

All-Ohio Championships (John Carroll, Kenyon, Ohio Wesleyan, Wooster, Wittenberg). 20 teams, including Division II and NAIA competition.

John Carroll (5th - 158) raced their top squad for the first time this season, looking as strong as expected. Sam Su was the Blue Streaks’ top finisher in 25:10, a mild surprise given his mid-d focus on the track. With their fifth man at 26:00 today, JCU looked every bit the favorite for the conference title.

Kenyon (8th - 219) looked quite strong today, as Charlie Blackmer (25:16) and Colt Murphy (25:35) both ran big PRs to lead the Owls. However, Kenyon was missing Dylan Sibbit and Adam Skidmore, both of whom scored at their home meet. With a full squad, Kenyon could be within striking distance of John Carroll.

Wooster (17th - 530) managed to edge out Ohio Wesleyan today, mostly due to the efforts of their lead runner Joe Ahmann (26:58). The Fighting Scots had a very tight 3-6 pack, who should push each other to improve this season.

Ohio Wesleyan (18th - 533) raced the same squad they did at Kenyon, but it wasn’t enough to beat Wooster today. They’ll have to hope the density of the conference field plays to their favor in November.

Wittenberg (DNP) again failed to race a full team, though Lucas Eisele did race well individually (25:17). Hopefully the Tigers can find another healthy runner, as a DNP at the conference meet would be an embarrassment for an already struggling school.

Gil Dodds Invitational (Wabash, Depauw) 20 teams, including NAIA/Community college competition.

Wabash (7th - 222) raced fewer runners than last week, just 10 of 22 men on their roster. I’m not sure what to make of this - it’s possible that Wabash lists mid-distance guys on their roster that they don’t intend to race. In any event, the Red Pack didn’t look too impressive, though they did narrowly beat DePauw.

DePauw (8th - 225) also ran a thinner squad today, missing their 4-6 from last week. Without those crucial runners, the Tigers’ fifth man barely cracked 30 minutes. At the front, freshman Patrick McGrail led the charge, running his first 8k in a respectable 26:44.

Rochester Yellow Jacket Invitational (24 teams, mostly D-III)

Oberlin (8th - 231) headed up to Rochester, producing a much better result than last week at Otterbein. Will Gordon led the Yeomen in a PR of 26:03, as freshmen Cooper Tanski and Ryan Faris both dropped about two minutes from last week’s outings. Concerningly, however, Piers Shirk was absent again and Charles Endres ran 30:42 - over four minutes from his best. Oberlin will need to find a fifth man, since today they had an 80 second gap between 4 and 5.

Allegheny Invitational (13 teams, mostly D-III)

Denison (5th - 98) also spurned All-Ohio, instead traveling to ex-NCAC member Allegheny College. I have to imagine the course was challenging, as times were slow across the board. Freshman William Jackson notched a runner-up finish in 27:09, only losing to a runner with the telling last name of Cheruiyot. The rest of the team performed similarly to last week.

Reflections: John Carroll showed they deserved their #1 ranking this week, as Kenyon positioned themselves as the only serious challenger so far. Oberlin showed they’re still a cut above the Indiana teams, and Wooster managed to get on terms with Ohio Wesleyan.

Week 4 Rankings (last week’s ranking in parentheses):

1. JCU (1)
2. Kenyon (2)
3. Oberlin (4)
4. Denison (3)
5. Wabash (5)
6. DePauw (6)
7. Wooster (7)
8. OWU (8)
9. Wittenberg (9)

Upcoming races next week:

• Live in Lou Cross Country Classic (Louisville, KY)
  • John Carroll, Wabash, DePauw, Wittenberg, Kenyon (A?)
• Ohio Wesleyan Invitational (Ohio Wesleyan – Delaware, OH)
  • OWU, Denison, Oberlin, Kenyon (B?)
• Daniel Mullen Memorial Invitational (Muskingum – New Concord, OH)
  • Wooster, Denison