Graham Blanks, OSU No. 1 In FloTrack College XC Rankings Presented by HOKA
Graham Blanks, OSU No. 1 In FloTrack College XC Rankings Presented by HOKA
After a few weeks of early season racing, there was some movement throughout the FloTrack College XC Rankings presented by HOKA.
After a few weeks of off-and-on racing, there were no huge changes in either the individual or team standings in the FloTrack College XC Rankings presented by HOKA.
On the individual side of things, Harvard senior Graham Blanks continues his reign at the top of the rankings as he approaches his senior debut. Blanks, who battled injury throughout the early stages of the track season, is coming off of a long summer of racing that saw him make it all the way to the 5000m Olympic final.
The defending NCAA champion and winner of five straight cross country races will not be an easy man to take down, especially with him finding his fitness again.
The list behind Blanks didn't see any changes either, with New Mexico's Habtom Samuel and Oklahoma State's Denis Kipngetich rounding out the top three spots. Both men were All-Americans at 10,000m this past track season, with Samuel winning the title and Kipngetich taking third.
Texas Tech freshman Solomon Kipchoge and Arkansas senior Patrick Kiprop fill out the top five, while Eastern Kentucky's Justine Kipkoech sits sixth, followed by Oklahoma State's duo of Brian Musau and Ryan Schoppe.
Kipchoge's Red Raider teammate Ernest Cheruiyot and BYU's Casey Clinger are both coming off of wins, sitting ninth and 10th, respectively.
You were probably able to piece together why Oklahoma State was ranked No. 1 after seeing three of their athletes ranked inside the top 10. Behind their All-American trio, two more All-Americans in Fouad Messaoudi and Victor Shitsama sit No. 13 and No. 14, nearly re-creating the Cowboy's finish at last year's NCAA championships where they went 4-8-10-12-15.
The top five teams stayed the same after not-so-much racing, as Arkansas, BYU, Northern Arizona and Iowa State stay put to fill out the top five.
Eastern Kentucky and Notre Dame maintained their No. 6 and No. 7 spots, but strong wins from New Mexico and Wisconsin moved them past Stanford, as the shake-up has the Lobos and Badgers ahead of the Cardinal.
Over the next few weeks, expect to see more movement throughout the rankings, especially with meets like Roy Griak and the Cowboy Jamboree coming up.