College Track & Field Men's Distance Recruiting Class Rankings - Class of 2024
Ranking the distance recruiting classes for the Class of 2024. Athletes taken into consideration include those who will enroll in either Spring 2024 or Fall 2o24 with freshman eligibility. Transfer athletes, including international transfers, are not taken into consideration. Going forward, those who enrolled in Spring 2024 will not have their performances in the NCAA taken into consideration when updating these rankings. A signing class must have at least three athletes to qualify for these rankings. These rankings are not final; I will update the rankings as the season progresses.
For updated rankings, click here
Updated February 21st, 2024
Honorable Mentions: Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Minnesota, Bradley, Providence, Gonzaga, Oklahoma State
Penn has eight athletes headed to Philadelphia this fall. Raghav Gopalakrishnan, who has run 9:01 in the 3200, finished 22nd at Footlocker Nationals. Puerto Rican athlete Diego Mendez Colon has personal best of 1:53/3:53 in the 800m/1500m. Shane Murphy has most notably run 8:59 in the 2 mile. Ben Markham is a solid middle distance prospect who has run 49/1:53 in the 400m/800m. The rest of the class is Nathan Blades, Esfan Daya, Chris Larnard, and Joey Ruiz.
Six men's distance athletes will be joining Dartmouth this fall. Keion Grieve has notable personal bests of 49/1:51 in the 400m/800m. Noe Kemper has run 1:52 in the 800 and 4:13 in the mile. Connor Foley of England has a personal best of 3:53 in the 1500. The rest of the class is Asher Beck, David Jiang, and Max Miller.
The highlight of this class is Lucas Cohen, who placed 24th at NXN and has run 4:09/9:00 in the 1600/3200. Connor Hom, Keeran Murray, and Matthew Schutzbank are all 1:53 or faster in the 800m. Sebastian Sutch comes in with his most notable mark being his 4:11 1600. Overall, a solid class for the Bulldogs and I would expect this class to end off with multiple sub 4:10 guys.
Indiana has signed a class of three in-state prospects. Tony Provenzano, who has run 8:54.94 in the 3200, placed 14th at this year's Footlocker Nationals. Matthew Kim has personal bests of 1:52/4:11 in the 800m/1600m. Lastly, is Caden Click, who most notably has run 4:10.04 in the 1600. The best way for this class to move up in rankings is for the athletes to show more range in their track times.
Going purely off track times, you would think that this class would not make the list. However, Furman's class is one of the better cross country classes this season. Collin Eckerman, who most recently ran 8:19 in the 3000, qualified for both NXN and Footlocker and placed 25th and 12th respectively at those meets. Matteo Tonnos placed 3rd at the RunningLane XC meet. Jack Falkowski contributed to Christian Brothers' 6th place team finish at NXN. Rives Boltwood was the runner-up at his state meet and Ryan Smith has run 9:05 in the 3200. Not the flashiest of performances, but I do expect this class to run faster this track season and move up in rankings.
Clay Shively is one of the top US mile prospects for this year's class, having already run 4:00 so far this season. Clay has also ran 8:50 in the 3200 and also qualified for NXN this year, but had to scratch due to injury. Emmanuel Perez was also an NXN qualifier and was the CIF XC Division 4 state champion. He has personal best times of 4:09 in the 1600 and 8:53 in the 3200. The class rounds out with Jackson Elliott, whose most notable mark is 9:12 in the 3200. As individuals, Shively and Perez are elite and would be high on an individual ranking. However, as a class, NAU's incoming freshman class does not have same depth as some of the higher teams on this list. I would expect NAU to utilize the transfer portal this summer.
The Lancer class consists of three athletes from three different countries; Venezuela, Morocco, and Argentina. Gabriel Guzman has run 3:45/8:15/14:31 in the 1500m/3000m/5000m and most recently won the Venezuelan 3000m national championship. Last year, Zouhair Redouane, who has run 3:52/8:14 won the U20 Moroccan 10,000m national title and placed 30th at the U20 XC World Championships. Lorenzo Riba has personal bests of 3:54/8:20 and is a multiple time U20 Argentinian national champion.
The Princeton class is headlined by Steven Hergenrother, who qualified for NXN where he placed 29th. Hergenrother is also one of the top middle distance prospects for this year's class, having run 1:52 in the 800 and 4:06 in the mile last season. Avery Keith was another future Tiger would qualified for NXN this season, where he placed 81st. To finish off the class are Franco and Marcelo Parra. Both twins have run 8:55 in the 3200 and both have put up sub 14:40 track 5000 marks. This class has potential to move up higher, especially if Keith can improve his track times and if the Parras can run similar, or ideally faster, than the times they were putting up as sophomores.
The big name in New Mexico's class is Spring-enrollee Vincent Chipchir, a Kenyan athlete who has a personal best of 13:57 in the 5000m at altitude. He will be a solid #4 for the Lobos this fall. Corné de Fouw is another name to watch out for next season. De Fouw has run 3:45 in the 1500 and 8:10 in the 3000 and has done very well in the South African XC circuit. Scottish athlete Rhys Crawford is the last of the international signings, running 1:53 in the 800m. 4:09 miler Camyn Viger is the big American name in the class, who was an NXN qualifer in 2022. The remainder of the class consists of Jayden Hernandez, Will Pardue, and Blake Reynolds.
The Blue Devil's class is headlined by Aden Bandukwala, who was the IHSA 3A XC state champion and an NXN qualifier, where he placed 35th. He has personal best times of 1:53 and 4:09 for the 800 and 1600 respectively. In-state product Dawson Reeves has great range, as evident in his personal best times of 1:52/4:08/8:57 in the 800m/1600m/3200m. Tennessee-native Luke Thompson is another athlete who has run under 4:10 and 9:00. The last athlete to wrap up the class is Matt Ryan, who was a Footlocker Nationals qualifier.
Coach Chris Fox's return has seemed to reignite the recruiting efforts at Syracuse. Last year, 'Cuse signed a small class of two, but it was an elite pairing of Connor Ackley and Benne Anderson. This year, Syracuse has signed six athletes to their men's distance program. Connor Alford, an elite junior track cyclist, is a two time Footlocker Nationals All-American. West Virginia-native Drew Zundell has run 4:08 and 8:58 in the mile and 3200 respectively. Ben Gabelman has run personal best of 1:53/4:08 in the 800m/1600m and was the OHSAA D1 XC state champion. The rest of the recruiting class includes, Omar Alsaidi, Asher Danielson, and Sam Ricchiuti.
A group of three is Eugene-bound next fall. Texas-native Adam Burlison is a two-time NXN qualifier and has personal bests of 4:03/8:55/14:28 in the mile/2 mile/5000m. From California comes Anthony Fast Horse who has most notably 4:08/8:51 in the 1600/3200 and was an NXN qualifier in 2022. The last athlete in the class is in-state signing Jack Meier, who was the OSAA 6A XC state champion and an 2023 NXN qualifier.
NC State has put together a quality men's distance class. The Wolfpack did not have to go far, as three of their signings are from Raleigh. The class features Noah Valyo, who had a dominant cross country regular season which led to an NXN qualification. Will Venable comes in with 4:11/9:09 personal bests in the 1600m/3200m. The last of the Raleigh-native group is Tyler Surface, who was the NCISAA 4A XC state champion. Another in-state signing was Gabe Schmid who was a NCHSAA 3A XC state champion and qualified for Footlocker Nationals, where he placed 16th. To close out the class is West Virginia-native Brayden Marshall, who has run 8:56 in the 3200m and placed 5th at Footlocker Nationals.
This is Coach Will Palmer's first full recruiting cycle at Florida, and he has excelled at signing premier in-state talent. Class is headlined by middle distance runner Riley Smith, who has run a 4:04 mile this season and has proven that he is one of the best competitors in the event, having won Millrose in dominant fashion. Joining him is the top 800m runner in the Sunshine State, Jonah Kirspel, who ran 1:50 in the event last season. The Gators have also signed one of the top cross country runners in the state of Florida, Josh Ruiz, who placed 35th at NXN. The class is finished off with Graham Myers and Jonathan Leon, who both had top 3 finishes at their Florida XC state meets.
The Tar Heels have signed a class of four distance athletes on the men's side. Illinois product Ethan Hogan has run 4:06/8:49 for the 1600/3200. Henry Strand has personal bests of 1:52 and 4:08 in the 800 and 1600 respectively. Knox Young, a 2022 NXN individual qualifier, has run 1:53/4:08 in the 800m/1600m. Lastly is in-state signing Luke Liming, who has most notably run 4:11 in the 1600m. UNC's men's class had a very quiet cross country season, primarily due to injury. Once healthy, this class can move up in rankings once they start putting up big time performances.
The Cavaliers have signed one of the top New Zealand 800m prospects in James Ford, who has run 1:49 in the event. The top American for this class is Jimmy Wischusen, who has run 4:09 in the mile and 8:56 in the 2 mile. Another 4:09 miler is also coming to Charlottesville in Alabama-native Charles Perry. UVA also signed local talent Bazil Mathes, who most recently won the VHSL 3A XC state championship.
Last year, Coach Kyle Levermore led the charge for a phenomenal recruiting cycle at Georgetown for both the men's and women's teams. This year is no different, with the Mizzou men's class looking like a top ten distance class. The new coaching staff has carried on the New Zealand to Mizzou pipeline. New Zealand prospect Jamie Mora has has personal best of 1:53/3:47/8:25/14:38 in the 800m/1500m/3000m/5000m. Joining him is fellow Kiwi Louie Endres, who was the 2000SC New Zealand national champion with a personal best of 5:55. Out west comes Carter Spradling, who has run 4:07 and 8:50 in the 1600 and 3200 respectively. Local CoMo product, Andrew Hauser, has run 4:10 in the mile and 8:14 in the 3000m. Mizzou also signed a pair of athletes from Arkansas, Joseph Bariola and River Hardman. Bariola was an NXN qualifier and has run 4:09 in the 1600. Hardman is one of the top 800m prospects from Arkansas, having run 1:51 in the event. Ryan Eddington, who has run 1:52/4:07 in the 800m/1600m, led his team to a 7th place team finish at NXN. The class is finished off with Sam Golla, who most notably has run 9:09 in the 3200m.
Washington has signed a quality class of four. Montana-native Nathan Neil, who has run 1:52/4:10/8:50 in the 800m/Mile/3200m, placed 3rd at NXN and was undefeated in the races leading up to it. Martin Barco is one of the top 800m/1500m prospects for this year's class, having run 1:51/4:07/8:57 in the 800m/1600m/3200m. In-state signing Parker Mong was an NXN qualifer and was also the WIAA 2A XC state champion. Lastly is Ambodai Ligons who has run 1:51 in the 800m. Ligons is going to be coached by the Coach Jeshua Anderson, the UW sprint coach. The Huskies also signed international transfer Ben MacMillan, but he is not taken into consideration for these rankings.
This spring, The Crimson Tide brought in two Kenyan athletes to Tuscaloosa. Allan Kiplagat has most notably run 8:41 in the 3000SC, which would already put him in the conversation of being a scorer at conference. Dennis Kipruto has run 60:51 in the half marathon, which should mean he will be a real threat at the 5k-10k distance. The two Kenyans will provide an immediate impact for the cross country team. The remainder of the class features five Americans. Most notably, Adin Lathrop, who has run 1:52 in the 800m and Evan Trapp, who has run 4:10 in the 1600m. In truth, without the Kenyans, this class would probably be ranked in the 20s - maybe even honorable mention. It is a respectable US class, you could even say it is one of the better group of Americans the Tide have ever signed, but it would not be in the top 20 without the Kenyans.
A small but elite group of three are headed to Ann Arbor this Fall. William Beardsley, an English national residing in Japan, has run an 8:12 3000m and 14:11 5000m making him one of the top overall distance prospects in the class. Brendan Herger and Marcus Reilly are two of the top middle distance prospects in the US. Herger has run 1:51 in the 800 and 4:08 in the mile. Reilly, last season, ran 1:50 in the 800 and 4:06 in the mile. Both have the potential to provide immediate impact in an event like the DMR.
Similar to the women's class, BYU has one of the best cross country classes in the nation. Two-time NXN All-American Daniel Simmons leads the charge, having run 8:34 and 13:59 in the 3200m and 5000m respectively (the top US times for this class overall so far). The Cougars also signed the top US 800m returner in Tyler Mathews, who ran 1:48 last season. Another big signing was Berkley Nance, who qualified for both NXN and Footlocker Nationals and placed 30th and 4th respectively. He also qualified for the U20 XC World Championships. That 8k XC experience will help him adjust to the NCAA level. The last two BYU signees are NXN All-Americans Austin Westfall and Landon Heemeyer, who placed 4th and 14th respectively. Behind Notre Dame, this class had the best showing on the cross country course at championship meets. Once track times start dropping - which they will - I would expect this class to move up a spot or two.
Wake Forest's class is headlined by NXN champion JoJo Jourdon, who most recently broke 4 minutes in the mile at NB Indoor Grand Prix and Scottish athlete Corey Campbell, who has recently run 4:04.10 in the mile and 7:56.11 (8:31.20c 3200m) in the 3000m. David Serra is another sub 4:09 1600m guy in the class, who has extensive range, as evident in his 1:52 800m and his Florida 4A XC state title. From the west coast, two-time Footlocker Nationals qualifier Grant Morgenfeld comes in with a 8:49 3200m personal best. Another sub nine 3200m guy in the class is Luke Mussard, who qualified for NXN in 2022. To round out the class, the Deacs have signed two 800m specialists in Daniel Coyne and Foster Shelbert.
The Vols signed a total of ten distance/middle distance runners this season. The class consists of three HS XC national qualifiers; NXN qualifiers Will Conway and Ethan Edgeworth and Footlocker Nationals qualifier Jake Liebert, who placed 11th. Some notable recent performances from this trio include Conway's 4:06 mile and 8:48 2 mile, Edgeworth's 8:53 3200m, and Liebert's 14:12 5000m. Additionally, Miles Ramer, who just narrowly missed out on qualifying for NXN, is a multiple-time Tennessee state champion and has recently run 4:06 in the mile. Gavin Genisio, the two-time Illinois 1A XC state champion, also comes in with a 4:09 mile personal best. From Germany, Constantin Carls, who has run 8:15 in the 3000 and 14:22 in the 5000. It is apparent that there was an emphasis on 800m runners this year to supplement with their distance guys. Jarryn Lowe, Zach Makemson, Kelton Poirier, and Luke Schagelin have all gone 1:52 or faster in the 800m and will hopefully lead to the development of 800m runners that Tennessee would need for a shot at the DMR.
Stanford has signed a strong distance class this year. James Dargan, Byron Grevious, and Patrick Koon have all gone 14:06 or faster in the 5000m on the track. Paul Bergeron isn't too far off with his 14:17 personal best as well. The best miler of this group is Dargan, who has run 3:44 for the 1500m. Dargan was also 4th at last year's U20 European Championship in the 5000m and has dominated the U20 UK cross country circuit. The future Cardinals had an impressive showing at the US HS XC national championships. Josh Bell and Grevious placed 9th and 11th respectively at NXN this year. At Footlocker Nationals, Bergeron and Koon placed 7th and 15th respectively. Overall, a very promising group and I would not be surprised to see this group end up with multiple sub 14 5000m guys by the end of the season.
Drew Griffith won Footlocker Nationals and recently ran 8:39 in the 2 mile, the fastest all-conditions indoor 2 mile in US prep history. Fellow PA native, Ryan Pajak, was not to far behind him in both races. Pajak was the runner-up at Footlocker Nationals and ran 8:47 in the same race as Drew. The Fighting Irish add on another PA athlete in Colin Whitaker, who is a two-time Footlocker National qualifier. From NXN, Notre Dame had individual qualifiers Jack Henzke, Cameron Todd and Jason Parra, the latter of two placed 2nd and 8th at the meet. Along with his NXN performance, Todd also placed 8th at Footlocker Nationals. Noah Nielson, a middle distance prospect, qualified for NXN as a team qualifier but most recently ran 1:51 in the 800 at the Simplot Games. Six of these guys have run 9:00 or faster in the 3200. With the amount of HS XC All-American accolades this class has, it is undeniably the #1 recruiting class for this years cycle.
