Check out the Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown, where FloTrack ranks the top 31 cross country teams in the NCAA this season. The No. 11 men's spot goes to Eastern Kentucky this year, and here's why:
Probable Top Five:
SR Jaime Escriche (13:56 5K; 29:45 10K; 37th at '15 NCAA XC)
JR Jakob Abrahamsen (8:34 3K SC; 13:52 5K; 11th at '16 NCAA 3K SC)
SO Erick Rotich (14:05 5K; 90th at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Amos Kosgey (29:10 10K; 7th at '15 NCAA Southeast XC; 124th at '15 NCAA XC)
SR Ambrose Maritim (14:02 5K; 137th at '15 NCAA XC)
Impact Freshmen/Transfers:
Samuel Abascal Fernandez via Spain (8:53 3K SC)
Freshman names not identified at publish time
Analysis:
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels placed four in the top 27 in the deep NCAA Southeast Regional to qualify for the Big Dance in Louisville. Though Jaime Escriche went on to finish 37th for All-American honors, the lack of a fifth runner was evident as the EKU men fell to 17th in the team standings.
The addition of 8:34 steeplechaser Jakob Abrahamsen in 2016 could help Eastern Kentucky inch closer and closer to a top-10 finish. Abrahamsen was injured for most of the 2015 cross country season but improved a ton in the mile (4:07) and 5K (13:52) before qualifying for the NCAA championships in the steeplechase.
Amos Kosgey had the best race (seventh) in the Southeast Regional before falling to 124th at NCAAs--surprisingly, his best finish at the championships. He's notched top performances at a variety of meets in his career, but lacks consistency. If he finds it this fall, his final season, Kosgey could wind up the top finisher for EKU.
With the top four back from 2015, Escriche, Kosgey, Erick Rotich and Ambrose Maritim, and one of 2016's breakout stars on the track in Abrahamsen, this team has loads of potential. Their best team finish in program history came in 2013 when the squad was 15th. If the top five listed above have their best day, they should surpass that.