Just like pre-season in the NFL, early season results in NCAA cross country often come with a grain of salt. Lesser known schools may compete at full strength against higher ranked squads resting their starters, making any results recorded during this time inconsequential. Just as well, top teams may wish to run as a pack to practice team tactics, generally not providing results indicative of true fitness. There’s a reason why the Kolas calculator doesn’t count meets until the end of September, as training takes precedence over racing before the real show begins in October and November. 

Nonetheless, there is a certain team that has already brought out their full arsenal, and have subsequently caught our attention before the races count towards NCAA qualification. Middle Tennessee State has not shown up in any pre-season rankings thus far, and for good reason: the Blue Raiders finished 5th at Conference USA XC in 2013 and did not compete at NCAA XC. Not surprisingly, as we searched for sleeper teams in anticipation of the upcoming season, in no way did we consider the squad from Murfreesboro. 

But we’re not sleeping on them anymore. After this weekend’s Commodore Classic in Nashville, where MTSU placed their entire top-5 in the top-20, the Blue Raiders appear to be serious contenders to at minimum win the South region in November. Head coach Dean Hayes’ squad is loaded with East African talent, among them Geoffry Cheruiyot, who won the race in Nashville in 24:06, and Hillary Rono and Shadrack Matelong, who were 4th and 6th at that meet, respectively. For his efforts, Cheruiyot was named C-USA Runner of the Week. Hayes on his top runner, “(he’s) very competitive and not afraid of anybody. (We) just need to see what he is like against some of the top athletes.” 

Okay, we can hear the yawns. Why should you care about a team that’s dominating their early season meets? Well, this team appears to be solid 1-5, not just a top heavy group with a few good Kenyans. 

Consider that both Matelong and Rono beat Purdue All-American Matt McClintock at the Belmont Invitational on August 29th. McClintock was 37th at 2013 NCAA XC, and since Matelong and Rono appear to be the Blue Raiders’ #2 and #3, Middle Tennessee could be looking at three runners in the top 40 at Terre Haute. Yikes. 

It gets better. MTSU’s #5 runner in Nashville was Peter Okwera, a transfer from Tennessee. Okwera only ran 25:19 last weekend, but he has experience from 2012 NCAAs, where he placed 30th as a sophomore. According to Coach Hayes, Okwera is coming off a stress fracture in the spring and was forced to take time off. “Whether he can get back to his best, not sure, but it certainly is nice having him as a fifth man,” said Hayes. 

A lot can change over the course of two years, especially after an injury, but if Okwera can regain his fitness from 2012, the Blue Raiders could go from sleeper to a contender for a top ten finish. Add in #4 runner in Nashville Amos Cheruiyot and MTSU looks downright dangerous.

This group of East Africans is young and inexperienced on the national level, and it will take time before they are ready to challenge the top teams in NCAA cross country. We understand that MTSU will have to prove themselves against better competition, but in the meantime, the Blue Raiders’s future appears bright. With three of the top five runners being freshman, 2014 will not be the last time we hear from Coach Hayes' team. As the boys from Murfreesboro gain experience against top competition, we should get a good indication of just how bright this team’s future is.