SR Marc Scott (13:36 5K; 28:30 10K; 14th NCAA XC ’14)

SO Ben Preisner (8:18 3K; 8:53 3K Steeple; 186th NCAA XC ’14)

JR Luke Traynor (3:49 1500; 8:21 3K; 30:13 10K)

FR Stuart McNutt (10th NXN ’14; 21st FL ’14)

SO Elijah Silva (1:48 800; 3:47 1500; 9th AAC XC '14)

Luke Traynor via Great Britain (3:49 1500; 8:21 3K; 30:13 10K)

Stuart McNutt via Overland Park, KS (10th NXN ’14; 21st FL ’14)

Jay Ort via Canada (8:23 3K; 94th World Jr. XC ’14)

Braydon Rennie via Canada (1:49 800; 3:45 1500; 8:26 3K)

Tulsa will have a very different top five in 2015 than last year, but the good news is that rising All-American Marc Scott returns looking poised for a top ten finish at NCAAs. Not only did the Brit finish 14th at nationals last fall, but he should have an extra bounce in his step after running 13:36 and 28:30 PRs on the track this spring. 

 

The Golden Hurricane lose four out of their top seven from NCAAs last season, including 71st place finisher Tim Rackers and sub-4 miler Adam Palamar. Coach Steve Gulley will look to fill that void with sophomore Ben Preisner and transfer Luke Traynor, who should each fit in nicely as 2-3 men for Tulsa. 

 

Preisner showed promise as a freshman in 2014, finishing 27th at regionals and 186th at NCAAs, which he figures to improve upon with another year in the program under his belt. Traynor comes in from Great Britain (Tulsa always has British studs) with some good road-racing specs, including a 30:13 10K best. The Brit is definitely a wildcard with few cross country results to speak of, but he did run on a Euro junior XC team back in 2012.

 

Tulsa should get an instant boost from true freshman Stuart McNutt, who was 10th at NXN last fall and 21st at Foot Locker as one of the few preps to run both national championships. With the departure of Rackers, Palamar, and Danny Thater, McNutt is likely to be a key member in the top five in his first year on campus. 

 

Sophomore Elijah Silva is known more for his middle distance pedigree, having run PRs of 1:48 and 3:47 this spring, but he certainly can be a solid contributor on the XC course shown by his ninth place finish at AAC Championships in 2014. 

 

Last year’s finish to the season must of left a bitter taste in the mouths of Coach Steve Gulley and his veterans, as the team was certainly better on paper than their 25th place showing at NCAAs. Now having lost a good chunk of experience, Tulsa will look to improve with even more uncertainty than they entered with last season.