This is a strange year for cross country in this town, full of more top-drawer depth than we’ve seen in most recent years and not one heralded favorite to win a state title among the bunch.

In 2015, there probably won’t be a duplicate performance of Eric Hamer, who won the 4A state meet by 32 seconds for Palmer Ridge last year, and then went on to place high at the national and world cross country championships. Nor does it appear there will be an area runner projected as the preseason favorite to win a state title, something that Pine Creek’s Zachary Alhamra was in 5A last year and Coronado’s Bailey Roth was in 4A in 2012 and 2013.

If you had to make your best estimate of the field -like cross country coaches did when they were asked to list the five best area runners in a questionnaire by The Gazette – there’s not one, or two, but more than a handful of runners across town that could bring home a state cross country title in 2015.

“There isn’t one guy far better than the rest from Colorado Springs,” TCA coach Alan Versaw said. “I think there will be really deep class of runners that can run high at state.”

Of them is Rampart’s best kept secret, Ben Dingman. The quiet and often overlooked running talent finished third at state in 5A in 2014, and is the only returner from that race’s top-five finishers. He would be a more recognized talent in 5A, yet his year-long passion of triathlons has somewhat buried him in the shadows.

“Most people don’t know who I am,” Dingman said. “I don’t run track, so I think that kind of puts me off the radar.”

He might stay off it too. Dingman is days away from finding out if he has earned a discretionary spot at the ITU World Triathlon Championship in Chicago on Sept. 17. The spot would mean he’d miss a chunk of the cross country season and would focus more time on swimming and biking.

“Yeah, he’ll miss some time with us if he gets to go,” said Rampart coach Robert Young, who also has speedy sophomore Connor McCabe and a deep roster at his fingertips this year. “He’ll be back for regionals and state, and the big meets, though.”

In Class 4A, meanwhile, the area returns four runners that placed in the top 15 at state last season.

Widefield’s Maximilliano Martinez finished fourth at state. Only Montrose junior Ian Meek returns with a better state finish. TCA’s Tanner Norman took eighth, Air Academy’s Luc Hagen was 10th and Palmer Ridge’s Liam Cox was 12th.

Outside the top 15, Cheyenne Mountain senior James Jones also returns as a top contender after he had the fifth-fastest cross country time in 4A last year.

“I don’t think anyone could beat Eric (Hamer) last season,” Bears coach Kelly Christensen said. “This year no one is going to win by 30 seconds. The guys I have are no more favored than any of the other top runners in the area.”

The first look at a lot of these runners will be at the state course, Norris-Penrose Event Center, on Friday at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede.