rghfrdrhkkaaw wrote:
SLU going the Kenyan route adds some luster to their chances. Unfortunate they dont think they can contend with good old fashion recruiting Northeast kids.
That is an ignorant comment. First let us look at SLU's 5th place regional team last year: Donohoe and Lloyd, southern New England; Howard, Ostler, Ludington, Northern Vermont. Beuadette and Fox southern/central New York. Looking at this year: Dan Ramsey, Northern Vermont; Mark Bunham, Eastern Mass; Goeff Millard, Canada, for crying out load, do they have to go more north? SLU can compete with recruits from the northeast. Period.
Second, SLU has always had a long standing partnership with Nairobi University. SLU students go there for an abroad program and SLU, in turn, admits many well deserving Kenyans regardless of athletic prowess. It just so happened that Stephen Kiplagat was also a fast runner along with being a bright kid. The coaches at SLU have never abused that exchange student program to bring in any outstanding runners. Check the results.
Lastly, it is unfair to write off Jeremy Mwenda as fast just because he is Kenyan. He is not from the Great Rift Valley Province of Kenya like Kiplagat and Kosgei or all of the great Kenyan Distance runners. Mwenda has not been aided by the assumed inherent genetics of a privileged few tribes or the ideal training found in that region. I was at the first cross country practice that Mwenda attended last year. That practice was the first time coach Newman had ever heard of him (yes, thats right, he wasn't even a recruit). Mwenda promptly quite following the next day's practice because he was way off the back in the work outs and easy run. He started indoor track last year running a 2:15 800. From that point on he worked his butt off to get faster. Mwenda is a naturally gifted athlete, that I concede, but his success so far this year has been a testament to his commitment and Coach Newman's guidance.
While I have the floor, I would also like to mention that I watched Peter Kosgei improve greatly from Liberty Leagues Indoor his freshman year (4:24ish mile) to what he has become now. He is a hard/smart trainer as well.
Back to the race results, enough time has been wasted on uneducated excuses squeezed from sour grapes.