Why are all the best running schools mostly in the West Region? This holds true for schools of all divisions. It's like the West is the Kenya of the US.
There have been claims out there that heat and humidity can make you faster. But once we exclude the Kenyan runners from the Southeast Region schools, then we are left with almost no top runners.
Is it the culture, history, climate, etc.?
Top running schools in the West:
Northern Arizona
Portland
BYU
Utah State
Washington
Stanford
UCLA
Adams State
Colorado
New Mexico
Arizona
... and all those smaller colleges scattered around Colorado
Top running schools not in the West:
Wisconsin
Oklahoma State
Iona
Syracuse
Michigan
... as you can see, not that many
Top running schools in the South (with the help of Kenyan-born athletes who were already fast when they got here):
Arkansas
Alabama
Campbell
Middle Tennessee
Eastern Kentucky
UTEP