Diljeet Taylor turned down the distance job at Oregon

Thats super high praise, especially coming from someone like yourself. I hope folks get to watch this - it was quite an exciting race and so happy the kids got to run it. It shows me why it is such an amazing race every year. Tough course and conditions really enjoyed it

Any link to coach's post race interview ?

inteview @29:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v73GIr5pHWY

wejo wrote:

Former Eugene resident wrote:

In 2018 Taylor turned down Oregon to replace Maurica Powell. Instead the Ducks hired Helen Lehman-Winters. Look at the trajectory of the two programs since then. Bummer.

The bigger shocker to me is she turned down the Director job at Stanford as well.

I can see turning down an assistant job, but she described Stanford as her 'dream job'.

I guess she factored in how much she likes Utah, cost of living, etc and made the decision to stay in Utah. I'm impressed with everything she's doing.

Her rejection of the Stanford Director's position, and that was the position, was the result of the disorganized and unprofessional manner in which she was treated during the interview process. That was the sole reason.

BYU getting top recruit next year...Hutchins

DII Denizen wrote:

wejo wrote:

The bigger shocker to me is she turned down the Director job at Stanford as well.

I can see turning down an assistant job, but she described Stanford as her 'dream job'.

I guess she factored in how much she likes Utah, cost of living, etc and made the decision to stay in Utah. I'm impressed with everything she's doing.

Her rejection of the Stanford Director's position, and that was the position, was the result of the disorganized and unprofessional manner in which she was treated during the interview process. That was the sole reason.

I have no insider information. All I know is what has been said and published publicly. But I have an incredibly hard time believing someone would turn down their dream job(close to her home, elite academic institution, enormous recruiting opportunities, long tradition of success, great pay etc.) solely because the interview process was "unorganized" and "unprofessional".

Good for her!!! Life's too short to be treated in that fashion. Even if it may be for what you consider to be your "ultimate" career postion.

runnER/DR wrote:

DII Denizen wrote:

Her rejection of the Stanford Director's position, and that was the position, was the result of the disorganized and unprofessional manner in which she was treated during the interview process. That was the sole reason.

I have no insider information. All I know is what has been said and published publicly. But I have an incredibly hard time believing someone would turn down their dream job(close to her home, elite academic institution, enormous recruiting opportunities, long tradition of success, great pay etc.) solely because the interview process was "unorganized" and "unprofessional".

So I agree that it's unlikely that it was the "sole" reason, as job change decisions are very rarely based entirely on a single factor. That said, it probably didn't help and may have been what finally convinced Taylor to stay at BYU. The thing is, she has a very good job right now, and it was a very good job at the time that she decided to turn Stanford down.

Looking at the pros and cons of each school, Stanford is close to her family, but BYU is close to her husband's family, so Stanford isn't as obviously better as it may look at first glance. BYU is also a good academic school, though it's obviously not Stanford. But the academic standards at Stanford can actually be an impediment to some sports like football and men's basketball, though it seems to be helpful in the non-revenue sports like cross country and volleyball. Stanford probably pays more (though Pac-12 schools are pretty notorious for being cheap), but the cost of living in Palo Alto is much higher than it is in Provo. Etc.

As for the programs themselves, Stanford has great tradition, but BYU does too in this particular sport. The Cougars had a legitimate dynasty in the late 90s and early 2000s. If I was Taylor, I would conclude that if one coach (Patrick Shane) could build a great distance program in the not-so-distant past, then another great coach probably could too. She had already made great progress with her first recruiting class as she rebuilt the program. Putting all these factors together, and I really don't think Stanford is obviously a better job.

I'm speculating a bit on this next point, and I'll preface this by saying that I don't know Taylor personally. But from everything I've ever read and heard about her, she strikes me as a very loyal person. She coached at her Division II alma mater for nearly a decade before moving to D1. And I think she really values that Ed Eyestone and Tom Holmoe were the ones who gave her the chance to coach D1 at a major program. She seems to really like both of them, based on her interviews, social media posts, and even a glowing endorsement of Holmoe when he was being considered for National Athletic Director of the Year.

If you're considering another job that might be better on paper, but you really like the people you're currently working with, it's already hard to leave. But then if your "dream" employer treats you unprofessionally in the interview process, that would be a major red flag for many people. And at the same time, your current employer is working to give you a promotion and more money, which is what BYU did. At that point, Taylor's decision isn't so surprising. And based on what's happened since, it certainly seems like she made the right call.

How was the Stanford interview process unorganized/unprofessional?

normo wrote:

How was the Stanford interview process unorganized/unprofessional?

I'm not saying it was. Someone a few posts up said that was the case. As far as I know, she hasn't said that publicly, instead saying that she realized that Stanford was no longer her dream.

But she can't be a director level coach at BYU because she's not Mormon. So it seems like she may move soon anyway, especially now that she has done what she set out to do and win an NCAA championship. From what I understand, she has also had some concerns about raising her children in Utah because of its lack of diversity compared to elsewhere (since she is a minority too).

I have no insider information. All I know is what has been said and published publicly. But I have an incredibly hard time believing someone would turn down their dream job(close to her home, elite academic institution, enormous recruiting opportunities, long tradition of success, great pay etc.) solely because the interview process was "unorganized" and "unprofessional".

Like you, I have no insider information. But, if what you say is true, I have no difficulty believing that someone whose career has been attended with the kind of success Taylor's has, would turn down a position because the interview process was unorganized and unprofessional.

One of the things highly successful coaches are attuned to that a lot of ordinary people are not is how the context elevates or eradicates possibilities. When you sense a vibe that isn't going to mesh with what works for your personality, you take enormous risks by forging ahead. If nothing else, Taylor clearly understands the value of an organized and professional program. Ed Eyestone evidently provides that, and Taylor makes the most of it.

This is a great story on so many fronts. Like every other human story, I'm sure there are warts that go with it, but there is so much good that goes with this story.

............. wrote:

But she can't be a director level coach at BYU because she's not Mormon. So it seems like she may move soon anyway, especially now that she has done what she set out to do and win an NCAA championship. From what I understand, she has also had some concerns about raising her children in Utah because of its lack of diversity compared to elsewhere (since she is a minority too).

Maybe. There are coaches who have gone elsewhere and replicated their success. But there are many more who have not. If (and I have no knowledge) she is considering leaving Provo due to considerations of lack of diversity, she would do well to consider that diversity doesn't always deliver on its own promises, and it might be worth her time to pause and consider who it was that gave her the big opportunity in the first place. I am not LDS, but I find it intriguing that a minority woman finds opportunity in a place that is routinely ridiculed by those who most strongly espouse the merits of a sort of codified diversity.

Standford didn't offer her enough to offset Palo Alto cost of living.

The Stache wrote:Between indoor nationals and this dominant XC win, Taylor can ask for whatever salary she wants at this point.

Dude! Are you serious? Get a grip on reality. We are talking T&F/XC. This isn't D1 Football or Men's Basketball. I doubt she is going to ask for Nick Saban or other SEC type of money. They would laugh her minor league sport ass right out of the room. You have to keep in mind that no one really gives two sh!ts about our sport. How many students at NAU or BYU even know that their school just won nationals? They can't even name two people on the team.

My good friend is an NAU alum, and I went to a local alumni event with her and wowed the NAU president with my knowledge that the men just won XC nationals. My friend was like what, I didn’t know that ... so yeah, there is one example of no one giving a crap about our sport.

Taylor is a great coach, but I must have something wrong with me. I find it weird that a lot of times there is a team picture, she always sticks herself in the middle. This is about the runners, not the coach. She should stand to the side or not even be in the picture. But that's just me being an oddball. If they don't care, then I shouldn't.

At Oregon and Stanford she would've had less power and would just be working for an already established program. Going to BYU was a smart decision because the program is essentially hers to build up and re-establish.

One Armed Bandit wrote:

Taylor is a great coach, but I must have something wrong with me. I find it weird that a lot of times there is a team picture, she always sticks herself in the middle. This is about the runners, not the coach. She should stand to the side or not even be in the picture. But that's just me being an oddball. If they don't care, then I shouldn't.

I thought the same thing. She’s often holding the trophy as well. My guess is that the team loves her and wants her to be a part of the picture and suggests that she holds the trophy, but it still irks me for some reason. If my athletes suggested something like that, I’d refuse and just position myself on the side somewhere without the trophy. Obviously she is having a great impact on these women though.