Getting cut from D3 team?

Whoa, I didn't know D3 cuts people! That sucks!
how devoted are you to this school? Could you maybe think of transferring? though I know that's easier said than done, as there are many moving parts (your major, financial aspects, relationships, location, etc. etc.)

Hi everyone, thanks for all of the responses.

A few things - the coach's logic is that my 8k PR is about a minute slower than the next slowest returner, and he says that "I'll have nobody to train with". I beat this guy in the first race of the season, but he ended up developing pretty well over the past year (ran in the mid-upper 15s) while my times didn't get any better. There are people who I've trained with and occasionally beaten in races over track season, so I don't agree with this logic, but I do get spat out of the back quite often in workouts so I see where he's coming from. Our team has gotten significantly more competitive in the last few years with the "slow" guys on the team going from 28s to 27s to 26s for the 8k, so I think the coach is just trying to speed along the improvement of the program. I believe this is the first year he's made any sort of cuts. I'm also currently a freshman so it's frustrating for all of this to be based on a year where I'm still adjusting to college training.

I feel like my relationship with the coaches is pretty good, at least they don't hate me or anything.

On transferring, I don't think it's really feasible for me - this school is a great overall fit for me and transferring to a similar school that allows me to run would be almost impossible. I think I'll try to talk with my coach again to see what we can work out and if I'll at least be able to train with the team even if I don't race much/at all. Otherwise I'll just take a longer break over the summer to do some trail running and then try and develop myself aerobically to get that 5k down to the level of my 1500 during the fall.

Wear something revealing when you meet with Coach

This is a strange policy. At my school, track guys who weren't on the XC team still trained with the team in the fall for the allowable number of hours of off-season training.

Team training shouldn't be limited to the competition season. Football teams train together in the spring. Track teams should be training together in the fall, even for those athletes who aren't on the XC team.

Title IX is not a "problem", but it is the reason. A bunch of stupid, non-athlete government lawyers have forced a proportionality standard on any university getting federal $, which means intercollegiate athletics has to figure out how to keep the total numbers of male and female athletes approximately the same, or be presumed to be in violation of Title IX. This has led to roster limitations in many minor sports for male athletes. Administrators further fear being accused of circumventing Title IX, if non-roster athletes were allowed to train with the team. It is a short-sighted, meat axe approach to creating equal opportunity for female athletes, but that is what government solutions to problems usually end up being.

As others have said, give it your best shot to get faster over the summer, and hope for the best.

What D3 program doesn't have 27:XX guys on the team? Even teams that consistently qualify for nationals have dudes running those times.

What is the roster limit? 10 guys?

Honestly I think your coach is being too ambitious about the recruits and selling you short while being a bit of a weirdo about it. I ran D3 and many of my HS friends did for different schools. They all allowed non-rostered runners to come to practice. The worst I saw was not letting them on the track during practice but that still left like 5 easy run days a week where they ran with the team.

There are always recruits that don't pan out. They show up, put in a good two weeks work, then get fat/smoke weed constantly/party too much/fail their courses whatever. I think it's short-sighted to cut a borderline guy like you.

There is also a very good chance you are on the cusp of major improvement. Male puberty lasts into your twenties and at some point it just "clicks" and you get more return from training. I'll use myself as an example. End of sophomore XC season: 27:15. The very first race of my junior year I ran 26:22, and I went on to run 25:35 a few months later. The posters that are telling you to put in good training this summer are not kidding. You would be surprised how suddenly performance can change and how much your cumulative miles will put you ahead of an 18 year old.

I ran at a d2 school that consistently appears at XC nationals. Our coach does not cut a single person on our team. If an athlete joins the team, the only way they leave is either by quitting or violating the code of conduct. If you are putting in the effort, you are on the team. And trust me, there were some people he/she should have cut. Much, much slower than the numbers you're giving here.

I understand many don't do this, but it's the right thing to do. If a person wants to put in the work, you coach that person in good faith. You don't treat your athletes like its a "business". Treat them like people. The whole team thrives that way.

If you ask me, your coach sounds like a young buck who had his first taste of success/luck and doesn't know how to handle it. With an atmosphere like that, I would not be surprised if the success doesn't last long. Still, put in the work and see if you can get back on. Best of luck, bro.

Because of injuries that is what I wound up doing, and at the time that meant I had one season left! I would have a longer talk with that coach, but expect that you will have to transfer if you want to run well.

Bro, it's D3. Go to your AD, this isn't a D1 program you're talking about. Literally you are a number for the school, and at this point you'd factor into retention rate and graduation rate. Don't let this coach bamboozle you. You have more power than you think in a D3 setting, especially if you haven't done anything to be kicked off the team.

D3 is D3, small school that cares about the total number of enrollment. D3 schools all across the board are already struggling with numbers my guy.

So he's telling you there's still a chance you can earn a spot? How are roster spots allocated, and when are they allocated? Maybe the coach is trying to motivate you to have a really solid summer of training. You've got what, roughly twelve weeks to prepare before practice starts? Put in the work this summer if you want a spot. How bad do you want it? Get the running in. Get in the weight room. Get your core work in. Get mobility work in. Don't go crazy and get injured or overreach. Show up to practice with a positive attitude.

Hey man, I ran D3 and didn't have my fastest times until AFTER college and that's because I figured out how to train properly. So, it sounds like you want to keep running and you can work hard to qualify for nationals, so here you go... I wish I knew this earlier in my running career.

Monday: Easy +/- 60 mins | Easy double +/- 30 mins

Tuesday: Easy +/- 60 mins | Easy double +/- 30 mins

Wednesday: Workout (depends where you are in season, if in base phase, light fartlek, getting close to season should be LT, or even VO2 stuff

Thursday: Moderate Long 8-12 miles (if you're a 16:15 guy, then start out around 7:00 and work down to 6:20s)

Friday: Easy

Saturday: Easy, hill strides or speed development after easy run

Sunday: Moderate Long 10 - 16 miles working down to 6:20 for you.

60 - 85 miles per week is probably fine. keep the legs fresh, go hard when you need to, go easy after to let it all sink in. Stay in the rhythm, then when it comes time to race, get fresh and blow the doors off some people.

Stay in that rhythm, build up miles slow. The aerobic stuff is the most important, but you have to stay within your paces until you PR or you'll cook yourself.

You can do it. There is always a life in running after college as well. Move to a big running city or join a club you like. My club running years have far exceeded my college years.

Best of luck,

P

Your coach has given you a challenge over the next several months. As one poster suggested it is time to work hard and prove that he needs you on the team. Quite a few decades ago, a new coach was hired at the D2 school where I competed. At the time I was consistently in the 'top 5' on the Cross Country squad. That new coach had the same 'Come to Jesus' meeting with me that your coach had with you.

A friend from a different local university that just finished an outstanding college running career gave me some advice. Over the summer he suggested I up my mileage. But not by necessarily running longer and slower. He suggested I do three runs a day instead of two. So I did. It was tough to find the time while working a summer job. But I found a way to get my 100 to 120 mile week mileage.

My new coach held a time trial in early September. In order to be on the team, you had to run sub 9:20 for two miles. I stayed with the lead pack which finished in 9:04 and 'made the team.' If it hadn't been for that challenge similar to the one you just had, I wouldn't have worked so damn hard to prove that I deserved a spot on the team. So, the question is what are you going to do to prove you belong on your school's team.

I ran in the WIAC back in the late 90's as well... we did have a 24 person roster max (I think all public schools have that), but any team with FFA money, would limit the roster to less than 24 based upon our numbers on the Women's teams (title IX). I don't think we ever had a roster higher than 15.

Usually, you can run and train with the team, if they let you, but you can't receive any the benefits of the larger Athletic department. For example, you can't use the trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, get any team swag, use athletic dept transportation, etc...

I feel for you, but I would imagine it might be tough for your coach as well. If his spots are limited, figuring out where to invest in recruiting at the expense of people on the team is probably hard... although let's be honest, it's a good problem to have.

Keep at it, race unattached, earn that spot back!

I have no advice, I just wanted to say please use “X” instead of “x” in your first sentence. I stared at that for way too long haha. Good luck!

I would do some hard honest reflection about whether there is anything about your actions, habit, attitude, etc, that might make the coach think you are not a good influence on the team. This is really hard to say without personal knowledge of your situation and it is kind of subjective, but your coach's reason's for not keeping you seem to be kind of subjective. This can be an uncomfortable thought process or conversation, but if you are really open to personal growth, it might be worth considering.

if I had a nickel for every time I've heard a d3 coach say they have "an amazing class of 10 recruits" only for 3 of them to play too much league of legends and fail, another 3 to learn that beer is a good time, and 2 of the remaining 4 show up out of shape, I'd have like 10 cents. which isn't much but it's weird that it happened twice. Anyways, I think your coach is overly optimistic about his recruiting class. You're a known quantity to the coach that likely has a lot of upside, whereas these recruits are completely unknown and might never pan out. So as everyone else has said, ramp up to 70-80 mpw over the summer with a down week around 40 at the end of July, and a down week before the season starts. do mostly singles, with a long run every week. keep it simple, and get in dirty shape.

If I had to guess, he goes to UW-Lacrosse. Hard roster limits for Title 9. Coach cuts upperclassmen every year for freshman. Standard operating procedure.

4.1x is a 4:19 not a 410. Still a bit better but not by much.