Why are less than 5 days away from a US Champs that's picking a team for Worlds and there has been zero coverage from any major running site, including this one?
We are big fans of xc and will be sending someone to world xc. Jonathan Gault is writing a preview as we speak. I attended the US meet in Richmond last year and was planning on attending this year but will not be going down now as Jonathan told me a few days ago the races aren't in the morning.
I skipped being a groomsman in my college roommate's wedding 20 years ago as I was coaching at Cornell and had a meet but I'm not skipping his 50th birthday party (and a Ravens playoff game) to get a few youtube interviews when we can still cover the event remotely.
Hocker and Teare are entered which is exciting for me.
Why are less than 5 days away from a US Champs that's picking a team for Worlds and there has been zero coverage from any major running site, including this one?
We are big fans of xc and will be sending someone to world xc. Jonathan Gault is writing a preview as we speak. I attended the US meet in Richmond last year and was planning on attending this year but will not be going down now as Jonathan told me a few days ago the races aren't in the morning.
I skipped being a groomsman in my college roommate's wedding 20 years ago as I was coaching at Cornell and had a meet but I'm not skipping his 50th birthday party (and a Ravens playoff game) to get a few youtube interviews when we can still cover the event remotely.
Hocker and Teare are entered which is exciting for me.
Cole Hocker, Cooper Teare, & Drew Hunter are among the notable names challenging defending champ Emmanuel Bor and his ace steepler brother Hillary. *MB: 2024 USATF Cross Country Champs - Hocker, Teare, Kelati and more!!
Strongest races look to be the men's senior race and women's U20 race with many returners from last year . . . especially the women's U20 race with several of last year's Team USA World XC bronze medal winning members returning.
Strongest races look to be the men's senior race and women's U20 race with many returners from last year . . . especially the women's U20 race with several of last year's Team USA World XC bronze medal winning members returning.
Mark this post:
Leah Stephens in the U20 women, going away.
(Too bad she didn’t stay true to Florida and transfer to the University of Florida instead of NC State.)
(Too bad she didn’t stay true to Florida and transfer to the University of Florida instead of NC State.)
Interestingly, Stephens is listed under her home state of Maryland, rather than NC State. Could be telegraphing she’s considering her options…hmmmm? “Dano, get Will Palmer on the phone!”
(Too bad she didn’t stay true to Florida and transfer to the University of Florida instead of NC State.)
Interestingly, Stephens is listed under her home state of Maryland, rather than NC State. Could be telegraphing she’s considering her options…hmmmm? “Dano, get Will Palmer on the phone!”
If Stephens wins that U20 tomorrow, look for another collegiate blonde to bank an NIL!
(Too bad she didn’t stay true to Florida and transfer to the University of Florida instead of NC State.)
Yep, Stephens has to be the clear favorite to win.
And you have to expect the 4 who made the Worlds team last year to do so again. IMO the most likely finishing order between them is: Baloga, Zealand, Shea, Macchia.
I'm not sure who the other qualifier will be, but I'd be shocked if it's anyone other than Bushee, Dalton, Gardiner, or Quarzo.
The U20 hardly has the elite talent we have. What can we do to encourage our best to run? Without Anastasia Peters of Utah st, Jillian Candelino of Tenn, Sophia Kennedy of Stanford, Emma Stutzman of NAU, Paityn Noe of Ark and others, this will not be our best team. Those four would make the team. USATF, you need to do better. We have a podium level team - if not a team to compete for 2nd - and you're not sending them. Just disappointed in the USATF.
This post was edited 2 minutes after it was posted.
Yep, Stephens has to be the clear favorite to win.
And you have to expect the 4 who made the Worlds team last year to do so again. IMO the most likely finishing order between them is: Baloga, Zealand, Shea, Macchia.
I'm not sure who the other qualifier will be, but I'd be shocked if it's anyone other than Bushee, Dalton, Gardiner, or Quarzo.
Shea is getting back into fitness after her disappointing BU indoor at 9:38. I would be stunned if she made the team. But see post above, with missing 4 of our top6, she might surprise us.
Interestingly, Stephens is listed under her home state of Maryland, rather than NC State. Could be telegraphing she’s considering her options…hmmmm? “Dano, get Will Palmer on the phone!”
Nope. If you look through the entrants, ALL the collegiate athletes are competing unattached, and are listed under their home (not colleges') states.
What IS notable is that this is different from last year. If you check the entries/results from last year's championships, collegiate athletes competed under their colleges' banners. This has also been true for the other USATF championships. Does anyone know if some regulatory thing changed, either with USATF or NCAA?
The U20 hardly has the elite talent we have. What can we do to encourage our best to run? Without Anastasia Peters of Utah st, Jillian Candelino of Tenn, Sophia Kennedy of Stanford, Emma Stutzman of NAU, Paityn Noe of Ark and others, this will not be our best team. Those four would make the team. USATF, you need to do better. We have a podium level team - if not a team to compete for 2nd - and you're not sending them. Just disappointed in the USATF.
There's definitely lots that the USATF can be criticized for, but I'm not sure this is mostly on them. It's not as if these athletes (or their coaches, or at least someone in their circles) don't know the event is taking place. If they're not "encouraged" enough by the prospect of getting a free trip around the globe to represent their country, I'm not sure what else would work. This isn't just a U.S. issue -- last year at World XC, most wealthy European countries didn't send a team at all, and even Britain didn't send a full team in some of the races. At least the U.S. does this.
I think it's more just that most of these athletes are focused on track rather than XC at this time of year -- both pros (esp. in an Olympic year) who need to worry about standards and structuring everything around peaking for the summer, and college athletes who are all about their team and have a really demanding schedule already.
I'd say it's World Athletics who could do the most here, to bring some more glitz to the World XC event, and treat it as a championship equal in prestige to the T&F one. Then that would trickle down to the national competitions.
U20 athletes have always had to balance cross champs being in January/February during indoor track with outdoors.
For u20 girls running 3k/5k indoors, I don't know how detrimental it would be to race a 6k.
On the u20 boys side, I could see more of an argument about 8k being more detrimental, but if you're going to be training for a 10k on the track it's actually kind of great timing imo.
When I was in college, our team always sent a group of folks to u20 race because it's one of the only races where you get to represent your country. We had a kid qualify for u20 world xc and another kid qualify for NACAC.
I remember thinking about a chance to represent the US potentially and that had me grinding all winter long that year. I didn't make it, but I think there's incredible cache to getting to make a team and race internationally compared to maybe being all conference in indoor track, or for some of the more elite juniors maybe qualifying for indoor nats.
