DougC wrote:
One reason is that their enrollment is HUGE. Bigger pool to draw from when compared to other 1500-3000 enrollment D3 colleges...
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The above is true. However, the WIAC limits squad size.
I suggest there is another reason that the teams in Wisconsin are strong; the athletes that attend WIAC schools were under-developed in high school. They simply don't do the volume of miles, on average, that kids from some of the other states do. The WIAC kids have far more room for growth and their enthusiasm to train hard is not squelched too early in their lives. Many of the Wisconsin kids reach their top condition as juniors and seniors in college, developing enormously over their first 2-3 years. I know several kids who who ran no faster than 4:25 to 4:40 in the mile in high school from Wiscsonsin high schools or nearby Minnesota schools who developed into All-America runners in college. I know one kid who was a 4:44 miler in high school who ran 24:05 for 8km in xcountry in college.
I'd like to suggest that one thing runners from the strongest regions in D3 hold in common is adverse weather conditions to face: it toughens them for the rigors of competition. I work in CA now, and I am totally amazed at how many people wear coats when it is 60 degrees outside. They complain it is cold. In the midwest or on the East Coast that's a balmy day and runners wear short sleeve shirts and shorts and think that life couldn't get any better!