Also she went to Buchanan high school (Clovis, CA) which has consistently had top young talent. Interesting to compare her development with other alums
17:19 5000 and 10:20 3000 on World Athletics. This is a very interesting anecdote for what non runners could accomplish if they trained optimally. I'm sure her training since she started like 2 years ago hasn't been perfectly optimal, but it's gotta be way closer to that than average with her being married to Conner.
Wouldn't be surprised if she gets into the low-mid 16s at BYU which has got to be top 5 percent talent for a woman, if she really didn't run before meeting Conner that's some absolutely insane luck. Excited to see how fast their kids are now, lol
Unfortunately the statistically most likely possibility is that they do a bit of regressing to the mean
Also she went to Buchanan high school (Clovis, CA) which has consistently had top young talent. Interesting to compare her development with other alums
Not really a fair comparison. She ran one season of XC in HS as a freshman. So she didn’t go through a grind like others alumni. Also she didn’t just start running. She has been training hard with the club team on campus since she married Conner. Racing a lot of races unattached all over the place.
Also she went to Buchanan high school (Clovis, CA) which has consistently had top young talent. Interesting to compare her development with other alums
Not really a fair comparison. She ran one season of XC in HS as a freshman. So she didn’t go through a grind like others alumni. Also she didn’t just start running. She has been training hard with the club team on campus since she married Conner. Racing a lot of races unattached all over the place.
I know it's not fair, but it shows that there's many different paths to take, not just training super hard early to maximize success while championships/scholarships are on the line. It's great that she's just running purely because she loves it, just like it's great that the current squad placed 3rd at NXN and the seniors are committed to the colleges of their choice. I just think her path is very unique :)
I think speculation about her qualifications or potential is pointless. I don't think she's trying to go pro. She is a senior. She already has a job, one that she's very good at. Her husband trains with BYU guys between 3-5 days of the week. If she wants to do this fun thing while finishing out her degree, which also happens to be very convenient because her husband is usually training in the same places so they can commute together...like it's really not that complicated.
She's more than fast enough to be able to train with the team and provide value as a training partner. Her status is listed as "redshirt", so it's not anticipated that she'll compete this year. Whether she comes back next year probably depends more on the status of her advanced degrees and/or where she gets a job than anything else.
17:19 5000 and 10:20 3000 on World Athletics. This is a very interesting anecdote for what non runners could accomplish if they trained optimally. I'm sure her training since she started like 2 years ago hasn't been perfectly optimal, but it's gotta be way closer to that than average with her being married to Conner.
Good luck to her. That is obviously an ideal training situation for her to drop into the 15s if she runs next year as well. She was, by the way, already on a two year mission. This also suggested to me a hack that Diljeet has apparently not yet exploited for the women's team, namely, since many of them are married as undergraduates, that now women go on missions sometimes, the frosh can go on a two year mission, same as the men, then, after marrying, have a child or two, take the medical redshirt, and compete from age 22-26 or later.
Her bio is awesome. Because she doesn't have a running background, there are no HS track accomplishments to mention, but they do note "heavily involved in student council." Love it. If It was my bio, I'd see if the sports information dept. could also add some athletic achievements like "Attended yoga four times in 2020" and "Defeated family in mini golf in 2022." I'm not making fun of her, just really impressed.
Think BYU is more than justified adding a runner like this to their roster. Ignore the last name. Someone who runs XC for 2 years, pops a 17-low, & hasn't run a ton of mileage, is more appealing than someone who has been running a lot longer with a similar or slightly faster PB.
Her bio doesn't mention participation in any sports in high school. I imagine it would if she played on a varsity team. It's pretty amazing that she basically went couch to BYU XC.
How so? Their 7th runner at nationals has a 9:07 3000. 10th best in the conference were 4:36/9:01/16:12. If no potential for any of this things, she is merely taking up time from the coach and trainer and advisor and doctor.