Cragg DNS in 5000

Look. You can try to be a jerk lawyer and read into the rules about her and what not but it's pretty clear what the deal with the regional system is. You have to run in the regionals or you're not going to the show. I mean they might as well named it the Arkansas rule after last year.

How much more clear can the following statement be: " Individuals (and relay

teams) can advance to the national championship meet as an automatic or as an at-large entrant

only if and only in the events in which they compete at the regional meet.""

They should have just put that it in there and got rid of the other damn scenarios. Next year, they'll change the rule book again and no one will be able to pull this off.

Well, here we go again. Arkansas appears to get away with anything they want to get away with. I hope the NCAA track committee deals with this appropriately. I can promise you if Cragg has a calf cramp in two weeks, he will run. What, will McDonnell get a medical waiver for the 10 points he would get in the 5k (know the committee, they would give it to him). They pulled the same crap last year with Mulvaney and Stevens. Both advanced to the final and then one was sick and the other had a bad back and didn't run. There were a lot of guys that are hurt that ran in order to remain on the list. Tegenkamp has a bad achilles, Freeman from Kentucky has a stress fracture and their are probably a lot more who are hurt but are running to remain on the list. While Cragg deserves to run at nationals, he doesn't deserve to be above the rules. We will see what happens Sunday night when the descending order list comes out. In my opinion, he shouldn't be on it.

I see it as a brilliant coaching move. A good coach utilizes the loopholes in his advantage. If they did it last year so blatantly why didn't anyone else think to do it this year?

he he he wrote:

I see it as a brilliant coaching move. A good coach utilizes the loopholes in his advantage. If they did it last year so blatantly why didn't anyone else think to do it this year?

Where's the loophole, though? How exactly was Arkansas able to get a "medical waiver" for Cragg?

BDG

The 5,000 meters was missing Alistair Cragg of Arkansas at the NCAA Division I Mideast Regional when he was pulled out of the event with a medical exemption. However, the NCAA rules clearly state that a student-athlete must still compete in order to advance to the NCAA Championships.

obviously he can't run. THe NCAA rules state that and athlete must put fort an honest effort at regionals to recieve an at large bid.

oops forgot to say that the quote was taken from trackshark.com

bad knee wrote:

The 5,000 meters was missing Alistair Cragg of Arkansas at the NCAA Division I Mideast Regional when he was pulled out of the event with a medical exemption. However, the NCAA rules clearly state that a student-athlete must still compete in order to advance to the NCAA Championships.

obviously he can't run. THe NCAA rules state that and athlete must put fort an honest effort at regionals to recieve an at large bid.

If Al doesn't run in NCAA, I want a refund. $60.

Bad Knee, obviously he can run in nationals. His coach wouldn't have let him not run if he wasn't sure that his medical exemption would work. Get over it, he found a loophole, they were smart, that's all there is to it.

he he he wrote:

Bad Knee, obviously he can run in nationals. His coach wouldn't have let him not run if he wasn't sure that his medical exemption would work. Get over it, he found a loophole, they were smart, that's all there is to it.

Again, what is the loophole?

I'm all for having the best people at Nationals, and Cragg is obviously one of them (if not THE best). However, if everyone else is playing by the rules, why does he get a free pass to Nationals?

I can't imagine that his top competitors are especially pleased - although there's some time between the Regionals and Nationals races, Cragg just basically avoided running the prelims.

BDG

canrun wrote:

very intersting since i seen him doing 400 meter repeats and doing 100 striders on thursday evening at the track.

got to love how the ncaa lets the big names in yet. i guess their idea of head to head competition is only for the little guys. the big ones, get the free ride.

running 13:16 speaks for itself, he is not getting a free ride

The word on the street is that there is no way in hell that Cragg will be allowed to run the 5k at nationals. It's been the big buzz as coaches have been calling each other on their cells phone and supposedly the rules committe said there's no way.

a college coach wrote:

The word on the street is that there is no way in hell that Cragg will be allowed to run the 5k at nationals. It's been the big buzz as coaches have been calling each other on their cells phone and supposedly the rules committe said there's no way.

I really do have mixed views on this one.

On one hand, Cragg is THE top contender and should be running at Nationals.

On the other hand, if he is let into the 5K, he has now gained an advantage over his competitors who followed the stated rules in order to qualify for Nationals.

So, my bottom line is this: Cragg should not be allowed to compete in the 5K @ Nationals. I would like to see those who make up the NCAA have some balls and make the right decision.

BDG

Perhaps Alistair is injured.People sometimes tell the truth.Alistair would not have had to break sweat to qualify,so the saving the legs theory seems pathetic.What the Ncaa finals really need is some 14:20 5k runner.

Believer wrote:

Perhaps Alistair is injured.People sometimes tell the truth.Alistair would not have had to break sweat to qualify,so the saving the legs theory seems pathetic.What the Ncaa finals really need is some 14:20 5k runner.

Again, I ask - where is this loophole? Where is it written in the NCAA rules that a medical waiver can be granted that will allow runners to bypass Regionals? Without such a rule, it would be a "travashamockery."

BDG

again, i state, i saw him doing 400 meter repeats and striders down the homestretch, and there was definitely not a hitch in his stride.

Cramp in his calf!!!! He has not lost a leg??!?? You can get cramps after doing 400m reps!! Especially when you do them as fast as he does

canrun wrote:

again, i state, i saw him doing 400 meter repeats and striders down the homestretch, and there was definitely not a hitch in his stride.

Well I'm sure the folks on this thread who haven't been able to actually show where this "medical waiver loophole" exists will say that his devastating calf cramp occurred during his 400m repeat workout. Because I'm sure that he was planning to race - that's why he was doing repeat 400s the night before. Isn't that what we all do before a race?

BDG

canrun wrote:

again, i state, i saw him doing 400 meter repeats and striders down the homestretch, and there was definitely not a hitch in his stride.

i state, last year at nats i saw him trash louis in the 5000m with a 1:57ish last 800 and there definately wasnt a hitch in his stride; oh yeah he had a sports hernia; maybe he can still run really smoothly if he has an injury?

HE IS OUT ACCORDING TO RULING RIGHT NOW!