If Tuohy is healthy, there is no reason for her not to push but you have to remember, the course is brutal in the last kilometer with that big hill. Tuohy is smart, she will not run it like NXN, surely she will be with the front pack then at 3k/4k the leaders will separate then at the last K, whoever is fitter, faster will go for that sprint and win. One thing to remember, out of all the distance runners, it is Tuohy who has the best finishing kick last season, this season, who knows if she's slower or faster.
Someone who you don't expect like a Forbes, or Valby or someone not on a top team will probably start pushing pace around 4K. I would bet top NC State ladies would go with this, but they will also probably be under orders to make sure they save something for that last hill.
Well, this Saturday might be a time to show what they can do.
Yeah, too bad the Wolfpack isn’t coming to Stillwater for a beat down…
It is too bad! I think it is a huge mistake on NC State’s part that they are not going to Stlllwater once to race the course before Nationals!!!!! A little too arrogant or over confident to not go to the toughest course in college CC before Nationals???? If coach Taylor, Wetmore, NM, etc. thinks it is important, then it’s important! NC State is by far the best CC team in the Nation, but it only takes one bad day, race, or nominally (OK State course) to lose a National title! There is only one team that can beat NC State and that is NC State. If Nationals was at any other course I would not be concerned, but this is a terrible coaching decision that I hope does not come back to bite Coach Henes.
I believe if Tuohy, Starliper, Chmiel, Bush, and Seymour are 100% healthy at Nationals it won’t matter, but if there is any obstacles with that group on that course an upset is possible. Henes should have learned this the last time at Stillwater when they were Winning the National title with 1k to go, and boom their 5th hit a wall and died falling from 50th place to 100th…. BYU wins that quickly!
The shock factor of that course on title day for NC State is an advantage for all the contenders that due (and I believe all of them are racing the course at least once before Nationals). And I’m sure OK State’s training is about and on that course for that day. To me there is absolutely no logical or good reason not to take your team to that course once before Nationals, unless you just don’t mind gambling?!?!?!
Yeah, too bad the Wolfpack isn’t coming to Stillwater for a beat down…
It is too bad! I think it is a huge mistake on NC State’s part that they are not going to Stlllwater once to race the course before Nationals!!!!! A little too arrogant or over confident to not go to the toughest course in college CC before Nationals???? If coach Taylor, Wetmore, NM, etc. thinks it is important, then it’s important! NC State is by far the best CC team in the Nation, but it only takes one bad day, race, or nominally (OK State course) to lose a National title! There is only one team that can beat NC State and that is NC State. If Nationals was at any other course I would not be concerned, but this is a terrible coaching decision that I hope does not come back to bite Coach Henes.
I believe if Tuohy, Starliper, Chmiel, Bush, and Seymour are 100% healthy at Nationals it won’t matter, but if there is any obstacles with that group on that course an upset is possible. Henes should have learned this the last time at Stillwater when they were Winning the National title with 1k to go, and boom their 5th hit a wall and died falling from 50th place to 100th…. BYU wins that quickly!
The shock factor of that course on title day for NC State is an advantage for all the contenders that due (and I believe all of them are racing the course at least once before Nationals). And I’m sure OK State’s training is about and on that course for that day. To me there is absolutely no logical or good reason not to take your team to that course once before Nationals, unless you just don’t mind gambling?!?!?!
If I recall right, they skipped a visit to Tallahassee last year as well. Chmiel, Tuohy and Bush have seen this course (Bush was alternate in Spring 2021). I think they will survive. NM (and others) made same choice. I think BYU had a slight lead at 5K then too.
They do, and that would be the meet noone is going to as almost everyone (ex OSU) will be in Madison. BTW Alabama W, who is looking like a top 4 team, is also passing on seeing the OSU course ahead of Nationals. On NC St, I also forgot Shaw ran the course in 2021.
Yeah, too bad the Wolfpack isn’t coming to Stillwater for a beat down…
It is too bad! I think it is a huge mistake on NC State’s part that they are not going to Stlllwater once to race the course before Nationals!!!!! A little too arrogant or over confident to not go to the toughest course in college CC before Nationals???? If coach Taylor, Wetmore, NM, etc. thinks it is important, then it’s important! NC State is by far the best CC team in the Nation, but it only takes one bad day, race, or nominally (OK State course) to lose a National title! There is only one team that can beat NC State and that is NC State. If Nationals was at any other course I would not be concerned, but this is a terrible coaching decision that I hope does not come back to bite Coach Henes.
I believe if Tuohy, Starliper, Chmiel, Bush, and Seymour are 100% healthy at Nationals it won’t matter, but if there is any obstacles with that group on that course an upset is possible. Henes should have learned this the last time at Stillwater when they were Winning the National title with 1k to go, and boom their 5th hit a wall and died falling from 50th place to 100th…. BYU wins that quickly!
The shock factor of that course on title day for NC State is an advantage for all the contenders that due (and I believe all of them are racing the course at least once before Nationals). And I’m sure OK State’s training is about and on that course for that day. To me there is absolutely no logical or good reason not to take your team to that course once before Nationals, unless you just don’t mind gambling?!?!?!
Can't Coach Henes just take the team to some hilly courses/trails somewhere in the Raleigh area, in order to practice for a hilly course? Do they really need to fly out to Stillwater to run that EXACT course in order to prepare??
It is too bad! I think it is a huge mistake on NC State’s part that they are not going to Stlllwater once to race the course before Nationals!!!!! A little too arrogant or over confident to not go to the toughest course in college CC before Nationals????
As others have said, many of the NC State runners are familiar with the course.
And toughest course in college? Sure, it's not a track on grass and isn't around soccer fields but I'm not sure it's the "toughest." Tough? Yes. Toughest? Probably not.
The course was actually tougher before the "improvements" and renovations a few years ago. It was a narrower course, which is always tougher. It is also manicured now and has Bermuda grass. Not a bad thing but just differenent. When the course was widened some of the bottlenecks were taken out and the turns are a bit more gentle. The stair-step sections were also taken out.
I'm not even sure that Oklahoma State has the toughest course in the Big XII. Rim Rock Farm is probably tougher.
What about some of the courses further out west? UNM is partly on a golf course but has plenty of rollers. It is also at > 5000 ft altitude. That is not as high as some areas but at 5000 ft it is definitely a consideration. The Big Sky schools routinely run at higher altitudes. Nothern Colorado's course is a bit under 5000 but I can remember not long ago when Drew Bosley was the Big Sky champ in his senior year with a time that was close to 27:00 for 8K. Only 4 guys were under 27:00 and only 19 were under 28:00.
There are actually quite a few courses tougher than Oklahoma State's and many schools know how to run tough courses. We shouldn't act as if OSU has the market on tough courses.
Reading some of the comments here, one might get the impression that Stillwater will be the first time any of these highly experienced runners might have seen a more challenging course. IMO that idea, to put it mildly, is manufactured drama — demonstrably false.
Thanks for doing this... But u left out shaw who is ranked 13 and 17 on wood and floetrack.... Anyway so both wood and flo track has six NC State runners in the top 25...
She is, and also up around 50th by The Stride Report. Her history in XC and also Track is inconsistent. She can be very good, but more so on the Track than in XC.
Wood now has Shaw at 26.....and has moved Larkin and Van Camp up/Bush and Starliper down a little.
She is, and also up around 50th by The Stride Report. Her history in XC and also Track is inconsistent. She can be very good, but more so on the Track than in XC.
Wood now has Shaw at 26.....and has moved Larkin and Van Camp up/Bush and Starliper down a little.
That’s crazy! Obviously Wood knows nothing. Shaw won’t even make the top 7 on the team unless someone gets hurt.
Wood now has Shaw at 26.....and has moved Larkin and Van Camp up/Bush and Starliper down a little.
That’s crazy! Obviously Wood knows nothing. Shaw won’t even make the top 7 on the team unless someone gets hurt.
Well, Shaw did finish 20th at NCAAs in the 5000m outdoor, and was 5th among Wolfpack runners in that race, and 6th if you count Seymour who was with Tennessee for that race. And if Chmiel was running in that race, Shaw likely would have been 7th among teammates.
So it’s not crazy to project Shaw as around 20-30 in XC. But the big problem is that Shaw has shown over her career to do much better on the track, and has yet to have that same level of success in XC.
I’m hopeful that Shaw will improve this year, and provide solid depth at the 6 or 7 spot. But I’m not confident that she would be a solid option as a potential 5th, if other runners weren’t available due to injury.
That’s crazy! Obviously Wood knows nothing. Shaw won’t even make the top 7 on the team unless someone gets hurt.
Well, Shaw did finish 20th at NCAAs in the 5000m outdoor, and was 5th among Wolfpack runners in that race, and 6th if you count Seymour who was with Tennessee for that race. And if Chmiel was running in that race, Shaw likely would have been 7th among teammates.
So it’s not crazy to project Shaw as around 20-30 in XC. But the big problem is that Shaw has shown over her career to do much better on the track, and has yet to have that same level of success in XC.
I’m hopeful that Shaw will improve this year, and provide solid depth at the 6 or 7 spot. But I’m not confident that she would be a solid option as a potential 5th, if other runners weren’t available due to injury.
If you add the people you said she would not be 7th…… You have to add Mariah Howlett who beat her this past week and I believe Nevada Moreno is a head of her as well.