Athletic family. I have to admit, I never thought elite gymnasts and distance runners could come from the same gene pool.
Maybe it's a less surprising combination but I saw what seems to be the brother of Belen Jesuit's 8th grade xc sensation (6th in the state in high school xc in 15:52), as the lead stroke, I think, in their varsity 8+, which was on the podium at Head of the Hooch in crew.
It’s a fair point, but Colin did score at his conference meet and could be a difference-maker on a team that has a shot to win nationals. Can you say the same for Gary?
I think you need a good reason to justify stuff like this; whether you guys believe it or not, racing a generational talent in the first XC season he/she’s eligible for carries some risk. But hey, it’s Vin’s team and he made the call
Yes, but this was a make-or-break-it meet for UVA. The coach has been under pressure to deliver considering his pedigree and for him, getting his team to nationals is as important as NAZ podiuming at Nationals, so therefore, he made the right move and used the most talented runners when it counted.
Yes, it didn't pay off and Gary Martin got 7th, but what if one of the other runners slipped and Gary Martin had a good day?
Hindsight is 20/20 like that time Wisconsin famously kept Matt Withrow out of Nationals.
It’s a fair point, but Colin did score at his conference meet and could be a difference-maker on a team that has a shot to win nationals. Can you say the same for Gary?
I think you need a good reason to justify stuff like this; whether you guys believe it or not, racing a generational talent in the first XC season he/she’s eligible for carries some risk. But hey, it’s Vin’s team and he made the call
Yes, but this was a make-or-break-it meet for UVA. The coach has been under pressure to deliver considering his pedigree and for him, getting his team to nationals is as important as NAZ podiuming at Nationals, so therefore, he made the right move and used the most talented runners when it counted.
Yes, it didn't pay off and Gary Martin got 7th, but what if one of the other runners slipped and Gary Martin had a good day?
Hindsight is 20/20 like that time Wisconsin famously kept Matt Withrow out of Nationals.
Based on Martin's Frosh XC results, it has been clear for a while he cannot "get" the distance. This should have been realized early and often. If you are objective about Gary Martin, and I am a fan, he is a runner who is not that economical, form wise at all, he is kind of all over the place, with enormous ability. The other fact is, whether mis used or not as a frosh, most 8:45 two milers and milers of his stature are immediate impact guys in XC. Another issue might very well be, Martin was a moderate Mileage guy in HS I believe, if he did not move to 65-70 over the summer, it would be another factor as to why he was not as impactful as hoped. If you look at almost all of his races, he goes out with 1-4 seconds of leaders thru 5-6K and quickly drops back, as much as 30 places at end. That shows me (not an expert) that he is lacking the cardio fitness level, not the talent to run with the big dogs.Just some thoughts, I would not expect this to improve at 10K at Nats.
Why is Gary Martin running 10k as a freshman? To be UVA's 7th man? Come on, Vin.
Agreed, I hate seeing this. Why not just let him start out racing on the track and gain some confidence competing at the collegiate level before you throw a mid-d guy like him (I know he has good strength but he was racing 800-1600 all of last spring) to the wolves of NCAA XC when he’s not even scoring for you? He improved a lot from his ACC race but I would hate to see the guy finish 175th at nationals to start his collegiate career. For some guys that’s tough to shake
Well he didn’t finish 175th at nats, he finished 163rd…
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