Iam surprised Aaron Sahlman hasn’t been seen in basically two track seasons. I know he redshirted last year after being injured late in high school, but he ran in some races unattached. Then, no cross country, and no indoor. Unfortunate.
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Daniel “DJ” Harris is one that comes to mind. 2015-2016 Gatorade XC Athlete of the Year in Arizona out of storied Desert Vista HS, XC individual state champion on a team that won 3 out of 4 state titles, 2nd in 1600m state championships and 1500m record holder. He went on to run at the University of Arizona.
He ran 3 really bad XC races across 2 full seasons, not a single race on the track, and then made a full disappearing act. The athlete bio on the Arizona track website makes no mention of his college career. Very weird.
For reference, the girls Gatorade XC AOY for that year was his teammate Dani Jones.
Iam surprised Aaron Sahlman hasn’t been seen in basically two track seasons. I know he redshirted last year after being injured late in high school, but he ran in some races unattached. Then, no cross country, and no indoor. Unfortunate.
Minnesota is one of the states that burns out many good runners by starting them in JH. Krahn was running varsity XC and track in JH. He peaked in 9th grade instead of 12th grade which would have been a more normal progression. The Ping sisters are next. We will have forgotten about them in 5 years, just like most people have never heard of Krahn even though we all would have predicted him to be the next Webb after his frosh year.
It’s also one of the states that allows 7th and 8th graders to run varsity
Minnesota is one of the states that burns out many good runners by starting them in JH. Krahn was running varsity XC and track in JH. He peaked in 9th grade instead of 12th grade which would have been a more normal progression. The Ping sisters are next. We will have forgotten about them in 5 years, just like most people have never heard of Krahn even though we all would have predicted him to be the next Webb after his frosh year.
It’s also one of the states that allows 7th and 8th graders to run varsity
Jim set a still standing age-15 WR for the mile in 1974 -- nearly 45 years ago! He was a sophomore. That WR was his PR. Although, in the California State Meet, he placed 2nd in 1975, and won in 1976.
In college, poof. His focus was else-place. He is currently the CEO of a heath plan provider. So, should he have focused on running? Or making some serious money?
Jim’s age record has taken a beating over the past decade, it’s not ‘still-standing’. His state win in ‘76 was well-deserved.
Anybody remember Zavon Watkins the millrose mile champion more than a decade ago was also a QB in hs. He did run two solid seasons at Penn State and even got 7th at indoor nats but then blew up junior indoor and was never heard from again. He was consistently running 1:48-1:49 which is actually kind of nuts that could get you All-American back then. Based on what his competitors ran he should've been a 1:45/1:46 guy at worst, sad it was never fulfilled.
Jim set a still standing age-15 WR for the mile in 1974 -- nearly 45 years ago! He was a sophomore. That WR was his PR. Although, in the California State Meet, he placed 2nd in 1975, and won in 1976.
In college, poof. His focus was else-place. He is currently the CEO of a heath plan provider. So, should he have focused on running? Or making some serious money?
Jim’s age record has taken a beating over the past decade, it’s not ‘still-standing’. His state win in ‘76 was well-deserved.
Still fastest American as a 15 year old. Taking a beating? Well, I would hope so 50 years later with technology and science available.
Minnesota is one of the states that burns out many good runners by starting them in JH. Krahn was running varsity XC and track in JH. He peaked in 9th grade instead of 12th grade which would have been a more normal progression. The Ping sisters are next. We will have forgotten about them in 5 years, just like most people have never heard of Krahn even though we all would have predicted him to be the next Webb after his frosh year.
It’s also one of the states that allows 7th and 8th graders to run varsity
I saw Krahn run and win a 1600 at a sectional (state-qualifying) race his senior season. He pretty well dominated that race, in maybe 4:16 or so? I figured, here's a pretty talented senior, hopefully he can go to a good college and develop. It was only via this thread that I learned he had run significantly faster as a freshman than what I saw him do. Kudos to him for sticking with it despite not improving, I suppose. When you're under 4:10 as a freshman, even a significant regression still allows you to be a top guy in your state in later years. We could all be so lucky.
How about 70% of the blue chippers that attend Stanford University.
Cannot the same be said of 70% of blue chippers everywhere?
I'd nominate the Mastalir brothers.
Yes. You are correct. The percentages are no doubt very similar. However, it's more obvious at Stanford because they get so many.
That isn't a knock on Stanford. It's just a fact that HS success does not necessarily mean college and elite success. Far too many other factors play into it.