aidanryanD1 wrote:
A 3:56 is a 3:56 and that's impressive regardless so props to his run, however Aidan Ryan should have been D1 based on his high school times already being D3 championship times. Williams has basically become the school good high school runners go to if they want to stomp on all the noobs in D3 rather than challenge themselves to racing & losing in D1. As someone who ran against them in the NESCAC, they would "flex" during races (literally wave to the crowd, turn back and smile) which always pissed people off because if you think you're so good.. go run D1.
FYI Williams has another guy sub 14 in the 5K and another 5 pretty close to that, so realistically they should be a D1 team but that's never gonna change for obvious reasons
Uhm- Aidan was a 4:17/9:09 guy in high school. The other sub 14 guy you are speaking of is Lindgren (who came in 2nd at XC nationals this year) who posted 4:18/9:27 marks in high school. Both sets are very good times, but certainly not elite level to get a full ride at a top P5 D1 school. According to TFRRS, it looks like Ryan came in 33rd at the Regional and 91st at nationals his freshman year while Lindgren was 109th. Certainly not "D3 Championship level times" as first years!
All this goes to show you that you can go into a D3 school as a good high school runner and develop into an amazing college runner (regardless of division) if you work hard and have good coaching and teammates. This belief that you have to go to a D1 or you wasted something has no merit as it assumes that you only choose a college based on how much money they give you, or if they somehow make you into a pro level runner when you graduate. I doubt most of the kids at these elite schools care about their post collegiate running careers.
As for Williams flexing and being cocky, I can't say I've seen that at the races I've been to, but then again, I haven't been to that many they run at. I'm sure they probably have some swagger, but considering they got beat pretty handily at Nationals by Pomona and MIT, I'd say they certainly aren't the ones stomping on the noobs. The competition at the D3 level is growing as more top HS runners are choosing schools like Pomona, Hopkins, MIT, Tufts, and yes Williams instead of going the D1 route. Stop judging them or trying to shame them as the obviously aren't second guessing why these chose the way they did.