ED EYESTONE THROWS SERIOUS SHADE AT SUDBURY, GAUSON, AND SMITH FOR INTERNATIONAL RECRUITING

The answer would be “Not at all”. They’re following the rules so why would they be embarrassed?

Life isn’t fair. I can tell you that everyone who ran sub 4 in hs got a full or the equivalent. Except Matsatsa and Fisher (half Hispanic), they were all white. And they completely deserve it. Even if their family could 100% pay for it, should they be harmed by their situation and not receive any $ for it?

not entirely true.... they will devote the majority of their 45 limited track roster to distance.

still manipulating the system.

Yeah I don’t want to hear complaining from Eyestone of all freaking people given the overage component to his own success.

This is my last one.

Ask Eyestone about BYUs 9th ranked men’s basketball team. An NIL fueled machine that ranks one of the most expensive in the nation.

With guys from Senegal and Mali.

Former pros from Serbia, France, Austria. Double digit transfers.

O they also paid two kids to leave their high schools (one from Mass, the other from Vegas) and join Utah Prep!

They probably feel this way about the Kenyans as well because the Mormon church teaches that those with dark skin cannot hold leadership positions or reach the top level of heaven.

#runforHER

Does anyone in their right mind think taking two years off running for a mission is an advantage? Does age alone just magically make you better despite the poor diet and zero strength and cardio training from the mission? Leisurely walking or riding a bike doesn't do much for the body, and many areas that missionaries serve in have cars, so there's even less physical activity.

I would argue the men's team would be even better if they didn't go on missions and interrupt their performance trajectories. Some never return to their prior fitness. And the big question is why are the BYU women, who don't go on missions, so much more dominant historically than the men's team?

I agree with the sentiment that there needs to be stricter age and professional regulations for NCAA track/cross. It definitely feels like it’s not collegiate sports anymore when a school is paying seven 25-year olds to run for a team.

This is a fair issue to bring up, and I don’t think expressing concern makes you a racist. However, this article had a few dogwhistles that were a bit off-putting. The author just uses “Kenya” as an analog for “Africa.” I understand that many foreign recruits are from Kenya, but there are foreign athletes from many countries. In the early to mid 2010s Iona had almost exclusively athletes from the UK and Canada on their roster. New Mexico’s top runner is from Eritrea.

Further, Eyestone is allowed to have his concerns, but there’s no rule that states that the NCAA runners have to be US born. BYU is in a unique situation, but I could excuse someone for thinking a coach is xenophobic if they’re refusing to recruit any foreign athlete.

Pilkington was the Energizer Bunny that day: he kept going, and going, and going..m

1970's & 80's---->Washington State University, UTEP, etc...

It's not a new thing at all, just easier ways to share it through the digital world.

Yes. I honestly think most Americans can have a better chance hitting athletic peak at 25 vs 23. Same reason I don’t like the overage internationals.

If I wanted to really cheat...

Recruit top notch domestic high school talent and LDS kids.

Send them on fake missions - 2 years at remote high altitude locations with miles upon miles of dirt roads.

Mission partner is always an equally talented runner.

Spend two years running and cycling with minimal recruiting of converts.

Go whole hog on EPO, peptides, etc. because WADA and AIU don't test missionaries.

After a fake period of being "fat" and "out-of-shape" after returning to Provo, reap the benefits of a two year base and chemical enhancements.

I am not suggesting that BYU or Eyestone engage in such schemes, but it would be entirely possible to do so if a successor was unethical and the church turned a blind eye to recruits being stationed in Andean villages away from prying eyes.

Its fair to place some criticism towards BYU for having some of the mens team being two years older (the current roster has 10 out of 17 who served missions), however, to compare recruiting international talent to serving a mission (2 years doing almost no training) is not logical. International talent can have much more than 2 extra years and they can do it with full high-end training.

If Casey Clinger is the ultimate BYU example, having finished his eligibility at age 26, compare that to Solomon Kipchoge who didn't even start his eligibility until he was 28! Kipchoge is currently a sophomore at age 29. A lot of the international talent is much older than the oldest examples you can find of the BYU runners.

All in all, I agree with others that a simple age cap at 25 is a great solution and would calm the tension felt towards both groups, but the age factor is only one element, and the international talent are more problematic in that factor vs the BYU runners. Add on that the ability to train like a pro during your extra years and now you aren't even closely comparing apples to apples.

The ncaa objective is not to develop athletes into pro athletes.

I can not imagine any university or athletic Director telling a cross country coach you need to only recruit American so you can develop them into professional runners.

Ed Eyestone needs to remember that just because the question is asked doesn’t mean you need to answer it.

The coach at Lethbridge College recruited Kip. The coach had been an international athlete at BYU. He and Ed were buddies.

The LC coach worked very hard to get Kenyan athletes into Canada and his program benefited for years from all of his hard work.

Also note, rules limiting the numbers of international athletes on rosters in all Canadian college sports were established in the late 00's.

Even if they take two years off from training? Come on, use your brain (I know, a big ask on this board)!

Never thought I’d die fighting side by side with a Mormon

What about fighting side by side with a friend?

Aye, I could do that

In sports, I think people want their sports teams to win. If they are going to spend tax dollars on sports teams, they want to win. End of story.

I just looked up the stats for the Alabama football team. Of their “12” offensive starters listed on our lads (there are 12 as it lists 3 WRs, 2 TEs), exactly are two from the state of Alabama. That’s 16.66%. And 6 of 12 didn’t even start their college careers at Alabama - they transferred in.

For the defense, 4/11 are from Alabama (36.36%), 5/11 (45.45%) started their college careers at Alabama.

So the majority of their starters are “foreigners” (not from Alabama) and also transfers.

Undoubtedly, yes. How many Mormons do you know? It is not the sedentary lifestyle that many defenders of the practice try to paint. These are some of the top distance talents in the country, how long do you think it takes them to get back aerobic fitness? Not 3-4 years, that’s for sure. And then they reap the benefits of being 25-26 year olds in their athletic prime.