What's a good college a 26:30 8k could/should run at?

congratulations. you've demonstrated that division I is faster than division III. will you be writing that up and submitting it as your senior thesis?

my only point in posting those times was to show the stupidity of the guy who was pointing out how stupid everyone was. i know, i know, also a tough job.

There are highschoolers in Africa that split faster then you to get 15th place at their regional meet. I am sure there are many runners that would think your 8k time is hilarious if they were as arrogant as you.

There are highschoolers in Africa that split faster then you to get 15th place at their regional meet. I am sure there are many runners that would think your 8k time is hilarious if they were as arrogant as you.

My 8k PR is 23:41. Is that hilarious?

Mine is quite a bit faster, but I don't need to brag about it on some anonamous board.

What's your PR big shot?

I've run 22's. See you at outdoor nats.

Look, I am not trying to get into a pissing contest with you. There are plenty of guys out there that are faster than me as well. I would just encourage you to have some humlity to go along with your talent. Why put other runners accoplishments down?

Indeed.

1) You're probably not faster than me.

2) I posted what I did because I find it funny that D3 runners come on here and post stuff like 'Look at our top 15th place times skillz' shit. They have NO idea.

No, you have no idea. The guy was responding to some idiot who claimed top 15 d3 guys were running 26:30's, when really that time would get you damn near last place.

Oh, also D3 nationals usually aren't run on fast courses.

Look, everyone knows D3 is slower than D1. Your time would be good for D3, but it ain't shit in D1 and you know it. African schoolchildren laugh at your time.

The OP wanted to know a good college he could get into with a 26:30. Check and see if you can get into Purdue. They have runners running the same time as you. It's a decent school for academics and it's a D1 school in Indiana. I'm sure your times will drop next year and you'll be running in the 25's. Good Luck!

the assumption that drives threads like this is "everybody that's slower than me sucks." it's a terrible attitude to have if you want to have any sort of relationship with the sport beyond your years in college. it means that once you get beyond the level you're in, you won't know how to operate, because you'll suddenly be one of the sucky guys. it means you'll be a terrible coach, because everybody who doesn't meet your high standards sucks. and it makes you generally unpleasant to be around.

i posted those times because a lot of folks on this board have the attitude that, if someone's slower than they are, it's all the same. 24:30, 25:30, 28:00, doesn't matter, slower than them. i happen to think there's a big difference between those numbers, and that's what makes the sport interesting. but hey, i never ran 23:40, so i guess i suck too.

Okonkwo wrote:

To the OP--

All bashing/defending D3 running aside, don't talk sh*t on the kids at small colleges. We are not all rich, snobby kids. We're generally pretty hard working, nerdy kids who are willing to put in the work to run 26 minutes in XC even though we know it might not mean sh*t in the scheme of things. Take your beef somewhere else, get your head out of your ass.

For real.

I was making a sarcastic comment on generalizations towards D3 schools. I know D3 schools have excellent programs set up and I meant no disrespect towards them. I'm sorry.

johnnyb1610 wrote:

The OP could have ran on ten of the schools that ran in the D3 nationals this past year. I have no idea of how many schools he could have ran on that didn't make it to nationals. I'm guessing a lot. There are plenty of scholarships out there for him to get. If he's running 26:30 right now, there is no reason he couldn't be running in the 25's next year with the right coaching. If he wants to go to a D1 school, he can give Purdue a call.

I e-mailed the Purdue coach like a year ago. I've heard he's a jackass and doesn't recruit or talk to anybody.

As the OP I feel I should clear some things up that should help me and other posters out.

First things first, I'm not specifically going for D1 schools. In all honesty that's like on the bottom of my list. I only wanted IU because it's a great town filled with opportunity but not much potential for someone that's not a elite runner.

I've been looking mainly top 20 nats D2 and NAIA schools. I've gotten these so far:

IUPUI (D1)

Indiana Tech (NAIA 5th)

Grand Valley State (D2 5th)

Southern Oregon (NAIA 4th)

Lock Haven PA (D2 19th)

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (D2 17th)

California State San Marcos (NAIA 12th)

Kansas Wesleyan (NAIA)

Like I've already stated, I'm aware of my potential and where I stand in the running world. 26:30 is where I would be at the end of this summers training and I have 3.5 years of eligibility left.

With that said, are there any more suggestions?

Ithaca College could use a guy like you.

But in all honesty, you should be worried about your degree and what that will mean for you post-college. Odds are 5 years from now you won't be running competitively any longer; and this is coming from a guy who was convinced he would run post-collegiately until he was married with kids. Once you have to work for a living, you realize that running is a luxury and that being able to earn a living is a necessity. You are far from being in a position to run professionally one day and it would behoove you to focus on graduating with a skillset that can be used in the "real world." If you can do this AND transfer to a school where you will be a contributing factor to a XC team, then by all means, go for it.

saying that you are not considering a D3 because "most of them are private and consist of rich snobby kids" means you have not done your homework.....this year's national champions in XC was Cortland State, a SUNY school in New York that consists of kids with good work ethic and not a lot of money......you can be on a good team without having "rich snobby kids" on the team. I have never really met a "rich, snobby" runner. I have known my share of kids from wealthy families but they did not act snobby at all. I think runners realize they are all equall when they line up on the starting line. How much money your family has doesn't help them to the finish line before less fortunate kids.

Good post, pretty much sums it up.

Also to the OP, 26:30 is a lot better with 3.5 years of eligibility like you have, that leaves room for quite a bit of improvement.