AWESOME! Friday afternoon we can expect interviews from Coach Henes, as well as individually with Tuohy, Valby and Chelangat!
Below you will also find the schedule and the participants for Friday's news conference. Schedule 2:00-2:15 female student athletes Q&A 2:15-2:30 male student athletes Q&A 2:30-3:00 coaches Q&A
Participants
Male Athletes
Charles Hicks, Stanford Nico Young, Northern Arizona Alex Maier, Oklahoma State
Female Athletes
Katelyn Tuohy, NC State Parker Valby, Florida Mercy Chelangat, Alabama
Coaches Laurie Henes, NC State Mike Smith, NAU Dave Smith, Oklahoma State Ricardo Santos, Stanford
Recordings of these interviews is supposed to be available at:
AWESOME! Friday afternoon we can expect interviews from Coach Henes, as well as individually with Tuohy, Valby and Chelangat!
Below you will also find the schedule and the participants for Friday's news conference. Schedule 2:00-2:15 female student athletes Q&A 2:15-2:30 male student athletes Q&A 2:30-3:00 coaches Q&A
Participants
Male Athletes
Charles Hicks, Stanford Nico Young, Northern Arizona Alex Maier, Oklahoma State
Female Athletes
Katelyn Tuohy, NC State Parker Valby, Florida Mercy Chelangat, Alabama
Coaches Laurie Henes, NC State Mike Smith, NAU Dave Smith, Oklahoma State Ricardo Santos, Stanford
Recordings of these interviews is supposed to be available at:
That should be interesting....it's crazy that the 2020 NCAA Champ and 2021 NCAA Runner Up will likely not get much attention sitting next to the other two!!
I have been reading the Touhy/Valby posts on here for weeks now. I just don't see it. I know Valby is fast, but it reminds me of the Jenna Hutchins effect: run really fast on flat fast courses and be called the fastest ever without ever running a challenging course. That is not what cross country is about, and thankfully, not what will win tomorrow.
If this were track season, I would say that Touhy and Valby are going to be close. I am not negating the fact that she can run fast. Whoever wins tomorrow will be a true cross country runner, and I do not think it will be Valby. If I am wrong I will eat my words. I think Touhy is going to win. Any speculation that NC State is not ready for hills is BS. At ACC's Touhy ran up the hills like a machine, and so did Chmiel. They are prepared.
I think Touhy's biggest competition for the individual title is McCabe, and that could be a battle. Despite being tough and fast and undefeated, McCabe gets very little mention. She is the same type of cross country runner as Touhy - gritty and able to handle the hills and cold - and she is just as fast on the track as Touhy. She is also a savvy racer. So my picks for top finishers are:
I think Touhy's biggest competition for the individual title is McCabe, and that could be a battle. Despite being tough and fast and undefeated, McCabe gets very little mention. She is the same type of cross country runner as Touhy - gritty and able to handle the hills and cold - and she is just as fast on the track as Touhy. She is also a savvy racer. So my picks for top finishers are:
1. Touhy
2. McCabe
3. Roe
4. Chmiel
5. Valby
6. Mercy
Track will be a different story.
Insightful analysis, I agree Mccabe is underestimated. Would love to hear your reasoning behind Chelangat being 6th? She won on this course previously and is good at hills too.
Alabama's Mercy Chelangat takes home the individual championship with a time of 20:01.1, becoming the first ever individual cross country champion for the Al...
I know Valby is fast, but it reminds me of the Jenna Hutchins effect: run really fast on flat fast courses and be called the fastest ever without ever running a challenging course.
Hutchins was 9th at Footlocker her freshman year and 5th her sophomore year. She would have almost certainly won it her junior year except it was canceled and that is the only reason she ran Runninglane. She ran the fastest ever HS 5000 and U20 outdoor record on the day Footlocker was scheduled and that too was only because it was canceled. You Tuohy fanboys are psychotic.
Speaking of injuries, no Marlee Starliper for NC State for the third straight year, I cant imagine the amount of frustration she deals with while fighting all her injuries, 3 months is hard, 3 years is crazy.
Totally agree with you both. I think if Tuohy or Valby falters, McCabe is right there.
It sort of reminds me of the 2009 championship with all of the hype around Jenny Barringer & Susan Kuijken. I clearly remember that race and how everyone was hyping the two of them and disregarding everyone else. Both faltered a bit and Angela Bizzarri of Illinois put the hammer down and looked comfortable winning. It was talked about on the LRC podcast and also in the article on the front page of the website.
Also, laurie Henes gave an answer about the hamstring. It sounds minor and Tuohy sounds good to go. Here is what Henes said:
“It was a very minor issue,” Henes said. “She was able to finish the race well, cool down, and she’s been practicing.”
Below are videos of the 2009 race. Bizzarri blew everyone away. I don't expect a repeat this year but that is why they race.