is Florida Women's XC now the favorite to win the NCAA Championship? / If Florida doesn’t win it all with these transfers

In some cases, you are borderline cray-cray. How in the world does that conflict with what Solinsky said?

IMO, if they hadn’t regularly been doing hill training as soon as possible, since Outdoors last year, then what she was as saying was, in effect true. From Solinsky’s interview, it sounded like the ‘hilly’ golf course was something they maybe had started doing relatively recently as a last-minute prep for Natty’s.

And really now, how ‘hilly’ is a ‘hilly’ Florida golf course? 50-60ft hills does not sound that impressive.

To do a proper hill-repeat session, the hill needs to be upwards of a 1/4 mile long, at 10% grade.

Pre race "Gainsville has a lot of hills and I have been preparing for it"

It’s all relative. Solinsky did say they did some prep.

(1) that does not mean she was prepping on hills similar to the Natty’s course.

(2) would you have expected her to reveal in that interview, in front of her competitors the day-before-the-race, “well honestly, I’ve runs some golf-course hills, but I might be a bit unprepared for what is out there”?

So what is the NCAA policy on coaches reaching out to athletes on his former team prior to being in the portal? (Asekol)

I don't know. Ask NC State (Tyynismaa)

Transfer Allison Wilson may be a dark horse on the UF roster.

Tyynismaa was going to NC State anyway…..her dad graduated from there and they have family in that area. Nice try buddy. So again, what is the NCAA policy of head coaches talking to athletes that aren’t in the portal?

Parker Valby is the most excitement here for distance since Jessica Pascoe and some of the other imported Australians, very talented and fun to watch get faster and faster!

Sadly it's true that heat+humidity is no match for growing up and training at altitude but it does make people rather tough and great at "suffering" which makes me curious if she will every try a 10000m or two someday?

floridagators.com

Jessica Pascoe - Track and Field

Jessica PascoeDistance - Collegiate PR | 1,500m: 4:24.82; 3,000m: 9:21.72; 5,000m: 15:34.76; 10,000m: 34:08.41 High School PR | 1,500m: 4:29.66; 3,000m: 9:29.91; 5,000m: 16:53.20 Jessica

Open link

floridagators.com

Parker Valby - Track and Field

Parker ValbyDistance - Collegiate PR | Indoor: 3000m: 8:49.71; Outdoor: 5000m: 15:20.10 (SR) High School PR | 1,600m: 4:50.59 3,200m: 10:10.45 Parker Valby's

Open link

A healthy Wolfpack team is going to THREEpeat.
Florida will win the SEC and be on or close to the podium at the NCAA championship.

Basically Florida will do what Alabama did last season in cross country. The Gators will win both indoor and outdoor track titles.

If the rumors about Tuohy turning pro are true, Florida has a very good shot to win XC. Colorado as well.

Other things change, but here is the rough theory for altitude and poor man's altitude in terms of blood.

At altitude, your body 'wants' a higher hematocrit. The first thing it does is decrease the amount of blood plasma to raise it. Eventually, your body makes more blood cells and then plasma so in theory you eventually end up with about the same volume of blood but with higher hematocrit than at sea level. We know from epo doping that this allows better performance.

In poor man's altitude, your body 'wants' more blood in general (so it has some extra for cooling). The first thing it does is increase the amount of blood plasma. Eventually, your body makes more red blood cell to bring hematocrit back to your baseline, so you end up with more blood at the same hematocrit than you would without heat adaptation. We know from transfusion studies that this allows better performance.

That's the theory anyway. I'm skeptical for both. It is clear that training in heat and at altitude helps performance in heat and at altitude, but I think it is very hit or miss by person and timing whether it helps performance at sea level in moderate weather.

Altitude definitely has an advantage, but I think it is more of a long term thing. For example, one of the changes with endurance training is more capillaries, which living at altitude also stimulates--so training at altitude probably develops capillaries faster. So I think altitude's advantage is that it takes fewer years of training to reach your full potential.

In the new age of NIL Tuohy does not have to rush into turning professional. If she was older and accomplishing what she is now she would have most likely joined the professional ranks. I’m certain that Henes knows if she will be on the cross country team this fall or not. Today is the last day to enter the transfer portal and NC State has not been a recipient of an all American level runner such as Tyynissmaa, Seymour or Hayes like the last 3 years. One would think that if Tuohy was on her way out, Henes would be signing a high quality replacement to minimize the damage. They did get a commitment a few months ago from Princeton runner, Abigail Loveys. She is under 16 on the track and is a potential top 7 runner for the cross country team eventually. Most likely she transferred due to the no redshirts policy of the Ivy League. I think she has two cross country seasons left so she was probably added for 2024 rather than 2023. NC State will have 3 top 10 and 4 top 15 finishers from 2022. That’s less than 30 points from the top 4. Grace Hartman, Brooke Rauber, Gionna Quarzo and possibly others are capable of placing in the top 60. One of these will do that. That adds up to 90 points at the most. The 2022 team won it with 114.

What if they somehow pick up Olivia Howell from the transfer portal? Though speculations have her changing to another shade of Orange

That is all true but I would project CO (if healthy) to have 2 (Cook/Roe) in top 15, another (Covert) 15-20, and 2 more (Baran/Dishon) 25-30 which also adds up to about 90. And that does not include Starliper (if healthy). Baran was 25 last year while Dishon was 31 (in team scoring). Covert was 25 in team scoring in 2021 and has run 15:35.

Loveys is a grad transfer from Princeton, doubt she has much eligibility left. Tyynismaa is this year's Steelman/Hays; will only be her 1st xc season. Even with Tuohy/Chmiel, CU probably still favorite on paper. Florida, OSU and Stanford have talent to compete if everything goes perfect, which is seldom.

I think Loveys has 1 XC season left, and maybe 2 track seasons. 2019 was her 1st year

https://www.tfrrs.org/athletes/7496499/Princeton/Abby_Loveys.html

Here's what cu has now 'on paper' for '23.

Hertenstien 15:38, Covert 15:35, Baran 15:33, Cook 15:24, Dishon 15:54, Starliper 15:36, Katie Doucette 16:08, Minuitti 16:08

Top 5 incoming freshmen: Baloga, Nechanicky

Returning bench strength: Meraz-Fishbein, Valenti, Bennett, Anderson

If just 5 perform in November, they are in the hunt.