I'd rather watch meets thru conference before making bold predictions to see how injuries and freshman are working out for top teams.
Winning the final has recently been more about 'health and running well on the day' than about how a team stacked up on paper.
There is always flash and buzz around the big names, but how a whole squad ‘stacks up’ literally is the main determinant in how it ends up on the other side of not-atypical injuries. I found it rather interesting BYU won the whole thing last year with their #1 and #2 in ‘just’ 14th and 31st place.
It was a high scoring competition but BYUs 2 to 6 runners ran very well. Many on OR certainly did not.
There is always flash and buzz around the big names, but how a whole squad ‘stacks up’ literally is the main determinant in how it ends up on the other side of not-atypical injuries. I found it rather interesting BYU won the whole thing last year with their #1 and #2 in ‘just’ 14th and 31st place.
You are almost there. Last year’s BYU team is weak, but it stood out when every other team was underperforming. This year’s team is significantly better from top to bottom. But the competition this year is likely much tougher.
There is always flash and buzz around the big names, but how a whole squad ‘stacks up’ literally is the main determinant in how it ends up on the other side of not-atypical injuries. I found it rather interesting BYU won the whole thing last year with their #1 and #2 in ‘just’ 14th and 31st place.
You are almost there. Last year’s BYU team is weak, but it stood out when every other team was underperforming. This year’s team is significantly better from top to bottom. But the competition this year is likely much tougher.
NCState has parlayed their Eastern Seaboard location into many good recruiting classes, resulting in multiple Cross-Country Championships.
BYU is now in the enviable position of being situated at altitude, able to recruit from good Utah/Idaho classes also at altitude, benefitting now from good coaching that starts in grade school. They could now string together multiple years of Championships.
But alas, other Power schools are buying foreign ringers to throw a wrench in the works.
NCState has parlayed their Eastern Seaboard location into many good recruiting classes, resulting in multiple Cross-Country Championships.
BYU is now in the enviable position of being situated at altitude, able to recruit from good Utah/Idaho classes also at altitude, benefitting now from good coaching that starts in grade school. They could now string together multiple years of Championships.
But alas, other Power schools are buying foreign ringers to throw a wrench in the works.
BYU benefitting that so many top runners happen to be Mormon, and Mormons aspire to attend BYU.
The altitude, coaching, success and wholesome lifestyle attract some non Mormons (Hutchins, Macchia), but basically as the Mormons go, that's how BYU will go.
Recruiting Mormons to BYU not really a challenge. They actually can't take everyone who wants to join.
Judging the expressions of the four top finishers crossing the finish line (slide 6), three of them appeared under no duress, just tempo-ing it.
Roberts was the one I referred to as looking most uncomfortable at the finish (but of course that could be the way she always looks when running.) She improved last year’s time by nine seconds:
I suspect Coach Taylor put the squad out there she has eyes on. Thus, I wouldn’t be surprised if Macchia redshirts this season.
It turns out that we learn from Taylor’s Dyestat linked interview that she didn’t plan to put freshman in the opener simply because it was too early. We may see some of them at Cowboy Jamboree:
I suspect Coach Taylor put the squad out there she has eyes on. Thus, I wouldn’t be surprised if Macchia redshirts this season.
It turns out that we learn from Taylor’s Dyestat linked interview that she didn’t plan to put freshman in the opener simply because it was too early. We may see some of them at Cowboy Jamboree:
