Is Solomon Haile really 20 years old?

Montgomery County and Sherwood High may be setting a damaging precedent, but what do you want them to do? In order to compete at the high school level, he has to have some sort of age verification either from a birth certificate or passport. Of course those documents can be faked, but is an athletic director at some suburban high school supposed to be a forgery expert? Should he send every athlete's papers to a third party in order to verify their authenticity?

He's been competing for nearly a year against high school competition. I assume that in the past year he has been investigated and cleared. There has been enough of an outcry to warrant an investigation. I'm not sure if he's of the proper age or not. None of us can be sure. His explanation of falsifying his age in order to secure an agent is a stretch, but it is plausible.

...Let's see if Foot Locker intervenes before the Regional or Nationals. They'll look like fools if he gets the W and is then "outed".

He has already been "outted", it is a matter of whther he has been "outted" for execllence i.e. his new CR, or shamefulness, being 20+ and claiming this CR and saying zip.

This is an extension of the problem in the collegiate eligibility system, where people like Galen Rupp can take time off before selecting a college that will best further their running career. The notion of the NCAA 'student-athlete' is a joke; they should just change the title to 'semi-pro'. I'm really surprised more people haven't found this loophole and stay out of college for a few years to train and improve before they finally enroll and beat up on the less mature athletes. If this practice is so acceptable in the collegiate system, I really don't see why its such a big deal when its extended to the high school system. Perhaps the outrage over a collegiate-age runner tromping the high schoolers will lead to clarification of the eligibility rules that let professional-age runners tromp collegiates.

Age may just be a "number" - but it sure isn't when it comes to sports like football (or lacrosse). The strength difference between a 20 year old man versus 16 year old boy can be considerable - really, really so. And if a school or athletic director is on notice that there will be a problem, it strikes me they must investigate.

Interestingly enough, if a school has any indication of grade or academic fraud, you can bet they are compelled to look into it (admittedly the consequence is disqualification of a team or forfeiture of games as opposed to the tort issue related to football above), but really, there should be no difference in the duty of inquiry between grade fraud and age deception.

Under any scenario, cheating at the high school level is unacceptable.

I don't even know where to start. Since when is it the job of the American taxpayer to educate citizens of Ethiopia? If Haile wants to learn English he should first get a work permit and get a job and hire his own tutor. My word, Montgomery County is in the shadow of our Nation's Capitol and foreigners can use bogus age documentation to get into high school? What the hell are we wasting money on Homeland Security for, if this kind of fraud can be perpetuated right out in the open?

What males you think that Haile needs to bring down his times to be a solid D-1 recruit? Don't you understand the the significance of the HS record at Vanny?

I do understand the significance of the Vanny HS record, and Solomon definately should not get that record -- unless he has solid evidence to convincingly prove he is under the HS age limit. And yes, any documents provided should be reviewed by someone with expertise in document fraud. This isn't contrary to my original post.

If Montgomer County wants to let him stay in HS (as a foreign exchange student without the exchange) or for some other reason, I'm not about to protest. Certainly the taxpayers of that county can protest, but I doubt the incremental cost of keeping him in HS (especially since they did admit him) is significant. If Solomon provided fradulent documents to get admitted, then the HS should follow its rules on dealing with this.

If Solomon wants to attend a D-1 College on scholarship, he better admit his true age and apply right now.

NCAA D-1 colleges have an age 24 limit. If above poster Sherwood Forest is correct, Solomon will turn 22 this coming January. That will give him only 2 ½ years of eligibility at a D-1 college if he enters the college next fall. This is hardly a good situation to obtain a decent scholarship.

But I understand that D-II and D-III colleges have no age limits. If I’m wrong on that, someone please correct me. So perhaps a D-II college will work better for him.

Also does anyone know if the NCAA D-1 age limit is higher for foreign students as another poster above has suggested? I doubt that is the case, but nothing would surprise me.

This "convincing" evidence is that someone who looked like him but had a different name signed up for some local road races as a 20 year old, the minimum age required to race without parental permission.

On the other hand, he has a valid birth certificate and passport which have been accepted by the Montgomery County school system.

Doesn't sound like grounds for an investigation.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but isn't it against the rules to wear a watch in a high school race? I ran in New York State, and we were never allowed to wear watches. However, in the video from FloTrack, Solomon is clearly wearing a watch until someone tells him to take it off just before he makes the final turn to the straightaway/finish.

http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/234115/75073

In my mind, having a watch helped him pace himself and make sure he was on pace to break the time. It gave him motivation to run faster if he was behind. Of course, a coach could be on the course yelling out times, but in the back hills at VCP there is no one yelling times and his watch clearly gave him an advantage over others by knowing what time he was running. I'm not too concerned about his age right now, but it clearly seems like he broke a rule here and should not have the record at VCP.

That's a reach.

What a ridiculous complaint.

Best Enter College ASAP wrote:

If Solomon wants to attend a D-1 College on scholarship, he better admit his true age and apply right now.

NCAA D-1 colleges have an age 24 limit. If above poster Sherwood Forest is correct, Solomon will turn 22 this coming January. That will give him only 2 ½ years of eligibility at a D-1 college if he enters the college next fall. This is hardly a good situation to obtain a decent scholarship.

But I understand that D-II and D-III colleges have no age limits. If I’m wrong on that, someone please correct me. So perhaps a D-II college will work better for him.

Also does anyone know if the NCAA D-1 age limit is higher for foreign students as another poster above has suggested? I doubt that is the case, but nothing would surprise me.

Age certainly matters in distance running.

WOMEN’S D-1 COLLEGIATE RECORDS

Indoor

Mile: Vicki Huber at age 20y 9m

3K: Kim Smith at age 22y 4m

5K: Kim Smith at age 22y 4m

Outdoor

1500m: Hannah England at age 21y 1mo

3K: Vicki Huber at age 21y 0m

5K: Kim Smith at age 22y 5m

10K: Sally Kipyego at age 22y 5m

MEN’S D-1 COLLEGIATE RECORDS

Indoor

Mile: Tony Waldrop at age ??

3K: Alistair Cragg at age 23y 8m

5K: Suleiman Nyambui at age 27y 11m**

Outdoor

1500m: Sydney Maree at age 24y 9m

3K: Rudy Chapa at age ??

5K: Henry Rono at age 26y 2m**

10K: Galen Rupp at age 20y 11m

Why are Nyambui and Rono recognized as owning the current collegiate record if they ran that record at an age that is over the current age limit?

Shouldn’t another athlete that meets the current age limit be recognized as owning the current collegiate record? Nyambui’s and Rono’s times should at least be footnoted in the record book as having been run at an age that is over the current NCAA limit.

For those who don't think a watch can help you in a race, I think you're wrong. In your next race, try running without hearing a split and not wearing a watch. I'm sorry R.L. Scribner thinks it is a ridiculous complaint. R.L. Scribner must be a perfect runner who runs their best in every race and never relies on a coach or watch or anything to pace themselves.

I disagree with Moco. The problem is that there is plenty of evidence to substantiate an investigation, and the lack of grounds that Moco points are not lack of grounds to reasonably pursue an investigation, but rather a rationalization not to look further - a fairly significant distinction.

Look, what everyone is missing here is that this young man will get "caught." It is one thing in liberal, progressive Montgomery County for people to avoid the problem for fear of offending his race or ethnicity (clearly that is going on), but quite another as this young man starts on his quest for a state championship, Footlocker Regionals and on to Footlocker Finals. The attention he will attract will be enormous - and his fate will be the same as the over-aged Little Leaguer a few years back. And worse yet - especially given his Van Cortlandt time, schools that would otherwise look at him seriously (although in Division 1 age is a problem) won't for fear of inquiry and scandal.

And countenancing, or not investigating this, is wrong - very wrong for his teammates. Like it or not when this blows up their team performances will have been tainted, with forfeitures and the like. While it may not mean the same in cross country as in football, nevertheless not investigating this guy is a selfish thing to do. It will happen one way or another.

ok all im going to say is everyone thats run against him believes hes a fraud. honostly for a 20 year old running in africa hes mediocre if not bad, so he comes to america dto try and get a college scholarship and make something of himself. Hes not even the best high school kid in the US! aka id have liked to see him run with Fernandez or the likes of Chris Derrick in that nike 5k.

I cannot believe the lack of concern for American kids and just how many "enlightened" liberal airheads there are on this board and across the country. "It's just a number", "leave the poor kid alone","he deserves the same as anyone else"?!! Are you f-in' kidding me? Don't you have any national pride? Any patriotism? I'm sure you people are the same ones who completely ignore Obama's ties to a terrorist and close ties to two of the biggest racists in this country in Farrahkan and Wright. I'm sure you won't care if he can't produce a birth certificate proving he was born in this country either.

If that "kid" from Maryland is proven to have falsified records to get into this country and into our schools, toss him out immediately. I'm sure though, that you'd let him stay along with any other foreigners who sneak into our country. You won't be happy until every last remnant of what it means to be an American is erased and we're "one world community." You people make me sick. Our kids deserve what they work hard for, not an outsider who is neither American or a kid.

Listen, I'm a liberal and progressive, which doesn't mean that I condone cheating. To address some of the issues:

He has already won two national championships and was Washington Post All-Met:http://www.milesplit.us/articles/18737

and:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/hssports/longterm/allmets/spring08/boys_track.html

and I don't see how he can NOT be Runner of the Year (unless he gets caught).

To see some pictures of Semunguse in Austria last year as a 20-year old, go to:

http://www.firstfotofactory.com/cgi-bin/cosmoshop/lshop.cgi

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