i assume it comes and goes in waves. If Marco Langon had run this year, there would have been another American in the top 10. Riley Hough, George Coultie, and Gary Martin might place high, and Rocky Hansen could easily be top 5. Trayvon Kitchen could place top 25 or so, and he'll only get better.
Also, keep in mind that the top runner for Syracuse and one of Wisconsin's runners is Israeli, and Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky's top runner is Moroccan, Mississippi's top runner is either Ugandan or Eritrean, and Valentin Socca of CBU has one of the fastest college PRs in the 5K the NCAA has ever seen and he's Uruguayan.
As for Americans, it's cyclical, they're just having an off-year
Last year, everyone is assuming the Kenyans would sweep, and I believe there were only 2 Kenyans and one Eritrean the entire men's top 15.
GEORGE COUTTIE IS BRITISH. There are so many more internationals than most people realize.
Last year the Kenyans ran bad because NCAAs was in Wisconsin and they struggle in the freezing cold. Also Habtom Samuel got spiked and ran half of the race with one shoe on and blood pouring from both feet.
And he still nearly beat 2024 Olympia Graham Blanks who would run 12:59 a couple weeks later and 12:48 in the summer.
I don't know why Kipkirui of New Mexico didn't run XC but he ran 26:50 in the 10k outdoors, won the NCAA Championship, and then outkicked Nico Young and Grant Fisher to place 4th in the 10k at the World Championships.
Our collegiate system literally helped a foreigner beat Americans at the world championships. Why are we allowing this?
It's not just Kenyans, it's all international students that are a problem. You have to realize 2 things.
1. A large portion of those non-Kenyan sounding names are still international athletes. In your cherry-picked region, 4 of Villanova's top 7 are international from Australia. Even Princeton is beginning to recruit a lot more internationally.
2. There are so many big schools that are focusing on Kenyans and internationals that it forces other schools to go that route because there's no chance at a national qualifier otherwise. They are forcing the hand of small schools.
We are at the tipping point now, especially with the big increase in scholarship limits. Within the next 2-3 years, the number of international athletes is going to increase exponentially. Anyone with a shred of common sense can see this.
I know it's not just Kenyans but there was NEVER the carrying on about this before there were Kenyans. Villanova ,Providence, and East Tennessee were always loaded with Irishmen as well as the occasional Brit or Kiwi as was Arkansas later on. No one complained that Nick Rose and company were ruining NCAA cross country when they were at Western Kentucky. I looked at LaSalle's roster. Ten of the fourteen runners are foreign, all western countries, and I don't see any complaints.
This all seems to me whiny and maybe a bit racist that we've decided it's a problem when the international athletes are Kenyans. And personally I think it makes the sport better because our kids get better competition. UTEP was pretty much all Kenyans for many years. Ed Eyestone once said something like he was prepared for any field he raced against in his prime because the competition was never any tougher than he faced in BYU's dual meets with UTEP.
People have been complaining about it for a while, but the situation is getting 100x worse.
For one thing, we've just had numerous high profile Kenyans in the NCAA test positive for performance enhancing drugs.
And as mentioned previously, the scholarship limit is increasing. Oregon is not going to us their additional scholarship money to a 4:19 miler. They are going to find a 1:42 Kenyan 800m runner like the kid who tripped at NCAAs.
Schools aren't saying "great we can bring in 20 more Americans for 25%" they are instead going to bring in 5 internationals on full scholarships.
No. It is harder than recruiting Americans. Foreigners cost more for the same level of performance.
foreigners cost more yes but if you meet the price first you are pretty much going to get them. Compared to the equivalent american recruit that will almost assuredly not want to spend their next 4 years in Albuquerque or Stillwater when they have other options
No. It is harder than recruiting Americans. Foreigners cost more for the same level of performance.
foreigners cost more yes but if you meet the price first you are pretty much going to get them. Compared to the equivalent american recruit that will almost assuredly not want to spend their next 4 years in Albuquerque or Stillwater when they have other options
No. It is harder than recruiting Americans. Foreigners cost more for the same level of performance.
foreigners cost more yes but if you meet the price first you are pretty much going to get them. Compared to the equivalent american recruit that will almost assuredly not want to spend their next 4 years in Albuquerque or Stillwater when they have other options
They usually cost less. Most school have separate funding for foreign students and they don’t need full athletic scholarship
Nearly every region was dominated by Kenyans that are clearly doping.
You want us to believe that there are 100 "CLEAN" college aged Kenyans now in the NCAA that are better than all but a few American college aged kids? When American pro runners are now performing better than Kenyans in nearly every distance event on the track? And a lot of Kenya's best young athletes stay in Kenya and are on pro contracts, so we are supposed to believe that Kenya has 200 young clean athletes that are all better then everyone but the top 5 or 6 Americans.
It's beyond belief. And it's ruining the sport. They are dirty and it is making our sport lose fans in mass numbers.
American and European runners still get roster slots at universities like Alabama, Louisville, Kentucky, and eastern Kentucky.
at louisville, the top three runners are currently Kenyan on the men’s side, 4 is Danish, and 5 through 7 are American. That doesn’t really mean that the international athletes are getting more resources in the Americans from the coach., the American guys on that squad are equally free to try to be the top runner on the team
American and European runners still get roster slots at universities like Alabama, Louisville, Kentucky, and eastern Kentucky.
at louisville, the top three runners are currently Kenyan on the men’s side, 4 is Danish, and 5 through 7 are American. That doesn’t really mean that the international athletes are getting more resources in the Americans from the coach., the American guys on that squad are equally free to try to be the top runner on the team
i assume it comes and goes in waves. If Marco Langon had run this year, there would have been another American in the top 10. Riley Hough, George Coultie, and Gary Martin might place high, and Rocky Hansen could easily be top 5. Trayvon Kitchen could place top 25 or so, and he'll only get better.
Also, keep in mind that the top runner for Syracuse and one of Wisconsin's runners is Israeli, and Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky's top runner is Moroccan, Mississippi's top runner is either Ugandan or Eritrean, and Valentin Socca of CBU has one of the fastest college PRs in the 5K the NCAA has ever seen and he's Uruguayan.
As for Americans, it's cyclical, they're just having an off-year
Last year, everyone is assuming the Kenyans would sweep, and I believe there were only 2 Kenyans and one Eritrean the entire men's top 15.
GEORGE COUTTIE IS BRITISH. There are so many more internationals than most people realize.
Last year the Kenyans ran bad because NCAAs was in Wisconsin and they struggle in the freezing cold. Also Habtom Samuel got spiked and ran half of the race with one shoe on and blood pouring from both feet.
And he still nearly beat 2024 Olympia Graham Blanks who would run 12:59 a couple weeks later and 12:48 in the summer.
I don't know why Kipkirui of New Mexico didn't run XC but he ran 26:50 in the 10k outdoors, won the NCAA Championship, and then outkicked Nico Young and Grant Fisher to place 4th in the 10k at the World Championships.
Our collegiate system literally helped a foreigner beat Americans at the world championships. Why are we allowing this?
I’ve spoken with the worlds foremost Olympic historian David Wallechinsky, and he’s concluded after covering every Olympics since 1984 at the athletes themselves aren’t as patriotic as you think and they would jump flags in a heartbeat. And honestly, I was happy for Ishmael more than I would’ve been for a random Kenyan at least he was a product of the NCAA system and I can say, I saw him running at the national championship