What percent of DI men can break 16 in the 5k on the track?

I agree 80% because everyone here is always so peppy and positive that they always want to see the best in people...

95%. I was on a below average D1 team and ran high 15 minutes about a decade ago. I was in the back even at the slower meets - but never last.

The people saying 100% are thinking of the top schools and top meets. Then I'd agree. But there's lots of non-traveling D1 runners on bad teams running in the 16s.

The had legitimate reason...that academic scholarship would count against one of their scholarships. So while they'd "save money" they'd lose a position to give to an actual fast guy.

I ran 16 flat in high school. Walked on to average d1 school. Was 7th or 8th in CC. Team had 5-6 guys who ran between 1410 and 15 minutes for 5k. By my senior year we had about same number under 15 but 3 under 1430. Most guys who don't break 1530 by sophomore year will likely quit on a average d1 team.

yes yes, i know that blind speculation and anecdotal dart-throwing is the name of the game on LRC, but let me hit you all with some raw numbers.

from 2010-2018 the average 5k performance in Division 1 was 15:13.2.

for freshman: 15:28

for sophomores: 15:16

for juniors: 15:08

for seniors: 15:00

if you play nice, there's more where this came from

That is good information but that includes every performance for every runner. For example, the Big Ten meet 2 years ago was 95 degrees and 14 minute guys were running 15:30. The question asked how many can run sub 16. If you are going to provide meaningful averages, it would be the averages of only each runners' best times.

Tfrrs is a beautiful place...

There were a little under 3200 D1 men that ran 5km in 2020 Indoors...

A little more than 1800 of them broke 16:00...

So, the answer is about 56% of D1 men can break 16 for the 5km on the track.

For reference, about 700 broke 15:00 (21%)... 250 broke 14:30 (7%)... 50 broke 14:00 (1.5%).

/thread

Another piece of good information that does not answer the question of how many can break 16. These are the guys who ran the 5k, not how many can run a certain time. The list is skewed toward slow guys because crappy teams attend local meets where all of their guys can run where good teams are limited on how many can travel to their meets and wealthy usually have larger teams. BYU had 7 guys run the 5k and all broke 16. They had 26 guys in the distance squad and all would break 16 if they ran it. Michigan had 7 guys run the 5k and all broke 16 but they had 25 on the roster and all could break it. Harvard had only 3 guys run the 5k and all broke 16 but they had 21 on the roster. I am going with about 85% of D1 distance guys who can break 16.

if you're not sub-16:00 you're not D1 wrote:

100%, if it's XC or 5k/10k specialists. I have a friend at the worst D1 of them all (St. Bonaventure). The only two 5k specialists on his team have both gone sub-16:00 (him and his friend, 15:40 and 15:51, respectively). If you can't break 16:00 you are not D1.

I ran against St Bonaventure many years ago and am familiar with that school. I'm not current on who's on their team but I wouldn't be surprised some of the their top 7 in cross country are incapable of sub 16.

2010-2018 average seasonal/yearly best by class for D1 men 5k:

FR 15:28

SO 15:15

JR 15:06

SR 14:58

2010-2018 average 5k PERFORMANCE (not yearly best) by team:

top 5:

Stanford 14:03

Oregon 14:05

BYU 14:10

Wisconsin 14:10

Colorado 14:12

Bottom 5 (of teams that have at least 10 results):

Ohio Franciscan 17:25

Delaware State 17:34

St. Bonaventure 17:43

Alabama A&M 18:22

Keystone 18:35

romper cx wrote:

Most. They shouldn’t be running D1 if they can’t.

this

Keystone is D3.

If they’re not breaking 16 they’re not so special, therefore they are not 5K specialists.

The question asked what D1 5 and 10 K specialists could run.

I live in Ohio and never heard of Ohio Franciscan. Looked it up, it’s D3.

Some interesting school records, 6’ HJ, 11.52 100 metershttps://franciscanathletics.com/sports/2018/10/25/mens-track-and-field-school-records.aspx

Are you a 5km specialist if you never run the event? The question was how many 5km/10km specialists could break 16? Don't tell me that Michigan has 25 5km/10km guys on the team. If 7 guys ran indoor 5ks then my conclusion is that they have 7 5km guys.

B_D_E can u post median too, i will buy u one month of LRC subscription

The clarification for 5k and 10k was so that somebody like you didn't try to throw 800 or 400 runners into it by saying that they could not break 16. Yes Michigan has that many 5k/10k guys. NAU had only 9 guys run the 5k indoor but they have another 9 who can run 14:20 but they are on the sideline. You know how Alabama has 100 guys on the football team but 50 never get in the Game? It is like asking how many QBs they have that could throw for a certain % and you claim it is only 1 because the other 2 subs don't get in the game. You obviously were not part of a high level team.