#1 NAU is stunned at Big Sky XC Champs - Southern Utah 35, NAU 38!

G. Chapman wrote:

tuccone wrote:

If Gonzaga lost the conference title to someone like BYU, the reaction would be so intense that they would get moved down. I’m not saying they should, but they would. The 4 1 seeds would be: Baylor, Michigan, Phio State, and Villanova/Illinois

You are wrong and have no idea what you are talking about.

+1

This guy is so annoying that I’m now rooting for SUU to steal a spot.

"It drives me nuts when an SEC track team will get like 4th at conference but win the NCAA title.

"

I think this is apples vs oranges. For NCAA Track, to win you need a few top athletes who are top 5 in the country to win. At SEC track, you need depth. So teams that are built to win NCAAs don't necessarily have the athletes to win at the conference meet. It isn't sandbagging. Every athlete can give 100% and the coach doesn't hold anyone out but they could still be 4th at SECs and go on to win NCAAs. In the case of NAU, the coach (for whatever reason) held out top runners at conference, which is a strategy I tend to dislike as well.

Iowa dominated the B10 meet but likely will lose to some B10 teams at nationals who have 2 or 3 studs but no depth.

SUU is in without a doubt. The focus is on conference so I don't think the committee will take and team from a conference with taking the teams ahead of them.

macdaddy og 3 wrote:

G. Chapman wrote:

You are wrong and have no idea what you are talking about.

+1

This guy is so annoying that I’m now rooting for SUU to steal a spot.

They already got a spot. They won conference. They’re in.

Exactly correct. I am disappointed in Rojo for that take. He should know better.

In track and field, the BEST track team does not necessarily win the national championship or state championship. In order to win a national or state championship, you have to have a few very high level athletes that can qualify AND score. In order to win a conference championship, you have to have depth in many events from athletes that won't necessarily qualify/score at a national/state championship.

Iowa scored in 13 events and would have been 14 had their top 400 runner not pulled up mid race in the 4x4.

There are no automatic qualifiers as a team this year. Even if a team wins their conference meet, they aren’t automatically going to NCAAs. While I do think SUU will probably go still, they aren’t automatically going because they won.

"Conference championship performance holds the most weight."

While you are correct, if NAU goes, SUU goes in order to comply with their own criteria. SUU is in without a doubt. They beat the best team in the country. The NCAA doesn't have anything in the criteria about teams not fielding their A team for this very reason. It is assumed that the team competing is the A team.

Sucks for Mike Smith losing his Conference Championship bonus and a historical marker (i.e., x# of Conference Championships in a row, etc.). Big hit on his resume.

He has now lost his last conf meet and last NCAA meet. He has no streak in either.

tuccone wrote:

Yes. Which means now SUU will be ranked top 20 after doing virtually nothing except beating a NAU team that essentially threw the conference meet.

Hold on here! Are you implying that there’s a little quid pro quo action going on here between NAU and SUU?!? Maybe SUU gets the win this year and Smith gets a couple 6th year senior transfers to fight fire with fire? Crazy? Sure, crazy like a fox.

Jefe in the CO wrote:

tuccone wrote:

Yes. Which means now SUU will be ranked top 20 after doing virtually nothing except beating a NAU team that essentially threw the conference meet.

Hold on here! Are you implying that there’s a little quid pro quo action going on here between NAU and SUU?!? Maybe SUU gets the win this year and Smith gets a couple 6th year senior transfers to fight fire with fire? Crazy? Sure, crazy like a fox.

???

Mike Smith is a genius.

Standard Setter wrote:

Sucks for Mike Smith losing his Conference Championship bonus and a historical marker (i.e., x# of Conference Championships in a row, etc.). Big hit on his resume.

Great post - love the sarcasm (I assume). BTW NAU's instagram profile mentions 3 NCAA championships, but fails to mention that they won something like 10 Big Sky conference champs in a row. That must be a major oversight! Here it is:

NAU Track&Field/Cross Country

The official account of NAU XC and Track & Field

#NAUStrong ⚒?? @ncaatrackfield

2016, 17 & 18 Men’s DI XC National Champions ???#3peat

Standard Setter wrote:

Sucks for Mike Smith losing his Conference Championship bonus and a historical marker (i.e., x# of Conference Championships in a row, etc.). Big hit on his resume.

Maybe I'm missing something but is it really that big of a deal?

I have no knowledge/nor care to learn who won what conference championship. I care about NCAA champs but that's really it. We all know regional meets can be tactical and not the best team will win.

Dwightarm wrote:

Standard Setter wrote:

Sucks for Mike Smith losing his Conference Championship bonus and a historical marker (i.e., x# of Conference Championships in a row, etc.). Big hit on his resume.

Maybe I'm missing something but is it really that big of a deal?

I have no knowledge/nor care to learn who won what conference championship. I care about NCAA champs but that's really it. We all know regional meets can be tactical and not the best team will win.

I’m sorry but if NAU wins the championship this year it won’t count. Mickey Mouse title.

tuccone wrote:

I’m sorry but if NAU wins the championship this year it won’t count. Mickey Mouse title.

If a team wins a championship title.... it won't count?

Makes no sense to me.

Dwightarm wrote:

tuccone wrote:

I’m sorry but if NAU wins the championship this year it won’t count. Mickey Mouse title.

If a team wins a championship title.... it won't count?

Makes no sense to me.

It’s a Lebron joke. Everyone said that his last title didn’t count and labeled it the “Mickey Mouse” championship.

It’s so lame when you have to explain jokes to people :(

Bump to get my thread to 100. Sorry. Not sorry.