New coach Bernard Lagat goes home DEVASTATED as Arizona men DNF and women rack up 343 points at PAC12s

Looks more like a lack of talent. They need better recruits.

Has he asked for a B sample to be considered?

How in the hell does any college team, let alone a Power Five team, get a DNF in a conference meet?

(Yes, I know... by having fewer than five finishers). But how can they be in the position that this is even possible?

I told Lagat to stop fooling around with marathons and go run the first ever 45-49 year old sub 4 mile. He can do it!

Now he needs to stop fooling around with coaching and go run the first ever 45-49 year old sub 4 mile. He can do it!

His athletes probably can't, if they are running 26+ minute 8k's at best.

Are we sure this is a D1 school?? These runners actually got scholarships?? Unbelievably pitiful

Lagat is a more motivated but equally as clueless in coaching above average talent and creating a culture of success. Obviously a great athlete. That’s it.

Iron Bars wrote:

Looks more like a lack of talent. They need better recruits.

There's been a lot of talentless runners become good ones at the ncaa level. Good coaching makes a differnce. Lagat takes the L this year. Let's be real. Hopefully he can improve, learn, and develop some talent down the road. I don't doubt he can.

Lagat shouldn't be coaching at Arizona. He's a Washington State grad and has no business coaching college with his acumen.

This is not terribly surprising. James Li coached Bernard Lagat and James Li had very limited success outside of a few Kenyan athletes at Arizona. Bernard Lagat now coaches and probably implements the exact same system as James Li. They will continue to be trash until someone who can focus on recruiting and DEVELOPING athletes comes in to coach.

It starts from the top though...until Fred Harvey is canned they will continue to be trash. He has had past success with giving a couple of Kenyans full rides to score some points in track, but he doesn't care about cross. Looks like that strategy has failed for the last few years though...

An Olympic runner does not necessarily translate to D1 coach, though Lagat is a nice guy and probably more moral than his predecessors.

Word has it that Harvey has been pretty much relieved of any contact with the athletes and Greene will be taking over.

U of A Athletics is a train wreck and you're right, it starts at the top. Clean house, starting with the AD. Multiple lawsuits, fired b-ball coach and a long-running losing streak in football.

Do you think Lagat joins the coaching staff and instantly the team gets better? Good results take time and developing a culture

michigander6789 wrote:

Do you think Lagat joins the coaching staff and instantly the team gets better? Good results take time and developing a culture

A coach once told me all U.S. runners should train like Lagat.

LMAO the only runner who can train like Lagat with success is Lagat.

michigander6789 wrote:

Do you think Lagat joins the coaching staff and instantly the team gets better? Good results take time and developing a culture

I mean…he’s had over a year now. To get 5 men across a conference finish line.

Iron Bars wrote:

Looks more like a lack of talent. They need better recruits.

One of Arizona's recruits, high school senior Mia Chavez, can probably run a 6k a minute faster than any of Arizona's current runners. That's a start.

Now Arizona just needs to recruit a few more like her. I definitely think that having an all time great runner as coach will convince at least a few top high school runners to go to Arizona.

a comment from the peanut gallery wrote:

michigander6789 wrote:

Do you think Lagat joins the coaching staff and instantly the team gets better? Good results take time and developing a culture

A coach once told me all U.S. runners should train like Lagat.

LMAO the only runner who can train like Lagat with success is Lagat.

This. I imagine he's prescribing similar training to what he did while he was a pro. That relatively low mileage stuff just doesn't cut it for most athletes at the DI level.

I guess Tucson is a hard place to recruit to for outdoor sports. I've spent a fair amount of time there. Seemed ok to me but I don't know what it would be like for students except I think it had a party school reputation. It is not as hot as Tempe by a few degrees in the summer. It is out of the way though.

STEVE THE ADDICT^^^^^^""""""""'"--';"- wrote:

Iron Bars wrote:

Looks more like a lack of talent. They need better recruits.

There's been a lot of talentless runners become good ones at the ncaa level. Good coaching makes a differnce. Lagat takes the L this year. Let's be real. Hopefully he can improve, learn, and develop some talent down the road. I don't doubt he can.

Can you name one? I think it's 100% recruiting and Arizona wasn't good last year either.

I believe they spend all of their scholarships on sprints and field events and not distance runners. They can get some kids to walk on but you're not going to be polishing too many diamonds in the rough.

SDSU Aztec wrote:

STEVE THE ADDICT^^^^^^""""""""'"--';"- wrote:

There's been a lot of talentless runners become good ones at the ncaa level. Good coaching makes a differnce. Lagat takes the L this year. Let's be real. Hopefully he can improve, learn, and develop some talent down the road. I don't doubt he can.

Can you name one? I think it's 100% recruiting and Arizona wasn't good last year either.

It's all about the recruiting. A D1 school having anyone in their top 5 who runs slower than 26:00 just sucks at recruiting.