1) it will be good to see where Tuohy is at this weekend...she looks very fit. Hopefully she is healthy to start this XC season.
not even sure if we will see katelyn this week, maybe i should post another update saying she will, because the last time i assumed and posted that she'll race, nc state rebutted and wrote a wholeass article about the line up and Katelyn aint on it .... hmmm it might work again...
Jedsdead said her 1 race doesn't warrant a top 10 ranking. But her track 5k is top 10 in the NCAA and she beat one of the women last week who has a faster 5k. There have been several questions over the past 5 days about her HS record in which people thought it was XC. Anyone saying that she shouldn't be ranked top 10 either lacks information or is biased.
Jedsdead said her 1 race doesn't warrant a top 10 ranking. But her track 5k is top 10 in the NCAA and she beat one of the women last week who has a faster 5k. There have been several questions over the past 5 days about her HS record in which people thought it was XC. Anyone saying that she shouldn't be ranked top 10 either lacks information or is biased.
Yeah the fact that she beat Roe is big when you consider her PRs. The ranking changes seem to agree as well. I also think she is going to push Roe to go faster, which will be interesting.
1) it will be good to see where Tuohy is at this weekend...she looks very fit. Hopefully she is healthy to start this XC season.
2) there will be some strong competition for Tuohy this year....Mercy, Roe, Valby, and from her own team (Starliper and Chmiel). But as someone earlier suggested, I would not bet against a healthy Tuohy in XC...especially after the outdoor season she had.
3) Cook had a great first race...and I do hope she keeps it up (so nice to see a top level HS runner come to NCAA uninjured)....but in my mind this doesn't warrant a top 10 ranking yet. Maybe by the time she gets to Nationals...but one race simply isn't enough.
Chances are she will not try or have to run fast before Nationals if you look at their schedule.
I want to make sure I clarify my comment...first, I am very impressed with Cook and would love to see her do well in XC this year. She very well may place in the top 10 at Nationals, which would be impressive.
But when I look at ranking system which places a runner in the top 5 based solely on one race at the NCAA level...sorry, I just don't find any credibility to it. In my opinion, any HS performances don't count when ranking against NCAA runners....otherwise Tuohy should have been ranked in the top 5 before stepping on any NCAA course.
Again, Cook was great in her first race....but it's one race. So yes, she certainly deserves some added attention....and she obviously can be in the top echelon this year...but would you take a one race result over top of runners who have performed consistently at this level through the grind of a full season. Plus add in the nerves that an NCAA Championship race can bring in a runners first year....
So sorry...no, I personally would not rank Cook in my top 5 for end of year placement at this point. I would certainly have Mercy, Roe, Tuohy, Valby, McCabe, Chmiel, Tyynismaa as well as others ranked higher. If Cook continues to perform in multiple races, then obviously I would move her higher. But I believe we have many times seen the flaw of getting too excited over one race result.
I agree...she had a long season last year, and these early races are really just warm-ups. I'm sure her coach is stressing for her (and the rest of the team) to run at a predetermined pace for the first 4 km, and then see what the end of the race brings.
I'm sure her coach is stressing for her (and the rest of the team) to run at a predetermined pace for the first 4 km, and then see what the end of the race brings.
Is that a typical race strategy? (I don't know how much runners will push it in early races, or prestige early races like nuttycomb). Seems like NC emphasizes pack running, but just a guess on my part really. Wonder if Chelangat or another runner will push the pace?
I'm sure her coach is stressing for her (and the rest of the team) to run at a predetermined pace for the first 4 km, and then see what the end of the race brings.
Is that a typical race strategy? (I don't know how much runners will push it in early races, or prestige early races like nuttycomb). Seems like NC emphasizes pack running, but just a guess on my part really. Wonder if Chelangat or another runner will push the pace?
The teams will certainly have discussions on what their team plan would be and what type of pace to run ideally. But then you will have people like Mercy who can take off at a fast pace. ..do they go with her or not? I completely agree though ....this is an early race, and results are less important than getting the team ready for the late season push.
Tuohy likes being a front-runner though, and all of these athletes are highly competitive. I also expect Tuohy has something to prove in XC this year.