US HS 1500 record holder Alexa Efraimson (4:03.39 pb) retires at 25

Thats your takeaway from this? She got paid as a pro for 8 years, probably did pretty well for herself given the hype in HS. If she went to college and got lost in a sea of other good runners, she doesn't sniff the money shes made as a pro. NCAA sucks for development anyway.

I feel like this happened well prior to this week. Eerie parallels to Drew Hunter.

Pretty sad that all the letsrun losers are so mean to pros when they retire or have a bad race. She sure did a hell of a lot better than you did :)

Name a USA medalist in distance events in the past 20 years who didn't run in the NCAA. Even pro-then-collegian-then-pro Rupp and his shady coach found value in it.

Disability

I have to agree with Ryun. Name a WR holder who's ever even watched an NCAA race. Even the multi events, the disciplines for which it could be argued it is worthwhile, seem populated by athletes unaware that the NCAA exists. It apparently is not just unnecessary but an impediment to success.

Mondo Duplantis

Meanwhile, can anyone name someone who's even made a USA team for Olys or WC who didn't compete in college?

"Name a USA medalist?" You mean a medalist at USATF? Raise the bar and look at OG/WC medalists. You'll see 2 differences.

1. Another caliber of athlete from "USA medalists." We see USATF winners not making finals.

2. Another percentage of NCAA participants. In the JV USATF, it'll be close to 100%. In the big league, it'll be closer - much closer - to 0%.

Hey d-bag, she graduated from the Univ of Portland. Pretty sure that Nike paid for it too. She's fine.

Allyson Felix . . . Ajee Wilson . . . so, it can be done . . . but for 1500m on up, college development, at least for a couple years, is an absolute must . . .

She got her degree at University of Portland sometime ago…she’ll be fine.

Getting paid traveling to Europe to compete in track while going to school is not a bad way to spend half of her 20’s.

Congratulations and best wishes for your future.

Very few ever earn the chance to do and experience what you have in your last 8 years as a professional athlete.

Am sure you will give back, in your own way, to the running community.

Know that the vast majority of runners get what you have been able to do and would trade much to have been able to race with the best and have your experiences of life in the fast lane.

She seems excited about new possibilities. It is a good way to bow out. Best of luck.

Tell Jakob I that

How about Centro? Nick Willis? NCAA products with 5 global medals between them.

How about Emmanuel Korrir? Clayton Murphy, Athing Mu, Paul chelimo, Emma Coburn, McLaughlin, Freirichs, Ashton Eaton, Mondo, Kerley, Rupp, Seidel. I could list 50 more.

NCAA products that won many gold silver and bronze global senior outdoor medals. Medals from 100-marathon and everything in between. NCAA is the best league outside of diamond league in world.

I think a 25 year old with some life experience is much better placed to go to college to study something they actually are interested in pursuing, compared to an 18 year old who is just going to college because they think they are supposed to. Would make a lot more sense for people to take some time to do something else (work, service, etc) before going to college, especially at today's prices.

No dude, on the world stage. Every US phenom who skipped NCAA to go pro not only never materialized into a medalist at the highest level, they didn't even make the damn team to compete for said medals.