Sahlman vs Martin: Who will have the better track season?

To clarify, I’m talking about college freshmen Colin Sahlman and Gary Martin.

I think Martin will have the better season for one reason: Coach Vin Lananna. He has proven he has the ability to train NCAA champion milers. Can Coach Mike Smith do the same?

Didn't Geordie Beamish win the mile under Mike Smith?

Oops, sorry, I forgot that. I was thinking of the outdoor 1500. I still think Martin will have a better season (indoor + outdoor).

Smith trained two 5k/10k guys to 3:55 and 3:54 indoors, i think he can train a miler.

That said, I think Martin will have the better outdoor season. I don't have an actual reason - both guys are solid and had relatively similar XC seasons. Just a complete shot in the dark and you can come back and make fun of me if Sahlman runs something crazy.

Remember, Indoors is at Altitude this year, and one of these guys now lives and trains at altitude.

Good point. Sahlman will certainly have the advantage for indoors. Outdoors, on the other hand, will be in Austin. Will Sahlman be as equipped to handle the Texas heat in June?

Man you are really overthinking this. Sahlman grew up in SoCal, I think he can handle the heat fine.

Yes but you’d be surprised by how quickly people’s comfort levels can change. I used to live in Florida. Then when I went back to visit after moving to Colorado I could no longer tolerate the heat and humidity.

Will also be interesting to see how Rheinhardt Harrison develops at Oregon

My gut is that both he and CS were more developed in HS so I would expect Martin to improve more. All 3 of them have shown enough speed to get down to that 3:54 range. But who knows who will stay healthy and have things line up. Or who can't tolerate running 3:58 and finishing 7th. A lot of kids struggle when they go from a big fish to a small one.

Colin Sahlman ran 1:48/3:56 while also being essentially the national champion in xc, ahead of a 13:43 teammate. He was top 30 at NCAA xc regionals. His endurance will be much better than last year. Nico was much better in xc, though that was not until February-March of his freshman year, and he ran 13:22. I can see Sahlman, who has much more speed, improving marginally in the 800m, since Smith doesn't coach toward that side much, 1:47, but running 3:35 in the 1500m, a drop of 3-4 seconds, this year.

Rheinhardt Harrison didn't have much of a xc season, despite being state xc record holder in Florida, probably because he was building strength in the longer-term Jerry program, but I expect that he will be running very fast outdoors. Oregon has a fantastic track record in the mile, though Jerry does not. He gets guys to sub-13 and mid-3:30s shape. Harrison also has 1:48 speed and ran sub-4. I could see him running 3:35-36 under Thomas or Powell. Under Jerry and Solinsky, he may be more likely to run 13:20s than mid 3:30s this year. He has been coached by Tinman. So, like Sahlman, he has already had substantial advantages, though not the same level of teammates.

Now, Gary Martin had a good xc season. He is making a transition from a program with 5 minute milers to a program with 4 minute milers, from a coach used to 5 minute milers to one of the great NCAA coaches ever. He has far more xc strength than he's ever had. He also ran 1:48/3:58ish, so he is very close in performance on the track to the guys above but far from being developed, so I see him as the highest ceiling guy of the three frosh. Still, there's that adjustment period from workouts in a parking lot to a track with top teammates, so I see him as unpredictable this year but possibly meeting the Olympic standard next year and having a shot to make the team in the 1500m. For that, though, he'll need to develop a kick, something Sahlman already has.

Excellent analysis. I agree that Martin seems to have the most room for improvement. He also seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He had a really positive reflection on his first collegiate cross country season and his overall transition from high school to college:

citiusmag.com

Laying The Foundation: My First NCAA Cross Country Season - Citius Mag

Gary Martin

Gary Martin's first piece as a CITIUS MAG contributor reflects on his inaugural cross country season at the University of Virginia.

Link:citiusmag.com/gary-martin-ncaa-cross-c...