To be fair Casey definitely isn’t a sophomore age or training age wise, just eligibility. Thats great tho! He’s inching his way to that truly elite level and I’m happy for him. Go Casey!
Honestly, I don’t know how BYU gets away with it. Clinger will be 25 this year. Most sophomore turn 20 this year.
I don’t think it’s a huge deal. Lots of teams have surprisingly old runners on their roster, I think BYU just gets the most heat for it because they do it a bit more consistently and are a top tier team. I have a teammate who will turn 30 this year, and he’s also a sophomore eligibility wise. I wouldn’t call the two year missions advantageous either. An acquaintance of mine whos close with Mantz said he struggled with 7:00 miles when he got back from his mission and contemplated quitting for a bit. It’s hard to run more than 20 miles a week if you’re lucky while on an LDS service mission.
This is a good point. Once your fully physically mature there’s no difference. For example, I don’t really think a 24 year old has any physical advantage over a 21 year old. At some point your times are your times regardless of age
Looks like he is the fourth fastest sophomore this year.
AthleteYearTeamTimeMeetMeet Date1 Bosley, Drew SO-2 Northern Arizona 7:36.42 2023 Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic Jan 27, 2023 2 Essayi, Anass SO-2 South Carolina 7:41.93 Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge Jan 27, 2023 3 Abdalla, Yaseen SO-2 Tennessee 7:42.23 2023 Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic Jan 27, 2023 4 Lumb, Kieran SR-4 Washington 7:43.27 2023 UW Preview Jan 14, 2023 5 Hamilton, Duncan JR-3 Montana State 7:43.28 #@ Bobcat Challenge Jan 20, 2023 6 Clinger, Casey SO-2 BYU 7:43.96 Razorback Invitational Jan 27, 2023
This is a good point. Once your fully physically mature there’s no difference. For example, I don’t really think a 24 year old has any physical advantage over a 21 year old. At some point your times are your times regardless of age
That’s probably true for 800 to 1500/mile guys but for 5-10 types, they tend to improve a bit with age. Even though they look physically mature, physiologically they’re not peaked.
Clinger is probably close to 30. He should be about at his peak for 3, 5, & 10.
This is a good point. Once your fully physically mature there’s no difference. For example, I don’t really think a 24 year old has any physical advantage over a 21 year old. At some point your times are your times regardless of age
That’s probably true for 800 to 1500/mile guys but for 5-10 types, they tend to improve a bit with age. Even though they look physically mature, physiologically they’re not peaked.
Clinger is probably close to 30. He should be about at his peak for 3, 5, & 10.
Age matters but so does miles. As previous post indicated, many of the BYU runners didn't train for two solid years. Wouldn't it be cool if you could magically become a better runner by not running?