NIL money is not the same as a pro contract. And why do you think she wont have good training partners, coaches, facilities, trainers as a pro? If anything these will all get better as a pro, particularly training partners. Its clear shes progressing past the competition level of the NCAAs at this point. If she is finished academically there is little reason to stay in college after that.
It can be if you have a creative agent and negotiate it well.
I think the longest she'll stay in the NCAA is the end of XC season, but I think it's more likely she goes pro this summer, especially if she makes a Worlds team. Just from a business standpoint, she's literally perfect: She was making waves in middle school. In HS, she was setting records left and right as a 15 year old, and winning every race in sight for 3 years straight. She struggled with injury at the end of HS/start of college, overcame that, and then became just as dominant in the NCAA as she was in HS. She has proven consistency, she's overcome adversity, she's become the best ever at every level she's competed, she has 100k Instagram followers, she's pretty, she's young (turns 21 tomorrow via Wikipedia; happy early bday), she's super smart (engineering major?), has worked out how to healthily balance life as a public figure, has a good support system, and based on everything I've ever seen from her, just seems like a really good person. The only thing that could up her market value at this point would be making the World team, and I'm sure as soon as she's done with NCAAs, shoe companies are gonna be offering literally stupid amounts of money to sign her.
I'd love to see her join OAC since they've been so successful and being able to train with Monson and Andrews. Norris has run 3:59 and came 3rd in the DL final, and Monson is one of the best in the world right now from 3k-10k. Touhy being able to train with them would probably have her on the same progression as Nuguse. The only thing is that Norris is kinda doing the 1500/5k and Monson is 5k/10k, so if Ritz wants to continue the only-one-athlete-per-country-per-event thing, Touhy probably can't join. I really hope he makes an exception though, because they're all still good enough to make a team, and it would mean the best distance athlete, and one of the best mid-d athletes in the country, both of whom are still young, would be able to train with/mentor probably the most talented woman the US has ever produced. I get why Ritz is against it though. I can already imagine Monson-Touhy-Norris going 1-3-4 in the 5k at the OTs, and Monson feeling obligated to only run the 10k at the Olympics so that Norris could be on the team.
If Tuohy doesn't land at OAC, no biggs, grab a three-fer for the same money : Chmiel (marathon, US), Maatoug (mid-d, Ned), McCabe (steeple, Can).
From a financial and training standpoint why go pro?
She already has great training partners, coach, facilities, trainers, etc at NC State. Go pro and she loses all of this.
Already making NIL money also why give it up?
The title of being pro simply isn’t worth it in our sport right now when you lose all this extra stuff and go solo. Plus she gets plenty more race opportunities as well as decent opportunities against the best.
NIL money is not the same as a pro contract. And why do you think she wont have good training partners, coaches, facilities, trainers as a pro? If anything these will all get better as a pro, particularly training partners. Its clear shes progressing past the competition level of the NCAAs at this point. If she is finished academically there is little reason to stay in college after that.
Do you know any pro runners? These all get worse. Even Kyle Merber has spoken publicly about this. You have an injury in college you bike 2 min to the trainer and get immediate treatment. You’re a pro? Likely you’re not good enough to have a dedicated staff on hand for your group. If you do no way they work full time they have another job and have to plan accordingly. No more dining plans or free meals and snacks at just minutes away. Most groups do lots of runs solo whereas college is the opposite.
She'll use all her eligibility because they'll be nothing going on after the Olympics and maybe she red shirts before to train specifically for the Olympics
No way man. She can just red shirt. Train for the Olympics.
100% is coming back for cross country 2024 and 2025!
And then just run in the championships while running pro meets for track season
Correct that she has 2 years of cross country eligibility left, if she wants to use them. But the likely years to use that would be 2023 and 2024. Seems likely she will be back this coming fall of 2023 to go for the 3-peat team title. Who knows about 2024.
My own 2¢ on it are that after she earns her degree, and I am not sure when that is, she’ll go pro, regardless of if she has remaining eligibility or not. If I were to guess where she ends up, I would say Flagstaff and being coached by Mike Smith.
I am sure I will get downvotes for this but unless you are a strength based male xc runner I don't totally get the Mike Smith hype. NAU isn't as strong at winning on the track as they are at XC, and they dont have milers. What success has he really had with female runners, milers, etc? As of now, I hope she goes to OAC.
I think being known as the greatest college runner ever is worth something
This is a thread about Touhy, not Kipyego
3 ncaa records in just one season
4 national individual titles in 10 months
katelyn tuohy will become the winningest female distance runner if she stays
the only reason she wont win 15 titles is if she leaves the ncaa, if she stays and finishes her eligibility till 2025 indoors, she'll win 15 titles or more
My own 2¢ on it are that after she earns her degree, and I am not sure when that is, she’ll go pro, regardless of if she has remaining eligibility or not. If I were to guess where she ends up, I would say Flagstaff and being coached by Mike Smith.
I am sure I will get downvotes for this but unless you are a strength based male xc runner I don't totally get the Mike Smith hype. NAU isn't as strong at winning on the track as they are at XC, and they dont have milers. What success has he really had with female runners, milers, etc? As of now, I hope she goes to OAC.
Beamish won the NCAA mile. Tuohys former teammate Elly Henes ran 14:52 under him in her first year as a pro and just ran #6 all time US in the 10,000 in her debut. And all his "strength based" male XC runners throw down very fast miles as well.
