Katelyn Tuohy Should keep Her Eligibility! NCAA Distance Roundtable pro vs college decisions! NIL and Olympics postmortem

Started this thread not for the umpteenth tuohy discussion... But just as someone who enjoys watching good track and field... Wouldn't it be a lot more exciting if she runs in college for the next two or two and a half years... I mean she's not going to make the Olympic team and even if she does she's not going to be competitive with women who can run 1415... And then what else really goes on with American sub elite professionals distance runners... I mean she's not going to even be competitive with the top Americans for the next two years... I mean so Jesus take some fluff graduate program like music appreciation and run in the NCAA championships

You are operating under a couple of presumptions that make no sense.

A) That she wants to be in college for longer. In 2025 she will have to be working on a graduate program. Do you even know if she wants to pursue a post-grad degree just to be able to keep racing in college for one more year?

B) That there is nothing to race for as a pro in 2025. Do the US and World Championships not exist anymore? Why is she not good enough to get into some Diamond League races? There are athletes in many of the diamond league races with PB's similar or even worse than hers. What are you even talking about?

C) That sponsors actually view college stars as highly as pro runners. How do you know that a college runners NIL deals are equal to what those same companies' sponsorship deals would be as a pro? NIL is not the same thing as a pro contract. Athletes cant be paid for performance through NIL. If Tuohy makes the olympic team with only a collegiate NIL deal she gets no bonus. If she signs a pro deal she would get a big bonus for that feat.

This is a defeatist point of view. She’s got a better chance to make the 1500 team than 5000 so she’s taking a run towards the sub 4 milestone this year. She’s never focused on the shorter distance yet still was able to pull off a 4:06 a year ago. If she gets close to a 4 this year she could possibly go significantly sub 4 next year and be competitive enough to make the team. This would also help her make good strides in reaching say 14:40 in the 5 and possibly get on both the 15 and 5 team. I know this is a stretch but a more focused pro workout schedule at altitude would change the US dynamic of ignoring the pro’s. KT’s got the talent if she maintains enthusiasm for tough workouts and a healthy lifestyle there’s a chance of continuing the dream. Less talented/focused gals have done it. Oh, I forgot. She definitely needs to continue to avoid this site, lol 😂.

Sure you did 🙄

I'd go pro at the end of this season or after XC in the fall.

Timing is perfect less than a year out from an Olympics and coming off an historic year in the NCAA = maximum bidding war.

You don't want to sign the year after an Olympics, that's usually the lowest point of the cycle for good contracts as all the sponsors have spent big budget wise the year before.

Additionally what does she have to gain from another year in the NCAA? Beating people she has already beaten and winning titles she has already won. Or worse, someone new breaks out and takes a title off her or she gets an injury.

Well I was going to do a round table discussion of conference champion highlights... How about that ACC 1500 on the men's side... Dude ran the prelims with one shoe and made it through

And that other dude got knocked down pretty hard and got back up and qualified and then finished second in the final...

But I don't know The tuohy fans have a lot more passion... And I knew no one would really care about that random thread so

Yeah maybe you're right, but we'll see if she doesn't make the Olympics and isn't good enough to run and compete in the diamond league she'll be An also ran to monson and shweizer and purrier and whoever else are the top American runner is 358, 1430... I mean if she's only 1450 for the next two years then it's going to be that exciting not getting any media attention... I mean I don't exactly see Whitney Morgan and Ellie henes getting tons of threads and tons of mention in the media

Contrast that with being front page and is for the next two years every time she wins an NCAA title

And being front page news for doing something historic like a triple at Nationals indoors or a 10K 1500 double at outdoors...

I mean it just seems nice when you getting interviewed on national TV at the Milllrose games for setting a college record and everyone snapping your pictures for setting a college record at sound running...

That's going to go away quick if you're just another pro who is finishing 5th or 7th in America or 12th in the diamond League

If she is sub 403 in the 1500 GoPro anything over 405 stay in school...

It is kind of a good point look all those guys who went proearly hocker, Kessler, And kind of fizzled when they could have been setting records in college and getting tons of NIL money...

Kind of agree that it's a lot more exciting when someone's setting records and winning championships.

No thanks, I want to see what she can do in professional races, beating up college kids for another year or two is boring.

Exactly! The press will also see it as boring…it’s started already. Time to move on. Does anyone think that competing against mediocre competition that she’s already beaten is going to be as much motivation vs. running against pro’s who are at her level and sometimes a bit better? She needs motivation rather than the pissed off looks from her college teammates, who know as well as her fans, who’s winning and therefore build up natural resentments. She’s beaten Cranny and Henes indoors so the idea that she’s not at that level and already among the US elites is ridiculous. She’ll be more motivated working out with her peers and advance faster. Her fans will keep pace and track her progress. Her chances of making the US team will improve accordingly. You can count on it.

I don't know man why not keep the eligibility until after the Olympics and see how the qualifying goes... You can always red shirt 2024 to train...

Anyway we'll see how the trials go this summer but there's not going to be a whole lot going on in the fall and then next spring so you're going to have to wait a while to see her against pros probably the US trials next year

Improving her own college records won’t be very meaningful. Beating college runners she’s already beaten won’t get very much attention. Her record is ideal to maximize the size of a new pro contract. You can be sure that it will be better than the NIL deal. She’s graduated already with her bachelor’s degree this month. She can’t catch up to the best pro’s without pro-style workouts (twice a day, I believe) at altitude. She needs to do those workouts with Schweitzer, Monson and Henes if she’s to accelerate her progress to be able to beat them or at least stay with them till the finish line. Only then will she have a decent chance to make the international US team, including Olympic trials. The time is now. Waiting till ‘25 will only reduce the value of a pro contract…as others have rightly pointed out.

The smart ones stay in school unless they are ultra world class like Mu and McLaughlin.

Unfortunately lots of them are idiots who mistakenly believe they are ultra elite.

I laughed and enjoyed it when Hocker bolted early. I knew that meant his obscurity needle got a big bump.

Track sites and swimming sites are loaded with time-obsessed fans who don't value college or grasp the big picture. They are group desperate for the athlete to turn pro. The names of those athletes are irrelevant. Copy and paste toward the next bunch.

Wrong. She can do graduate work anywhere. I believe schools exist at altitude. The ‘smart ones’ do what’s best for their individual needs. If you can’t find competition where you are go where you can find it. Financially, staying in school is the wrong decision. Team-wise she can join a pro group with former teammates who can look out for her as she acclimates. Her pro contract could easily absorb the cost of further schooling. She’s good enough to compete in Diamond League right now. She’ll quickly adjust and finish among the top competitors while lowering her PR’s accordingly. World records are rarely broken at these meets. International competition could do wonders for her progression. There may not be anyone of her talent level in the US among distance runners. She won’t win many races to start but she’ll improve quickly. Morgan, Monson and Henes made quick progress after turning pro.

Saying she should go pro because she might get injured is not a smart choice. That's making a decision based on fear. That's never the way to go.

Katelyn Tuohy makes real good decisions. I'm sure she'll do fine.

The Olympics is her dream. It'll happen. In the mean time, rock on Katelyn! Keep having fun and racking up championships!

She has very little chance of making the 2024 team.

So she shouldn’t try…great attitude. The most promising female talent to come along in many years shouldn’t strive to compete with the best. You could say that about all the talent that needs to improve to get there. She’s overcome this negative attitude since she started running seriously. I’m sure the leading contenders from 1500 through 10000 have a more realistic view since at some point they too had to overcome the naysayers. Her competitive edge is the desire to disprove people like you. She’s 4 seconds from making the 1500 standard and 6 seconds from making the 5000.