HOLY CRAP!!! JOHANNA NILSSON!!!!

Don't forget XC..

She is a great runner, but to be fair, this is definitely a down year in Women's Distance. She seems to be running about the same or marginally better, but all her comp of the past few years (i.e. Flanagan, Clement, Bei, Fleshman, Gallo, McWilliams, etc.) have turned Pro. Her turn to shine while the others must rebuild.

By next year hopefully we will see some of the great young talent (Hastings,Lambie, Noble, Felnagle, Bowman, Gall, the Minnesota girl who won the 800) develop more fully.

She is more than a great runner, she is amazing, probably the best talent that has been in the NCAA in a long time (at least distance). Pulling off the mile/3k double is much harder than a 5k/3k, though she probably could have won all three if she wanted. The fact is, she won the mile in a time faster than what was won last year, and the 3k was also faster than last year. So, for this being a down year, thats pretty hard to believe. This is a girl who broke Shalane Flannagan's course record, one that Kim Smith did not break, in cross country. That being said she deserves a lot more credit than she is given because running a 9:06 3k after running a mile that was closed in 2:12, I'd say thats amazing. Think about that.

Impressive, yes, but Kim Smith, formerly of Providence, was the best talent I have personally seen in the NCAA distances in years. She was clearly on another stratosphere when it came to racing at the NCAA level. That said, what a heck of year from Nilsson. Absolutely great and she loves the track.

Ur Crazy wrote:

...probably the best talent that has been in the NCAA in a long time (at least distance).

No.

YES!

¡No!

So she couldn't possibly have improved since the others left college competition? As someone pointed out her wins have come in the form of superior performances in those races than what her predecessors had managed though the course in Terre Haute was much sloppier in 2004 than it was last year. I wouldn't be at all surprised if J. Nilsson turned out to be a superior international runner to Flanagan, Bei (Hall), Fleshman, McWilliams, and the rest.

road stumbler wrote:

She is a great runner, but to be fair, this is definitely a down year in Women's Distance. She seems to be running about the same or marginally better, but all her comp of the past few years (i.e. Flanagan, Clement, Bei, Fleshman, Gallo, McWilliams, etc.) have turned Pro. Her turn to shine while the others must rebuild.

By next year hopefully we will see some of the great young talent (Hastings,Lambie, Noble, Felnagle, Bowman, Gall, the Minnesota girl who won the 800) develop more fully.

[quote]What About Deak???? wrote:

So she couldn't possibly have improved since the others left college competition? As someone pointed out her wins have come in the form of superior performances in those races than what her predecessors had managed though the course in Terre Haute was much sloppier in 2004 than it was last year. I wouldn't be at all surprised if J. Nilsson turned out to be a superior international runner to Flanagan, Bei (Hall), Fleshman, McWilliams, and the rest.

[quote

I agree. None of those mentioned would have beaten her this past weekend. Nilsson looks stronger than all but McWilliams, and she is more of a pure middle distance runner whereas Nilsson looks to be more of a distance runner with her superior strength and stamina.

I can't believe I left out Smith! I agree that Johanna is on the level with the others I mentioned, but looks more dominant at present than they were for the simple fact that they are all gone. The rest of the field is young and developing.

And Kim Smith was definitely on another level altogether.

Johanna ran 4:32 indoors two years ago, and has run that again this year. I expect her to be capable of 4:08-09-ish outdoors, which is the typical NCAA lead time. Two years ago it was part of the pack behind McWilliams.

What has Ida been doing the past few years?

She ran what she had to in order to win just like the rest had. Just because they're no longer there doesn't mean that she wouldn't have challenged them if they were.

First of all, 4:08-4:09 is not where the typical NCAA lead time is so please do some research and do not limit it to the years when McWilliams was running.

Second, two years ago McWilliams won in 4:11 with Clement second and Muncan 3rd (4:13). Muncan ran in the mile on Saturday and did not beat Nilsson.

You are probably speaking about 3 years ago when the pack was around 4:10-4:11 in Sacramento.

If you do not think that beating Muncan, Lambie, and Cullen EASILY is impressive and one of the best then you are crazy. I saw that someone mentioned Gallo. Where did Gallo finish last year at NCAA 1500m?

When was the last time the NCAA XC Champion (3rd at European XC - oh year, MCWilliams could have done that too - I don't think so!!) came back to win the mile, 3k double 80 min apart while barely breaking a sweat? I was told that she looked easy in her win.

Research? Time for someone to buy a clue.

When I say "NCAA lead time" I mean the fastest time for the *year*, not in the Championship race which has a tactical component, *and* including summer, when they are racing off of their college training and are able to run in even-paced affairs that bring them up to their potential. I could see Nilsson running 4:05 this summer, which is great but not otherworldly.

Last year Gallo ran 4:05, and 4:09 the year before. Last year was three seconds faster than the "standard" 4:08-09 that I quoted, as was McWilliams in 2003. The last three years have had leading marks of 4:06, 4:09, 4:05, so my range is conservative, if anything.

Johanna ran 4:10 as a sophomore, and is finally getting back into that shape, which is great. But she isn't running against girls who have ALREADY run 4:09-4:10, as was the case in the past. She will probably have to go to Europe this summer to get pushed at all, and if all goes right, she may end up where Gallo, Flanagan, McWilliams, et al have in the past years. She has had some down years, but it looks like she might end on a high note; the Trifecta of XC, Indoor and Outdoor awaits.

I predicted Nilsson would win the mile and the 3k. I agree that she is in a class above the rest of the current NCAA field.

Will she have NCAA eligibility after outdoor track this year in either cross country, indoor or outdoor? Or is this her last year running in the NCAA's.

How old is Nilsson?

I thought Flanagan was better than Kim Smith during college.

Ashlee Simpson wrote:

I thought Flanagan was better than Kim Smith during college.

They were about dead even (I remember seeing them going at each other like she-wolves in an epic Mt SAC 5000; Flanagan won by a foot). But the next year (2004) Flanagan graduated and Smith was left to dominating all the other collegians.

I should add that they were even in *track*; Flanagan dominated cross that year, Smith was 2nd with a bullet (breakthrough season).

Nilsson ran faster than any of them in Indiana and then backed it up with 3rd at Europeans - something neither of the other two were/are capable of. Yes, I do realize that Flanagan is not European so she would not have the chance. Just my opinion.