One person doesn't demonstrate any generalizable principle, but this one case doesn't really support your argument anyway. According to Milesplit, Shane Cohen ran 11.74, 23.14, 49.27, 1:58.37, and 4:38.34 (1600) in high school (2:16/4:53 in middle school). At Tampa, he ran 22.28/48.27/1:48.25/3:54.58 in 2022. So, he dropped a second in the 200 and 400m, ten seconds in the 800m, and the equivalent of about 24 seconds in the 1500m, at the University of Tampa. That is tremendous improvement. Tampa did a great job with him. The problem for him really was that he was injured last year and ran slower as a result. That's not something D1 coaches avoid either. But there is no doubt that having training partners equivalent to him helped him make this drop, even if he was due for a drop two years after setting a bunch of pr's. You could use him just as well as an argument that 800m runners should build strength in college xc or that taking a good sprint, mediocre distance runner in high school to a lower pressure program gave him the opportunity to develop over a few years.
Or, hear me out, this path seemed to work for him pretty well. Based on what someone else said on this thread, it doesn't seem that he could have gone to Virginia out of HS easily, so it looks like he played it well.
zxcvzxcv wrote: One person doesn't demonstrate any generalizable principle, but this one case doesn't really support your argument anyway.
zxc.... hits the spot. One performance is not generalizable. It appears he obtained really good coaching at Tampa and then continued to receive good coaching at VA. Good coaching is good coaching regardless of Division (this coming from a former D1 coach at a P5/4/2 whatever it is these days).
At the 2016 trials only 4 collegians made it out of the 800 first round. One of them was D2. His coach Diljeet Taylor took him from 1:54 to 1:46 in just three years.
One person doesn't demonstrate any generalizable principle, but this one case doesn't really support your argument anyway. According to Milesplit, Shane Cohen ran 11.74, 23.14, 49.27, 1:58.37, and 4:38.34 (1600) in high school (2:16/4:53 in middle school). At Tampa, he ran 22.28/48.27/1:48.25/3:54.58 in 2022. So, he dropped a second in the 200 and 400m, ten seconds in the 800m, and the equivalent of about 24 seconds in the 1500m, at the University of Tampa. That is tremendous improvement. Tampa did a great job with him. The problem for him really was that he was injured last year and ran slower as a result. That's not something D1 coaches avoid either. But there is no doubt that having training partners equivalent to him helped him make this drop, even if he was due for a drop two years after setting a bunch of pr's. You could use him just as well as an argument that 800m runners should build strength in college xc or that taking a good sprint, mediocre distance runner in high school to a lower pressure program gave him the opportunity to develop over a few years.
I didn't read all of that but he'd just be yet another 1:48 guy in D2 but one year on D1 and he's got a chance at an Olympic team.
One person doesn't demonstrate any generalizable principle, but this one case doesn't really support your argument anyway. According to Milesplit, Shane Cohen ran 11.74, 23.14, 49.27, 1:58.37, and 4:38.34 (1600) in high school (2:16/4:53 in middle school). At Tampa, he ran 22.28/48.27/1:48.25/3:54.58 in 2022. So, he dropped a second in the 200 and 400m, ten seconds in the 800m, and the equivalent of about 24 seconds in the 1500m, at the University of Tampa. That is tremendous improvement. Tampa did a great job with him. The problem for him really was that he was injured last year and ran slower as a result. That's not something D1 coaches avoid either. But there is no doubt that having training partners equivalent to him helped him make this drop, even if he was due for a drop two years after setting a bunch of pr's. You could use him just as well as an argument that 800m runners should build strength in college xc or that taking a good sprint, mediocre distance runner in high school to a lower pressure program gave him the opportunity to develop over a few years.
I didn't read all of that but he'd just be yet another 1:48 guy in D2 but one year on D1 and he's got a chance at an Olympic team.
So he goes from 1:58-->1:48 as a D2 runner but ZERO possibility he runs 1:44 if he stayed another year? He would have to beat a 1:45 guy to win d2, also a good test for the trials.
Sorry if your argument sounds like a dude running at a non-scholarship D1 who runs 1:57
He took the best opportunity for himself at the time. It looks like UVA wouldn't have looked at him straight out of high school, so he went D2.
I agree with the other poster, good coaching is good coaching, doesn't matter the division. Sometimes it might be better for a runner to take a D2 scholarship and develop further vs. go D1.
I didn't read all of that but he'd just be yet another 1:48 guy in D2 but one year on D1 and he's got a chance at an Olympic team.
So he goes from 1:58-->1:48 as a D2 runner but ZERO possibility he runs 1:44 if he stayed another year? He would have to beat a 1:45 guy to win d2, also a good test for the trials.
Sorry if your argument sounds like a dude running at a non-scholarship D1 who runs 1:57
Lol you think 1:57 kids make D1 rosters? What on earth are you talking about?? Cohen went from a B level 800 runners to an NCAA champ and what changed? D1>>>>>
He took the best opportunity for himself at the time. It looks like UVA wouldn't have looked at him straight out of high school, so he went D2.
I agree with the other poster, good coaching is good coaching, doesn't matter the division. Sometimes it might be better for a runner to take a D2 scholarship and develop further vs. go D1.
Good coaching is good coaching, however the pure resource standpoint between Virginia and Tampa Bay University is probably eons of difference. Virginia likely has a first class support system and a virtually unlimited budget while Tampa Bay has a beach.
So does the same dumb logic apply to Alex Phillip?? Because it worked out well for him to go D3 then D1
Uh... Yes? Obviously. He ran 27:50s and 13:20s after running 28:30 and 13:40s in D3. He was in the hunt to place high at nationals before he fell, which was probably because of his weak D3 roots.
Help us build the best running shoe review site for a chance to win a LetsRun t-shirt.Help us build the best running shoe review site for a chance to win one of 10 LetsRun t-shirts.