Iowa St adds an 8:22 steepler Joash Ruto. Does this make them a threat for NCAA XC team title?

Absolutely this makes them a contender. The guy is a real stud.

Are we sure he's eligible? How late can you add someone to the team? Could a team go get a ringer the day before NCAAs, enroll him, win NCAAs and then he could leave the following Monday without ever haven taken a class?

8:22 at 6,000 feet they say

And they have a 26 year old Moroccan (who competes for Spain) as their #1 runner.

There have been foreign athletes in their mid-late 20s running in the NCAA for decades, not sure why some are acting like this is a recent outrage.

One of the guys mentioned as another possible contributor is Hanibal Haile, which is an awesome name. He’s of Ethiopian heritage but ran 2:18/4:50/10:10 9th grade PRs for a HS in Phoenix.

Gable Sieperda and Tim Sindt at least were in-state recruits.

Iowa State has certainly had success with Kenyan XC runners before. Edwin Kurgat (2019) and Jonah Koech (1990) won NCAAs, while Wesley Kiptoo and Yobes Ondieki both placed top-3 twice. Ondieki was the first man to break 27 for 10,000m.

Once again, Sarah Lorge-Butler and Runner’s World with a scoop that Gault and LRC should have, but could not get.

yeah, how can he be a student athlete if he doesnt start w the first week of class?

Dumb question, but what current legal options are there to pay an international student athlete who is attending a U.S. university on a student visa? For example, would it be legal to bring a Kenyan athlete in to the U.S., but during the summer or on winter break do some paid social media with the athlete and his likeness back in Kenya (work is performed outside of U.S.)?

Kenyan runners are getting smart. They are using the free ride to further their career prospects outside of running (and potentially get permanent residency in the US). None of these guys being recruited are true olympic medal threats but good enough to come earn coin in the US.

That makes sense. Can schools help with stuff like transportation to the U.S.? A flight from Kenya to the U.S. would obv. be tough to pull off for a lot of families there.

honestly, this is an interesting question. I know international students have so much hasel getting internships and student jobs; is NIL subject to the same laws? What happens if student-athletes become employees, will schools need to sponsor worker visas? Will that lead to a decline of int'l student athletes?

Maybe he was already enrolled and attending class but he just hadn’t passed the clearinghouse until now?

They have a 32-year-okd Connor Mantz as well.

Big12 about to be legit.

1-2-3 NCAA finish for the new look Big 12?

CU 4th in their own conference?

I have to wonder, our sport doesn’t exactly have a ton of fans, but how much does an NIL collective really need to raise to get runners out of places like East Africa? is there a way for one guy to write a modest (for him) check and buy an athlete that can almost guarantee a NCAA title, via some visa loophole...or am I missing something?

Yes

They were certainly a contender. And Rutto helped them be a contender.