Can anyone explain what happened to the two star Michigan recruits of 2004, Mike Woods and Victor Gras? I haven't seen Woods compete all season (is he injured/making a comback)? They were the best Canadian and US milers coming out of high school. Check out Gras' decline ...its sad...
http://www.mgoblue.com/bio.cfm?bio_id=3044§ion_id=330&top=2&level=3&season=992
he is very injury prone, but he has run 8:04 for 3k twice. give it time.
Well, Barnicle, the other Massachusetts hotshot that year, has been pretty unaccomplished in college, so it isn't just the school. Too much, too soon, perhaps.
Gras was at UNC last weekend. Got beat by masters champ John Hinton who ran a 3:53 or 54
thanks for the responses...anyone know anything about Woods? Is he injured? Redshirted?
I read an article a few months ago saying he was injured most of XC season. I don't know what was up this winter. Keep in mind that it takes a while to get back into racing shape after being out for months.
barnicle,
he had mono in the fall.
-themack
As we said in college, give Warhurst a 4 minute miler out of high school and he'll give you a 4 minute miler out of college.
Interesting, comments, as Warhurst also seems to get no credit for Lex Williams amazing improvement? OR Switzer's nice but mixed frosh/soph years?
Victor had a beyond great, profile coming out of HS:
FL Guy, 12:17 at Vanny
4:05.x yards, 1:50.x, 8:50's
Gavin Coombs ran some great marks as well.
So did others. There is a price paid once in a while to run very fast in HS. Sometimes improvement is also not always linear.Victor has been hurt quite a bit.
Coombs for example? I do not know why, but he just finally got back to HS marks with 4:04.x Indoors for mile,and has run 8:50's steeple.
On the Warhurst thing?
Ellerton is also a little bit better than he was in HS years.
Brannen went from 3:59 and 8:50's high to, 3:55-57 and 7:50's for 3K.
Kind of unfair to constantly bash the same guys.
Go look at Rupp, Kiptoo, neither has really improved, when you are objective?
Bumbalough has improved some, but struggled to run a full season.
Doesn't always work the way the viewers want it!!
Point is? Where are you going to go from where some guys were in HS.Is it realistic to think a guy who went from 4:15 to 4:05 in two years is going to then run 3:55, 4 years later? I think not.
A couple of guys have said the same thing to me , it is all about UNinterrupted training. Lots of guys have talent, but if kids have too many breaks in training, due to injury etc. They will not look like that improved again, until they get solid streak of training.
Many great runners can train within their comfort zone in high school, since they do not have stiff competition day in and day out. If they are driven, they can succeed without breaking down. When they get to college, it is a different story. A good college coach will monitor their athletes to see that they are not over-trained.