I have not seen to much on DII what does anyone think about the competition level as well as the top 20?
I have not seen to much on DII what does anyone think about the competition level as well as the top 20?
I run for Hillsdale in the Great Lakes region, and I know that it's going to be really tight for those 2 spots for nats. Our pre-regional wasn't scored, but if it had been it would have been Grand Valley 44, Hillsdale 45, and Lewis 46. Ashland is another team that always shows up at the end of the year, they have a national contender in Cordes and a smart coach in Gallagher.
Anyone out there got news on any other regions?
the one thing i know for sure is that the ranking system that is on display at
is in need of some major rethinking. one week teams are ranked high and then after they actually race they are ranked where they rightfully should be. the inherit problem is that rnaking cross country is near impossible due to different course conditions, training cycles, climates....there are just too many factors to take in to consideration. now if a team is ranked solely based on their returning athletes track times that might give a more acurate indication to the level of fitness that team holds.
it seems that at the DII level the top five to seven teams are very good but after that the level of fitness drops off fairly quickly.
Early season polls are always pretty much of a guessing game and a reflection that some coaches like to see their school name in polls and other coaches like to maintain a low profile until alte in the season. this weekend's big invitationals should provide some better data about the competitive teams. The teams from about 6th through 20th this year all look very close in strength and places at Nationals will probably depend a lot on who is healthy and peaked that day.
In general, early season rankings are poor indicators of what is going to happen at regionals and nationals. There is very little info with which to make informed guesses. The rankings usually become better and better each week of the season with big improvements coming after the big meets, where many teams compete. Couple that with the fact that D II teams, after the top 4 or so, are almost identical down to about 15 or 17, and you have a very tough task ranking them.
Also, don't lose sight of the fact that rankings are supposed to generate interest and promote discussion and that's what's happening right here. We also need to remember that a lot of people are volunteering their time to produce these rankings for us to enjoy and Coach Watts(men) and Coach Hoffman(women)are doing an outstanding job coordinating it all.
BTW, the exact link is
www.unf.edu/sports/track/div2coaches
Yours in running,
Coach V
The north central looks pretty tough again this year.
Of course, Western and Adams are the top two followed by South Dakota State, who is looking pretty strong again this year.
There are about 4 teams competing for the last two spots from the region: Mankato State, U of South Dakota, CU-Colorado Springs, and Fort Hays State.
Right now I'd put Fort Hays in front and CU-Colorado Springs taking the final nationals spot based on the pre regional last weekend.
The next two weeks should make the standings in the region more clear.
This weekend, South Dakota and Mankato State will both be at Griak. Western, Adams, and CU-Colorado Springs are all scheduled to compete at the Rocky mountaion Shootout on Oct. 5th. Also on Oct. 5th, Fort Hays is running at the Cowboy Jamboree in Oklahoma.
Also, previously ranked Top20 teams Hillsdale and UC San Diego are on the list for Griak.