Portland focuses on distance runners similar to the way Ok State does. No crime there.
Loaded with foreign runners? Really? Their #4 & #6 from the regional are the only two true foreigners in their top 10 or 11 runners. Lets look a little closer there - Rob does a very good job considering most of his athletes are from the NW corner of the country:
Betterbed - Washington
Osoro - North Dakota
Dunbar - Alaska
Kipchumba - Kenya
Geiger - Washington
Malde - Norway
Bassett - Oregon
Don't forget Frerker, normally in their top 7 - Washington
Or Robert Cosby - also from Washington.
So, in their known top 9 - There are 4 Washingtonians, 1 Oregonian, 1 Alaskan - that's 6 from the NW. 2 "foreigners" - and 1 from North Dakota - no WAY do you count Osoro as a foreigner. Rounding out the top 10 for UP is probably Aiden Irish...another Washingtonian.
University of Oregon has a bunch of Californians....so what? Might as well be a foreign country.
Agreed - but they need to figure it out quick. The race they ran wasn't close to what I was expecting them to.
Probably, although Vin has a little longer leash due to his "bringing back" the distance program. And Smith, in my estimation, was no prize either.
As long as they keep recruiting the way they do, they should continue to be a force to be reckoned with. However, I think one telling sign about them is the fact that Dunbar chose UP over UO - his dad went to both schools - and I'm sure he heard from both extensively - so his son choosing the Pilots over the Ducks says something.
Portland should be around for a while too. Their top seven at regionals went Senior, Frosh, Frosh, Soph, Frosh, Frosh, Frosh. And they held out a Junior and a Soph.
AND have a bunch more Frosh hanging out there....Irish & McDonald to name a couple.
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