It's Time to Cut the Mizzou Cross Country Program!

THIS IS SIMPLE, MUCH LIKE THE ELECTIONS, IF THE JOB IS NOT GETTING DONE, THE PEOPLE NEED TO SPEAK UP, AND HIRE SOMEONE ELSE

AS XC MIZZOU ALUMS, WE ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE CURRENTLY GOING. THEREFORE WE WILL BE THE FIRST TO CALL THE AD TO START THE

OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN TO BRING JEFF PIGG BACK TO MIZZOU, AS DIRECTOR OF THE PROGRAM.

CONCERNED ALUMS FOR MIZZOU SUCCESS

Brret wrote:

what is kansas state good at?

Basketball and football, things that lots of people with money care about.

If you read the post they were talking about Indoor, Outdoor, and XC (not football or basketball). Of those three, some schools (i.e. Colorado), are nearly non existent in indoor, but run well in XC and Outdoor. Again, what is K-State good at? Basketball and Football, yes. Multi-events, yes. But, Indoor? No. Outdoor? No. Cross Country? **** No.

Since there are so many Missouri fans and alumni runners, most likely from the 90s, in this thread right now, I'd like to know their opinions. It doesn't seem realistic that Pigg would come to Missouri from Georgia for the same position he had ten years ago. The only way he would come to Missouri would be as head coach, which seems unlikely since it is only Halter's first year. In addition, Fred Bingelli has had good results in the past, especially with runners from Missouri, and should be given time to implement his own philosophy. So Mizzou alums/fans, what is your opinion of Coach Bingelli? Do you think he can get things heading in the right direction again? What do you like about him and what are your concerns? Keep in mind that it has only been three months and most his runners are red-shirting (which is smart in my opinion during a coaching transition). On a side note, do you think it is time to part ways with Rebecca Wilmes? The girls team definitely only seems to be getting worse. Thanks.

In 2008 OU red shirted practically their whole team...just saying...if you look at results from some meets the "unattached" OU runners were actually pretty solid that year

Binggeli will turn the men's program around. You heard it here first, they will be a national qualifier next year. You can run and tell that, homeboy!

dat dood wrote:

sowwy dat da big12 is sew much bettar dan duh atlantic 10. peeple kneed tew cut mizzew sum slak. dey jus change coaches and den hold peeple out. seems tew me dat next yeer has aye gewd chance tew be a gewd yeer, if peeple will jus setle down.

That was for the people who bitch about literacy on a thread. sorry we are not here to write papers for an english class, but to discuss the matter at hand.

Well if you can't discuss (in writing) intelligently then you deserve to be called out for it. If you can't display basic competency in the written form of your native tongue (which you've been using for almost your entire life) then what chance do you have of handling more complex concepts?

M -bare-assed Tiger wrote:[/bI could see a justification for doing away with both cross country programs. They may have high GPAs but their team scores are even HIGHER. How can an athletic department with a football team and a men's basketball team both currently ranked in the top 15 nationally tolerate this kind of effort and performance?

Are you kidding? Why not cut all of the Div I XC programs that are doing no better than or worse than Missouri.

And do you really think any Athletic Department cares as much about their XC program as they do Football and Basketball? Don't tell me about Colorado, Oregon, Arkansas, Stanford, Wisconsin and a handfull of others. Any of them would give up victory in Terre Haute for just winning their conference.

If you enjoy the sport, support it. Just don't expect the majority of the rest of the world to care.

Missouri will quickly rise as one of the top distance programs in the Midwest. That's good, since so many of those D2 schools who "think" they are good, but actually aren't don't exactly pull their weight around either. Running at baby nats (D2) is easy.. back in my day, you could have walk-raced to the D2 national individual title. Now its only slightly more competitive. As to why Mizzou doesn't recruit every single missouri kid who runs 9:40 in the 2 mile... well we have 50 or so high school kids who break 10:00 every year in the state. You can't recruit everybody. Only the best. And mizzou will prove they are the best. no doubt about it. uh-huh!

Dave Chrisman

Derp

Max Storms is set out to be a national qualifier. I can tell. He dates my daughter.

Yea. I like girls a lot

You still have Mizzou guys that weren't major HS superstars improve a LOT at Mizzou. Look at Tim Cornell, Garret Jeffries, Dan Hedgecock, and Brian Graybill. All 4 of them were essentially 4:15-type HS guys, and they all ran around 3:45 and 14:05. They all graduated in 2009 - and yet you all seem to forget this a year later. You all also seem to forget their consistent 4th-6th place finishes at Big 12s throughout the 2000s, and in 2007 they were the very last team that did not qualify for nationals.

Is everyone's memory that bad?

saying "derp" made this comment ten times funnier, and yes, I totally agree with this entire statement. Wilmes was not an xc coach, but if you look at what he has done in the 800 group and mile group, he takes many kids from 415 to 345 to 342, and numerous 152+ 800 guys and got them down to 148, 147 or so. He did not do as well in XC, but he did well in what he knew how to coach, and that was the mid distance no one can argue that! if you want an xc program to turn around, give it just a little bit of time. Fred B has proven his worth multiple times mizzou will be no different

Your examples are weak and inaccurate.

Cornell was a 4x state champ who ran 4:10 not 4:15 (he ran something like 4:16 his soph yr)... number of appearances at nationals = zero.

Jefferies was state champion in the 3200 his junior year and ran 4:11 behind Cornell at state his senior year ... number of appearances at nationals = 1 (89th place?).

Hedgecock? Don't know his story. Did make it to XC nats 1 time but then did zero his senior year.

I'll give you Graybill ... but he ran fast 1500 despite Wilmes. XC = zero.

How about Tim Ross their biggest blue-chip recruit? 5th at Footlocker his senior year - did crap at Mizzou.

Kinsey Farren - Footlocker finalist and made US Junior XC team - slower with each passing year at Mizzou.

By the way 3:45 and 14:05 are not fast times for Division I athletes ... especially for those with the talent recruited over the past decade.

And why do you presume that the ONLY criteria for a successful college xc/track career is qualifying for nationals individually?

Aren't there a number of other ways to measure someone's improvement? Are you seriously going to say Hedgecock going from 9:25ish to 14:10 is not an above-normal improvement? Or Jeffries 9:15 to 14:08? Even Cornell's 4:10 to 3:45 is at least an average rate of improvement. And Graybill - 4:15ish to 3:43ish - is huge.

We know 3:45 and 14:05 aren't leading the pack at the D1 level. But 4:15 and 9:15 as HS sure as hell isn't either. Mizzou has recruited solid MO guys and most of them have improved on par with their peers at other colleges, if not more. What more can you expect?

Any of you Mizzou alums know where I can find a list of their all-time bests in the outdoor mile? All the website has is indoor mile and outdoor 1500. Thanks.

Look at the results again, and tell me that in the mid distance wilmes was not doing his job. i think you are a little mistaken. graybill was 2nd in big 12's ran, 3:42. hedgecock quit the team. jeffries didnt run the mile after hs, (maybe here and there, like 1 time) and ran 14:08. cornell went from 4:10 to equivalent of a 4:02 (and he was obviously fully grown in HS having a beard as a sophomore). the 800 crew, based on the group that was here just last season. Rick Scheff 152-148. Aaron Dixon 154-147 (national qualifier) Blake Irwin 152-147 (Big XII champ, and national qualifier) Tyrell Everett (154??-150.low), Ricky West (150.1 National Qualifier). These guys were 2 seconds from winning drake last season and returned everyone. Obviously wilmes was doing his job pretty well if you ask me.

Jared wilmes had zero to do with kinsey farren, and becca is the head coach now, so if you want to bash one, get the names and what they did correct first.

I think the OP was talking about XC not the 800/1500. Stick with to the topic. Mizzou has a fine reputation as a middle distance program (they should, both Wilmes were 800m runners). But we're talking XC - different sport, different season. Jared did a crappy job with the guys and now Rebecca is doing a crappy job with the girls. One Wilmes down, one to go. This new guy sounds like he knows XC ... let's hope he can translate it to Division I (from D2) and from the 80s into this century.

the original post, yes, but the past few no. i just replied to what was stated a few posts before. but i still do not quite understand while if a coach does great in one area but not another he/she gets bashed. colorado does xc, ok state, same. but mizzou splits scholarships, (there must not be more than prob 1-3 scholarships in xc for mizzou.) and tries to do well in both. wilmes did his job. all im going to say.