Dartmouth

I agree. Dartmouth is a prime example of why we should change the qualifying system to super-regionals(unfortunitely for Dartmouth, still a few years off). Instead Texas A&M manages to make it. When was the last time the south central sent 4 teams?

It is an outrage really.. Texas took advantage of Ohio State and Michigan State when they ran like complete ass at Griak. Texas was rewarded for a 10th place showing at Griak then being 48 pts off of SMU at districts. Then they drag A&M as well. Super Regions here we come.

Remember Joe Thorne didnt run

I just wanted to add my sentiments that it is a crying shame when a team of that caliber doesn't get into Nationals

It may be a horrible shame that Dartmouth didn't or probably won't get in. However, I'm confident that Texas A&M will prove that they deserves to be in the race at Nationals (even if they didn't run as well other teams earlier in the year). If they don't, I'll happily amit my error.

While I agree that Dartmouth is a good team, it's not like the rules of the game were changed midway through. If you wanna make Nationals, then prove it on the stage(s) provided. Beat Iona, beat Providence, or run well at Pre-Nats. If you can't do it when it counts, then maybe you shouldn't be at the race that counts the most.

Finch you are correct.Two years ago Dartmouth got to the nationals when many of the good west teams were blocked out by the system.Dartmouth should try to go to some other meet than the Iona invite where the only team to beat is Iona ranked in the top ten.Go south and beat up on anyone but Arkansas.

The whole system is flawed... and the biggest flaw is PRENATS. Why should a team have to run a National meet (essentially what Pre-Nat's becomes) to get into Nationals. Its stupid. Its also dumb because what happens if a team does not have the travel money to go to prenats? What if they completely dominate every meet and then finish 3rd at Districts. Its so stupid to be penalized for not going to Pre-Nats. If its that important, and every team needs to be there anyway, might as well just call it Nationals.

M

At least 2 teams will be going to nationals as at-large teams that did not go To pre-nationals. Texas, Col St.

The problem with pre-nationals is that they do not have a SEEDED race. Each year there are only about 50 teams in the entire country that have a realistic shot at qualifying for nationals.

Here is how to seed the race. Use regional rankings, a selection committee and common sense.

First, look at how many teams each region got into the meet from the year before. Each region automatically gets in the teams from their region that are ranked in those spots. If the mountain has 6 teams this year then next year at pre-nats the top six ranked teams from the mountain region would qualify for the seeded meet. If only 4 of the top 6 ranked teams wanted to go but 10 mountain teams go to pre-nats. Only the teams that are regionally ranked in the top 6 would get into the seeded meet automatically. This should deliver about 25 teams into the seeded meet.

Next you get the committee together and decide what are the other 20 teams that should be allowed into the seeded meet.

Will a mistake be made every year? Probably.

The one time blocker rule would help clear things up.

The teams would decide who was best based on head to head competion.

The other change that I think should be made is that head to head wins over other teams that are on the bubble with you should be counted as Points when selecting at the end of the year.

I feel for dartmouth i think they shoulda qualified but there isn't anything you can do

When was the last time the Northeast got any love from the NCAA selection process? I do not believe the region has gotten an at-large bid the past three years. Dartmouth certainly deserves to be at Nationals. At Iona they were step for step with the Gaels until the very end, and almost beat them.

If you ever think your having a bad day imagine this:

You're a Siamese twin Your brother attached at your shoulder is gay, You're not, He has a date tonight, you have one ass. feel better?

Northeastrunner, you got to remeber that Iona didn't run kiplagat at Meet of champs. He would have made a big difference in scoring and Dartmouth wouldn't have been as close.

quit whining dartmouth fans. the ncaa selection process is not a political one. the criteria are laid out for all to see and study. if you're in the NE or midatlantic regions with little money for travel, the answer to your frustrations lies in the paul short run. this does not apply to dartmouth as they did go to prenats but just simply did not get the job done. very few teams took the chance to knock off a probable auto qualifer in the SE in William and Mary. there ARE solutions to the points system, but everyone loves to just whine about the behemoth that is prenats.

Exactly...Dartmouth "almost" beat Iona at their meet. They "almost" beat teams at Pre-Nats, hence, they "almost" qualified for nationals. It's harsh, but it's true. Hey, if you almost beat Tim Montgomery in the 100, you're almost the World's Fastest Man.

You can say all you want about not performing at the right time and so on. But it is plain to see, that Dartmouth should be in Nationals. They are 23rd in the Nation!!! What else has to be said. They ran pretty well all year, got down to I think 15, then took some weeks of and just trained so they dropped in the polls. Shoemaker had a bad race. With him running his potential that is 2 guys in the top 5 for Dartmouth. But he ran bad ONE race this whole season so why should that have an affect on who gets in. Its a shame that a team that the Polls say is Top 25, isn't going. It doesn't matter what anyone says.

If they coulda found a sixth year of elegibility for Dennis Webster, things mighta been different...

Regardless of weather Dartmouth should or should not have been invited to nationals, doesnt anyone see something wrong with the present process? In order to make it to nationals, a team has to peak 7 weeks before nationals at Pre-Nats in order to get points! Are we going to have teams that train there entire year to race at Pre-Nats now isntead of the true national meet??

You guys bitch about it, yet your region is the one holding up super regionals ! Quit bitching about the current process if you are not going to get behind a proposal that takes care of the problem !