If you were a 9:25 3200m guy, would you go D1 or D2/3?

O yeah wrote:

Charleston southern university

CSU, where they turn 9:25 3200 guys into 9:25 3,000 guys.

And then brag about it.

mabrunner wrote:

where are you from? would you consider a D1 school in South Carolina?

Would you consider a D1 school in South Carolina = You are insane.

Oh wait, Robert Gary is coaching at Furman.

From what I've heard about going D1, it takes up A LOT of time. The other thing I've heard is that running at the D1 level really is a job and can seriously burn some people out. There was a kid at my high school who has a pretty badass runner and went D1. A few years later now he hates running simply due to what running at that level is like. Competition at the D3 level is definitely not what it is at the D1 level but everyone you compete against and train with is there because they want to run, not because they need it to pay for their college. Personally, I'm a huge fan of D3.

I would go to Haverford College. Tom Donnelly as good as the very best D1 coaches and top notch academics. You'll be all american calibre and if you have talent to run 13 handle 5K then Donnelly will bring it out of you. You'll never have to wonder "what if" and you will be hanging out with academic all americans every day. Philly not everyone's cup of tea but it has it's charms.

London12 wrote:

I would go to Haverford College. Tom Donnelly as good as the very best D1 coaches and top notch academics. You'll be all american calibre and if you have talent to run 13 handle 5K then Donnelly will bring it out of you. You'll never have to wonder "what if" and you will be hanging out with academic all americans every day. Philly not everyone's cup of tea but it has it's charms.

He does seem like a nice guy. When I inquired about more info he sent me a buncha brochures, hand written letters, emails, etc.

Only main problem is Haverford has 1100 kids. So if you want to meet someone new every so often, you might not like it.

................... wrote:

If you aren't able to win a D3 regional in XC, you'll get enough competition anywhere, so don't worry much about division.

I ran D3, and there were plenty of podunk meets where the guy's winner would run 16-17 minutes for 5k, so in order to get competition we'd have to race the 800/1500 everywhere. I actually was able to win a D3 regional in XC, but how was I supposed to know that coming out of hs? I didn't break into the 9:20's then but improved massively in college, if this guy does the same he could end up very bored.

Soon to be College Runner wrote:

Subject pretty much says it all. Likely going to be about 9:20 or a bit under by years end. What would you do? and I'm not talking like Stanford or Oregon caliber D1 here...regular, decent D1, or good D2/3?

You have to be realistic, if you want to get the most out of your ability go D1 but be prepared that you just might not get better. I knew alot of good runners went to the best program they could and got spit out. I also know a guy, who was very intelligent, a very good runner 9:05 2 mile, went to a good Div1 and there were so many good runners he had to drop out. I couldn't believe it but he broke it down. He was a freshman and the senior varsity guys were flying in the first workouts of the year. Every workout was like a race and he just could not go that fast that early. He stuck it out for awhile but halfway through his soph season still couldn't move up to score for the XC team so he dropped out.

There are alot of similar stories, you don't hear alot about the guys who get spit out, everyone always wants to talk about the guy who couldnt break 930 and turns into the number one runner, but trust me there are alot more washouts than phenoms...He honest with yourself and good luck.

Ok guys, I've got enough responses - you can knock it off now. Thanks for the input.

He is a fantastic person and a D I All-American at Villanova. I was recruited to go to Haverford when I graduated in 1978. I went to a D I school instead. I improved a lot, made the top 5 of a pretty decent program but that was about it. My best friend went to Haverford. Won the D III mile 3 out of 4 years. Had plenty of chances to run against D I guys and to test himself. But what he went on and on about was Tom Donnelly as a coach and as a person. I visited him at Haverford and met a lot of his classmates. I'd never met so many smart and well-rounded people in one place.

I'm 51 now and I don't have many regrets about anything I've done in my life. But if I had it all to do again, I'd go to Haverford.

You should call Coach Donnelly. He will care about you and your choice.

BTW--I've never met the guy. But I hear the same thing about him from a lot of very different people.

ohio west miler wrote:

................... wrote:

If you aren't able to win a D3 regional in XC, you'll get enough competition anywhere, so don't worry much about division.

I ran D3, and there were plenty of podunk meets where the guy's winner would run 16-17 minutes for 5k, so in order to get competition we'd have to race the 800/1500 everywhere. I actually was able to win a D3 regional in XC, but how was I supposed to know that coming out of hs? I didn't break into the 9:20's then but improved massively in college, if this guy does the same he could end up very bored.

This can be an issue, but most decent programs will make the effort to go to good meets. We'd always go to a few big D1 meets (and we finished in the top half of the field) in cross country, and the coach would take a few top guys up to big D1 meets when they wanted to post fast times.

Stinky McCheesefart wrote:

9:20 might win a state title in half the states, in the other half it might not even get you to state. There are hundreds of kids who run 9:20 every year in California. You'll be lucky to be allowed to walk on at a major DI program with a 9:20; even luckier if you get any competitive opportunities or attention from the coaches.

there's no sectional/district in the entire country where a 9:20 wouldn't get you to states. maybe one or two places in california once every dozen years. 9:20 wins 99% of HS races.

i don't think i believe for a second that there are hundreds of kids who run 9:20 ever year in california. there's maybe a few hundred in the whole nation.

9:20 can walk on anywhere.

it's dumb of coaches to turn down even 9:50 guys.

I know someone who ran a 9:26 in crappy conditions his senior year, so it was probably worth 9:20ish. He went to a mid tier D1 college and struggled for 2 years. Last week he ran an 8:08 3000 and has dropped a big chunk of time (Started the season in the 8:30s, last years PR was 8:24) and could get close to 14:00 in outdoor. D1 is a grind, training's hard, most people get injured, but if your coach knows what he is doing you will get their... eventually. Having a 5k PR with a 13 at the beginning is no freaking small accomplishment.