D2 college xc/track

Completely agree with Phone A Thon, if you are an east coast runner and want great coaching check out Shippensburg University. Steve Spence is a wonderful coach who is great at developing talent and has a strong resume (Olympian and World Championship Medalist).

Shippensburg is a good place to go. Spence is a great coach, and renowned for taking average high schoolers and turning them into something great.

With your times you should be running D1 with the big boys. Another good D2 school is Augustana in Sioux Falls, SD. They have been very good the last several years. As others have mentioned, if Jack Daniels is still at Brevard that's another good option.

Eagles! wrote:

Ashland University in Ohio if you're in the midwest area. Great atmosphere, team, coaching, and education. Here's what coach Trent Mack has done in the two years he has been there:

-2010 (year before Mack) XC team is next to last at regionals

-2011, missed xc nationals by 5 points

-2012, 13th at NCAAs

Had runners run:

14:13

14:25

14:45

1:50

1:50 (freshman)

1:53/3:52/4:12 (freshman, HS pr was 4:2x)

1:52/3:52/4:13 (sophomore)

I urge you to go wherever the best fit is for you, though. Why does everyone suggest Adams and Western just because they're always good? They're going to get good guys and their program is great so they'll always be up there, but let's try to spread out the love a little bit!

Although Ashland's coach is doing a very good job, Ashland is crazy expensive at $38,000+ a year. They were near the back of the pack in 2010 regionals becuase they red-shirted their top 3 guys so that they would have a top team in the region/nation the next 2 years. You can only field so many quality runners at a time at a school that expensive.

Finding a good fit for you athletically, academically and financially. Don't sacrifice one of those three areas in making a decision.

All schools mentioned on this thread have their ups and downs. Whatever you do, make sure you take your academics serious and get some internships completed while completing your undergrad.

Eagles! wrote:

Ashland University in Ohio if you're in the midwest area. Great atmosphere, team, coaching, and education. Here's what coach Trent Mack has done in the two years he has been there:

-2010 (year before Mack) XC team is next to last at regionals

-2011, missed xc nationals by 5 points

-2012, 13th at NCAAs

Dude 2012 XC has not occured yet.

I graduated from Adams State College (University now) and ran under Damon Martin.

Here's my opinion regarding Adams vs. Western.

Gunnison is a much cooler town than Alamosa. You're close to great fishing and skiing. The school is in the mountains. But, it's a more expensive school and the cost of living is slightly higher.

Alamosa is flat as a pancake and there are few distractions (although they do exist). Adams is getting totally revamped right now and the facilities are impressive. The cost of living in Alamosa is extremely low and Adams is still relatively inexpensive.

Both schools have excellent teams, traditions, and running cultures. Runners from Western become very strength based because they train on lots of hills. Western runners perform well in rough conditions at nationals (snow, rain, hills, mud) because of the strength based training. Adams runners are generally better at track. You can train at a faster tempo in Alamosa because it's flat as a pancake.

Do not be fooled -- the secret to success at both schools is simply hard work and dedication. I'm not talking about 1 season of hard work or 1 good summer of training ... I'm talking about years and years of continuous hard training. You can expect 80-120 mpw at either school.

doc not awsum wrote:

Eagles! wrote:

Ashland University in Ohio if you're in the midwest area. Great atmosphere, team, coaching, and education. Here's what coach Trent Mack has done in the two years he has been there:

-2010 (year before Mack) XC team is next to last at regionals

-2011, missed xc nationals by 5 points

-2012, 13th at NCAAs

Dude 2012 XC has not occured yet.

Right you are, got my years messed up. Make that '09, '10, and '11. Apologies!

I agree with the above poster, however. Take academics seriously, which is something the D2 level allows you to do. Do internships, get involved, and just experience life. My experience was great, knowing that I could have important things in my life and not be pressured to only focus on running, although I still managed to achieve success beyong my wildest imagination with my running.

Other D2 schools in the Eastern part of the country are Lock Haven and Edinboro. Both typically field teams that place higher than Shippensburg (except 2010). Relatively affordable even for out of state students. Lock Haven has had sub 9 steeple, sub 14:20, and another guy at 29:30's. Edinboro had 14:04 and 14:10 5k guys both who ran sub 30 10k as well. Just some other options.

Message:

For Dlll look into Jack Daniels in Brevard N.C at Brevard College. Loved running in the forrests of N.C.

FYI Adams state gets sooo much talent and really just train them into the ground. Shippingsburg sounded interesting though.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Jack Daniels is no longer at Brevard(NC), he went back to Arizona.

A Friend wrote:

What is Daniels doing over there at Brevard? He's been there for a few years now. No noteworthy results from what I can tell.

Waiting for retirement.

If you're a legendary coach, in an awesome place, your teams should be legendary despite the crap funding at the crap school.

Brevard would be a mistake for any self-respecting runner.

So this may sound whacky, but look at South Dakota State. They recently moved up from D2, they are an improving program, Brookings is cheap (I get it, it is in the middle of no where), and your times fit well. You also get the chance to train under DeHaven (an Olympian in the Marathon).

I had very similar times as you coming out of HS. I elected to attend Central Arizona Community College, a top 3 JUCO program for several years running. I did this for similar reasons, I wanted to improve my ability without the concern for the large campus vibe and the normal pressures of both school and athletics.

This option worked out perfect for me as I became an All-American at the JUCO level and earned a full scholorship to a DI school after making the improvements in running I was looking for.

I am not trying to sell you on Central Arizona, just trying to let you know that there are alternative routes. If you have any JUCO program near you that is strong in distance running, this could be a great option for. Not to mention, the schooling for those first two years is much cheaper than the 4 year institution.

I had 70 of my 77 credits transfer when I moved from the JUCO to the DI school. Good luck in your decision and I hope all the advice you are receiving helps.

Umass Lowell

Stonehill

Bentley

HOLLA dude one wrote:

Umass Lowell

Stonehill

Bentley

^this