SEC distance stock skyrockets / xc predictions

UK*

Lets start with 2012 first.

Men: Top Tier

Texas A&M

Mizzou

Arkansas

Second Tier:

Georgia

Ole Miss

Alabama

Third Tier:

UK

Tennessee

Auburn

Miss St

LSU

Vandy

Women: Top Tier

Vandy

Florida

A&M

Arkansas

Middle:

Mizzou

Ole Miss

Georgia

Third Tier:

Who cares

Texas A&M men will win conference. I am a previous runner for SFA, a school in Texas. I have been keeping up with A&M's newly found distance performances.

Henry lelei, mclean o'donnell, James hodges, cj brown, isaac spencer, stephen curry, colin slattery.

Can they take down arkansas though?

Fernandez will lead them, who does Arkansas have returning?

Who is Dawson and Kennedy at ole miss? Bob kennedy?

really? georgia wont be in the top 5 after they put out the best track times out of any SEC school aside from Arkansas and ended up beating Florida at nationals last year?!? good one bro, good one

Mizzou will not rise to the top

that was the prediction for the women, not the men.

my bad. who does A&M even have? CJ Brown doesn't run cross?

I think your putting too much stock in what Ole Miss will do. If they put all their money into distance, then they will be good at cross country. Sorry though, Florida, Georgia, Vanderbilt and Arkansas will still attract better talent and have better coaches!!

Will they improve and fight it out with Missouri, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Kentucky? Yes.

It all depends on what the head coaches goals are. Putting a bunch of scholarshp money into distance runners so your cross country team will be decent does not equal great coaches!

Women

The top 5

1 Arkansas: Doubt they go down quietly

2 Ole Miss: Put together great coaches.

3 Florida: Same as Arkansas.

4 Vandy: Can they hold on? Was this lightening in a bottle?

5 Kentucky: Edrick will lead but distance coach is?

middle pack

6 Georgia: Consistent but wont be top 5 teams

7 Mizzou: Hire strong or learning assistant?

8 Tennesee: Can jump to #5. Up and down.

9 Texas A&M: Not enough cash in the distance.

10 Alabama: same

sprint schools

11 Miss. State: same

12 Auburn: same

13 South Car.: same

14 LSU: same

What do you think?

Erin Dawson from Arizona and Gavin Kennedy from Illinois/Iona

Watching, watching you wrote:

Mizzou will not rise to the top

Ignorance is bliss

Whoa easy there lil bud. What you responded didnt make sense because you actually agreed with me about all but one team and then wrote "not even close."

I didnt say lots of scholarships make great coaches. I was just pointing out the fact that ole miss got some great coaches on staff and that will drive their program with or without scholarships.

"Ignorance is bliss"

It's hard to say because Missouri can move up or get stuck in the middle. I think they have scholarships in all the events? But the new distance coach is doing good and was promoted to take over the women too. I think if Missouri gets another experienced distance coach, like Ole Miss, they can be a factor! Otherwise they just wont make up ground on the top five.

Arkansas has Fernandez with Solomon Hailie and Patrick Rono rounding their top three

I wouldn't count Bama and Miss state out, getting some top notch guys in.

Gulag wrote:

Arkansas has Fernandez with Solomon Hailie and Patrick Rono rounding their top three

Haillie? Please. He shouldn't be allowed to participate by the NCAA in college sports for age cheating, as described in various news articles of his changing "age" over the years!

Bump. Current thoughts with the sec championships coming up?

Men:

1. Arkansas

2. Georgia

3. Texas A&M

4. Florida

5. Missouri

6. Auburn

7. Tennessee

8. Mississippi State

9. Kentucky

10. Ole Miss

11. Alabama

12. Vanderbilt

13. LSU

Women:

1. Florida

2. Vanderbilt

3. Kentucky

4. Arkansas

5. Georgia

6. Texas A&M

7. Alabama

8. Tennessee

9. Ole Miss

10. South Carolina

11. Mississippi State

12. Missouri

13. Auburn

14. LSU

Texas A&M has to play a lot of cards in track and field championship domain, meaning a lot of sprinters who can compete in multiple events, including the relays. That leaves them trying to get one or two very high-level athletes for the distances. They have really done that with both the men and the women now. Can they back them up with non-scholarship Texas athletes (big state, decent history) to make good teams and if they get steadily better will they get the best of the Texas gals and guys with relatively few scholarships used to that end. I would guess that it is going that direction because in the Big 12 there were two or three unassailable schools. Now, after Arkansas' return to a normal good school, there are few stars to overcome.