Haven't done too much research, but I know these:
-Will Leer (1:54 and 4:16 in HS) ran for Pomona-Pitzer, now 3:36 1500 PR
-Nick Symmonds (1:53 and 4:20 in HS) ran for Willamette, now an Olympian for 800m (1:42)
-Mack Chaffee (don't know HS times) ran for Williams and has broken 4:00 post-collegiately
-Bill Rodgers ran a 9:36 2mile and went to Wesleyan before winning multiple Boston Marathons
Anyone know any other elite runners who ran D3, their HS PRs, and how much they improved?
Joanie
Ricky Flynn - 12th at Olympic Trials marathon in 2:13, was a 14:00 guy at Lynchburg College. I don't think he won anything on the track, but he was XC national champion.
Andrew Rock
Slower than 48.8 in high school (that's the state record)
Ended up running 44.35 and got the silver medal in 2005
Brian Sell was at Messiah College for two years, then transferred to St Francis, which is DI but hardly a top contender for anything.
Ben Scheetz just graduated from Amherst. 1:55.66 in high school. Ran 1:47.43 indoors this year. Also ran at the trials this year and is with NYNJ track club.
Gwen Hardesty (Coogan) went to Smith (and Harvey Mudd for her junior year) and won DIII 3000m in the 1980s -- she did not race in high school (soccer?) and made the 10,000 squad in 1992, while working on a PhD in math (number theory?).
What about Ruth Wysocki? Didn't she go to Redlands?
it's interesting to see that a lot of the names listed are from the SCIAC/ West Region:
Will Leer: Pomona, SCIAC, W. Region
Nick Symmonds: Willamette NWC, W. Region
Gwen Hardesty: CMS, SCIAC, W. Region
Ruth Wysocki: Redlands, SCIAC, W. Region
I seem to remember that there were some really good D-3 guys in the early 2000's. Reminds me of the run-insight.com days. Wasn't there a guy named Tim who was a really good miler in D-3 that ended up running on one of the Team USA teams? I want to say Team USA Monterey?
good conversation. who else is there? there's got to be a handful from Ohio--it seem to be all D3!
oh yeah, Missy Butry, would she be considered elite?
What was the name of the kid who ran for Alberto's marathon team in early 2000s? He won XC in '99.
Ryan Bak is still running for Nike...ran a good marathon in the fall like a month before the trials...
Missy is elite.
Ruth (Kleinsasser) was in the days before NCAA I think, so while they eventually were DIII there was not really much other than some developing other letter group that I am blanking on. By the way, possibly my best memory in track and field is sitting by Vince Boyle and watch her epic 1500 battle in the 1984 Trials with Mary Decker where she kept holding Decker off and won in 4:00-low.
Karl Paranya, don't know his HS PRs but ran 3:57 in college at Swarthmore, 3:54.8 later. Was on a world indoor record 4X8, post college.
Dan Henderson, Wheaton. Ran lower 9s (9:10 to 9:20 or so) in HS, top 10 NCAA DI (back then winners of DIII could bump 2 days later), and then had a solid post college career running low 13:20s for 5000.
Edwin Moses, Moorehouse. Didn't break 15 in HH or 50 for 400 in HS, and went on to run some decent races while in college and a few after that as well.
Pat Roach competed in the Olympic Trials in the 800 this past summer after running 1:46.58. He ran the 100 (11.28) as a freshman at Gettysburg College and then transfered to Messiah. At Messiah he ran the 400 for two years running 47.7 and was an All-American (he also ran 10.89 and 22.04). Senior year he moved up to the 800 and became All-American in that distance, graduating with a PR of 1:48.77. I don't know his high school times. He finished law school last spring and came on Letsrun asking if he should continue running or start a law career. That is where my knowledge ends.
correct that, Paranya ran for Haverford
Connor Rose of Tufts ran 1:52
Was Moorehouse D3 when Edwin Moses went there?
Conover ran at Humboldt when they went from DIII to DII. I think he also managed be one of the few athletes to be All American in all three divisions in XC.
Arcata wrote:
Conover ran at Humboldt when they went from DIII to DII. I think he also managed be one of the few athletes to be All American in all three divisions in XC.
Danny Grimes too? Made a WC team in the marathon (Rome) and ran some pretty fast road times. Or was he a little older than Conover?
)&%)(&!! wrote:
correct that, Paranya ran for Haverford
thank you kyle merber for putting Swarthmore on the map and thus encouraging the confusion of swat with its hugely better rival.
This thread comes up every year. True "elites?" like medalists or real contenders? I think it's just Symmonds and Edwin Moses, closely followed by the near-contenders, Sell, Leer, Paranya etc.
Patrick Rizzo was a 9:20ish guy in HS before going to North Central. He was right behind Flynn at the Trials Marathon in 13th with a 2:13:42.
I also ran 2:17...
tuftsftw wrote:
Connor Rose of Tufts ran 1:52