What's the lowest (highest) the top American at NCAA XC has ever finished?

1980 Alan Scharsu Penn State 7th

1981 ALan Scharsu Penn State 6th

Only three Americans in the top 20 in 1981.

Relax my follow citizen, wait until Olympic trials 2016, USA distance team from 1500-marathon will be about 4% African ( at least 1 per event. Lead by Sally and Alphine Tuliamuk in 10k.

1993 Ray Appenheimer Colgate 7th

how this thing goes wrote:

if you are wondering there will be an american in the top 10 and possibly top 5 in Girma

If Girma finishes 10th and is the top American, that will be noteworthy whether he is white, black, brown, yellow or green.

rojo wrote:

Anyone know what the worse best place has been for top American at NCAAs?

Great question. I'm curious to hear what you find out.

For reference: http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=456&Itemid=118

break it up wrote:

1980 Alan Scharsu Penn State 7th

1981 ALan Scharsu Penn State 6th

Who was Alan Scharsu? I consider myself pretty educated in NCAA T&F/XC, but I've never heard of the guy.

St. Jimmy wrote:

1980 Alan Scharsu Penn State 7th

1981 ALan Scharsu Penn State 6th

Who was Alan Scharsu? I consider myself pretty educated in NCAA T&F/XC, but I've never heard of the guy.

High school stud. Did well at NCAA Cross albeit during 2 of the weakest years. Totally washed out in track.

"What's the lowest the top American at NCAA XC has ever finished?"

Uh...first.

(shaking my head)

St. Jimmy wrote:

break it up wrote:

1980 Alan Scharsu Penn State 7th

1981 ALan Scharsu Penn State 6th

Who was Alan Scharsu? I consider myself pretty educated in NCAA T&F/XC, but I've never heard of the guy.

Scharsu - High School Stud Info:

Another One 5 wrote:

Relax my follow citizen, wait until Olympic trials 2016, USA distance team from 1500-marathon will be about 4% African ( at least 1 per event. Lead by Sally and Alphine Tuliamuk in 10k.

Is a 4% percentage significant relative to the top end dominance of African born runners in the NCAA?

Make up your mind on your Olympic Team prediction. Are Africans going to make up 4% of the team or "at least 1 per event"

1500

3000 sc

5000

10000

Marathon

5 distance events with 3 entrants per event x 2 genders = 30 runners on the "distance team".

4% of 30 runners = 1.2 runners. Not too significant. (There were actually more African born runners on the 2012 team, so there is no need to "wait until Olympic trials 2016" for what already occurred this year.)

1 per event would be 10 runners, which equals 33% of the 30 total on the "distance team". That is a bit more than 4%.

High Wire wrote:

"What's the lowest the top American at NCAA XC has ever finished?"

Uh...first.

(shaking my head)

Good catch! LOL

Waiting for malmo to jump all over you for this one. I'm expecting something along the lines of "If you don't know who Alan Scharsu is, then you are not educated in NCAA T&F/XC."

St. Jimmy wrote:

break it up wrote:

1980 Alan Scharsu Penn State 7th

1981 ALan Scharsu Penn State 6th

Who was Alan Scharsu? I consider myself pretty educated in NCAA T&F/XC, but I've never heard of the guy.

High Wire wrote:

"What's the lowest the top American at NCAA XC has ever finished?"

Uh...first.

(shaking my head)

FTW!

St. Jimmy wrote:

break it up wrote:

1980 Alan Scharsu Penn State 7th

1981 ALan Scharsu Penn State 6th

Who was Alan Scharsu? I consider myself pretty educated in NCAA T&F/XC, but I've never heard of the guy.

You consider yourself "pretty educated in NCAA T&F/XC?" You have got to be kidding! Historically illiterate.

So no one has been the first American and finished further back than the Penn State (Scharsu) and Colgate (Appenheimer) guys?

I realize that Kenyans are better at distance running than Americans, but how much of their collegiate success is due to them being older and having fabricated birth certificates?

stats guy wrote:

So no one has been the first American and finished further back than the Penn State (Scharsu) and Colgate (Appenheimer) guys?

That's what it is looking like. But it's sometimes hard to tell.

Take Ben Hubers for example. A 13:40 guy who ran high school track in Georgia and recently competed at Indiana. He's Canadian and ran in the Olympic Trials for Canada, but has been in the United States for a long time. Certainly he has been here longer than the "American" Girma Mechesco. Without knowing everyone's individual story, it is really hard to tell if they identify as American or not.