Official 2013 NCAA XC Discussion Thread

High temp in Tallahassee last 8 days:

75, 79, 77, 71, 72, 78, 81, 76

Hasn't even been getting cool at night. Tough transition for the FSU runners.

Ben Saarel

FR - Colorado

Location Place Time Split Move Points

3000m 64 8:39.9 50

5000m 32 15:02.5 6:22.7 ↑ 32 26

8000m 11 24:10.3 9:07.8 ↑ 21 10

Finish 8 30:14.1 6:03.8 ↑ 3 7

Fastest last 2km of the day belongs to Futsum Zienasellassie!

Futsum Zienasellassie

SO - Northern Arizona

Location Place Time Split Move Points

3000m 23 8:34.9 17

5000m 21 15:00.7 6:25.9 ↑ 2 17

8000m 8 24:09.8 9:09.1 ↑ 13 7

Finish 4 30:05.7 5:55.9 ↑ 4 3

James Leakos

SR - Harvard

Location Place Time Split Move Points

3000m 140 8:46.0 108

5000m 75 15:13.3 6:27.3 ↑ 65 59

Finish 253 36:39.7 ↓ 253 215

anyone know what happened here?

No. Reciprocal for universities supporting balanced track teams that can actually compete for national titles. They typically don't have good distance programs since there are so few events that can score enough points to get it done. Percentage wise compared to CC,supported T&F programs still don't have the same amount of scholarship to field a truly balanced team at the national level but have to rely heavily on just a couple event groups. Sprinter/jumpers, distance/throwers etc... The teams that can actually compete consistently for track team titles are the ones that can find that event/scholarship balance. How many top CC universities actually compete for T&F titles? Arkansas at one time would double score in multiple distance events and could win with great jumpers thrown in.

CC is more of a team sport than T&F based on how the championship event works. When you can't enter/qualify your full lineup, it's not a true team event. Still can't compare the two sports no matter how you slice and dice the scholarships. What would Track & Field be able to do if they had say, 40 scholarships.

the question is...will kithuka go home devastated?

He deserves to given the goofy cowboy hat he wore at the pre-race banquet. Next time I go to Kenya, I'll be sure to wear a tribal head dress of some type, that would go over well, I'm sure.

Pretty sure he's been injured. He didn't run at heps and even tho he didn't run great at regionals (33rd) he helped his team even get here. Tough way to finish the season for sure

How could Kennedy win as a freshman when he was running NAIA then?

Montesquieu wrote:

I too thought the same thing. Andy Powell is an excellent coach, and it has shown in Cheserek's case. What should also be said is that even though Cheserek is a freshman, he is (at best) of sophomore age--IAAF lists him as being born February, 1994. Saarel, on the other hand, was born March, 1995. It will be great fun seeing these two guys tangle not only at NCAAs, but also at PAC 10s (yes, I know).

glad to be wrong wrote:

I thought Cheserek had limited upside in college. I am more than happy to be wrong.

I think he has thinned out a bit. Maybe this is just the result of higher mileage training.

Credit to Oregon and Cheserek - fantastic performance.

Andy Powell is proving to be an excellent coach, and a smart choice by Lannana.

The first step is to get the talent/recruit.

The second step is to not screw them up.

Andy works hard to make sure these kids are not over trained.

Interesting that the first coaches' poll had Washington women at #5, Michigan at #17. Today it was the Wolverines #4, Huskies #17. Colorado women went from 14th to 7th.

Go Airforce. By my calculations they went from 777 points at 3K to 419 points at 10K. That's great racing! That's each of their 5 runners moving up 70 places. And from 482 points at 8K, each runner passing about 12 people in the last 2K. Even though they only ranked 20th overall, I'd say this is the best coaching of the day. Even Wetmore would be impressed.

Andy Powell had little to do with Ches, but a lot to do with the others.

He can coach mid-distance guys but not distance guys(5k-10k).

He is a great mile-800 coach, but the 5k guys have always under performed in xc and track.

Luke, Stinson, Dunbar, and many more never ran to their potential.

He can recruit(or at least the name Oregon can) and coach milers, but not true distance guys.

They have way under performed as a team in xc and the 5k-10k track

A Duck wrote:

Montesquieu wrote:

I too thought the same thing. Andy Powell is an excellent coach, and it has shown in Cheserek's case. What should also be said is that even though Cheserek is a freshman, he is (at best) of sophomore age--IAAF lists him as being born February, 1994. Saarel, on the other hand, was born March, 1995. It will be great fun seeing these two guys tangle not only at NCAAs, but also at PAC 10s (yes, I know).

Andy Powell is proving to be an excellent coach, and a smart choice by Lannana.

The first step is to get the talent/recruit.

The second step is to not screw them up.

Andy works hard to make sure these kids are not over trained.

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

You guys are ridiculous.

If Andy Powell's such a brilliant coach, how come the rest of the team ran like crap yesterday.

How come Stinson and Fleet, after bragging on camera that they were 'jogging' at Regionals, sucked again yesterday?

How come Jeremy Elkaim, after running 13:39 last spring, looked like he couldn't make a good high school team this season?

How come Leingang went steadily backwards all season long?

I've got nothing against Powell, but attributing Cheserek's brilliant performance to Powell's 'brilliant coaching' is beyond stupid.

And if you thought Cheserek had 'limited upside' in college, you obviously didn't know anything about the kid, and hadn't watched him in high school.

Ches's incredible race yesterday is all Ches.

Powell's got nothing to do with it.

sp2 wrote:

You guys are ridiculous.

If Andy Powell's such a brilliant coach, how come the rest of the team ran like crap yesterday.

How come Stinson and Fleet, after bragging on camera that they were 'jogging' at Regionals, sucked again yesterday?

How come Jeremy Elkaim, after running 13:39 last spring, looked like he couldn't make a good high school team this season?

How come Leingang went steadily backwards all season long?

I've got nothing against Powell, but attributing Cheserek's brilliant performance to Powell's 'brilliant coaching' is beyond stupid.

And if you thought Cheserek had 'limited upside' in college, you obviously didn't know anything about the kid, and hadn't watched him in high school.

Ches's incredible race yesterday is all Ches.

Powell's got nothing to do with it.

It seems illogical to say Powell has nothing to do with Ches but is fully accountable for everyone else except Ches. Powell has taken some solid B+/B material that comprises 2/3 of his team and made them better while Parker has buckled and Fleet wants to be a 3 time NCAA champion by next June and isn't primarily invested in XC.

If I was a high school stud and saw myself to be serious NCAA champion material, which college coach should I be looking at? Who has coached a stable of national champions comparable to Wheating, Centro, Greer, Fleet, and now Ches in the last 5 years? Powell is the best coach in the NCAA right now; he won't make everyone a champion, but he might make you one!