Best NCAA team in history.

Positive Contribution wrote:

Wisconsin 2005. Solinski, Teg, Bairu. They crushed NCAAs that year.

Tegenkamp wasn't on the team anymore in 2005, but you are correct they did crush it that year.

1,3,9,15,17,18 places for their top six.

This year's CO team appears not to have a breakout leader like Ritz or Goucher but through top 7, even top 10 which will run at Pac-12s, they're remarkable.

However, they will have to be remarkable to beat Stanford. You're reading this thread so you already know about Rosa-Rosa-Koralev-McGorty, as good a top-4 as CO or any team in the country. Question has always been #s 5-7. No questions anymore as Sweatt, Atchoo and Keelan showed they're ready this past weekend at the WA Invite, all sub-24s and within 30-35 seconds of Fitsum Z/NIU, last year's 4th place finisher at NCAAs.

Stanford coach is being somewhat cagey by not running them together yet and likely won't even at the WI Adidas meet.

Pac-12s, however, will be something special.

I doubt this CU team will be that good. Not saying they cant win NCAA, but wont be best in history.

Villanova, 1966, 1967, 1968 champions, one man ran in top seven on all three teams, Tom Donnelly, long-time coach of Haverford College, 1968 team won without Liquori and coach Jumbo Elliott (both at 1968 Mexico City Olympics). In 1970, they won it again. They beat some fine teams with great runners in those years.

2003 Stanford. AINEC.

Obviously, the score won't compare well to many teams, but take a look at the 1977 Oregon team that edged out UTEP.

Alberto Salazar (held ARs in 5,000, 10,000 and Marathon, Olympian, 27:25, 13:11)

Don Clary

Rudy Chapa (held AR in 3000, 2:11 Marathon)

Bill McChesney (13:14, 27:47, 1980 US Olympic team)

Matt Centrowitz (13:12 held AR in 5000, 2 time Olympian)

Bruce Nelson

Art Boileau (2:11 Marathon PB and 2 time Olympian)

questionthis? wrote:

v6 wrote:

Either those UTEP schools or Stanford 2003.

http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/33-archive/314-ncaa-xc-2003-men

2, 3, 4, 5, 10 for a team score of 24.

Hard to believe the Buffs touch that. I am a CU album but it just takes too many things going right to do any better than the Tree oh Three.

I think that there have been better CU teams to start the year, too. They just ended up having one or more guys get injured during the year. If these guys can all stay healthy, they'll be the best CU team at nationals, probably, but there were some Vaughn / Schoolmeester teams and the Goucher / Batliner team that got derailed by injuries or tragedy.

Come one man, just admit it. This team is light years ahead of those past teams. 7 guys under 25 at the Shootout. No team has ever even come close to that.

I can't remember the conditions ever being as good as they were this year either.

Technically, Centrowitz was a one time Olympian, two time Olympic team member.

asdfjh wrote:

Obviously, the score won't compare well to many teams, but take a look at the 1977 Oregon team that edged out UTEP.

Alberto Salazar (held ARs in 5,000, 10,000 and Marathon, Olympian, 27:25, 13:11)

Don Clary

Rudy Chapa (held AR in 3000, 2:11 Marathon)

Bill McChesney (13:14, 27:47, 1980 US Olympic team)

Matt Centrowitz (13:12 held AR in 5000, 2 time Olympian)

Bruce Nelson

Art Boileau (2:11 Marathon PB and 2 time Olympian)

twerkmaster wrote:

I know D3 won't get much, if any, respect in this thread but in 1993 North Central College put up 32 points at nats going 1, 2, 5, 6, 25, 34, 47 (1, 2, 5, 6, 18, 26, 36 team score) putting 5 guys ahead of runner up la crosse's (123 team points) 2 man. That's pretty impressive.

And on the women's D3 side SUNY Cortland scored an all-time low of 18 points in 1992. Jack Daniels was the coach then.

twerkmaster wrote:

The year that UTEP put up an ungodly low number of points at nats and wisco was 2nd, UTEP had the title stripped b/c of eligibility issues. Can we consider a team like that as the "best" in ncaa history?

I know D3 won't get much, if any, respect in this thread but in 1993 North Central College put up 32 points at nats going 1, 2, 5, 6, 25, 34, 47 (1, 2, 5, 6, 18, 26, 36 team score) putting 5 guys ahead of runner up la crosse's (123 team points) 2 man. That's pretty impressive.

It's not a lack of respect, it's the fact North Central would get demolished by Adams St./some of D1 that year. For D3, yes the best team assembled. But overall, no. And really you can't dig into the 70's/80's because those teams would have a hard time getting top 5 nowdays..