Best Distance Coach in the Ivy League?

Nathan Weilerstein might be the top guy.

no way to be certain.

It's tough to compare coaches given the different contexts they are working in, but Dolan's success at Penn is a clear validation of his abilities as a coach and a team builder. Who else is even close? Columbia's old coach had a very impressive run, but I don't think he had quite the record Dolan did in terms of national level success. Vig has impressed in his first few years, but appears to be having a down period coinciding with Dolan-recruited athletes graduating. At this point in time, Dolan's squad is better - but I'm not sure that means he's the better coach.

Part of coaching at the college level is recruiting. You can not be a successful college coach without it. Dolan has clearly shown the ability to recruit and coach up his athletes. He has been successful in two very different settings in Princeton and Penn. My guess you could put him at any of the Ivy League schools and he would have one of the better programs in a short amount of time.

On Again, Off Again wrote:I was surprised when Dolan elected to take a position at Penn - the polar opposite of Princeton in terms of distance-running strength.

Surprised? Isn't that how it usually works: you go from assistant at a successful program to head at a place that needs building up?

There are a number of good distance coaches in the Ivy League, but I think Dolan is mostly regarded as at the top. Interesting, because he doesn't come from a distance background himself--he was a decathlete. (Similarly: some years back I coached with a guy whose team won an NCAA xc title, and who himself had been a jumper and hurdler.)

Barry Harwick, at Dartmouth, consistently turns out excellent squads and seems to be widely respected. And I note that the Cornell guy, Zeb Lang, seems to have had a fair amount of success in recent years--his guys develop pretty well, and now he seems to be getting some high-level recruits.

The ability to do that--to get the recruits--is definitely part of the college coach's job, as someone pointed out above. Anybody who characterizes a coach as "only a recruiter" doesn't understand what the work entails.

Pete Farrell is still best for a few more months.

Let me start by saying Dolan is a FANTASTIC coach. Honestly, when he had Cabral and Leung, I was ready to get out the business as I realized I"d never beat them if he had that type of talent. That being said, there are a lot of other great coaches.

This is many ways a ridiculous thread (and sexist one - the Penn women haven't been in the top half of the league in xc). In track and field/xc with programs having so many different focuses, advantages and weaknesses, it's almost an absurd concept to figure out who is "the best." Some schools focuses on being well rounded, others go all distance, etc.

I'm curious as to what made you start the thread. The fact that Penn was 3rd at Penn Relays in 937? I think I should have hired a publicist. My third year we were third at Penn Relays in 9:33. Indoors we broke the ivy league record a year or two later without our best miler.

Since Weldon tells me I can't nominate myself and Willy Wood and Dolan as co-coaches of the year ;) I'll offer some alternatives.

What about my replacement at Cornell? Zeb Lang. The last two years in xc, the Penn men have been third and 2nd. Same thing for Cornell 2nd and third.

On their team right now, Cornell currently has a 358 miler, a 1358 guy, a 2914 guy and a 343/1404 guy who maybe the best of the bunch right now. That's 4 different guys. No one seems to know that as they don't have 1 superstar that gets the press.

You seem to have started this thread because Penn just got top 5 at Penn Relays. Cornell could have been top 5in the 4 x mile at Penn this year but one of their best guys didn't want to run it as he wants to make it rain at Heps next week. Their team would have consisted of a 358 mile, a 404 miler, a 343 guy and a 344 guy. The team they ran yesterday in the DMR wasn't even their A team.

Let's talk about Princeton. After Dolan left, Princeton won the NCAA title in the DMR. Repeat. NCAA title. Score one for Vigilante. They also have won the xc title twice in four years in DOMINANT fashion, scoring a ridiculous 26 points one year and 30 the other. I think Vig knows what the hell he is doing. Did you go to indoor heps this year? They were supposed to get killed by Cornell and came away with the title.

Barry Harwick. I'd wake up in sweat every year at VCP as Dartmouth was always the team i thought could surprise in xc. They like every team in the league seem to have a guy near 4 flat in the mile, 1400 flat in the 5k andmid 29s in the 10k:

1500 Gorman, Tim JR-3 3:44.45

5000 Chapin, Joey SR-4 13:58.35

10,000 Masterson, Brian SR-4 29:35.86

Paul Harkins has really impressed at Yale. He's taken my brother's Yale team to top 3 in the league this year and has a 3:58 miler.

I could go on and on. Last time I checked Dan Ireland and Columbia won in xc. He may be the best example of why this thread is absurd. At Yale, without much institutional support in admisssions, they often weren't good. Now that he's at Columbia,he's a heps champ.

This isn't the 1980s. All of the coaches know what they are doing.

Tim Springfield of Brown, who used to be Jerry Schumacher's assistant for christ's sake, is the only one with two guys under 1:50 in the 800. The seasonal bests on that team are good.

800 Willig, Ned SR-4 1:47.53

1500 Sheeran, Will SR-4 3:45.56

5000 Sheeran, Will SR-4 14:01.07

Do you not think he knows what he's doing?

Myles Marshall is absurd at Harvard. I could go on and on.

So to my former colleagues, keep up the good work. You all are doing great things.

RoJo, I have berated you in the past for a number of things, but this was just a great post.

Well done, and thanks!

ytyuk wrote:

RoJo, I have berated you in the past for a number of things, but this was just a great post.

Well done, and thanks!

I'd love to know what I deserve to be berated for: Please email me:

Honestly, it blows my mind that i'd ever be berated. I understand the spots and try to promote it. Yes, ocasionally i get excited and mouth off without a fitler but what deserves a beration.

It's weird to me that people think the distance coaches make these runners. Why isn't there a thread talking about who is the greatest sprint coach in the league?

Of course, when I was coaching, I was obsessed with proving to myself I was the best. I was quite proud of the fact we won 8 straight outdoor titles and i scored the track meet 800 on up every year. But it's just a dumb concept with this sport.