New Mexico snags Foot Locker Champion recruit Weini Kelati!!

Damn I can't believe she picked New Mexico over Oregon. At Oregon she probably wouldn't even win a Cross National Championship in College. At New Mexico she might win one maybe 2 Cross Championships. At Oregon she would have won 4-6 NCAA team Championships in indoor and outdoors at New Mexico she won't win any. Who picks New Mexico over Oregon damn that hurt like Allie O picking Boise State over Oregon :(

I thought she wasn't going to be eligibile for NCAA (missing core classes)?

trust me, NM will figure out a way to get her eligible, hahaha.

Your writing is pretty bad, dude.

New Mexico has gotten a reputation for geting top transfers and grads from other Universities with one year remaining. Is it known for developing talent over 4 or 5 years?

I wonder if some of these high school girls are just looking at the top teams from recent years and chasing after a XC podium place.

Is New Mexico known as a top track team? Why would she go there with her track results from last season?

Wonder Why Too wrote:

New Mexico has gotten a reputation for geting top transfers and grads from other Universities with one year remaining. Is it known for developing talent over 4 or 5 years?

I wonder if some of these high school girls are just looking at the top teams from recent years and chasing after a XC podium place.

Is New Mexico known as a top track team? Why would she go there with her track results from last season?

Hey have developed a myriad of athletes over the years. New Mexico never has any relivent sprinters or throwers, so their track team is never amazing. But they always qualify and score a handful of points from 1500-10k.

I'm always glad when top recruits go anywhere but Oregon. I'm sure she will succeed at UNM.

Albuquerque = altitude; dry, moderate year round climate; not infested with Ben Blankenship and/or look alikes

recruiting guru wrote:

Did you see that the University of New Mexico got foot locker champion Weini Kelati? Big props to the Lobos for getting a top rated recruit and keeping the top finishing team possible.

Keeping them possible?

New Mexico always has track athletes at the NCAA Championships. They have tended to be good in the jumps especially. Their new young jumps coach is doing a great job rebuilding the program, had 3 or 4 jumpers at NCAA's. Have an occasional track athlete in other events at NCAA's. They have won a couple of conference titles recently. Mostly though the scholarship money goes to distance runners.

Genghis bob wrote: I'm always glad when top recruits go anywhere but Oregon.

I don't spend a lot time on this forum, so it's possible the answer to my question is widely known to everyone but me. Nevertheless, I have to ask why there is such hatred for Oregon on this board. I'm in my early 50s, and when I was in high school it was always my dream to run for Oregon, recognizing that it had (and still does) one of the best and most historic distance programs in the nation.

Is it the ties to Nike that turn everyone off, or is it just petty jealousy?

WTOH wrote:

[quote] Is it the ties to Nike that turn everyone off, or is it just petty jealousy?

I think it's a little bit of both. I was neutral until they were able to get Rupp reinstated by the NCAA after he had gone pro. I just don't like it when people/organizations are able to operate above the law.

Coach Franklin and UNM have seemed to take a similar approach as Oklahoma State and to recruit predominantly distance runners (a few typically foreign). I'm surprised more universities don't go this route. Shoot for a XC trophy and let those same distance kids hopefully put up some points on the track.

they call me flopro wrote:

Damn I can't believe she picked New Mexico over Oregon. At Oregon she probably wouldn't even win a Cross National Championship in College. At New Mexico she might win one maybe 2 Cross Championships. At Oregon she would have won 4-6 NCAA team Championships in indoor and outdoors at New Mexico she won't win any. Who picks New Mexico over Oregon damn that hurt like Allie O picking Boise State over Oregon :(

Yeah I mean Oregon has worked out so well for Baxter...

Oregon has 12 National Championships men and Women combined in Cross,Indoors and outdoors the last 5 years including one for Women's Cross New Mexico has one? NCAA championship the last 5 years in Women's cross. And zero in indoor and outdoor NCAA championships.

Yes, they get a lot of talent. Oregon has also squandered more talented female runners than New Mexico.

Stanford has 5-10 times the talent as Oregon yet doesn't have a single National Championship in the last 5 years in either Cross, Indoor or outdoors combined. Also just cause Baxter has been a bust so far doesn't mean Oregon squanders talent. One person doesn't equal a bust.

New Mexico is at altitude. She'll do better there.

The student athletes have to study at Stanford and most of them are as competitive in the classroom as on the track. You can't expect to crush both. Remember all the talk about the CO kid (Sarel ?) who was a double major in physics and engineering.. He was sleeping 2 hrs a night and running horrible.

So happy she is coming to ABQ! Joe Franklin recruits the best he can given his university/location/budget.... he has been working successfully with Alice Wright since she was a frosh. Yes, he also works with others just a short period of time (example: Courtney Frerichs, Rhona Auckland). I think Franklin has shown he can develop talent and "not ruin" talent (see Frerichs), both of which are really important coaching skills. Unfortunately, Rhona has been injured, but UNM is shaping up to have an excellent XC team next year with Wright, Auckland(?), Ednah Kurgat (transfer from Liberty via Kenya who didn't get release to run this year), and now the frosh FL champion. That is 4 potential top-25 NCAA XC Championship runners. Joe just needs one more to lock-up another championship next year, and simultaneously drive Buffalo and Duck lovers nuts.

Go Lobos!!