What's to stop a college team from recruiting a team of 13:20-13:50 guys from Kenya?

- You mean the Chez model ... the one where Americans pick-up the tab for an exclusive high school then a free-ride to Oregon. OK ... let's Make Kenya Great Again!

- Actually I am incorrect ... Chez turned his back on Kenya and wants to become an American. Giving Back -- Why bother?

Uh, ever heard of Jordan Hasay?

Because nowadays you need 6th Grade Math and 4th Grade English to get into US Colleges.

Answer is money.

The best Kenyans are already making money on the world stage, so they're not coming over.

The next best Kenyans are being bought out by other countries.

So the 3rd level is what you'd get. After you filter out those who dream of making it big while training with the best, and then filter out those who won't leave for nationalistic reasons, you still have to sell these kids on the idea of coming to America. Most are part of a family, and taking an able-bodied worker who could help earn a wage, no matter how small, away from the family WITHOUT him (or her) sending back money is a tough sell.

But even if you get some people after that, the college still has to foot the bill. Does anybody know of a college that is currently paying (or willing to pay) tuition AND room & board AND textbook costs AND insurance AND all other college-related expenses for EVERY member of its cross-country team? 'cause that's what you're asking in your scenario, OP.

I think your last paragraph has the real answer. There are obstacles to be overcome for a school wanting to load their cross country and track teams with Kenyans which could be overcome at a school that really wanted to. But cross country and track are just not high enough priority sports to make a school want to take on that expense and trouble.

A primer on the subject can be found in...

"The African Running Revolution", edited by Dave Prokop

ISBN 978-0890370582

Published in 1975 by World Publications

Chapter 6

"African Recruiting Boom" by John Manners

pages 62-69

Listen up asswipe, next time you copy a thread at least change your name so no one can tell you commented on the original thread and stole it. Hope you trip while running with scissors. Eat shit.

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=8484087

Sorry to hurt your feelings, but I'm very glad I started this thread, which is asking a related question that your thread made me think about. I learned a lot about the nuances of the NCAA Kenyan recruiting situation that I never would have from your thread.

The Alabama situation is a joke. It's not a college team. It's a feel good politically -correct sham.

You're looking for The Rick Pitino of Kenyan Imports. Big bucks from the shoe and road racing companies.

Lubbock Christian recruited all Kenyans pretty much for a few years in the 1990s. They were NAIA national champs in xc for several years, but I think a few of those years they could have won NCAA division I as well. I know they beat Arkansas in some meets the year they won it all. They were a real powerhouse around 93-95. I don't think they all ran 13:20-13:50, but some of them did. I know Randich ran in the 13:30s.

Work hard and be rewarded wrote:

Because it isn't the right thing to do.

You must not follow college sports closely.

800m Ohio wrote:

Lubbock Christian recruited all Kenyans pretty much for a few years in the 1990s. They were NAIA national champs in xc for several years, but I think a few of those years they could have won NCAA division I as well. I know they beat Arkansas in some meets the year they won it all. They were a real powerhouse around 93-95. I don't think they all ran 13:20-13:50, but some of them did. I know Randich ran in the 13:30s.

Interesting. I'm not familiar with that school. I'd be curious to know the story of how that situation came about and what eventually happened. My former high school had an interesting Kenyan recruiting storey, by the way.

Kip Keino's son, Bob, was somehow recruited to my high school (a number of years after I graduated)where he performed exceptionally well (4th and 5th at Footlocker XC in '92 and '93), and apparently some sanctions eventually came down on him and/or the school team due to related recruiting violations.

Eventually, he ended up working for Tiger Woods, taking care of his Yacht!

Boogieman wrote:

uh, ever hear of UTEP. wrote:

Uh, ever hear of UTEP.

UTEP is pretty much 800 and milers. They run XC and excel (for the most part) because they're that good. Kenyans running 13:20 and college eligible age would just go pro

Yeah, do you think he might be talking UTEP circa mid-70s where they won NCAA Cross titles in '69, '75, '76, '78, '79, '80, '81 and 1983?

In 1981, the Miner cross country team produced a near-perfect score (17 points) at nationals on the heels of a 1-2-3-5-6 finish by Mathews Motshwarateu, Michael Musyoki, Gabriel Kamau, Suleiman Nyambui and Gidamis Shahanga. Nyambui carried his success onto the track as he dominated the competition, capturing 15 NCAA individual crowns in the Orange and Blue. Three decades later, he still sits second in the NCAA record book with seven outdoor individual titles.

Every one of that top 7 went on to World Class success, and in Nyambui's case had it before he got there with a 13:19 in '77, Except for Thomas Mawan. Some others had sub-28 track 10ks before they got there.

Your post is correct except you didn't include WSU in the 70s and early 80s, who was a perennial top-5 team who had naerly all foreigners and all Kenyans with Josh Kimeto, Samson Kimobwa, Henry Rono, John Ngeno and Joel Cheruyiot. Later on they had Peter Koech and Richard Tuwei and others, although they did not finish HIGH at NCAAs.

The only non-Kenyan I can find is Kurt Beckman, 20th at NCAA XC in 1975.

Salem wrote:

By the way, our local HS has about 20-30 international students that are essentially doing the same thing - they came to the US on some sort of exchange program. However, they tend to be brianiacs and not athletes.

Are they wild for me or is that just really weird?

Harry the Harrier wrote:

'Just wow...' and 'Boogieman',

Before asking why the concept of recruiting a squad of foreign athletes (specifically Kenyan) to win at XC has never been used- and then belittling the poster 'uh, ever heard of UTEP' by saying the Miners are only "pretty much 800 and milers" please review the history of the sport.

UTEP program was won NCAA's a total of eight times- 1969, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980,1981 and 1983 with runner-up finishes in 1973 and 1977. Officially the 1983 title was vacated due to infractions. The 1981 squad tallied 17 points which is the lowest in championship history. Here is that roster:

1 Mathews Motshwarateu

2 Michael Musyoki

3 Gabriel Kamau

5 Suleiman Nyambui

6 Gidamis Shahanga

(19) Sam Ngatia

(20) Thomas Mawan

While there are other programs with a similar recruiting philosophy during that time span only Western Kentucky (England) and Providence (Ireland, England) had success.

Hey thank you, Scott Simmons (oops, I mean Harry the Harrier).

genetics.