High School Distance Recruits 2020

Nico Young coached by Vin Lananna would be amazing.

I was at the conf meet at York, on the snow hill for more birds-eye view. She won like Secretariat at the Belmont, the chase pack had just passed the team tents.

fhut wrote:

Why would he choose Virginia or UNC when he could probably go to Stanford or Princeton? I don't get it!

Virginia has Vin Lananna. UNC has Chris Miltenberg. Both are successful coaches at great academic schools who are likely going to attract better recruits now, and things are going to get interesting in the ACC.

Princeton costs money for most people and as for Stanford, I'd rather see how it goes with the coaching change for a year or two (not that this year's recruits have that option.)

fhut wrote:

Why would he choose Virginia or UNC when he could probably go to Stanford or Princeton? I don't get it!

Princeton cost a lot of money and Stanford go two interesting new coaches.

UVA would be a good choice. Good school academically. But if he wants to be the best at running, he would wreck at CU.

Creaky Bones wrote:

UVA would be a good choice. Good school academically. But if he wants to be the best at running, he would wreck at CU.

He would be better off training at 7000ft at NAU. When was the last great 5000m, 10000m runner CU had?

CaliforniaCat wrote:

Creaky Bones wrote:

UVA would be a good choice. Good school academically. But if he wants to be the best at running, he would wreck at CU.

He would be better off training at 7000ft at NAU. When was the last great 5000m, 10000m runner CU had?

Dani Jones won the 5000 at NCAAs last year.

Klecker and Dressel are both many-time AAs in track and XC.

HS-COACH wrote:

Princeton cost a lot of money.

For the average student Princeton tuition is less than $1000/month, or half of what many parents manage for day care at a place like KinderCare. And there is some evidence that an Ivy education pays for itself many times over -- especially for an athlete who doesn't have other stellar academic credentials.

After aid, average tuition, fees, room, and board -- combined -- comes in at just over 1100/month.

A deep Michigan team will be even deeper next year with Hart along with some women who redshirted this year.

From the below article:

Hart considered upwards of 15 schools, and took multiple unofficial visits during the spring and summer. She narrowed it to five – Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, North Carolina and Colorado. She visited North Carolina and Colorado first, then Michigan followed by the others.

In the end, the pull to remain in the Midwest was great.

"It was a very tough choice, it definitely took me longer than I anticipated to make the decision," said Hart, who made two visits to Michigan. "They are all great schools but I think there is something to be said about staying in the Midwest and Midwestern people. I really liked the team there and thought staying in the Midwest was going to be a priority."

https://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2019/10/30/girls-cross-countrytrack-glenbard-west-senior-katelynne-hart-announces-shes-going-to-michigan/aqt6yqw/

Creaky Bones wrote:

CaliforniaCat wrote:

He would be better off training at 7000ft at NAU. When was the last great 5000m, 10000m runner CU had?

Dani Jones won the 5000 at NCAAs last year.

Klecker and Dressel are both many-time AAs in track and XC.

Many time AA is not great, lots of teams have many time AA's. And Nico would not be on the girls team with Dani. CU is a XC focused program. Training at 5500ft is long term effects only. Not worth it for a kid from California to head to CU. Better off going to NAU. There is a reason the top guys are not going to CU.

Doesn't CU have a better track program than NAU? Besides Beamish winning the mile they underperformed in indoor/outdoor track last year.

Jgt11 wrote:

Doesn't CU have a better track program than NAU? Besides Beamish winning the mile they underperformed in indoor/outdoor track last year.

Nico wont make his decision until the spring for a number of reasons.

I think NAU and CU have comparable track programs. Wetmore has never had the depth of talent of a school like Stanford, Oregon, Washington, etc. and lives off of making 9:20 guys into AAs, and those types of guys that get 20th or something at NCAAs don't usually make NCAAs in track for obvious reasons, but has done very well on the track with his athletes 1500 - 10000.

This might put it in perspective--I don't think there is a single athlete that one a NC in XC or in the 2-mile in HS that went to CU and didn't win at least one NC at CU. In addition to those, he's made champions out of athletes that were elite but not champions in HS, like Jones, Barringer, Coburn, etc. Not sure that can be said about any other program.

Mike Smith may be as good a coach as Wetmore, but he's been doing it for 5 years and Mark has been doing it for 25. Not a real comparison yet.

It really comes down to is how Wetmore is super tight with his Mens scholarship dollars. He tends to spend it on upperclassmen who perform, or on out of state blue chips. He hasnt signed a CO bluechip in years.

Cerake Geberkidane? Nope

Paul Roberts? Nope

Tanner Norman? Nope

Sprout or Ohlson? Nope

Culpepper, with program legacy, AA parents? Nope

Hardly any recruits are actually offered much if anything besides a chance. Even for Sprout and Culpepper, the allure of Running with the Buffalos alone is not enough.

"Show me the money!" is not something Wetmore responds to.

Buy in, full bore, or move along.

Oh well, CU does fine regardless.

Next!

Vancil is a blue chip. Ran 9:08 at altitude and got 6th at NXN. Otherwise I agree. They are doing just fine without the blue chips.

Gabe Fendel was probably the last Blue Chip recruit they got based on high school times 4:04 8:50 14:47 XC in high school. Kashon Harrison was a stud too in high school with being a 8:55 3200 and a Foot Locker AA and we all know how well Harrison is running right now for them..

jghhjhgvff wrote:

Gabe Fendel was probably the last Blue Chip recruit they got based on high school times 4:04 8:50 14:47 XC in high school. Kashon Harrison was a stud too in high school with being a 8:55 3200 and a Foot Locker AA and we all know how well Harrison is running right now for them..

Oh Wetmore gets bluechip recruits, just not from CO.

Conner Winter was the last true CO bluechip recruit and that was in 2012 or so.

(Vancil, perhaps under the radar to other programs and very good at xc though he did not win any championships and won only a handfull of races = Not usually considered a blue chip)

Nationally he's gotten Klecker, Dressel, Saarel lately and now Fendel and Harrison so he does lure some top tier talent.

....He really works the next tier hard within CO though.

They just get no $$$.

They also got Noah Hibbard who was a footlocker AA and ran a 4:08 full mile beating Nico Young in that race. He was the only person to beat Nico last year. Sadly he was caught up in the pile-up at brooks PR.