Official 2021 D3 XC Thread

RIP the Atlantic Region

WPI beat Amherst and Tufts on 9/25, so the least meaningful of countable weeks. Shouldn't even count IMHO...Since then they got hosed at their conference meet (14 MIT runners in before their 1) and ran a decent race at Regionals. Unfortunately, a team that doesn't deserve to be at Nationals. Both UCSC and Conn College had far more competitive schedules and at least mixed it up with nationally caliber teams all fall.

Nah I think Don is talking about Cardi from Dickinson, but typical for let’s run folks to be only think about men

But we all know my hounds will not I lose like nationals last time, we won’t win the region then explode again, no sir

Thank you, somebody gets it. Anyway, this selection was ILLEGAL, Dickinson was ahead by a lot on Saturday and then WPI, Loras, and Amherst poured in ILLEGITIMATE mail-in votes to the committee that night and suddenly they get in but Dickinson doesn't UNFAIR. I call on the USTFCCCA to investigate this THEFT and rightfully reward my boys with their RIGHTFUL Nats at-large bid. STOP THE STEEL!

The second a recount, I heard WPI ran dead athletes and had dead committee members vote in their behalf

same here... and you are right. WPI lol....

Nobody wants to read threads about the teams finishing 25-35 at nationals.

WPI and Amherst both making it is a complete joke. They both lost to GEORGE FOX at the Conn Invite (WPI lost by 50, Amherst by 87). I heard Amherst men had food poisoning before the conn invite but still, they haven't run well all year. Then, George Fox lost to UCSC at regionals and somehow neither of the west teams get bids but both Amherst and WPI do? Are you kidding me? Amherst athletic department should write USCS an apology note and write George Fox a check to cover their airfare from oregon to connecticut. They clearly flew there to race out of region teams, beat the out of region teams and somehow the west got shown zero love at all. You're only going to take the two teams out of the west who are top 5 in the country? The northeast/NESCAC bias is astounding.

I hear a lot of people saying it, these WPI runners are bad hombres. They HATE America and want to force CRT into our schools. Meanwhile our strong, beautiful Dickinson men are forced to stay home in Carlisle, this isn't fair! I win 30 consecutive Little Three Championships against Gburg and F&M but you're telling me that's not good enough to get into Nats? FAKE NEWS

coachSwiss wrote:

Elias Lingren (13:53, 47th in 2019, no losses)

Elias Lingren lost to a 14:50 guy at NESCACs.

Williams will blow chunks as usual. Tyler Morris won NESCACs by 37 seconds after not tapering at all and running a 90 mile week the week of the meet without a long run because the meet was on a sunday (per strava). No williams runner will finish in the top 10.

Worcester Poop Institute wrote:

coachSwiss wrote:

Elias Lingren (13:53, 47th in 2019, no losses)

Elias Lingren lost to a 14:50 guy at NESCACs.

Williams will blow chunks as usual. Tyler Morris won NESCACs by 37 seconds after not tapering at all and running a 90 mile week the week of the meet without a long run because the meet was on a sunday (per strava). No williams runner will finish in the top 10.

Tyler Morris is the real deal. No runner has been within 30 seconds of him at any meet this year. He will surge from the front and dip under 23:50. Aidan Ryan will battle with Alex Phillip for second. The team battle will be MIT vs Pomona. Williams and Wartburg are far too vulnerable with slower #4-5 guys with no nationals experience. It doesn't matter if you have 2 in the top 15 if your #5 is in 80th.

Johns Hopkins will have atleast 5 AA's and obliterate the women's race as they have in the past. Individual battle will be Kassie Rosenbum vs. Ari Marks.

Tell me I'm wrong.

You're wrong about the women's race, CMS is a lock. They took down PP handily at conference and regionals, and PP has not lost to out of region competition all year

Mount Union deserved to go.

Jeffster wrote:

Mount Union deserved to go.

Mount Union got beat by UCSC at Pre-nationals. UCSC did not make the meet. If they got 4th in the GL then they would have been a long shot at best.

No one talking about the fact that NCC is looking like a team that is going to get 10-15th??? With how good they have been the last decade+, that is a big drop off

lonk wrote:

You're wrong about the women's race, CMS is a lock. They took down PP handily at conference and regionals, and PP has not lost to out of region competition all year

They are a strong team but definitely not a “lock”. Multiple teams have a chance to win if they execute their optimal race.

all im saying wrote:

Tyler Morris is the real deal. No runner has been within 30 seconds of him at any meet this year. He will surge from the front and dip under 23:50. Aidan Ryan will battle with Alex Phillip for second. The team battle will be MIT vs Pomona. Williams and Wartburg are far too vulnerable with slower #4-5 guys with no nationals experience. It doesn't matter if you have 2 in the top 15 if your #5 is in 80th.

Tell me I'm wrong.

I agree that Tyler is 100% the real deal, and he is clearly a favorite. I would put Phillip and Ryan up there with him as they have both had brilliant races this year, but Tyler has by far been the most consistent. Ryan was only about 5 seconds back at mile 3 when he pulled out at Nescac's, but he still bailed and Tyler now knows he can beat him. I would give the nod to Tyler as well, with Aidan and Alex battling it for 2-3. Freiburger hasn't shown the level of speed needed to be in the top 3, and I would put Lindgren and about 6 or 7 others with him in the top 10 category.

I think it really is anyone's race between MIT, Pomona, Wartburg, Williams, and John Carroll. I agree that the pack style of Pomona and MIT make them favorites, I also don't believe that all of the 4-5 runners at the other contenders will suddenly have stage fright either. If just one of them gets inspired, the 1-3's of the Wartburg and Williams squads will provide the lead needed to win. I think it all boils down to who is feeling it that day. Who's team isn't sick, nursing injuries, had a good nights sleep, or honestly likes running on this style of course. The teams are all pretty close so little things can make a big difference.

The best competition Morris has had is ... some Midd guy who can't break 25? MIT doing a tempo? Csiki-Fejerer, who couldn't beat either of them? Not exactly a star-studded cast. He might be better than Ryan/Phillip, but he certainly hasn't proven it.

If Wartburg gets their entire top 5 running well, Pomona will be the only team capable of contending with them. Wartburg's usual #3 Sam Pinkowski had a bad day at the Midwest regional, but he is capable of much more. He was half a second off of Pomona's two at Augustana earlier in the season. MIT might be able to put a couple guys ahead of Wartburg's 5, but that will not be enough to get them ahead in the team race.