South RT wrote:
FastTuohy wrote:
post race interviews on Flotrack both BYU and NAU are seem to be saying XC is the focus, top guys might not even run Indoors. Mantz said he didn't feel that great during the race, so he just sat and kicked vs pushing the pace harder.
Mantz didn't feel good because Nico pushed him to the max.
+1. lol, no kidding you didn't feel good man, you were running 28:35 10k pace.
Is it just me, or does Nico's form look a lot better since high school??? From what I recall, he always looked like he was in complete agony from the gun.
Don’t forget kushe who won big 10 the other day
Was going to say the same thing about Nico's form.. he's not as dramatic anymore. I'm sure Smith drilled the drama out of him.. he looks great in full flight. Looks a bit more of forefoot striking (and heavier legs) than in high school. He's put on some good muscle. Kid looks great. Gonna be a legend.
[quote]The Insider wrote:
Is it just me, or does Nico's form look a lot better since high school??? From what I recall, he always looked like he was in complete agony from the gun.
Standard Setter wrote:
Was going to say the same thing about Nico's form.. he's not as dramatic anymore. I'm sure Smith drilled the drama out of him.. he looks great in full flight. Looks a bit more of forefoot striking (and heavier legs) than in high school. He's put on some good muscle. Kid looks great. Gonna be a legend.
[quote]The Insider wrote:
Is it just me, or does Nico's form look a lot better since high school??? From what I recall, he always looked like he was in complete agony from the gun.
When you write that Nico Young is “gonna be a legend” what does that mean? My sense is that he will possibly win a couple NCAA titles individually and maybe as a team. He will possibly finish his career with bests of 13:10 and 27:15. Does this make him a legend? Maybe or maybe not.
A legend is an unauthenticated story. Think of Paul Bunyan or Johnny Appleseed. If people talk about Nico running 5 x miles at sub 4 in practice, that would be a legend.
NAUUU wrote:
A legend is an unauthenticated story. Think of Paul Bunyan or Johnny Appleseed. If people talk about Nico running 5 x miles at sub 4 in practice, that would be a legend.
That is only one definition of the word legend. That is not what was intended by the poster.
Top 10 returners from NCAA last year
1. Connor Mantz
2. Cooper Teare
3. Amon Kemboi
4. Patrick Devers
5. Peter Lynch
6. Christian Allen
7. Devin Meyrer
8. Athanas Kioko
9. Walked Suliman
10. Drew Bosley
Some of those guys might not be running XC this year. Gilbert Kigen might have eligibility still, not sure on that. Hard to thing that someone like Grijalva or Kusche wouldn’t be in the top 10 either. I think top 10 is a possibility but I don’t think top 5
At this point, no one should be shocked if Nico won. Clearly, he has shown the ability to hang with the big boys.
I disagree. Watch the race and Connor opened up a huge gap in the last 100ish meters. Connor isn’t known for his kick either. Gonna be a good race.
You disagree? He didn't predict that he will win, just that it won't be a shock if he does. Need to throw Beadlescomb and Jon Davis into the discussion.
birdbeard wrote:
South RT wrote:
Mantz didn't feel good because Nico pushed him to the max.
+1. lol, no kidding you didn't feel good man, you were running 28:35 10k pace.
I think what he said was "I wasn't feeling my best. Usually I like to push from farther out. Do I be be a jerk and sit on him and kick in the last 400."
Dairyland wrote:
I disagree. Watch the race and Connor opened up a huge gap in the last 100ish meters. Connor isn’t known for his kick either. Gonna be a good race.
Do I think Nico is gonna out gonna beat Luis Grijalva or Conner? Probably not. Still, at NCAAs all you have to do is be in the right position at the end to have a shot at the win. He clearly can hang enough to give himself an opportunity. So, no if Nico won, I wouldn't be the slightest surprised. Plus, this is only his first college race ever. He may look completely different in a few weeks.
Apparently red flags are optional.
Mantz looks like he is in pure agony from the gun. It is almost painful to watch. Nico actually looks really good.
red5 wrote:
Well Mantz was top 10 as a freshmen. And Young was 2 seconds behind Mantz today. So I’m gonna say yes. Also I think that despite Grijalva beating him earlier in the year, Mantz will win the XC title this year.
Mantz solid pick to win this year, his "freshman"year though he was already 22 since he had his mission then redshirt year....
Nico looks really strong. He did all the work out there. He needs to sit off the leaders shoulder and be ready to kick. He will be in the mix. Gutsy kid
South RT wrote:
FastTuohy wrote:
post race interviews on Flotrack both BYU and NAU are seem to be saying XC is the focus, top guys might not even run Indoors. Mantz said he didn't feel that great during the race, so he just sat and kicked vs pushing the pace harder.
Mantz didn't feel good because Nico pushed him to the max.
No Mantz didn't feel good because he just got over a stress fracture in December
007dooby wrote:
South RT wrote:
Mantz didn't feel good because Nico pushed him to the max.
No Mantz didn't feel good because he just got over a stress fracture in December
Yeah, I'm sure if he was healthy he would've been running 27:30 10K pace for 8K. Definitely.
He was 21 but close.
007dooby wrote:
South RT wrote:
Mantz didn't feel good because Nico pushed him to the max.
No Mantz didn't feel good because he just got over a stress fracture in December
And Nico missed time this spring . He didn't race Oklahoma this fall as he was out. The point is Nico pushed one of the best guys in the country and Mantz had a hard time with him. When you're pushed like that you're not going to feel good.