How good is Irene Riggs?

Very well-written! Thank you!

Riggs! Riggs! I'm too old for this stuff.

IT’S RIGGSMANIA!!!💪🤘

Check out her bio page here - this is absurdly and unnecessarily detailed lol

I think it is informative, on many levels.

Another great athlete is the (only) 16 yr-old that came in 4th.

^^^I really screwed that post up. I was referring to the runner that came in 3rd, Zariel Macchia. I thought she did very well, being ~ 9months younger than 2nd place, and 18months younger than Riggs. I listened to her post-race LRC interview. She evidently won this race last year after making a split-second last-minute decision to enter.

In 2001 when Ritzenhein and Tegenkamp raced Junior Worlds XC (7.7 km) in Ostend, Belgium, they did pretty well, 3rd and 5th, respectively. I'm glad they didn't listen to the advice of someone such as you.

Emerging Elites has generally been known for giving smart kids who want to get into really good academic schools an extra athletic edge. not so much training thoroughbreds and getting them into top running schools. they get a ton of kids from prep academies and elite institutions who may not have much of a (or any) track/cross country program. a LOT of their kids end up going to some of the best universities in the northeast. But Ellie may be the best athlete they have ever had at a high school level (and that includes the great Abbey Cooper née D'Agostino) so they are marketing her hard no doubt. probably have been building that page over time since she was a freshman and it became clear she was going to be special. recruiters can always scroll down to the bottom if they want to see time progressions.

Im curious to see if Shea continues their tradition of going to a top academic institution to run or if she lets her obvious talents take her to an actual elite program. is this a kid who will end up at Stanford or will she be more comfortable closer to home in a smaller setting?

What?? Your statement indicates you imply Stanford is a “top academic institution” but not “an actual elite program”.

lol

Riiiight. So who are these “closer to home” “smaller setting” “actual elite” programs that you have in mind?

Okay, maybe I was a bit trigger-happy by all of the academic institution elitists posts lately. Your post could also be interpreted that you think Stanford is the elite academic program and the local Ivy’s are the “top academic institutions” you have in mind.

If that is the case, don’t you think such an exceptional talent as Shea has running at the professional level principle in her mind. I kind of assumed she had a lot of hands-on input into that bio page.

But maybe you are correct in thinking her high school athletic achievements are targeting an Ivy.

Edit: “…that you think Stanford is the elite sports program…”

those were two different unconnected statements. dont get bogged down by my casual sloppy writing. Stanford is a top academic institution AND an elite program. thats why I suggested it. seems to fit for someone like her. but she may be more comfortable staying in the northeast independent of how good Stanford is academically and athletically (as I have pointed out in many many of my previous posts when talking about Stanford). understand now?

Have a look at the Emerging Elite alumni list. Lots of Ivy League schools and northeastern institutions. I dont think Shea would feel restricted to those of course but I do wonder if geography is playing a big role in her decision.

If a very talented high school distance (not mid-distance or sprint) athlete wishes to maximize their distance running talent in order to eventually go pro and mix it up on the world stage, then they should seriously seriously consider getting to altitude ASAP, which does limit their choices to just a few academic institutions, which is what it is.

^^^Unless they can afford an altitude house. I think Alberto would agree.

The only role geography has played so far is that she lived in Boston Area, so she joined a club in the Boston area.

I'm sure with the good advice she has available, she'll consider the usual options.

Good running/academic w/scholarship. (Stanford, Notre Dame, Virginia, UNC, UCLA)

academic schools w/ no scholarship (ivies)

D3 academics. (Williams, mit, hopkins)

running powers (NC st, nau, NM, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, BYU, osu)

of course, if she and her family want her 'close to home', that geography limits option.

Shea's buddy Margot Appleton from Emerging Elites chose Virginia, where she is off to a great start.

Cut the crap - it's me you're talking to. For more races are run in heat & humidity than at 7k of altitude.

UCLA is not a top distance school.