Today was only the fifth time this millennium that two native-born Americans won NCAA D1 cross country championships in the same year. 2002, 2003, 2021, 2022, 2023.
Honest question for those who have been on the website longer: Was this sentiment always so strong when Australian/New Zealand/Irish runners did well in the NCAA system or is it just because Kenyan runners are doing well now?
Other sports operate like this too. A lot of non-American basketball players come here for college but the difference is that the US is the best country for basketball already.
They get more credit for being individuals because those countries don't churn out great running talent en masse. And their coach and team will get more credit for nurturing their development. Also because they are white they don't stand out as much if three of them are top 15. Also three of them are never on one team being top 15. But if that happened, I could see people thinking of that as charming bc they are not threatened by Aus/NZ/Ireland as a pipeline replacing American talent. If they were 24 and older and still a freshman, there would be grousing.
So race plays a part that makes everything more emphatic but it's not like people didn't love Cheserek. He went to high school here. Or root for Abdi Nur and I don't even know his deal. I think with Oklahoma it does feel like a pro basketball or baseball team that buys its roster for the championship year. Losing the tie score was their villain origin story. Who did they give the trophy to? Their 5th guy. Cause everyone faster is a freshman or has only been on the team for a couple of years.
He ran a very smart race. Didn't spend all his energy trying to up man the Africans like Bosley. He made that move up that steep hill to finish off OK State Africans.
Will be fun to watch Graham at the Oly trials next year. Hard to see him finishing in front of Grant, Woody, or Klecker. But he should be ready to scare 13 in the 5 next spring.
I’m about as excited about an American winning men’s XC as I am when the USMNT make it to the knockout rounds. Call me when he goes pro and makes a mark there.
Honest question for those who have been on the website longer: Was this sentiment always so strong when Australian/New Zealand/Irish runners did well in the NCAA system or is it just because Kenyan runners are doing well now?
Other sports operate like this too. A lot of non-American basketball players come here for college but the difference is that the US is the best country for basketball already.
Down under they’re actually the age they claim to be, don’t use PEDs, and they actually do the academics.
You are not supposed to feel the way you feel regarding college sports.
Little League Baseball and Pop Warner Football are guys from a neighborhood.
High school sports are usually gals & guys from 10 square miles competing against other high school kids in a state.
Men & women at a college or university are individuals who selected a school for a combination of location, majors & minors offered, academic standard. Gals & guys on a college XC team may be from all over the world. College athletes know if they are going to compete well, ethnic, national, regional and racial differences should not be emphasized.
Save your nationalism for your overseas time in D.o.D. or U.S. Department of State. N.C.A.A. sports is not the place for your nationalism.
Gault says it's been 20 years and Ritz was the last.
Charles Hicks is an American citizen that because of an “accident of birth” was born to wealthy Floridians working in London. The family moved back to Jacksonville when Charles was a preteen. However his WA allegiance is the UK because he was asked to run for the UK Junior Team before he projected as someone that might make a U.S. team someday.
Therefore we shouldn't claim Hicks as an American runner if he's not going to represent the US
They certainly did, and I for one think it sucks for the American kids. Yes, the imports have been here for decades, but this was egregious. NAU had no chance. It simply was not fair and it is supposed to be fair.
What was with the announcer saying "touchdown" when he crossed the line? Seemed pretty stupid...American wins NCAA XC and you say "touchdown"?! That's what you come up?