Will UCLA ever win a national title?

No. I think Brosnan is trying to use UCLA as stepping stone to another school that has more of a focus on distance running.

Nope, LA is a crappy place for anyone who enjoys distance running.

Was Larsen able to win at UCLA? I doubt McDonnel, Wetmore or Smith could win at UCLA.

John McDonnell could have won anywhere, including LA. But that would be the absolute exception. Your point is well taken, otherwise.

Larsen's best XC team was 5th in 1984 I think... that year the teams that beat them had several international athletes (he was the COY that year)... that UCLA distance team did not get a lot of scholarship money. After Larsen became HC for track even less money went to distance because he was getting paid to win track meets not XC championships.

No matter the coach no one will win an XC championship at UCLA (or most any school for that matter) without a large portion of scholarship money going to distance.

no ucla will never will a title (conference, regional or national). And neither will the current coach bo matter where he goes

Better winter weather for running than Flagstaff, Boulder or Provo.

HAHAHAHA

Could happen, Brosnans a good coach and UCLA is a good school that’ll be easy to recruit at. Winning NCAA xc os tough, but I bet Brosnan could get them a podium finish at some point down the line

So, if UCLA is easy to recruit to, why have they not signed anyone significant?

UC Merced, Cal State Northridge or maybe Cal State San Marcos are the next destinations for UCLA cross country coaches. This job does not lead to places like Oregon or other top distance jobs. The team didn't improve this year and they don't seem to be shocking the world with their recruits. 3 or 4 years max and he'll be happy to be coaching at a JUCO, like one of the four powerhouses he competed for.

And worse August-Oct and April-May. It’s a wash on weather, overall. As for places to run… sunny on concrete is still on concrete. Anyway, Palo Alto is still better year round.

You’ve never seen the Santa Monica mountains then. There are plenty of spots to run in a 5-25min drive. That’s part of the deal that most colleges have.
Brosnan doesn’t beat to the same drum as your typical UCLA coach. Or at least the last few. I can definitely see him putting them on the podium in the next three to four years. Even with their results at regionals it was a improvement on the actual runners he was handed in a few months.

I’ve seen Brooke Johnston from IL on the women’s side and Remses Cortez in the mens side commit, but it’s early and most likely see others in the next few months. I do live in Southern California and have a small insight on the team. He seems to be focusing on transfers this year with only a few freshman. If you think about it, that’s a smart way to get good quick. Love him or hate him he’ll get the job done, just not in the first 6 months. Culture takes time to change.

How long until someone splashes massive NIL funds on more young Kenyans than their scholarships could otherwise bring? I doubt it will be UCLA, but that would be their most likely way to get there.

I take it that you really are not that familiar with LA. There are plenty of good places to run that are not on concrete.

Too many people that post here have no clue about topics they post about.

If it was only money, wouldn't the teams with 3 guys get a 4th and 5th Kenyan? I think it is a lot harder to find that legit 13:40 who can also do the schoolwork than it seems.

I am waiting though for the alums willing to drop 500k/year to make a competive track team.

What are you talking about? In April the average high in LA is 72 and the average low is 55. In May it’s 74 and 58. Gorgeous! In contrast Boulder averages over 10 inches of snow in April. I’ve lived there. Shoveling snow in April sucks!

As for surface, what do you think: the team is doing all their runs on the city sidewalks of downtown LA? LOL

No, the talent being funneled to the top 3-4 teams is insane.
NAU had on their squad this year:

Young- Top recruit of his class

Bosley- Top Recruit in his HS class

Hasty- Top 3 recruit in his HS class

Kueshe- Big 10 XC champion, transfer

Prosner- A feel good story All American, sub 9:00 2 miler from Alaska. Top recruit from AK since TBar.

How are you going to out recruit a team like that?

That was with the former coaches. I know for a fact Brosnan is a nut about soft surfaces and takes it serious and they rarely touch the pavement.