rosters for Virginia Invitational announced! / Big race in Virginia, some lingering questions for me

2. Nico Young and Graham Blanks. all-American every year including freshman year. There were none last year. It’s harder than you think to come in and compete as a freshman. You may have one or two from your list.

On a total crap course. Worst place ever to have a championship.

interesting to see nico young isn’t on the list for NAU

some notable misses - Nico Young, Aaron Las Heras, and Casey Clinger not running.

for Stanford, both the Sherry and Young twins running. Ky Robinson and Cole Sprout both with them. might come down to Ky, Cole, Drew Bosley and Parker Wolfe.

curious how freshman Rocky Hanson does for Wake Forest.

on the womens side, no Natalie Cook for Colorado.

The other thread some <?<>? just started on this same topic should be deleted.

Excited to see Amy Bunnage, Sophie O Sullivan run (surprised to see her so soon after racing all summer. No downtime?)

Rules allow 10 runners/team, extras assigned to the open/mixed 5k.

Stanford has entered Sprout and Robinson but doubt they will compete due to their extended track seasons . . . Nuttycombe more likely their opener.

Noticed that Wake Forest picked up Hunter Jones as well as Rocky Hansen . . . thought I recall Jones going to Michigan State.

Not sure of this . . . but Aussie prodigy Amy Bunnage of Stanford I believe has the fastest 5k track time at 15:21 . . . and women are running the 5k course . . .

Of all the great frosh talent in this field, Ty Gorze/WA is my pick as the best . . . highest mileage guy of this group back in hs . . . thus believe he will adapt the quickest to the 8k/10k distance . . . although Leo Young/Stanford's 16th place finish at U20 World X back in February on a monster 8k course in hot weather suggests he may be ready to challenge Gorze and even contend for the win . . .

CO - no Hertenstein, Starliper, Cook - still a strong team left

Stanford - the good news is the rest of their top runners are listed so this seems to be their team if Riggs is out

UNC - no O'Shea or Neglia so we shall see what back end depth they have.

NAU - no Smee, Upshaw, Stetzman or Grice - so a good chunk of their top runners out - but Stearns is running

UVA - no Menninger but the rest of their top runners listed

Providence - looks like prettyumuch their top team is running

Georgetown - their top runners seem listed

I think that is right. I believe she has the 2nd fastest 3k time as well, 8:51.90. She's only 18, a true freshman.

No Irene Riggs on the Stanford women's start list

Top runners on W side seem to be Appleton, Bunnage, Maatoug, Stearns and maybe O'Sullivan (?). Can Covert, Dishon and Baran of CO and Dudek of Stanford stay close to this group?

Blanks was a 20 year old freshman who trained in flagstaff (at least I think) during his gap year from HS to college.

He was a 19 year old freshman and did take a gap year because the Ivy League canceled the season. You are strengthening the point about competing as a freshman. It’s very difficult.

Expand on that.

Let me guess - you’re one those that thinks courses should be relatively flat and the flatter, the better.

Burns was 32nd at NXN last fall, he's not getting all-american at double the distance, nevermind "with relative ease." Also think there's a good chance he and Birnbaum both redshirt

Yea to say with relative ease means this person never ran in the NCAA. Anyone else who ran in college knows this. Every year we get hyped up about 5 or 6 freshmen and literally every year maybe 1 or 2 hit right away. All you have to do is look at Colin Sahlman last year to understand that adjusting to the 8k is not easy. No such thing as a free ride to All-American, you have to earn that and it can take a LONG time.

Starting area seems to narrow

I thought that the two Oregon boys were redshirting this fall.

Early in the video is the starting area. It looks like it can also be made wider if needed.