1[SUP]st[/SUP], did want to comment to Skidmark’s post above and add that, at minimum in the Pac 12, Stanford also has a couple very good runners (Maksim Korolev, #2 ranked NCAA XC runner in the country, and Joe Rosa, ranked #8) who could conceivably help the Buffs out IF they needed the help (which as currently being a dominantly ranked #1 ranked team they don’t).
As it’s looking now, neither Oregon, Stanford, or anyone else have the depth to challenge CU 1-5, although what might happen one day in one race in ~one month in Terra Haute is still of course, as is the nature of all sports, still an open question. (Still a lot of training, other prep, god forbid injuries, and other factors still to come, and then of course the unknown variables that can affect a raceday...)
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Then, below are (I.) Some media links I found related to the Buffs and the recent Pre-Nationals and (II.) A few notes of things I have regarding the cross country teams from observation,
I.MEDIA LINKS:
Letsrun.com analysis of races this weekend, with CU men’s outlook for the NCAA championships based on the Pre National results discussed in section #1- http://www.letsrun.com/news/2014/10/ncaa-xc-weekend-recap/
Buffzone article (although not much different than cubuffs.com one, good to see any coverage this early in the year)- http://www.buffzone.com/buffzonetopstories/ci_26754731/cu-cross-country-buff-men-grab-title-at
Flotrack short Post-race Video interview (~2-1/2 minutes after (for me) short ad) with captain and overall race 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] place men's finisher Blake Thoreau- http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/25...focused-on-team-2nd-individually#.VEVVRfnF_ng
Flotrack short Post-race Video interview (~1-1/2 minutes after (for me) short ad) with top Buff woman and overall 7th place finisher Erin Clark- http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/25...eads-CU-to-4th-place-at-Pre-Nats#.VEVVG_nF_ng
Cubuffs.com- Buff’s men remain #1 and women #7 in latest coaches’ poll- http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=209728579
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II.NOTES:
Re these notes, wanted to emphasize I have NO connection with the cross country program, so when I mention redshirts, potential injuries, etc. below, I’m just making suppositions, guesses and/ or repeating what I’ve read other places.
1) In a sign of how strong the Buff’s men’s team is, some in the letsrun forum are guessing the Buffs may be redshirting one of their main runners from last year, Morgan Pierson. (It does seem at least a possibility, as he ran unattached (not in Buff’s uniform) in the Rocky Mountain Shootout (finishing 4[SUP]th[/SUP]), and didn’t run at all in the Pre-Nats.) Definitely a “rich man’s” problem for the Buffs, and if true will help the Buffs also field a very strong team next year. (Last yr., Mr. Pierson had the following finishes compared to the other Buffs (and overall): Pre-Nationals- 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Buff (7[SUP]th[/SUP] overall), Pac 12’s- 4[SUP]th[/SUP] (7[SUP]th[/SUP]) and NCAA Championships- 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] (17[SUP]th[/SUP]).
2) For the Women, assuming one of the underclassmen doesn’t come up from nowhere and provide a contribution (which does happen sometimes with the increased training that college runners undertake compared to high school), the main people I see who could affect how well they can finish:
a. Going into the season, junior Carrie Verdon was, I believe, the presumed leader for the women. However, she didn’t race at all in the Pre-Nats (Although she was 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] in the Rocky Mountain Shootout a couple weeks ago). I have no idea why she didn’t run, but if it was anything serious enough so that she’s not near 100% for Nationals, I assume that will be tough for the Buffs to overcome, at least as far as having a perceived good chance of getting a podium finish at Nationals.
b. Per an article or two I read, the main wildcard for the Buff women this year was that, assuming she’s healthy again, they received a potentially strong grad student (senior on the roster) transfer from the U of Texas, Sara Sutherland. She was the last Buff in at the Pre-Nats (at 221st place overall). However, who knows what the coach’s and her goals were for that race, and whether she might have a good chance to improve in the month leading up to Nationals if she’s just getting healthy and fit. The last time she ran cross country for the Horns was in 2012, and she came in 58[SUP]th[/SUP] overall in the National Championships. If she can manage better or close to that this year, she’ll definitely be a major scorer for the Buffs.
3) Finally, definitely not directly related to the sport of cross country, but if you have ~7 minutes to kill, found a somewhat strange, totally unnecessary video from Flotrack of one of the Buffs (Jake Hurysz) giving a tour of the house he (and I assume other) Buffs live in- http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/25...ideo/752483-Track-Shack-Colorado#.VEcCc_nF_ng , as part of a “Track Shack” series they have. Can’t say it was worth the time per se, but did resonate with my college years, even though that is now being many decades ago.