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Post by acutrackfan on Aug 30, 2023 11:14:46 GMT -6
A quick look at some of the area meets, I see that TAMU, UTA, Tarleton, and ACU are joining the host Horned Frogs. There may be another team or 2, but there are several other meets in the region today -- SFA is getting several of the east Texas schools (SHSU, OK State is getting teams from both south and north of the Red River (SMU women, OU), UIW (Baylor), and DBU is getting several of the D-2/NAIA schools that often end up with D-1 schools in XC meets.
Getting TAMU to come to this meet is a big deal for TCU. In the preseason men's rankings for the South Central Region, TAMU is #4, ACU is #14 and UTA is #15. I think the men are capable of staying in the top-15 in the region all year. On the women's side, TAMU is #5, a vastly improved TCU team is #8 and ACU is ranked #12. But, I suspect that ACU's ranking might well be because both Irene Rono and Prudence Kiyeng were listed as juniors last year, but they graduated with their BSN last year and have gone to work. Without those 2 on the roster, it will be tough for ACU to stay in the top-15 in the region.
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Post by wildcats4life on Aug 30, 2023 12:28:22 GMT -6
it is on UNT's schedule as well.
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Post by acutrackfan on Aug 30, 2023 14:38:39 GMT -6
it is on UNT's schedule as well. I knew that -- should not leave off the Mean Green! Currently, UNT is not ranked in the South Central Top-15 for the men or women.
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dje
Rookie
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Post by dje on Aug 30, 2023 16:26:55 GMT -6
A quick look at some of the area meets, I see that TAMU, UTA, Tarleton, and ACU are joining the host Horned Frogs. There may be another team or 2, but there are several other meets in the region today -- SFA is getting several of the east Texas schools (SHSU, OK State is getting teams from both south and north of the Red River (SMU women, OU), UIW (Baylor), and DBU is getting several of the D-2/NAIA schools that often end up with D-1 schools in XC meets. Getting TAMU to come to this meet is a big deal for TCU. In the preseason men's rankings for the South Central Region, TAMU is #4, ACU is #14 and UTA is #15. I think the men are capable of staying in the top-15 in the region all year. On the women's side, TAMU is #5, a vastly improved TCU team is #8 and ACU is ranked #12. But, I suspect that ACU's ranking might well be because both Irene Rono and Prudence Kiyeng were listed as juniors last year, but they graduated with their BSN last year and have gone to work. Without those 2 on the roster, it will be tough for ACU to stay in the top-15 in the region. Thanks acutrackfan - looks like this will be one of the more competitive opening races ACU has had in a number of years -- and, it's a fast 5k. I'm looking forward to seeing how we fare.
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Post by acutrackfan on Sept 1, 2023 18:10:48 GMT -6
Got to see the Wildcats harriers in person -- as they competed in a XC meet in Fort Worth. The field was rather small, but it was all D-1 schools and all teams from the South Central Region -- ACU will see them all at the regional meet in November. TAMU was the class of the field on the men's and women's side bothk, but TCU is much better than they were just 3 years ago. UNT, UTA, Tarleton and ACU rounded out the field.
On the women's side, ACU finished in 6th, but they were very close behind Tarleton and UNT. This team is young - 1 junior, 5 sophs and 2 freshmen. Soph Peyton Bornstein led the 'Cats, but I was particularly impressed with ACU's 2nd finisher, Katelyn Coldicott. She walked on the team a few years ago and has improved each year dramatically and is now a very competitive college runner. Two runners are coming off medical redshirt last spring - Tessa Bornstein and Kate Williams. This team should improve all season and could be very competitive by season's end.
On the men's side, the 'Cats finished a very competitive 4th place with the Aggies winning easily, with TCU in 2nd and UTA 1 point ahead of ACU. The ACU men's team was in 14th place in the South Central Region, with UTA right behind them in 15th. While ACU may switch places with UTA, I still think they will stay in the top-15. The top 3 finishers for ACU all looked good -- Kevin Castruita got 11th, Gabe Embree was 14th and Garrison Shindler was in 18th in a quality field. Freshman Zachary Martin looked good in 26th. This could be a really good men's team.
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Post by stickman1 on Sept 2, 2023 15:02:16 GMT -6
I share your excitement about the men's team this year, trackfan. If I remember correctly, UTA was 4th in the WAC XC meet last year and ACU only lost by 1 point at TCU on Friday. I think they should improve heavily compared to their conference result last year. It will all remain on how tight that front pack can stay with Shindler, Embree, and Castruita. There is not a clear "low stick" so keeping the pack as tight as possible will be their best bet.
On the women's side, I was also impressed with Katelyn C. For a walk-on to be ACU's #2 is surprising but exciting to see. She is already on track to having her best season yet. I like what Coach Nathan is doing with this year's team so far.
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Post by bogeyman on Sept 15, 2023 11:51:06 GMT -6
Looks like we did OK at A & M. Men 6th and women 8th.
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Post by acutrackfan on Sept 15, 2023 12:47:14 GMT -6
Another XC meet in the books, this one run at the TAMU course. There were some really encouraging signs for both the men and women, but both teams still have a ways to go to be conference competitive.
MEN - the men finish 6th in a field of 13 teams. TAMU wins the meet, Houston is 2nd (a much improved Cougar team that is more famous for its sprinters than its distance runners), UTA in 3rd, TCU in 4th (another team that is greatly improved from the past), Tarleton in 5th, with ACU not far behind them. This is one of those races where they have timing strips scattered on the course that allow one to get a read of "splits" -- the strips are at the 2k and 5.7k marks. This shows graphically how the runners did in different segments of the race. Here is the breakdown on each the Wildcat men: (NOTE: there were 133 total runners in the men's race)
-Kevin Castruita finishes 11th in a PR time of 24:31 -- he was 10th at the 2K and 11th at the 2nd split -- Kevin ran in the lead group of runners throughout the race
-Garrison Shindler - was in a distant 49th place at the 1st split, but jumped up 20 places in the middle of the race to 29th at the 2nd split and finished in 29th in a PR time of 25:08
-Gabe Embree -- was in 40th at the first split, moved to 39th in the 2nd split and finishes in 38th with a time of 25:20 - just off his PR time. A very steady performance
-Zachary Martin - in 54th place at 2K, 55th at 5.7k, but finished strong moving up 9 places over the last 2.3k to finish with a 25:28. I like what I see of this freshman -- TX high schoolers run most of their races at 3 miles or 5K (3.1 mile), but he has his best part of the race over the final 2.3k of the race.
-Samuel Lanham - went out hard and was in 41st at 2K, 44th at 5.7k and dropped to 56th in a PR time of 25:37 -- but I like that a kid who walked on last year was willing to go for it in a good field and while he faded a bit by the end of the race, he was still within the top half of the field. It he gets a little stronger over the next month and a half, he might maintain that early pace through the entire 8k
-Mikhail Fortner -- the other male freshman on the team kept a rather ever pace -- in 68th after 2k, dropped a bit to 74th after 5.7k, but made up some ground over the final 2.3k to finish 69th in a time of 25.54 - just outside the top half of the field
-Jacob Russell -- last year's other walkon who ended up competing for the team went out hard to be in 52nd after 2k, but dropped a lot in the middle of the race to 81st, but made up a little bit of ground to finish in 77th with a time of 26:01 -- I still like seeing Jacob, like Samuel Lanham above, go for it.
-O'Brien Verdin -- having to come back from an injury that held him out all of last year - goes out hard to be in 56th a the first split, but faded to 92nd at the 2nd split and 106th at the finish in a time of 27:03. Will still have to get some of his fitness back over the next month.
The next regional poll will come out this coming Monday. The ACU men were ranked #14 in the preseason poll, but UTA was ranked #15 and beat them at TAMU and three schools in the region -- Tarleton, Houston, and TCU -- were unranked in the preseason poll and finished ahead of ACU this weekend. I don't see ACU sticking in the top-15. But, they ran this race without Neal Helgersen (who did run a the TCU meet 2 weeks ago) and Maxwel Kiplagat, who has not run in either of the first 2 meets. My understanding was the Maxwel would graduate at midterm, so would run XC, but not indoor and outdoor track. ACU would benefit from either of these guys running IF they are running 100% healthy.
WOMEN - the women ran a 5k -- I was a little bit surprised that it was not a 6k race (the distance that both conference and the regional meet will be run), but it was still a good test in a good field. TAMU won it, with a very good DBU team running 2nd, UTA in 3rd, TCU in 4th, Houston in 5th, UNT in 6th and ACU in 7th with 216 points in a field of 13 teams (117 runners). There was only 1 "split" at 2k.
-Peyton Bornstein leads the way for ACU -- in 34th at 2K, but dropping off to finish 46th in a 19:15, but the only ACU runner to finish in the top half of the field
-Tessa Holderman was ACU's 2nd finisher, standing in 35th place at the 2k, but dropping off significantly to 60th by the end -- her time of 19:36 was well off her PR. Tessa is coming back from not 1, but 2 injuries from last year and it will just take time to get back to the Tessa of 2021.
-Kate Hansen - a walkon last year, who continues to get better finishing in 61st with a time of 19:38 -- standing in 58th at the 1st split.
-Katelyn Coldicott - passed the first split in 52nd place, but dropped off a bit to finish in 62nd in a time of 19:39
-Kate Williams - another Wildcat coming off an injury that scuttled her entire outdoor season in 2023. Ran through the first split in 61st, but dropped just a bit to 66th place in a time of 19:42.
-Autumn Smith - the freshman from tiny Wink, TX (2A schools in TX only run a 2-mile XC race), finishes in 80th place with a time of 20:16, but I like to see is that she picked up 15 places over the last 3K of the race - she was in 95th at the 2k mark.
-Georgia Lee - ran in her first race for the Wildcats since the 2021 XC season -- finished in 90th place in a time of 20:36
-Hadley Phillips - the freshman from China Spring went through the 2k mark in 100th place, but also moved up 5 places over final 3K of the race to finish in 95th with a time of 20:46.
The ACU women are very young -- only 1 junior and everyone else sophomores or freshmen. I did see that Bella Evans did not run this weekend, so her return should help. There is definitely potential on this team -- will have to see how they develop over the next 1.5 months leading up to conference.
The next meet is the vaunted Chile Pepper Invitational in Fayetteville. This will probably be the biggest field both the men and women will compete in all season. It is always good to run in a big field before the Wildcats run at the Regional meet and the Chile Pepper will afford that opportunity.
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dje
Rookie
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Post by dje on Sept 16, 2023 6:58:03 GMT -6
Thanks acutrackfan... it was a perfect day to race and both the men and women competed well. The course drained nicely after heavy rains on Thursday -- good footing and relatively cool temps (although humidity was off the charts). On the mens side, I'm told Neal and Max will not be running XC this year. If that's true it will certainly hurt the men, but as you mentioned, it looks like the rest of the guys are stepping up and showing grit.
We stuck around a bit after and watched the two varsity high school races. Wow! Texas has some talented (fast) runners -- and, a lot of them. That leads me to a couple of questions...
1. How competitive is the Texas high school recruiting scene? And how easy/difficult is it for a coach (Coach Meuwenberg) to identify potential recruits in a sea of bodies on a day like that? Do coaches work the crowd? Or, do they take notes and rely more on networking and personal connections with the athlete's high school coaches and/or club coaches? I realize ACU is a tough 'sell' compared to other Texas schools (esp WAC schools like UTA, SFA and Tarleton) because of the cost of enrollment. Thought you might be able to shed some light on the subject and peel back the curtain a bit on recruiting. I can't imagine how difficult a job this must be.
2. I hear there are A LOT of recruits coming to visit on Homecoming Weekend. Any notables that you are aware of or can comment on?
Thanks
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Post by trackking on Sept 17, 2023 21:45:38 GMT -6
Seems like on the men’s side there will be a few Juniors who’ve already run fast 5ks visiting at some point. I’ve heard that Coach Meuwenberg is actively talking to 3 European high schoolers who’ve all already gone under 15:10 for 5k. Very interested to see how the recruitment process plays out for the overseas guys as ACU hasn’t had a European distance recruit in quite some time.
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Post by Cap'n on Sept 20, 2023 8:19:31 GMT -6
Seems like on the men’s side there will be a few Juniors who’ve already run fast 5ks visiting at some point. I’ve heard that Coach Meuwenberg is actively talking to 3 European high schoolers who’ve all already gone under 15:10 for 5k. Very interested to see how the recruitment process plays out for the overseas guys as ACU hasn’t had a European distance recruit in quite some time. Welcome to CatChat Trackking. We are looking forward to your posts.
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Post by Lynda Ply on Sept 29, 2023 23:27:17 GMT -6
Bad news for ACU T&F -- sprint coach Kristian Dillard is leaving ACU to go to Liberty University as the sprint coach. The HC at Liberty is Lance Bingham, the former ACU HC who hired KD in the first place. Coach Bingham told me if his sprint coach ever left Liberty that he would pursue KD. Just 2 months ago, Liberty's sprint coach got the HC job at James Madison University and Coach Bingham reached out immediately to KD. I know that when Coach Bingham left ACU for Liberty his salary was doubled and I suspect that KD quite possibly will see his salary doubled as well. I know that there truly is a goal of seeing the salaries for non-revenue sports become more competitive, but reality is that salaries for T&F are almost exactly what we paid as D-2 institution. KD did an incredible job with the sprinters (and in this case sprinters are defined as runners all the way up to the 800). He did an outstanding job in developing Jack Marshall and Taylor Tolen, among others. He was beloved by members of the team. That had to do a great deal with his connection with FCA -- including the fact that his wife, Aleeah, was on the staff for FCA and was also a volunteer coach for ACU soccer for the past several years. KD also had an impact on ACU athletes on other teams. KD was a major mentor for Kade Parmelly -- if you were at Kade's memorial service or watched it on TV, you saw what a terrific job KD did in describing Kade's impact at ACU. This is never a "good time" to lose a coach, but this might well be the worst time imaginable. Classes are starting in the next 2 weeks for colleges across the country. I hope that ACU can get someone who can have an impact on the team as positive as KD - both as a coach and a mentor.
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Post by stickman1 on Oct 26, 2023 12:39:44 GMT -6
I am excited to see how the men's and women's XC teams do tomorrow at the WAC Championships. It is cool that Abilene is getting to host. It will be interesting to see if CBU races their "A" team tomorrow or if they will leave their best runners at home to prepare for regionals. Nonetheless, it's it wild to think that the 5th ranked team in the nation will be competing in Abilene. I don't think the ACU men's or women's team was ranked in the top-5 schools in the coaches poll which is sad to see. Hopefully, they exceed expectations with the race being held on the home turf. Is home-field advantage a thing in cross country??
It will also be interesting to see if any men or women from ACU get the All-Conference honors which is top 20, I believe. I don't know if there is a girl who can do it. Maybe Tessa, Katelyn, Peyton?? On the men's side, it seems like Kevin Castruita has a solid shot at snagging a top-20 spot. Hopefully, Sam Lanham, Garrison Shindler, or Gabe Embree can keep the pack tight on Kevin. Really hoping for the best and excited to see the results! I wish them all luck!
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Post by acutrackfan on Oct 26, 2023 18:14:47 GMT -6
Stickman, you did a great job previewing the WAC XC meet, which will indeed be at ACU's Zoe Park, which is a rather good venue for fans. I hope some ACU fans show up. Unfortunately, it is an early meet -- the men run at 8 and the women at 8:45. For instance, the Big 12 is running their meet on Saturday -- men at 10 and women at 11. In Abilene, it will be still rather dark at the beginning of the men's race.
This is an anomaly year for ACU distance running. Last year, the former XC coach left between the indoor and outdoor season to take an NAIA HC job closer to his home in the Dakotas. It is next to impossible to find a good coach in the middle of the season. ACU hired a really good coach - Nathan Meeuwenberg - and I have high hopes for him. BUT, by the time he took a rather large contingent of distance runners to D-2 nationals and then started for ACU, the recruits were mostly already signed. So, there are very few newcomers on the team this year in a year that we needed some good fresh faces. He is recruiting like wild this year and already have a group of commits, but that will not impact the team until 2024-25.
MEN -- when I realized that Levi Chambers had used up his XC eligibility, the chances of going top-5 slimmed. I have seen improvement from each of the returnees -- Kevin Castruita, Garrison, Gabe Embree -- and former walkon Sam Lanham has seen a huge improvement. Freshman Zach Martin has a lot of potential, if he stays healthy. Just like Stickman said, the CBU team is loaded -- ranked #5 in all of D-1. As I have pointed out in the past, CBU has an unique approach to T&F -- they only have distance runners on their team; no sprinters, jumpers, throwers, vaulters. It pays off in a sport like XC, where CBU has 10 runners on full scholarship and even the powerhouse P-5 programs usually give no more than 3-4 to distance runners and those are split up between 9-15 runners. I think that ACU ends up finishing in the 6-8th place range. A 6th place finish would be terrific and a 5th place finish would be fantastic.
WOMEN -- the women were particularly hit by the lack of time to recruit distance runners -- I don't think we have any scholarship newcomers, although freshman Autumn Smith has been looking good. ACU lost arguably one of the gr eatest distance runners in history -- Irene Rono. Both Kate Williams and Tessa Holderman are coming off medical redshirt seasons. Both CBU (13th) and Utah Valley (27th) are in the Top-30 poll. UVU would be top-15 if they had their All-American, Everlyn Kemboi, back. She scored 18 points at the D-1 meet last year and made it into the top-10 all by herself. Former walkon, Katelyn Coldicott, has showed incredible improvement. We need Peyton Bornstein to have her best race of the season. Hope to see the team finish in the 7th to 9th place range.
PS - CBU is brining their big guns -- they will be brutally tough.
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Post by bogeyman on Oct 27, 2023 9:35:20 GMT -6
Not a good day on the course. Both men and women place 9th in conference.
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