Race Event of the Week: NCAA XC Championships

[Coyote Mas Loco]

Maybe a new weekly thread here for running fans, event of the week.

NCAA football and basketball capture the nation's attention each year, not so much with other college sports. But the NCAA XC championships is a great event. The fields are deep, top teams very strong, and if you want to see previews of 2020 and 2024, or even 2028, Olympic distance runners from around the world no less, this a great event to follow.

Here's a link to the championship website:  http://www.ncaa.com/sports/cross-country-men/d1

Favorites going in include Erin Finn of Michigan to win, with the CU Buffalo women to take the team crown. Alice Wright of New Mexico (via England) and Anna Roher from Notre Dame look to be contenders. For men can anyone stop Edward (King Ches) Cheserek of Oregon who has won XC 3 times in a row and has something like 15 NCAA titles to his name? If he wins I think he will be the first ever to win 4 XC championships in a row. Northern Arizona is the team favorite, but they have never won an NCAA title in any sport. If they slip watch for Syracuse, CU Boulder, or Stanford to step in.

The biggest controversy this week is that the formerly free NCAA live feed (with highlights by Olympian Bob Kennedy et al.) has been taken over by Flotrack, which charges a $20/monthly fee. They do offer a 7 day trial, or so they say, but I have heard some hitches with that so don't trust them. Why can't they do a $5 PPV or get some advertising? Plus the video quality and level of commentary sucks. It'd be like me and Nadra's Lackey doing the comments off of our cell phones. It's a sham and a shame.

[tenacious1]

It'd be like me and Nadra's Lackey doing the comments off of our cell phones.

I'd pay to hear that. 

[Coyote Mas Loco]

I'd pay to hear that. 

Okay, Nadra let your Lackey go and we'll make it happen. We can start with the Rocky Mountain Shootout next year as a practice venture.

[tenacious1]

Okay, Nadra let your Lackey go and we'll make it happen. We can start with the Rocky Mountain Shootout next year as a practice venture.

If you do it, be sure to "advertise" here and in yammering. There would probably be some interest.

[Coyote Mas Loco]

http://www.ncaa.com/sports/cross-country-women/d1

You can see live updates off of here, women go at 11 EST, men 12.

And this might have a free feed, from the NCAA site.

http://www.ncaa.com/live/player?vid=2016/2762&date=2016/11/19

[Coyote Mas Loco]

Big upsets at NCAAs! Only the men's team favorite, Northern Arizona U, won. The women's team and men's and women's individual championships were surprises.

NAU has been top ranked all year so their W was not a surprise. They were lead by Futsum Zienasellassie (remember that name, he could be the next Meb) who place 4th and the first American. Everyone expected Edward Cheserek of Oregon to walk away with the men's title for an unprecedented fourth time but he was denied that by Patrick Tiernan, and Olympian from Austrailia, of Villanova. 
http://www.runnersworld.com/college/cheserek-is-upset-in-bid-for-fourth-cross-country-title

On the women's side, Colorado had been dominant all year but their best runner (expected to be in the top 5) finished 133rd, so the team slipped to 3rd place. Oregon came in only ranked 12th but pulled a huge upset to edge out Michigan by 0.1 of a second (came down to the 5th runners on each team)! And everyone expected Erin Finn of Michigan or Anna Roher to win the individual race, but a heretofore practically unknown Karissa Schweizer of Missouri sprinted past those two over the final 50 meters. http://www.runnersworld.com/college/two-surprise-finishes-at-the-womens-ncaa-cross-country-championships

As expected the Flotrack coverage ($20 to watch it online) was poor quality and the video feed crashed a couple times during the morning.