Bruins lose T&F and Gauntlet

NOOOO!!! First the Wolverine movie and now this. There goes my weekend.

is this the first time someone has won the Gauntlet two years running?

Why so mediocre?

For me, it’s almost like the Len Bias effect. Nearly all of our A-list, blue-chip, can’t-miss recruits have had issues. In men’s track, the NCAA-mandated maximum is 12.6 scholies. When we focus all our recruiting energy on a guy and give him a full ride, it is extremely valuable, and a big risk if the guy doesn’t perform.

A couple years ago, we had the consensus #1 recruiting class with 2 hurdlers and 3 throwers (including Savage), who were all HS record-breakers. Of that class, the 2 hurdlers are gone (Klech in the 400h, didn’t fit in and transferred to Oregon, Reed in the 110H, was/is academically ineligible—tiny possibility he can come back.) Savage was hurt in FB and is not throwing DT or SP this spring (redshirt). All three of those guys would’ve won their respective events with ease against the Trojies and we’d have won the team battle. Another superstar on full ride but not competing is Craddock (110H), he’s had some nagging injuries and is redshirting this spring. A few other highly touted recruits have performed okay, but are not having the kind of success that is going to get them, or the team, into the NCAA top 5.

As crazy as it sounds with all the personnel and events, Track is like hoops in that it can make a radical difference to have just 2 or 3 superstars (usually the difference between a .500 team and Final 4 team). For one reason or another over the last few years, those stars have fallen by the wayside, and what we’re left with is a bunch of solid role players.

Finally, I’ve also wondered if the whole vibe at the track during practice and meets is just a bit too low-key. I know all that rah rah stuff is “soooo HS, bro” but there just doesn’t seem enough urgency/intensity as you see 24-7 with Howland, et al. That’s something that is also needed.
  
The good news is we’ve got (arguably) the #1 recruiting class coming in as I mentioned in the original post. My hope is that they can stay healthy and focused when they get to Westwood.

do you have any connection to the program as a former athlete, the parent of an athlete, etc. or are you just a big fan? Either way, thanks for the insight. Hopefully we can pick it up the rest of the way.