Have you ever wondered what it takes to be recruited? It takes more than fast times. This week Bethany College's coach, Aaron Yoder sits down with Milesplit Utah and explains what he looks for in athletes.
Have you ever wondered what coaches think about and look at when it comes to recruiting? Look no longer! Milesplit has sat down with a few different coaches to talk to them about recruiting athletes. In this first installment in a multi-part series, Brent Bailey reflects on the coach's side of recruiting. Bailey grew up in Colorado and earned a scholarship to run at McPherson College in Kansas. After a succeful career as an athlete and work as an assistant, Bailey became the head cross country and track coach at Kansas Wesleyan University. MileSplit took the opportunity to sit down with him and chat about what he looks for in athletes coming out of high school.
Have you every wondered what coaches think and look at when it comes to recruiting? Look no longer! Milesplit has sat down with a few different coaches to talk to them about recruiting athletes. This is the first part in a multi part series. Brent Bailey grew up in Colorado where he earned a scholarship to run at McPherson College in Kansas. After a succeful career as an athlete and work as an assitant Brent became the head cross country and track coach at Kansas Wesleyan University. As a head coach he is in charge of recruiting athletes. Milesplit at the chance to sit down with him and chat about what he looks for in athletes coming out of high school.
Paul McMullen was not a star coming out of high school, in fact he attended Eastern Michigan with just a $600 scholarship at first, but he made the most of his chance. Having been a successful football player in high school Paul may have looked more like a tight end than miler at the elite level, but he competed, and beat, the best of his time. He was National Champion at 1500m in 1995 and 1996. Despite losing two toes in a lawn mower accident in 1997, he competed until 2001 when he set his lifetime PR of 3:33.89 and placed 10th at the World Championships for a second time. Currently Paul is a Cat-2 cyclist and entrepreneur. His latest company called TruthLocker, helps solve the bullying epidemic. This edition of Pro Tips Milesplit had the privilege to talk to Paul about his career, injury and using his size to his advantage while competing at an elite level.
Paul McMullen was not a star coming out of high school, in fact he attended Eastern Michigan with just a $600 scholarship at first, but he made the most of his chance. Having been a successful football player in high school Paul may have looked more like a tight end than miler at the elite level, but he competed, and beat, the best of his time. He was National Champion at 1500m in 1995 and 1996. Despite losing two toes in a lawn mower accident in 1997, he competed until 2001 when he set his lifetime PR of 3:33.89 and placed 10th at the World Championships for a second time.
Matt Williams may not be a household name but he is the David among many Goliaths of professional running. Having run against and competed with the likes of Bernard Lagat, Galen Rupp and Billy Nelson, Matt has consistently held his own. His career has been defined by being an underdog and over achieving at nearly every level. This week Milesplit sits down with him and picks his mind how he is able to succeed against such long odds.
Have you ever felt like you had to follow someone great? Maybe an older brother or sister who was a state champion and the coach expected you to be just like him. Or maybe you had to replace a star like Luke Puskedra or Josh Rohatinsky after they graduated high school. In this week's Pro-Tips we catch up with Drew and Ned Ryun, sons of Olympic silver medalist and former world record holder Jim Ryun. They talk about what it was like competing at the same university their father had made a household name for himself.
Kauren Tarver was a phenomenal high school athlete, ranking 7th all time in terms of combined Footlocker finishes (sixth-2004, fifth-2005, seventh-2006 and tenth-2007). Being an elite prep can prove to be a daunting challenge. When you get to college you are no longer the best. In this week's edition of Pro-Tips Milesplit sits down with Kauren Tarver to discuss managing expectations going into a college program.
This is the second installment in a series inspired by a shirt I saw in high school that read “Fall Reveals the Secrets of How Summer was Spent.” It is very possible to make your fall better by training while having fun during the summer months.
It is officially summer time. School is out, graduated seniors are preparing for the next phase in their life and cross country teams are gearing up for the fall season. Undoubtedly this includes lots of tedious miles on the roads and trails across Utah. Serious athletes might even be skipping outings with friends to log those miles they hope pay dividends for them come the fall season. The monotony of such a regimen can make summer training seem dull and repetitive. This does not have to be the case.
The 3A girl’s team title is favored to go to the red and white clad harriers from Park City. They have potential to pull down big points in several events, especially distance and javelin. Ogden also looks to its depth in distance to mount a potential challenge. In addition to an exciting team race, the 3A girl’s state meet also holds several interesting story lines about individual races.
The 3A state meet poses some very interesting match-ups. While the longer races have a clear cut favorite, the sprints and field events look to come down to the wire. If everyone runs to seed Desert Hills look to be the favorite in the boys race. They look strong across the board; look for them to grab points in a wide variety of events
Are you interested in how your team may fair in the regional meet? Or possibly you are looking ahead to what lies ahead at state? Have no fear; Utah Milesplit can help you see how your team matches up against other teams you may not have run against as often this year. Here is how it works:
When the BYU Invitational’s Golden Hour began there was a slight wind, overcast but bright skies, and comfortable temperatures to set the stage for some very good times.
It was a great day on the track today at BYU, as state records seemingly fell in event after event. When records are falling that frequently, it is hard to say what the performance of the day was. Every event was exciting and event could be considered the performance of the meet.
Stephen Pifer is a genuinely nice guy. While a professional runner, he is a reminder that the pros put their shoes on the same way the rest of us do. He works for Newton shoes as a regional representative for the southeast. When not on sales or racing circuits he often comes up to Park City to train since his wife is from Utah.
Emma Coburn, possibly best known for making the 2012 Olympic team is without a doubt one of the premier American collegiate runners right now and is a big part of the future of US women's distance running. Recently, she disproved naysayers about her speed by winning the NCAA Indoor track and field championships in the mile with a blazing time of 4:29.
While maybe a name that rings more bells with our parents generation, Gerry Lindgren etched his way into distance running fame nearly fifty years ago with his gutsy racing. His senior year in high school, Lindgren ran a personal best in 5000 meters at 13:44, establishing a U.S. high school record.
Shalaya Kipp is a name many may recognize. Growing up in Utah, she started being active at a young age, whether it be swimming lessons, skiing or a variety of other activities. When she got to middle school she went out for cross country to make friends, and by the time she graduated high school was among the very best high school runners the state had to offer. After matriculating at the University of Colorado her career started to blossom. She went from being a local hero to a national hero, earning a trip to London as a steeplechaser on the USA Track and Field team. Her journey was not one traveled alone, in fact, she was joined by fellow Buffaloes Jenny Simpson and Emma Coburn in London. Kipp took some time to speak with Utah Milesplit about the importance of a good team and being a good teammate
Until Leo Manazano ran his way to a silver medal in London this past summer Jim Ryun was most current miler/1500m from the United State to medal, only he did it in 1968 at Mexico City. At the time he owned world records in the 800, 1500m and mile. Eventually, like Jim, track will end for all of us, but he took a moment to chat with us about what track has taught him about the real world.
This week’s featured athlete of the week is one of Park City's stars, Ali Walker. Recently she signed to run at the University of Wyoming under the tutelage of Bryan Berryhill. While some distance runner do not tend to race a lot in winter for fear of over racing, Walker has run a few select races to help shake off the dust and gear up for her final year wearing red and white. Recently Milesplit Utah had a chance to catch up with her and ask her about the upcoming season and her college selection.