Men's CC...
- Thread starter SideWaysDown
- Start date
SoCal is big into the track world. I DO realize Track is different that CC but still… SoCal? Thoughts on the last time we've been ranked?
I don't know the answer to that question. The Cougar women's swim team is ranked 32nd in the country, but they were at one time the 16th ranked team in the country which is by far their highest ranking in the programs history. Coach Tom Jaeger has the team moving in a positive direction.
There are a lot of Cougar sports that are slowly on the rise.
You know, me and a fellow employee were talking about this, this weekend at the volleyball match down in Pullman… Not only does football raise the financial profile but I think it also raises the mentality of winning. The horrible phrase that has plagued our program for so long becomes a mentality. When a football team does what WSU did this weekend, to be that gritty, that tenacious, I think shows to the other programs that they can do that as well. It isn't about GEOGRAPHY or the school! It's about what's between the ears. Learning to win is hard. But when a fellow student-athlete, someone you KNOW, is able to show you?! That rubs off, IMHO. All the sudden it isn't some unattainable, lofty, only-for-others kinda thing. I think what WSU's football program is doing, is an example for other WSU programs that have struggled in recent years. Don't give up. Never give up.
Winning at football is a tide that lifts all boats in the college universe. Though it hasn't dominated at all sports, a lot of sports with which Oregon had little historical success suddenly had peaks as the football program began to rise. Also, the amount of student applications, smart students, donations, facilities etc. began to roll with the football accolades. Something tells me we're into something good...
Yeah, no doubt. I work at the U of O ( I know, whatever. It's where I landed, and I actually really love it. Still A Coug till the day I die) and have noticed this whole boat thing floating higher because of the FB team. There have been some serious bumps, like that $hithead Kilkenny who fired Bellotti, Ernie, and Moos all within a year. But I digress. Thanks Pat K. for that. WSU has benefitted greatly from you being a Dick. So yes, all sports benefit when the FB team is killing it.
And as WSU athletics grows and becomes stronger, I don't see the Athletic Dept. selling their souls to be successful.
Go Cougs, couldn't be prouder.
And as WSU athletics grows and becomes stronger, I don't see the Athletic Dept. selling their souls to be successful.
Go Cougs, couldn't be prouder.
I was going to post on this too. They are also ranked 20th in the Flotrack/Saucony rankings. The men's team just finished 4th out of 30 teams in the NCAA west championships. They had runners finishing 2nd and 3rd in the entire field. That is a HUGE step. They got a bid to the NCAA finals. YAY!! It seems like they are peaking at the right time.
Aside from football and basketball I have also been a fan of Coug track and xc for a while (I got a cap autographed by Bernard Lagat, the world class runner who at WSU in the 90's which I still have) and am quite happy for them.
I agree the athletes of many sports are feeling the energy of a good athletic program overall along with Floyd's positive influence (may he RIP) As for football itself raising all boats, that may be true for many programs but I'm not sure about running. For example, Oregon has almost always had an elite track team for generations (think Bowerman/Dellinger) and that had very little correlation with football success. If you want a good read on that subject, read 'Bowerman and the men of Oregon' by Kenny Moore. When Chaplin was successful at WSU the football team was not doing so well both in win/losses and in terms of resources.
Aside from football and basketball I have also been a fan of Coug track and xc for a while (I got a cap autographed by Bernard Lagat, the world class runner who at WSU in the 90's which I still have) and am quite happy for them.
I agree the athletes of many sports are feeling the energy of a good athletic program overall along with Floyd's positive influence (may he RIP) As for football itself raising all boats, that may be true for many programs but I'm not sure about running. For example, Oregon has almost always had an elite track team for generations (think Bowerman/Dellinger) and that had very little correlation with football success. If you want a good read on that subject, read 'Bowerman and the men of Oregon' by Kenny Moore. When Chaplin was successful at WSU the football team was not doing so well both in win/losses and in terms of resources.
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You still need the right coach, no matter how the football team is doing. Oregon was very mediocre in track until Lanana came in.
