By: Garrett Zatlin
Reminder of the list so far...
#12 Louisville Cardinals
12. Louisville Cardinals
Flotrack’s #12: Portland
Pilots
Coach: Dale Cowper
Notable Departures:
N/A
Notable Additions: Calvin Chemoiywo (transfer), George Yator (transfer)
Notable Additions: Calvin Chemoiywo (transfer), George Yator (transfer)
Projected Scoring
Five: Edwin Kibichiy (JR) [ET#16],
Ernest Kibet (SR) [ET#17], Calvin
Chemoiywo (JR), George Yator (JR), Japhet Kipkoech (SR)
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Just as the old saying goes, “if you can’t win, recruit a
lot of guys from Kenya and dominate the Americans”. Probably not a legit quote,
but it applies to Louisville who continues to recruit talented individuals from
Africa. This year, their recruits and returners make Louisville a dangerous
threat.
Louisville walked into last season not considered much a
team threat. Many knew about the talented duo of Kibet and Kibichiy that would
bring down the team score dramatically. However, the rest of their pack was
lacking. The Cardinals started off their season at the Commodore Classic where
they shook off the dust and got their legs into racing shape. After finishing
second there, Louisville held a meet of their own, the Greater Louisville
Classic. Top teams like Wisconsin, Ole Miss, and Virginia Tech were all entered
as well as others and the Cardinals looked to prove that their identity was more
than just their top two. The race went off and the Louisville duo did their job
placing 3rd and 4th behind Silos Too (D2) and Malachy Schrobilgen.
Japhet Kipkoech held his own and finished 18th. Overall, the
top three did an outstanding job. But the fourth and fifth men…not so much. Kyle
Covert and Jonathan Reynolds finished 76th and 79th
respectively. The top three kept the team alive and the Cardinals finished 6th
overall, 10 points behind 5th place. Considering it was the first big
meet, the men in red did quite well. The fourth and fifth men would need to
improve, but the signs were encouraging. Coach Cowper would take his squad to
Terre Haute (Pre-Nats) for the next stop in their 2014 campaign. Louisville
had their work cut out for them. The field was loaded as always and the depth
of Louisville would be the determining factor of how well they do. Sure enough,
the front men of Louisville did their job placing 15th (Kibichiy),
24th (Kibet), and 78th (Kipkoech). While those three were able
to keep the team score low, Southard and Reynolds could not, placing 166th
and 184th. The Louisville Cardinals finished 16th with 467 points.
Once again, they could not find a reliable fourth and fifth man to grab a low
score. ACC’s would be no easier with so many teams full of talented depth that
Louisville would need to match. Sure enough, Kibet and Kibichiy would be
towards the top of the results. The usually reliable Kipkoech failed to show up
and placed 51st. Covert and Reynolds were 73rd and 78th
respectively. Louisville finished 8th overall and the hopes they had
of developing a reliable fourth and fifth man began to dwindle. Regionals
would not be any easier with Furman and Eastern Kentucky adding to the
excellent depth of teams that were at ACC’s. Kibichiy and Kibet had another
outstanding race placing 2nd and 3rd while Kipkoech made
up for his ACC’s championship race by placing 34th. Yet, Louisville’s
season ended with the common factor that had give them trouble their entire
season: the last two scorers. Reynolds was 84th and Stewart was 108th.
Louisville placed 8th overall and ended their season with the
glaring error that they tried to fix, but simply couldn’t.
While a season like that would typically ruin the chances of
a team being ranked this high, this Cardinals squad is a bit different in 2015. Why?
Because they addressed that fourth/fifth man problem. Coach Dale Cowper has
done it again by recruiting two more talented Kenyans to join Kibet and
Kibichiy. Calvin Chemoiywo and George Yator are now solid additions that will
finally fix the problem at four and five. Yator was once part of El Paso
CC where he ran in the Cowboy Jamboree. He also has a 3:52 1500 and has run in the NJCAA half marathon. Basically,
there is very little known about Yator. His true talent level is a mystery. However, I believe that his addition is
better than nothing and will step in to be a crucial piece for the Cardinals. Now
I know what you’re thinking, “Ok that’s great Garrett, but that hardly makes a
difference. This Chemoiywo guy better be good”. Well luckily for Louisville,
he’s more than good. Chemoiywo won the African University 10k championships in
2014. Ok, want more? He was ranked 4th in the World University
cross-country rankings. Still not satisfied? He was a member of team Kenya at
the World University XC championships in 2014. The guy’s resume is insane and
to be that talented and find the success he’s had in Kenya is mind-boggling. I
am extremely excited to see what he (and Yator) can do. If we add those transfers to Kibet and
Kibichiy, this team went from ‘just ok’ to scary good. In addition, if Kipkoech can at least do
what he did last year, this team is making it to nationals, no questions asked.
However, I’m not totally sold on Louisville just yet. Obviously, I just need to
see the new additions in action before I really understand how good they are. I’m
also looking at Kipkoech to improve. If the Kenyans are as good I think they
can be, and Kipkoech can bring his finishes into the top 30, then Louisville
could threaten for a title at ACC's and/or regionals. My biggest issue, however, is the depth. If any of those five
get hurt, then the talent pool takes a massive drop. These guys can’t
have a bad day come championship season or else they will see the effects in
the scoring. It’s going to be a very big season for Louisville. They won’t get
any attention early on, but don’t be surprised if you see people talking about
them more the later the season goes on.
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