(TRACK) Cross country - Parker Valby wins national championship!

Set course record and fastest time ever run at NCAA meet. Probably the best athlete at UF right now. Incredibly impressive.

 

Valby Crowned Individual Champion, Gators Record Best Finish in School History - Florida Gators

 

Can anyone address if this high NCAA finish is a sign of things to come or is it temporary?

 

Really good question and subject of a lot of debate. Obviously Valby is a HS signee and Florida girl. The rest of our team was put together through the portal. Will Palmer relied heavily on foreign runners in the past and we have brought in quite a few since he has been here.

I think he will continue to hit the portal and recruit internationally, but will rely much more on high school recruiting. I think he will be able to attract high end talent at Florida.

At the end of the day I don’t see why he wouldn’t be successful. Seems like the program is giving him the resources to go out and get the athletes he wants. In the world of very limited scholarships this has been difficult in a track centric program. I think NIL is helping out here. Rambling answer, but I think we will have sustained success

 

This is a very good video of the NCAA meet. You'll get to see Parker Valby a lot; she led from the 1K mark till the end. Parker basically smoked them!

2023 NCAA DI women's NCAA cross country championship | FULL RACE - YouTube

 

That interview was priceless.
I particularly loved the question at the 1;25 mark
To parker "What gave you the strength to go up these hills as you don't have many in Gainesville?"
Parker "There are a lot of hills in Gainesville.. The race on our golf course was harder than this one."
(She clarified her effort was harder at NCAAs.)

As a former Gator runner- I say yep.
People thought we were flat-landers. But we trained often on the UF golf course which is very hilly and tough.
Steep hills too.

Love that Parker Valby and Gator XC.

 

Parker Valby New NCAA Indoor 5000m Record 14:56.11 - YouTube

To break this record by 16 seconds is absolutely incredible.

 

So, is Parker in the mix for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics in Paris?

 

As good as Parker is, her 14:56 won't be too competitive against the world record holder, who has run 14 flat. However, I don't know who the American competition is, so if she continues to improve she has a shot at the Olympic team. I would think that 2028 would be more likely for medal contention.

 

There's still time (I think) before the team is set, and Parker seems to get better each month. Hold a spot open for her, is my advice. Would love to see her run in the Olympics.

 

Parker Valby--14:52.79 5000 meters at the NCAA indoor championships! Breaks her collegiate record by almost four seconds to win the race by 23 seconds.

Wow!

Parker Valby breaks own indoor NCAA 5000m mark at 2024 indoors (youtube.com)