Athletes of the Week - WVU Women's Team

The Athletes of the Week for November 24th to 30th are the members of the WVU Women's Cross Country Team. Coached by Sean Cleary, this distance powerhouse went to Nationals for the second consecutive year and finished fourth. Led by Keri Bland (North Marion High School), this team scored 198 points and beat all the Mid-Atlantic Region qualifiers, as well as all of the teams qualified from the Big East. Returning every member of the starting seven, this program is poised to turn into a dynasty. Congratulations to the girls and Coach Cleary... Let's Go Moutaineers!
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Now, allow me to pontificate. Sean Cleary is a genius. Sean Cleary pushed the Women's Cross Country program into a powerhouse with a mix of Canadians and West Virginians. He's made West Virginians into All-Americans, Olympic Trials qualfiers, NACAC medalists, US World Cross team members and more. Sean Cleary did this with no lights on his track, a mediocre indoor practice facility and less travel money for Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track COMBINED than the Women's Soccer team got for one trip to Europe for exhibitions. Coach Cleary has done all this, with West Virginia talent, and yet half of his genius is wasted. He has no men's team.

Cleary has the ablity to take a team of only West Virginians to Nationals or to within spitting distance. He has the ability to turn West Virginian State Champions into All-Americans. He brings in mountains of good press (go go team GPA!) and can do it with only a sprinkling of non-West Virginians. Now, assuming that Coach Cleary can do this with the Men (and the results from the West Virginian men who got cut in 2003 dictate that he can), why doesn't WVU bring back the Men's Team?

WVU AD says that it's money. So, if the Promise Scholarship pays West Virginians tuition and Sean Cleary can turn West Virginians into All-Americans, it goes to reason that WVU could have All-American men walking around Morgantown for almost... nothing. The WVU AD doesn't have to give a WVU Men's Cross Country program a single scholarship, Promise covers that for now. The AD would only have to buy three additional hotel rooms for Pre-Nationals, Big Easts and Regionals (the Men would ride in the 45+ empty seats on the Women's bus). The AD would also have to buy insurance, of course, and probably uniforms. Nike would pick up (or greatly discount) any shoes needed by the team. I'll bet my last dollar that Cleary won't need any extra compensation.

So, as a HUGELY inflated ballpark figure, let's say that WVU could get an additional All-American man every three years for $15,000 per year. That sum is slightly less than what WVU is paying Bill Stewart PER QUARTER OF GAME.

WVU, let's make a deal. Sean Cleary offers you a boost to the Athletic Department's average GPA, an All-American award every third year (at worst) and all the free publicity of West Virginians thumping people while wearing the Old Gold and Blue. In return, you'll have to buy seven uniforms, nine hotel rooms and one insurance policy. Take the offer before the 2009 season and I'll pick up the uniforms and hotel rooms myself. Come on Ed, this is an offer you can't refuse...