And with the 1st overall pick of the 2015 FloTrack League Draft the Rogue Athletic Club selects Eric Jenkins of the University of Oregon…

 

With the 2015 NFL Draft upon us we here at FloTrack decided to imagine a world where track & field had a professional draft for track prospects coming out of college. Professional drafts in football, baseball, basketball, and hockey have always generated interest among sports media and fans. How cool would it be if our sport could generate that same interest with draft rumors, trades, going pro early, stocks rising/falling, a track combine even!

 

Now obviously the current layout of track in the U.S. is not set up for a legit professional draft. Athletes after college are basically free agents and can choose to sign with whoever they like. But how cool would it be if post collegiate running became a team oriented sport? So let’s live in this fantasy of professional track teams and a professional track draft.

 

First, we have to generate the draft order. Like most professional league drafts the best teams pick last based on the previous season’s performance. Here is the draft order we generated. If you disagree with the draft order, I’m sorry you feel that way but this is an imaginary draft. It isn’t real so don’t stress about it.

 

2015 Draft Order:

01) Rogue Athletic Club

02) ZAP Fitness

03) B.A.A. High Performance

04) Team Coogan (New Balance)

05) NJ*NY Track Club

06) Brooks Beasts Track Club

07) Oregon Track Club Elite

08) Bowerman Track Club

09) Team Wetmore (New Balance)

10) Nike Oregon Project

 

This mock draft will be two rounds, each team will select a male athlete one round and a female athlete the other round. Athletes eligible for the draft must be a member of the 2015 senior class, no underclassmen. After all, education is super important and these are student-athletes we are drafting here!

 

For the sprint/field fans out there this will be the mid-d/distance draft, the sprint draft and field draft are on separate days to allow for primetime TV time slots.

 

Let the draft begin!

 

01) Rogue Athletic Club

Selection: Eric Jenkins (Oregon)

The clear star of the 2015 draft class. Can’t go wrong with this pick.

 

02) ZAP Fitness

Selection: Dominique Scott (Arkansas)

Coming off of a stellar senior campaign and with no true #2 male athlete on the board, this is a great pick for ZAP Fitness.

 

03) B.A.A. High Performance

Selection: Emily Sisson (Providence)

When there is a star in your backyard this pick makes complete sense for B.A.A., Sisson, and their fans. 

 

04) Team Coogan (New Balance)

Selection: Shelby Houlihan (Arizona State)

Pairing 1500m star Houlihan with Cory McGee could be the start of a dynamic duo we haven’t see since Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

 

05) NJ*NY Track Club

Selection: Cristian Soratos (Montana State)

This pick is a bold one for Coach Gags. Soratos came on strong this year proving himself this indoor season and the early part of outdoors. Who would’ve thought a year ago a kid from Montana State would be the #2 male off the board.

 

06) Brooks Beasts Track Club

Selection: Edward Kemboi (Iowa State)

The Brooks Beasts love half-milers so why not add the star 800m runner of the 2015 class to their roster?

 

07) Oregon Track Club Elite

Selection: Will Geoghegan (Oregon)

Geoghegan has fit right in with the Oregon crowd so this pick makes sense for him. OTC will also be very happy with this pick because Geoghegan brings tremendous upside with his range (1500m - 5k), which has developed under Coach Powell.

 

08) Bowerman Track Club

Selection: Blake Theroux (Colorado)

Bowerman Track Club has become the destination for U.S. steeplechasers. When you have the American record-holder you know you’re doing something right. Theroux while having a modest steeple PB, should fit right in with Jager, Huling, and Bayer.

 

09) Team Wetmore (New Balance)

Selection: Leah O’Connor (Michigan State)

The rich get richer. Wetmore has arguably two of the best female Americans on his roster and O’Connor has shown with her mile speed that she has the potential to make a World team this year and could join the ranks of Simpson and Coburn in 2-4 years.

 

10) Nike Oregon Project

Selection: Natoya Goule (Clemson)

Shocking pick of the draft! This is the year Salazar takes on an 800m runner? While it is new territory for NOP, they can afford to take this risk with world class talent in other events.

 

11) Rogue Athletic Club

Selection: Colleen Quigley (Florida State)

Any draft you come home with Jenkins and Quigley in the same year is a success. Look out for Rogue A.C. in 2016!

 

12) ZAP Fitness

Selection: Kirubel Erassa (Oklahoma State)

An overlooked prospect. Let’s not forget that he has run 13:27. Kirubel could be the steal of the 2015 draft class.

 

13) B.A.A. High Performance

Selection: Maksim Korolev (Stanford)

Maksim is heading back east to his old Harvard training grounds. Maksim will be a force for B.A.A. on the international XC scene and the roads come 2016.

 

14) Team Coogan (New Balance)

Selection: Peter Callahan (New Mexico)

The official sleeper pick. Mark Coogan is going back to his Ivy roots. Callahan was a star at Princeton while Coogan coached at Dartmouth. Maybe he knows something the rest of us don’t? We will see how this pick unfolds in a couple years.

 

15) NJ*NY Track Club

Selection: Rachel Johnson (Baylor)

Coach Gags looks to give Ashley Higginson a great training partner in up and coming steepler Rachel Johnson.

 

16) Brooks Beasts Track Club

Selection: Emma Bates (Boise State)

You can’t go wrong with Emma Bates this late in the draft. She’s consistent and will be a great athlete for Brooks in the 10k/road realm.

 

17) Oregon Track Club Elite

Selection: Elvin Kibet (Arizona)

Another strong female athlete on the board for OTC to select late in the draft.

 

18) Bowerman Track Club

Selection: Sammy Silva (New Mexico)

She’s actually going here so this makes sense.

 

19) Team Wetmore (New Balance)

Selection: Stanley Kebenei (Arkansas)

Kebenei is a legit steeple athlete and should fit in with Wetmore. A surprise pick here for steeplers as Anthony Rotich goes undrafted. Look for him to sign somewhere as an underrated free agent.

 

20) Nike Oregon Project

Selection: Kemoy Campbell (Arkansas)

And the final pick of the 2015 draft could be the best pick. Jamaican Kemoy Campbell has wheels! He has gone unnoticed as of late due to a few losses indoors, but this pick could spell international domination for Salazar. Farah (UK), Rupp (USA), Levins (CAN), and now Campbell (JAM)

 

And that concludes the 2015 FloTrack League Draft. We’ll see you next year to see where Kate Avery (Iona), Jordy Williamsz (Villanova), and Brandon McBride (Mississippi State) fall!