Flotrack Best of 2011 - Biggest News of the Year!
The biggest news of the year on Flotrack was the departure of one of high school's all-time greats, Lukas Verzbicas, from the sport of track and field. This was a major hit to the sport as it lost one of its up and coming stars to triathlon. Below is the series of events that led to the discovery and confirmation of this news, it also created major buzz and spread like wild fire around the running community and through social media. Also check out this article that confirmed the details of the event.

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Today there was talk in the running community and among some NCAA coaches that Lukas Verzbicas has left the University of Oregon. We spoke to a representative at the University and no definite answer was given either way. We are currently trying to verify the news and will update when we find out more. Here is video of his last race at the Pac-12 XC Championships. Below are his most recent updates on twitter.

*Update (11/9, 11:15pm) - Curtis Anderson of the Registered Guard, a local Eugene news outlet, has released an article stating Lukas was not at practice today (Wednesday) and Vin Lannana is "not sure" if Lukas will be running at Stanford on Saturday. See article here.

*Update (11/10, 7:50am) - After Letsrun.com deleted multiple posts about the possibility of Lukas leaving Oregon (some posts citing the Flotrack), this morning a post was started citing the Registered Guard and chatter is going pretty strong. Thread here

*Update (11/10, 12:29pm) - Philip Hersch of the Chicago Tribune has picked up the Flotrack post and has brought citings together from both Flotrack and the Registered Guard. Hersch goes on to say Lukas told the Tribune about "difficult transition to college" and how his performance at Wisconsin was "demoralizing." See article here

*Update (11/10) - Competitor.com (Triathlon division) has picked up the story and is linking to the Registered Guard post citing no new news but suggesting the possibility of competing in triathlons. See article here 

*CONFIRMED UPDATE (11/10, 4:23pm) - The University of Oregon has sent out a press release stating that Lukas Verzbicas has left the University of Oregon to pursue an opportunity as a triathlete. STORY HERE ON FLOTRACK

*Update (11/10, 4:56pm) - Lukas Verzbicas addresses his decision to the public via twitter saying,"Decided to pursue my olympic dream and dedicate myself fully as a triathlete with the intention of making the 2012 USA Olympic team." He followed up with "Thank you to University of Oregon, coaches, and teammates for the unmatched experience and support. I wish you nothing but the best of luck." Follow Lukas here.

*Update (11/10 5:13pm) - USATriathlon.org releases story about Lukas's return to the sport of Triathlon where Lukas talks about the difficult decision to leave Oregon. See article here. 

*Update (11/10, 5:23pm) - Philip Hersch of the Chicago Tribune as released an article stating Lukas will attend the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, free tuition for those in the elite triathlon center. See article here.

*Update (11/11, 9:00am) - Texas freshman, Craig Lutz, blogs about questions around things we do and thoughts on Lukas Verzbicas. See blog here.

*Update (11/11, 12:25pm) - Ryan from Flotack blogs about the Lukas Verzbicas situation and the community's response. See blog here.

*Update (11/11, 3:27pm) - Philip Hersch of the Chicago Tribune release an interview with Lukas Verzbicas the morning after the announcement. See article here.

*Update (11/12, 9:24am) - David Monti of Race Results Weekly publishes an article discussing how Lukas's lack of US Citizenship may have been a reason he left track and field. See article here.