Nationally Ranked Oregon Cross Country Teams Look To Make Statements at Pac-12 Championships
The Oregon men’s and women’s cross country teams will travel to Tucson, Arizona this Friday to take on rivaling nationally ranked squads in the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships. According to the Saucony Flo-50 Rankings published by FloTrack, the Oregon men come in at number four while the women boast a strong three spot heading into the meet.
Coming off strong performances at Pre-Nationals, with the men taking the team title and women finishing with a decisive second place team score, the Ducks hope to carry that momentum into their races on Friday. With the Pac-12 boasting six top 25 ranked squads on the men’s side (Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Stanford, Utah, and California) and five of the top 25 on the women’s side (Stanford, Oregon, Colorado, UCLA, and Washington), this meet will have major implications for postseason rankings and Kolas points.
Looking ahead to Friday’s men’s race, the Ducks, led by heavy favorite Edward Cheserek, have their sights set on the Pac-12 title. Cheserek easily took the victory at Pre-Nationals a few weeks ago with his 23:34 run on the 8K course. After the race, in an interview with FloTrack, Cheserek said he used the race as a workout. If there were any questions around his fitness coming into this cross season, he destroyed them after that performance and proved why he has earned the nickname “King Cheserek.”
Behind Cheserek, several Ducks have been stepping up and running strong this season, and are poised to help the team at the Pac-12 Championships. Sophomores Matthew Maton and Tanner Anderson have been running well this season, as they finished 4th and 18th respectively at Pre-Nationals. Redshirt junior Sam Prakel did not run his best race at the event, finishing 36th. However, with his first place finish at the Dellinger Invitational and second place finish at the Washington Invitational this season, there is no question that he his fit and capable of being in the mix come Friday and beyond.
Oregon has a strong top four set heading into the Pac-12 Championship, but questions surround the team after them. Freshman standouts Levi Thomet and Austin Tamagno where inserted into that mix at Pre-Nationals, and showed mixed results. Thomet finished 26th and Tamagno dropped out late in the race after being within the top 30. Senior Jake Leingang and junior Blake Haney ran well at the Washington Invitational, but did not race at Pre-Nationals. Redshirt junior Bryan Fernandez looked strong early in the season, but has been getting slower as the season has progressed. The men have all the pieces they need for a strong performance in Tucson—it’s just a matter of putting them all together on Friday.
As for the women, freshman standout and high profile recruit Katie Rainsberger has already asserted herself as the top Duck after a second place finish at the Washington Invite and a sixth place finish at Pre-Nationals. She is a heavy favorite heading into Pac-12 Championship and is looking to put a low score on the board for the Ducks.
One Oregon woman we have not seen run well yet this season is redshirt junior Alli Cash. Coming off her fifth place performance in the 5K last spring at the NCAA Championships, Cash failed to continue her dominance, finishing fourth on the Oregon team at Pre-Nationals, and coming in 48th overall. Also important to note is redshirt senior transfer Samantha Nadel, who has been putting up strong performances for the Ducks this season. Nadel finished 18th at the Washington Invitational and 13th at Pre-Nationals. If Cash can run to her capabilities and Nadel can continue to lower her placing in big meets, the Oregon women’s team will threaten top teams heading into Pac-12 Championships and the postseason. The Ducks look to beat out rival Stanford, who is the highest ranked team in the Pac-12 and ranked second in the country.
With the Pac-12 boasting eleven nationally ranked teams heading into the postseason, the Pac-12 Championships this Friday will have decisive implications for Regionals, Kolas points, and ultimately, which runners will make it to Nationals.
