Friday, October 27
Springfield, OR
11:00 AM
University of Oregon
vs
Pac-12 Cross Country Championships
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Ducks Take First Postseason Steps
10/27/17 | Cross Country
The Oregon women were second and the UO men took fourth Friday in the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships at Springfield Golf Club.
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — Victory proved elusive for the Oregon cross country teams Friday in the Pac-12 Championships.
The good news is, this was only the first tentative step into the deep waters of postseason competition this fall.
The defending NCAA Champion UO women improved two spots over their fourth-place finish in 2016, taking second to Colorado before an estimated 2,175 fans at Springfield Golf Club. The Colorado men's six-year run atop the conference ended Friday, but it was Stanford which dethroned the Buffs rather than Oregon, which faded from first to fourth over the final mile.
Sophomore Katie Rainsberger, who set a course record on the same loop earlier this fall, took second over 6,000 meters on Friday, in 18 minutes, 57.3 seconds. The Ducks finished with 71 points, 18 more than Colorado, after wrapping up their most intense six-week training period of the fall in the last week.
"This was really about coming out and getting a race under our belt," Rainsberger said. "We came out there, learned a few things and we'll keep moving forward. …
"If you look where we are this year compared to last year, we're two steps ahead. We didn't come out here to finish second, but (placing well) wasn't necessarily the goal."
Both UO teams finished fourth a year ago in Arizona; the Oregon women bounced back from that outing to win the national championship in Terre Haute, Ind. The next step for the Ducks is NCAA West Regionals in Seattle on Nov. 10, and then nationals in Louisville on Nov. 18.
The Oregon men quickly turned their attention to those meets after repeating their fourth-place conference finish Friday. The Ducks had 63 team points unofficially with about a mile to go in the 8k race, about 10 points ahead of Colorado and Stanford. Ultimately, the Cardinal dethroned the Buffs, which had been Oregon's goal before fading to 109 points.
UO associate head coach Andy Powell said the Ducks seemed energized by the home environment, and at the chance to run for a conference crown. He termed it "no big disaster" that the UO men took a shot at winning and came up short.
"I think if you watched the race, you could tell how excited they were," UO associate head coach Andy Powell said. "And I think they were too excited early."
An exception was freshman Cooper Teare, Oregon's top individual finisher at eighth in 23.59.4. With a mile to go, he was joined in the lead pack by the likes of sophomore Tanner Anderson and senior Sam Prakel. Anderson ended up finishing 22nd, and Prakel was 46th.
"We were in really good contact," Teare said. "We had a great spread. And then, yeah, the hurt got to us. … Tanner and Sam had kind of a rough day, but I think in two, three weeks, we'll be ready to go."
The UO men ran without Matthew Maton, who has yet to compete this season and was a late scratch Friday. Powell said he did a workout earlier Friday and ran well, but not so well he could have made a difference in the team race had he competed.
Likewise, Maton's fellow 2016 all-American Alli Cash was a late scratch Friday, and has yet to make her 2017 debut.
"I think we'll have more depth in the next races, which will be nice," said UO freshman Lilli Burdon, sixth Friday in 19:07.8. "But we all trust each other, and our abilities."
Rainsberger's time Friday was about 10 seconds slower than the course record she set Sept. 29 in the Bill Dellinger Invitational. Since then, she and he teammates have been contending with a tough training block, and also the fall academic term; Rainsberger said she had multiple mid-term exams this week, including one Thursday evening.
"Right now," she said," we're just putting in the work, and getting ready for the next month."
The good news is, this was only the first tentative step into the deep waters of postseason competition this fall.
The defending NCAA Champion UO women improved two spots over their fourth-place finish in 2016, taking second to Colorado before an estimated 2,175 fans at Springfield Golf Club. The Colorado men's six-year run atop the conference ended Friday, but it was Stanford which dethroned the Buffs rather than Oregon, which faded from first to fourth over the final mile.
Sophomore Katie Rainsberger, who set a course record on the same loop earlier this fall, took second over 6,000 meters on Friday, in 18 minutes, 57.3 seconds. The Ducks finished with 71 points, 18 more than Colorado, after wrapping up their most intense six-week training period of the fall in the last week.
"This was really about coming out and getting a race under our belt," Rainsberger said. "We came out there, learned a few things and we'll keep moving forward. …
"If you look where we are this year compared to last year, we're two steps ahead. We didn't come out here to finish second, but (placing well) wasn't necessarily the goal."
Both UO teams finished fourth a year ago in Arizona; the Oregon women bounced back from that outing to win the national championship in Terre Haute, Ind. The next step for the Ducks is NCAA West Regionals in Seattle on Nov. 10, and then nationals in Louisville on Nov. 18.
The Oregon men quickly turned their attention to those meets after repeating their fourth-place conference finish Friday. The Ducks had 63 team points unofficially with about a mile to go in the 8k race, about 10 points ahead of Colorado and Stanford. Ultimately, the Cardinal dethroned the Buffs, which had been Oregon's goal before fading to 109 points.
UO associate head coach Andy Powell said the Ducks seemed energized by the home environment, and at the chance to run for a conference crown. He termed it "no big disaster" that the UO men took a shot at winning and came up short.
"I think if you watched the race, you could tell how excited they were," UO associate head coach Andy Powell said. "And I think they were too excited early."
An exception was freshman Cooper Teare, Oregon's top individual finisher at eighth in 23.59.4. With a mile to go, he was joined in the lead pack by the likes of sophomore Tanner Anderson and senior Sam Prakel. Anderson ended up finishing 22nd, and Prakel was 46th.
"We were in really good contact," Teare said. "We had a great spread. And then, yeah, the hurt got to us. … Tanner and Sam had kind of a rough day, but I think in two, three weeks, we'll be ready to go."
The UO men ran without Matthew Maton, who has yet to compete this season and was a late scratch Friday. Powell said he did a workout earlier Friday and ran well, but not so well he could have made a difference in the team race had he competed.
Likewise, Maton's fellow 2016 all-American Alli Cash was a late scratch Friday, and has yet to make her 2017 debut.
"I think we'll have more depth in the next races, which will be nice," said UO freshman Lilli Burdon, sixth Friday in 19:07.8. "But we all trust each other, and our abilities."
Rainsberger's time Friday was about 10 seconds slower than the course record she set Sept. 29 in the Bill Dellinger Invitational. Since then, she and he teammates have been contending with a tough training block, and also the fall academic term; Rainsberger said she had multiple mid-term exams this week, including one Thursday evening.
"Right now," she said," we're just putting in the work, and getting ready for the next month."
Players Mentioned
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