Oregon Women Take The Pac-12 Cross Country Title

The hard work paid off for the Oregon cross country women, as they proudly took home the 2014 Pac-12 championship in rainy Oakland, California last Saturday.  Throughout the season, the Lady Ducks have been praised for their ability to execute as a team, and on Saturday it was no different.

Running tightly in a pack, the women of Oregon had seven runners finish in the top 20.  Sitting at No. 3 before the gun went off, Oregon utilized the “pack-strategy,” defeating Stanford, Colorado, and Washington.  Spectators often forget the importance of the fourth and fifth runners that cross the line for a team, but more times than not, they make all the difference in the team scoring.

The women’s race was thrilling from gun, with Oregon battling Colorado and Stanford up until the final meters of the race.  It came down to guts, and Oregon just had more.   Running as a finely tuned team, Freshmen Frida Berge led the way throughout the 6,000m course, followed closely by a pack of her teammates.  Berge finished 6th overall, followed by Waverly Neer in 10^th, Molly Grabill in 11^th, Alli Cash in 12^th and Maggie Schmaedick in 15^th.

Oregon won with 54 points, beating Stanford’s 74 points and Colorado’s 82 points.  Having defeated Michigan at Pre-Nationals on October 18^th and dominating the Pac-12 conference, the Oregon women are confident and eager to dive further into this championship season.

While the Oregon men didn’t take home the championship title, runner Edward Cheserek won his second consecutive Pac-12 individual title, finishing the 8,000m course in 23:23.  Fellow teammate Eric Jenkins was close behind Cheserek with a second place finish and a time of 23:34.  The Buffaloes of Colorado completely dominated the men’s field with 30 points.  Oregon men took home the silver with 57 points, beating Stanford’s 60 points.

So, what’s up next for the Ducks?  The championship season continues when Stanford hosts the NCAA West Regional Race on November 14^th.  After clinching the 9^th Pac-12 title for Oregon, the Duck women are in a solid position, though the cross country course can be very unpredictable.  On the men’s side, Oregon won’t meet Colorado again until Nationals on November 22^nd, since the teams are in different regions.  The Oregon men will continue to focus on improving their team pack strategies as the date for Nationals edges closer.