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32 Athletes to Watch at the USATF Cross Country Championships

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DyeStat.com   Feb 3rd 2017, 4:30pm
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The Road to Uganda Starts in Bend

By Scott Bush and Adam Kopet, DyeStat Editors

Team USA roster spots are up for grabs Saturday in Bend, Ore., at the USATF Cross Country Championships, as athletes eye strong starts to their 2017 campaigns, looking to book their tickets to Uganda and competing at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships

With so much competition to earn a Team USA berth, we've listed the top eight athletes in each of the four major races to keep an eye on Saturday.

The USATF Cross Country Championships are Saturday, Feb. 4, in Bend, Oregon. The races will be available on USATF.TV +PLUS.

Senior Men to Watch

Chris Derrick: The three-time USATF cross country champion looks for title number four Saturday, but he's going to have his work cut out for him to get back to the top of the U.S. cross country landscape. Derrick finished fifth at the U.S. Olympic Trials last summer in the 10,000 meters, and while his training has been steady since then, he's raced sparingly. 

Leonard Korir: The 2016 Olympian and former NCAA champion at Iona won the Aramco Houston Half Marathon title last month in a stellar 1:01:14 over a very tough field, including Olympic marathon medalist Feyisa Lilesa. Korir is clearly in great shape and testing his fitness over a cold and snowy cross country course will be his hardest challenge of the season so far.

Shadrack Kipchirchir: Korir's fellow 10,000-meter Olympic teammate has qualified for back-to-back Team USA squads on the track, but he's yet to earn a Team USA roster spot in cross country. Training with his U.S. Army group in Colorado Springs this winter should prepare him nicely for the snowy conditions in Bend.

Craig Lutz: The HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite runner won the USATF Cross Country Championships last year in Bend by seven seconds. While it was an off year in terms of qualifying for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Lutz' success on the course could very well pay dividends.

Scott Fauble: Lutz' NAZ Elite teammate finished fourth at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 10,000 meters and the former University of Portland All-American is plenty experienced and accomplished in cross country. A snowy, demanding course seems like the perfect challenge for the rising star.

Ryan Vail: The accomplished marathoner should not be overlooked in a shorter 10-kilometer contest. Vail placed fourth in 2015, earning a roster spot for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in China, where he ultimately finished 34th overall, second for Team USA. While Vail has struggled with injury much of the past year and a half, if he's healthy he will certainly challenge for a top-five finish. 

Hillary Bor: After a career year on the track, Bor is ready to prove that 2016 was no fluke. Bor qualified for the Rio Olympics in the steeplechase, placing second at the Olympic Trials, then came back in Brazil to finish seventh overall in the final. He isn't as proven in cross country, but he clearly found a new level of fitness last season. 

Sam Chelanga: Fans would be hard pressed to find a race that Chelanga is at least not competitive in over the past few years. The former NCAA champion earned his third U.S. road title last fall, winning the USATF 10-Mile Championships for the second straight year. Chelanga was a two-time NCAA cross country champion at Liberty University and seems to thrive over hill and dale. 

Senior Women to Watch

Kellyn Taylor: Coming off one of the most successful, yet underrated, seasons for any American distance runner, Taylor looks to make her mark Saturday in Bend. After finishing sixth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, only to follow that performance up with a fourth-place finish in the 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Taylor seems poised to take her talent to yet another level in 2017.

Aliphine Tuliamuk: After earning her American citizenship last year, Tuliamuk tore up the USATF Running Circuit, winning three national titles and a runner-up finish, on her way to easily winning the overall circuit title. Clearly cross country racing is a different task than competing on the roads, but Tuliamuk is nearly as accomplished from her NCAA days at Wichita State and Iowa, where she placed top 15 three times, including a fourth-place finish as a senior in 2012.

Laura Thweatt: The 2015 USATF cross country champion is back and seeking another U.S. title, hoping to earn yet another trip to the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Thweatt placed as the second American at the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, with a 29th-place finish. She ran to fifth at the U.S. Olympic Trials last summer in the 10,000 meters.

Courtney Frerichs: The Bowerman Track Club standout had one heck of a 2016 campaign, which included a NCAA title, qualifying for the Rio Olympics in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and then finishing 11th in the Olympic final. As a senior at New Mexico in 2015, Frerichs finished fourth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, a result which should not be overlooked heading into Saturday's contest.

Amy Van Alstine: Taylor's HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite teammate was the 2014 USATF cross country champion and finished second last year on the same course in Bend. The 29-year old has yet to race in 2017, so she might not be as race sharp as some of her competition, but she's proven herself on the cross country course time and time again. 

Elaina Balouris: The Boston Athletic Association runner finished sixth in 2015 at the USATF Cross Country Championships, earning a Team USA roster spot for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in China. While she finished 64th overall, her experience on a global stage should serve her well in Bend.

Natosha Rogers: The former Texas A&M runner had a nice 2016 season in many respects, putting herself back on the American distance running map after a quiet few years. Rogers set a new 5,000-meter best on the track last season and hopes to carry that momentum over to 2017 and challenging for a top-six finish in Bend. 

Megan Rolland: One of the top returners from last year's USATF Cross Country Championships, Rolland will use her fifth-place finish in 2016 to her advantage, understanding the twists and turns of the course in Bend. She placed seventh in the U.S. Olympic Trials steeplechase and is a consistent top 5-10 challenger in almost every competition she enters.

Junior Men to Watch

Erik Gonzalez: The Rubidoux CA senior won the CIF Division 3 State Cross Country Championships this past fall in 15:03. He went on to compete at Nike Cross Nationals before winning the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships for cross country.

Alec Haines: The Oklahoma State freshman redshirted this past cross country season, but has been active on the indoor track circuit for the Cowboys. Last weekend he ran 8:18 for 3,000 meters at the Razorback Invitational.

Kashon Harrison: The Kirtland Central NM sophomore is the youngest athlete on the watch list. He owns a 15:26 5-kilometer personal best and finished second at the NMAA 5A State Championships. He also placed 15th at NXR Southwest. Harrison is competing for Wings of America.

Justin Janke: The Washington State freshman has run 24:20 for 8 kilometers this past fall at the Sundodger Invitational. He also competed for the Cougars at the Pac-12 Championships, where he placed 48th.

Jordan Lesansee: The Albuquerque Academy NM senior has a 5-kilometer personal best of 15:10. In addition to winning the NMAA 5A State Championships, he placed sixth at NXR Southwest and 45th at Nike Cross Nationals. Lesansee is competing for Wings of America.

Paul Roberts: The Colorado State-Pueblo freshman owns a 24:11 8-kilometer personal best. He placed 47th at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. Last weekend Roberts ran 8:29 for the indoor 3,000 meters.

Christian Ricketts: The Arroyo Grande CA senior has a 5-kilometer personal best of 15:04. He won his section of the Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational in 14:59 and placed eighth in the CIF Division 1 State Cross Country Championships.

Aidan Reed: The Southern Utah freshman owns a 24:26 8-kilometer personal best. He placed 215th at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Last weekend, Reed ran 15:05 for the indoor 5,000 meters.

Junior Women to Watch

Melissa Berry: The Sheldon OR junior is familiar with racing in Oregon. She has an 18:15 best in the 5 kilometers set last fall and never finished worse than ninth in all of her cross country races. She also ran 4:39 for 1,500 and 10:09 for 3,000 last spring.

Kristen Garcia: The Sedro-Woolley WA junior primarily competes for the Whatcom Tesseract Club. This past fall she ran 18:06 for 5 kilometers and 21:53 for 6 kilometers at the Western Washington Classic. She also has run 9:56 for 3,000.

Holly Lung: The Arcadia CA senior is one of two Arcadia girls to make the watch list. She has an 18:10 personal best for 5 kilometers and finished 22nd in the CIF Division 1 State Cross Country Championships. She is competing under the club name O’Brien’s Army.

Michelle Magnani: The Oklahoma State freshman ran a personal best 20:32 at the Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships. She ended the season placing 188th at NCAAs. Last week she ran 9:39 for an indoor 3,000 race at the Razorback Invitational.

Alicia Monson: The Wisconsin freshman ran a personal best 20:21 at the Great Lakes Regional Cross Country Championships. She went on to place 96th at NCAAs for the Badgers.

Logan Morris: The Clemson freshman ran a personal best 20:38 at the ACC Cross Country Championships. She went on to place 32nd at the Southeast Region Championships for the Tigers.

Aubrey Roberts: The Northwestern freshman ran a personal best 20:17 at the Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships. She went on to place 50th at NCAAs for the Wildcats.

Eryca Yamane: The junior is the second Arcadia girl to make the watch list. She has a 5-kilometer personal best of 18:14 from the Stanford Invitational and she placed 50th in the CIF Division 1 State Cross Country Championships. Yamane is also competing for O’Brien’s Army.

The USATF Cross Country Championships are Saturday, Feb. 4, in Bend, Oregon. The races will be available on USATF.TV +PLUS.



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Janke
Justin Janke also ran a 24:09 8K this past fall at the Inland Empire Championships. http://www.wsucougar...CAA_results.pdf
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