Big weekend for teams from the West

By Adam Schneider of DyeStat

Seven of the top 10 teams are now from the West. This past weekend at Bill Dellinger (Oregon), Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational (Colorado), Paul Short Run (Utah State), and Greater Louisville Classic (Boise State), the teams from the West swept the titles and beat 11 of the current top 20 ranked teams. They also beat two that were ranked last week but not ranked this week.

Top-ranked Oregon ran at the Bill Dellinger Invitational without four of its top five from last year’s NCAA championship team (senior Alli Cash was 14th last year and she is injured but training) and would have to overcome running in its season debut (the Ducks’ first race was cancelled due to smoke). Significant improvement from newcomers and returning talent led to a big victory against a talented field. 

The course was not 6,000 meters but sophomore Katie Rainsberger dominated an All-American field by running 18:47.6 (estimated at 5,806 meters, meaning about 40 seconds off) and set herself up as a legitimate NCAA championship contender. What made this victory so dominating (33-66 over third-ranked Stanford, 78 for No. 13 BYU and 95 for No. 14 Washington) was the performance by two Australians in second and third, sophomore Lilli Burdon (19:05.8) and junior Jessica Hull (19:07.8). Portland freshman Jasmijn Lau was fourth at 19:08.6, Washington senior and reigning Pac-12 champion Amy-Eloise Neale was sixth in 19:15.7, and Stanford sophomore Fiona O’Keeffe was seventh in 19:16.3.

At the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational second-ranked Colorado beat fourth-ranked New Mexico 47-51 over the 5,000-meter course. The Lobos went 1-2 as sophomore transfer Ednah Kurgat from Liberty won in a meet-record 16:01.8 ahead of senior Alice Wright in 16:12.0 and Colorado junior Dani Jones was third in 16:12.8. The spread for New Mexico’s top four runners was 31 seconds, but the gap from the Lobos’ Nos. 4 to 5 runners was also 31 seconds. Colorado’s spread among its top five runners was 35 seconds. Third was No. 7 North Carolina State (118) and fourth was a split squad for No. 8 Arkansas (171). 

At the Greater Louisville Classic, Boise State sophomore Allie Ostrander returned to cross country running with a dominating win (16:28.2). The 10th-ranked Broncos won with 78, followed by No. 12 Wisconsin (105), No. 16 Furman (127), and No. 17 Minnesota (129).

Ninth-ranked Utah State and junior Alyssa Snyder (19:47.1) kept their unbeaten streaks alive at the Paul Short Run as they beat Villanova 72-115. Utah State’s spread for its Nos. 2-5 runners was eight seconds. Last year’s gap among the Aggies’ top five runners at last year’s Mountain Regional was 98 seconds. Utah State put all five scorers in the top 23 and seven runners in the top 34. Cierra Simmons improved on the course by 51 seconds from last year to place 16th in 20:23.4.

Big upcoming meets:

10/6 Utah State, Utah and Boise State at Steve T. Reeder Memorial

10/6 Michigan State at Michigan Intercollegiate

10/6 Florida State at Florida State Invitational

10/7 Providence at New England Championships

10/7 Furman and Georgia at Gene Mullin Invitational

10/13 Missouri at Bradley Classic

10/13 Oklahoma State and Villanova at Penn State National

10/13 Michigan State at the Jayhawk Invitational

10/13 Colorado, Stanford, Furman, Iowa State, New Mexico, Boise State, San Francisco, Providence, Washington, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Georgetown, Michigan State, Indiana, Virginia, Colorado State, Utah, Eastern Michigan, Cal, Vanderbilt, UCLA Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational

10/14 Cal at Santa Clara Bronco Invitational

10/14 Colorado, Oregon, Arkansas, BYU, Michigan, Utah State, Portland, Mississippi, Abilene Christian, Georgia, Missouri at Pre-Nationals in Louisville

Top 20 (last week’s ranking)

1. Oregon (6)

2. Colorado (1)

3. Stanford (2)

4. New Mexico (4)

5. Michigan (3)

6. San Francisco (7)

7. North Carolina State (8)

8. Arkansas (5)

9. Utah State (15)

10. Boise State (9)

11. Providence (12)

12. Wisconsin (13)

13. BYU (19)

14. Washington (16)

15. Iowa State (NR)

16. Furman (20)

17. Minnesota (NR)

18. Portland (NR)

19. Indiana (18)

20. Michigan State (NR)

Who to watch: Villanova, Georgia, Georgetown, Utah, Eastern Michigan, Air Force, Cal, Columbia, Mississippi, and Penn State