Conference meets create blockbuster weekend

By Adam Schneider of Dyestat

Without a major meet last weekend, we look forward to conference championship weekend.

Each year, conference championship weekend is the most important meet for the majority of coaches. For the past three years, the Pac-12 Conference championship has featured a top four of Colorado, Oregon, Stanford and Washington, in no particular order. 

After two consecutive Pac-12 titles by the Buffaloes, the top-ranked Ducks are the favorites at home. Sophomore Katie Rainsberger is an NCAA title contender and she will try to lead Oregon to titles in the big three remaining meets. Redshirt freshman Lilli Burdon and junior Jessica Hull are contenders for top 20 positions at the NCAA meet and top 10 contenders for the Pac-12 meet. Junior Dani Jones (third) and senior Kaitlyn Benner (fourth) are two of the top three returnees and lead third-ranked Colorado. Fifth-ranked Stanford has not run up to expectations but the potential returns of senior Elise Cranny and sophomore Christina Aragon will help the Cardinal. Defending Pac-12 champion senior Amy-Eloise Neale will try to lead 13th-ranked Washington to a conference title. Senior Grayson Murphy will lead Utah. Cal, UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State will also contend for top-seven spots. 

The Mountain West Conference championship will be one of the strongest competitions in the nation. Second-ranked New Mexico ran well to win the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational. Sophomore Ednah Kurgat won against many of the top runners and established herself as one of the NCAA individual favorites. Teammates senior Alice Wright (fourth) and junior Charlotte Prouse (seventh) are among the best in NCAA Division 1. Ninth-ranked Boise State is led by sophomore Allie Ostrander and No. 10 Utah State is led by junior Alyssa Snyder. Both the teams and individuals will challenge for team and individual titles. Colorado State will also contend for a high team finish. 

Sixth-ranked Michigan did not run well its past two meets (a 35-second spread among its top five runners at Sam Bell compared to 63 seconds at Pre-Nationals) but the Wolverines are expected to perform better at the Big 10 Championships. Seniors Gina Sereno and Jamie Morrissey will lead Michigan. Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin and a Katherine Receveur-led Indiana lineup have the potential to improve significantly and challenge for the conference title. 

The West Coast Conference championships were close last year, with Portland winning (42) over BYU (44) and San Francisco (47). Fourth-ranked San Francisco is the favorite this year, with senior Charlotte Taylor and junior Weronika Pyzik leading the Dons in Oakland. Taylor would have made a difference in the team race last year and this year she is the favorite. Senior Lauren LaRocco has not run yet for unranked Portland but the defending champion could repeat. BYU, ranked No. 15, is a deep team and it will also challenge for the title. 

Big meets this weekend:

Oct. 27 Princeton, Columbia, Harvard, and Yale at Ivy Heps at Van Cortlandt Park, New York

Oct. 27 Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Kentucky at SEC Championships at Athens, Georgia

Oct. 27 North Carolina State, Virginia, Florida State, Notre Dame at ACC Championships at Louisville, Kentucky

Oct. 27 Abilene Christian at Southland Conference Championships at Abilene, Texas

Oct. 27 New Mexico, Utah State, Boise State, Colorado State and Air Force at Mountain West  Conference Championships at Albuquerque, New Mexico

Oct. 27 Oregon, Colorado, Stanford, Washington, Utah, Cal, and UCLA at Pac-12 Championships, Springfield Golf Club, Oregon

Oct. 27 San Francisco, BYU and Portland at West Coast Conference Championships at Oakland, California

Oct. 28 Eastern Kentucky at Ohio Valley Conference Championships at Charleston, Illinois

Oct. 28 UTEP at Conference-USA Championships at Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Oct. 28 Eastern Michigan at MAC Championships at Oxford, Ohio

Oct. 28 Providence, Villanova, and Georgetown at Big East Championships at Kenosha, Wisconsin

Oct. 28 Furman at Southern Conference Championships at Spartanburg, South Carolina

Oct. 28 Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Baylor at Big 12 Championships at Round Rock, Texas

Oct. 29 Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan State, Penn State and Indiana Big 10 Championships at Bloomington, Indiana

Top 20 (last week)

1. Oregon (1)

2. New Mexico (2)

3. Colorado (3)

4. San Francisco (4)

5. Stanford (5)

6. Michigan (6)

7. NC State (7)

8. Arkansas (8)

9. Boise State (9)

10. Utah State (10)

11. Providence (11)

12. Wisconsin (12)

13. Washington (13)

14. Furman (14)

15. BYU (15)

16. Iowa State (16)

17. Minnesota (17)

18. Georgia (18)

19. Michigan State (19)

20. Eastern Kentucky (20)

Watch list: Portland, Villanova, Penn State, Georgetown, Utah, Eastern Michigan, Abilene Christian, Air Force, Mississippi, Indiana, Columbia, Cal-Berkeley, Northern Arizona