Both the Oregon men’s and women’s cross country teams emerged victorious at the NCAA West Regional held at the Stanford Golf Course on Friday, marking the first time in 26 years that both teams have finished first at the Regional. The two teams will now automatically advance to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana on Nov. 22.
The men finished five runners in the top 20, with sophomore Pac-12 champion Edward Cheserek coming in second place at 29:35.0. Oregon’s Erik Jenkins came in third at 29:39.6. The Ducks took it home with 60 points; No. 8 Portland placed second with 71 points, No. 9 Stanford finished with 97 points in third, and No. 17 UCLA rounded out the top four with 104 points.
The Oregon women placed all of their scorers within the top 24. Molly Grabill was the top finisher for the Ducks on the women’s side, crossing the line in 11th place with a time of 20:36.5. Arizona State’s Shelby Houlihan won the individual title in 19:31.6.The women won with 88 points; No. 25 Boise State and No. 10 Stanford tied for the second place slot with 103 points, and No. 15 Washington came in fourth with 131 points.
This was the first time that Oregon has swept both races at the NCAA West Regional meet since 1988. Friday’s meet marked the first 10,000 meter race for three runners on the men’s side, who all three finished within three seconds of each other. Seniors Daniel Winn and Tanguy Pepiot finished in 17th and 18th respectively, and freshman Travis Neuman crossed the line in 20th.
The women were able to win and advance despite resting Waverly Neer, who finished No.2 for Oregon at the Pac-12 Championships, and Lindsay Crevoiserat, who has been one of the top runners for the Ducks this season.
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