Athletes and denizens alike were treated to a rare appearance at Saturday’s Bill Dellinger Invitational: Hicham El Guerrouj, the world record holder in the 1,500-meter dash (3:26.00) and the mile (3:43.13), was introduced as the honorary starter for the men’s and women’s races. El Guerrouj, 34, who retired in 2006, last competed at the Athens Olympics in 2004 for his native Morocco, winning gold medals in the 1,500m and 5,000m – a rare feat only befitting the “King of Middle Distance Running.” His appearance at the Dellinger was akin to Brad Pitt hosting a University film festival, his 5-foot-9 frame standing tall as he fired the starting gun.
Equally special is the possibility of the Ducks winning men’s and women’s national titles in cross country, a goal which is by no means unattainable.
The excited and sopping wet track enthusiasts at Springfield Country Club were hoping to see something special this meet. Oregon delivered in spirited fashion with team victories in both the men’s and women’s races, as well as an individual title from junior Alex Kosinski, the first in her cross country career. Five Duck women secured top-10 finishes in a decisive team victory over Arkansas, while the men’s race came down to the fifth man, Oregon’s Chris Winter, whose 20th-place finish secured a tight contest over Portland and Alabama.
The women’s six-kilometer race was held in inconsistent rain that was heaviest around the mid-way point of the race. Kosinski and senior transfers Melissa Grelli and Lindsey Scherf secured spots in the front of a lead pack that dissolved quickly. At some early intervals of the race, the three women held the top three spots.
Kosinski and Grelli worked together and maintained their pace as runners gradually dropped off around them. With a little over a mile to go, both women were left virtually alone and made their break for the finish line as the rain ceased. Kosinski pulled away from Grelli in the home stretch to capture the individual title in 20:19.90. Grelli, who won the Pre’s Trail Run on Sept. 4 in her first meet as a Duck, finished in 20:20.51.
“(Head coach Vin Lananna) didn’t wanna give me too much of a strategy, because that kind of makes me nervous,” a mud-splattered Kosinski said afterward. “He was like, ‘Don’t go out too fast. Just go out and relax, and hang out in front pack, and see what you can do in the end.’”
Senior Nicole Blood, last year’s individual champion in the Dellinger, never made it to the front of the lead pack, but she ran a consistent race to finish fourth in 20:39.56, behind Arkansas sophomore Catherine White. Senior transfers Mattie Bridgmon (20:54.19) and Scherf (21:06.77) finished seventh and ninth, respectively, for the Ducks as Oregon’s 23 points based on place bettered Arkansas’ 60 points.
The win can be construed as something of a coming-out party for the Oregon women, who were considered overachievers last year after finishing second in the 2007 NCAA Championships and returned a stronger team for 2008. Ranked No. 1 with 10 of 12 first-place votes, the Ducks stuck carefully to the game plan.
“That was the goal. We accomplished that,” Grelli said of the five top-10 finishes for the Ducks.
“It’s really exciting. I knew we had a really good team coming into the meet,” Kosinski said. “I feel like we should be ranked.”
Sophomores Zoe Buckman (16th, 21:21.73) and Betsy Bies (22nd, 21:33.39) were the next two Ducks across the finish line. Senior Zoe Nelson finished 27th (21:40.02), freshman Bronwyn Crossman finished 36th (21:53.70), sophomore Hayley Belli finished 44th (22:00.91), junior Bria Wetsch finished 55th (22:22.43) and junior Brooke Giuffre finished 67th (22:46.15).
Lananna praised the total team effort after the meet.
“The women – every one of them, from our first woman down to the final women in the race – competed with a great deal of intensity,” Lananna said. “They were trying to accomplish something. If the cards play out for us, I think they are going to be tough to beat.”
The men’s eight-kilometer race was subjected to less rain but a slower pace, as a tight, large lead pack maintained control for over half the race. Two Ducks, freshman Luke Puskedra and redshirt senior Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott, held form as runners from Alabama, UTEP and Portland surrounded them.
A team victory looked to be in serious doubt, as four Alabama runners and three Portland runners all held spots at the front of the lead pack at various intervals.
Runners from the Ducks, Crimson Tide and Pilots would hold all of the top 10 positions at the race’s end.
With a couple of miles to go, the pack began to break apart, and Puskedra, from Salt Lake City, Utah, found himself battling Portland senior David Kinsella, who finished fifth at last year’s NCAA, for the lead. The more experienced Kinsella outlasted Puskedra to take the individual title in 24:02.68.
Portland freshman Alfred Kipchumba snuck up on Puskedra at the final turn to take second in 24:05.48. Puskedra, in his first-ever race at eight kilometers, became the Ducks’ top finisher by taking third in 24:06.90.
“It was a real surprise,” Lananna said of Puskedra’s higher-than-expected finish. “Luke has been looking great all season. Luke delivered the goods today and we really needed them.”
Kiptoo-Biwott could not catch up to Alabama’s Augustus Maiyo, finishing fifth in 24:12.70. Curtis Suver, a senior transfer from Eastern Washington, finished eighth in 24:26.97. Daniel Mercado (15th, 24:40.35) and Winter (20th, 24:48.98) fared better than their Pilot and Crimson Tide compatriots, giving Oregon 49 points and bettering Portland’s 56 and Alabama’s 62.
Senior Scott Wall finished 22nd (24:51.47) and junior A.J. Acosta finished with a time of 24:59.44 for 28th place.
Robert Husseman
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