The tightest race this week isn’t in the Associated Press football polls — it’s which University athletic event is the most exciting in football’s absence.
According to the GoDucks.com fan poll, the cross country team’s trip to the Willamette Open this Saturday rules all. At press time, the Duck Harriers were receiving 26.4 percent of the vote, just over volleyball’s game against Arizona State, which was garnering 20.8 percent.
Oregon fans should be excited about the west coast’s largest cross country race of the season.
The Ducks are just one of the 40 teams entered into the meet at Salem’s Bush Pasture Park, which expects over 700 runners. The men’s 8,000-meter race will begin at 9 a.m., and the women’s 5,000-meter race is set to start at 10:15 a.m.
The No. 2 Colorado women’s team comes to Salem with the highest ranking. Eastern Oregon University holds the No. 11 spot in the NCAA Division III women’s polls, while Willamette is No. 22.
On the men’s side, Colorado also comes in as the favorite, being the fourth-ranked team in the nation. Lewis and Clark of Portland are ranked 14th among NAIA teams.
The No. 19 Oregon women will be at full strength, while the men will field their “B” squad.
Duck freshmen Chris Clancy, Aaron Emery and Mike Pluth, as well as junior transfer Symon Kimata will make their second trip to the Bush Park course. On Saturday, Sept. 23, the Duck newbies competed in the much smaller Bearcat Open on the same course. Kimata placed second at that meet, helping the “B” squad to a 1-2-3 sweep and first-place finish.
The men will also get an unexpected boost from the track team. Competing in their first cross country races since high school will be juniors Ross Krempley, Merritt McDole and Sean Gross, and sophomore Jake Horner. All four runners are 800-meter specialists in track but have not competed outside Hayward Field for the Ducks.
Senior transfer Hanna Smedstad leads the Oregon women’s contingent. The native of Sundsvall, Sweden, placed sixth at last week’s Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minn.
Veteran seniors Katie Crabb and Rhiannon Glenn will make their fourth trip to the 5,000-meter Bush Park course.
Sophomores Erinn Gulbrandsen, Annie Davis and Carrie Zografos are also expected to compete.
Past evidence has shown Bush Park to be friendly to Oregon runners, as two Duck alumni hold course records. Former NCAA champion Kathy Hayes holds the 5,000-meter record at 16 minutes, 19.7 seconds while Shannon Lemora owns the 8,000-meter record at 23:41.0.
The Willamette meet will serve as a warm up to the Pre-NCAA meet next weekend in Ames, Iowa.