Oregon distance runners finished all across the board Friday night at the Stanford Invitational. Some runners set personal bests, while others didn’t finish their heats.
Redshirt senior and two-time All-American Jeremy Elkaim claimed victory in the 5000. He came from behind in the final 400 meters to finish with a time 13:47.40. It was the only first place finish for the Ducks on the evening.
No other Duck finished above 7th place, but several others had strong showings. Alli Cash, Molly Grabill and Matthew Melancon each set personal bests in their heats. Cash finished 14th in the 5000 with a time of 16:00.90, Grabill 16th in the 10000 with 33:13.64 and Melancon 7th in the 10000 with 29:05.34. Melancon was the second-highest finisher for the Ducks.
In the men’s 10000, Melancon’s teammate Bryan Fernandez finished 29th with a time of 29:37.33. Fellow Duck Travis Neuman recorded a DNF in the 10000, for a reason that is undisclosed.
All in all it was another strong showing for the Ducks. There is still room for the top-ranked cross country team in the nation to improve, which is a scary thought for any team not named Oregon.
The Ducks return to action on April 9, when they host the Pepsi Invitational against Penn State, USC, and Washington at Hayward Field.
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