It was an eventful weekend for the men’s cross country team. Oregon returned to the trails after a three-week layoff. But there won’t be much lamenting over how Oregon ran this past weekend.
The Ducks, ranked seventh in the nation, finished seventh in the “purple race” at the Pre-NCAA Invitational in Iowa. The Ducks could look back on the race and feel disappointed about finishing behind No. 11 Ohio State, No. 14 Georgetown, No. 19 Arizona and No. 21 North Carolina State, all of which were teams ranked below Oregon heading into last weekend’s race.
Now, the team’s focus moves onto running at the Pacific-10 Conference Championship race, scheduled for Nov. 1 and hosted by Washington State in Pullman.

It’s not the Wheaties
There must be something Magdalena Sandoval is doing differently this year, right?
The senior won her first-ever collegiate race on Saturday in the Pre-NCAA Invitational against some of the top runners in the nation.
“I was thrilled to finish first,” Sandoval said. “I haven’t finished first since I was in high school.”
However, this trend isn’t that new. Over the past three weeks, Sandoval has finished second, second and first, respectively. However, the senior finished first among collegiate runners in each race she has entered.
So, what is it exactly that has Sandoval’s competition breathing dust?
“It’s been a lot of hard training and good focus,” Sandoval said. “We’ve had some really positive workouts. They have benefited us mentally in our confidence levels and physically for our preparation for racing.”

Welcome to the big show
It wasn’t his first race donning an Oregon jersey, but it certainly was the biggest stage he has ever seen.
Oregon freshman Patrick Werhane made his Oregon “A” team debut last weekend in the Ducks’ most prominent race of the season, the Pre-NCAA Invitational.
And while he had a finish he hasn’t experienced before — 91st overall — it was promising nonetheless.
Werhane is among six true freshmen on the Oregon men’s roster, which is an intriguing situation. That situation could lead to good things in the future.
However, while expectations are still kept low and the time to shine is yet to come, the freshmen sextet will continue to watch and observe Oregon’s present All-American trio of Eric Logsdon, Brett Holts and Ryan Andrus compete.

Butterflies?
What is it exactly that goes through a runners mind when racing at breakneck speed for several miles?
“I think about everything from race strategy, certain aspects of the course you can use to your advantage,” Sandoval said.
If it seems more complicated than expected, it’s because it is.
It is about “constantly evaluating how you are doing, thinking about who is with you and who they are,” Sandoval said. “You want to keep your mind active, aggressive and moving forward, and you want to be in a rhythm that won’t hurt performance.”