Magdalena Sandoval (left) and Eri Macdonald finished second and fifth, respectively, at the Sundodger Invitational in Seattle.
Maybe it was the home cooking. Or maybe it was the mountain air.
Regardless, senior Magdalena Sandoval began the season in an impressive fashion. After arriving in Eugene only a week prior to Saturday’s Sundodger Invitational in Seattle, Sandoval finished second overall. She had been training at home in New Mexico prior to rejoining the team.
“It was a good start and a good time,” Sandoval said. “It was interesting to be near front for a change. That was different.”
The Ducks are looking to solidify the team’s third through fifth scoring positions, after Eri Macdonald finished fifth in the race Saturday.
“We need to improve our depth at three, four and five positions,” first-year head coach Marnie Mason said. “(This weekend) will give us a chance to work on that.”
Oregon heads to Bush Park in Salem to compete in the Charles Bowles Invitational on Saturday.
More work to be done
In a race which then-No. 5 Oregon finished fourth overall in its first true test of the season, one could surmise that it was an impressive beginning to what may be a successful season.
Not if you are All-American harrier Brett Holts, however.
“We are disappointed as a team,” Holts said. “But, if that were to happen at any meet, it would be this one.”
“This one” was the Roy Griak Invitational held in Minnesota, with a field of 30 teams — 11 of which were ranked or received votes in the latest polls before the race.
Excuse the Ducks if they appear a little bitter. After all, this is a team that returns three All-American runners in Holts, Ryan Andrus and Eric Logsdon, from a team that finished fifth nationally and second in the Pacific-10 Conference a year ago.
In most instances, competing against 30 teams and finishing fourth is nothing to scoff at, but this year’s expectations among the male harriers are sky high.
“This was a wake-up call for the team,” Holts said. “We didn’t get the job done.”
Rankings, rankings
After the weekend, a small shake-up filtered through the men’s cross country rankings. The Ducks entered the Roy Griak Invitational ranked fifth nationally, but dropped three spots to eighth place.
“This is a team of veterans,” Holts said. “The top five have been around for three and four years, we should know better. We just fell asleep.”
Colorado State entered the meet ranked 23rd overall and jumped 12 spots to No. 9 after finishing the race third overall.
Scott Archer is a freelance reporter
for the Emerald.