It was about as good as it could get for Oregon cross country. The Ducks capped their trip north with a sweep of the Washington Invitational Friday afternoon.
The men won with 52 points, followed by Stanford (69) and BYU (70). The women looked even more impressive, taking it with 36 points. Washington placed second (59) and Stanford came in third (60).
Edward Cheserek was the top finisher for Oregon, claiming his 10th win in 11 races by finishing in 23:15.39. He pulled away from the rest of the field, making use of his blistering kick as he neared the finish line with a five-second gap.
Highly touted freshman Matthew Maton finished eighth (23:27.19), fellow freshman Tanner Anderson took 12th (23:32.0) and Sam Prakel finished 14th (23:34.6).
On the women’s side, Oregon was able to dominate, going 2-4-6 with Alli Cash (19:44.6), Maggie Schmaedick (19:50.2) and Waverly Neer (19:56.8). All three were able to maintain contact with the lead pack, working together well to stay in the race.
The sweep signifies a big win for the Ducks, as the field at the Invitational featured several talented programs. Coming in, Stanford was ranked higher than Oregon, while both BYU and host Washington represented serious threats. All three are programs the Ducks can expect to meet later when Championship season rolls around.
Click here for a complete list of race results.
The next race on the schedule isn’t until October 17, when Oregon will participate in the Pre National Invitational at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur