The Oregon men’s distance runners already have the inherent motivation that comes with defending a national title. As they prepare to compete, the runners focus on an equally challenging task: beating each other.
“I go, ‘Oh man, this is pretty hard.’ I’ve got to focus and stay in there,’” said redshirt senior and three-time All-American Parker Stinson, ranked second in the 5,000 meter race and fifth in the 3,000 meter race. “If you have an off day, it’s really hard. It’s already a really competitive practice.”
Five different Ducks found themselves in the top five of their distance events in the preseason United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association rankings. From the team’s standpoint, the rankings simply acknowledge what they already know.
“I think those rankings probably help remind other people how good everyone is on the team, but I have to see that and live that every practice,” Stinson said.
He’s probably referring to Edward Cheserek and Eric Jenkins when he speaks of such competitions. After finishing first and second, respectively, in the NCAA Cross Country Championships, they certainly earned their spots atop the Oregon running totem pole.
“If you look at cross country, I’m sure we’ll be led by Edward and Eric,” Head Coach Robert Johnson said.
Cheserek won the outdoor 10,000 meter championship last season. Jenkins, however, has only recently risen to the top of the distance running scene.
“Eric is starting to come into his own,” Stinson said. “I think cross country has more variables going on, so for him to get second in a race with all that going on, it’s really exciting to see what he’s going to do indoors.”
Though they’re excited to watch their teammate, other runners see Jenkins’ success as a testament to what they can achieve.
“I just know myself, and Will (Cohegan) and all those guys, we respect that and we’re excited for that,” Stinson said of Jenkins, “but we want to do those things too. That’s just going to make us all better and all be gunning for some good points at nationals”
While they strive to emulate the success of Cheserek and Jenkins, the indoor team hopes to fare better than cross country. A sixth-place finish at the national championship left the latter admittedly unsatisfied, and they wasted little time in transitioning to the next phase of the year.
“It’s really great to see our distance group come together after cross country season and prepare for indoor,” Waverly Neer said.
The January 23 and 24 meet in Kentucky, which featured eight top-25 men’s teams, gave the Ducks a chance to prove themselves against some of the stiffest competition in the nation before the second edition of the rankings become public on Monday.
The question for the men’s distance runners, however, is not if they are an elite group. It’s which of them is the most elite.
“Our men’s distance teams will definitely be where we bank on and count on to get some points,” Johnson said.
Follow Jack Heffernan on Twitter @JHeffy13