The future was uncertain for the Oregon men’s cross country team a year ago. The Ducks’ top two runners, Steve Fein and Andrew Bliss, were seniors. Besides the two All-Americans, the Oregon roster was thin compared to the days of former coach Bill Dellinger.
Also last year, six high school seniors from around the state competed with each other in the prep cross country ranks, unaware that they would end up as teammates a year later.
Head coach Martin Smith filled the holes in the Ducks’ lineup with one of the largest recruiting classes at Oregon ever.
Now, the future of the Oregon cross country team is bright. With eight of the 13 runners on Oregon’s roster being freshmen, the Ducks have a young-but-solid lineup this season.
“We have a very young team this year,” Smith said. “[The freshmen] are doing a nice job and continuing to make steady improvements.”
Brett Holts, a freshman from Bend, has been impressive in his first year for the Ducks. Holts won the Bearcat Open in his season opener and has competed with fellow freshman John Lucas for Oregon’s No. 4 spot.
Another freshman who has earned a varsity spot is Noel Paulson. The four-time class 3A state champion from Aumsville has been consistent at the No. 6 spot.
Chris Clancy, a newcomer from Portland, leads the rest of the pack. The Marshall HS graduate placed third at the Bearcat Open, but has yet to run since then.
Smith’s lone out-of-state recruit is Aaron Emery, a Croghan, N.Y. native.
The freshmen have had a major impact on Oregon’s top seven and their No. 13 national ranking.
“With young athletes, you never know how they are going to respond in the championship meets,” Smith said. “We’ll answer a lot of questions in the next two weeks.”
Runners expected to redshirt this season are blue-chip recruits Eric Logsdon, Kyle Robinson and Mike Pluth.

MIA or MVP?
Senior Michael Kasahun has made his face known in the college running world and on the Eugene running trails. The Ethiopian native spent much of his off-season putting in miles on Eugene’s famous running trails, preparing for his final college cross country season.
Kasahun’s hard work has paid off this season, as he finds himself as one of Oregon’s top two runners.
“Mike has obviously made substantial improvements this season,” Smith said. “He made excellent progress last track season, followed by laying down a great base over the summer.
“A lot of his improvements have come from getting comfortable in a new home and gaining more confidence.”
Kasahun, a transfer from Fresno City College two years ago, has recorded or equaled his personal best in both meets he’s competed in this year. Kasahun was Oregon’s top runner at the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minn., placing 13th in a personal best 24 minutes, 48 seconds over the 8,000-meter course.
At the Pre-NCAA meet in Ames, Iowa, Kasahun equaled his 10,000-meter personal best while improving his placing from the 1999 NCAA meet by 71 places. Kasahun placed 36th in 31:41 behind sophomore Jason Hartmann.