Finishing in the top 50 at the NCAA Championship cross country meet is a dream one Oregon runner could make a reality.
Junior Patrick Werhane will represent the Oregon team in the national meet this weekend.
“I was relieved when I heard I got the bid to go,” Werhane said. “It could have gone either way, so I didn’t want to get my hopes up. When I found out I was going, I was really excited. All my hard work has really paid off.”
Late in the season Oregon’s number one runner, Galen Rupp, was removed from racing because of a foot injury. This moved Werhane into the team’s leadership position.
The NCAA Championships is arguably the toughest meet of the season, allowing elite collegiate runners across the nation to go head-to-head. To compete in the race, each runner must be selected by the NCAA to compete individually or on a qualifying team.
“I feel a little bit of pressure because I want to represent the University of Oregon well, but also I don’t want to let my team down,” Werhane said. “You really want to run well for the guys on my team.”
Werhane will compete with more than 250 runners from 18 teams and 13 additional at-large teams at Saturday’s race.
– Kim Gaviglio