One year after the Oregon cross country squads missed having any All-Americans, they are bringing home five following Monday’s NCAA Championships.
Redshirt senior Carrie Zografos earned the honor, along with the top four Ducks on the men’s side.
“To go from being a walk-on to an All-American is such an exciting feeling,” Zografos said. “Especially for someone who just started running cross country barely three years ago. And to do it in (women’s head coach) Tom (Heinonen)’s last year means that much more. It’s a special way to end it, for both me and him, and something neither of us will forget.”
Senior Jason Hartmann, in his last season of cross country eligibility, earned his third cross country All-American honor, becoming only the eighth Duck ever to earn the title three times. Hartmann finished 18th overall to lead the Ducks on the 10,000-meter course in 30 minutes and 17.9 seconds.
Hartmann finished in the top 20 for the first time in his career, after placing 37th, 35th and 50th over the past three years.
Redshirt sophomore Ryan Andrus finished 30th overall, running the course in 30:30. Andrus earned the Ducks’ second All-American honor, while dramatically improving over his 236th-place finish in last year’s national meet.
Eric Logsdon, a redshirt sophomore, earned 37th overall, improving over his 2001 finish of 156th. Logsdon ran the course in 30:36.5, and earned his first All-American honor.
Right behind Logsdon, finishing the course in 30:37.8, junior Brett Holts improved over his 96th-place finish in 2001 to finish 39th, and fourth for the Ducks. Holts also earned his first All-American honor, as one of the last Americans to earn the honor out of the participants.
Redshirt junior John Lucas wrapped up Oregon’s scoring with an 86th-place finish, taking the course in 31:13. Lucas finished 117th in last year’s NCAA meet.
Also running for the Ducks were junior Noel Paulson, who finished 125th overall, and freshman Shane Ahlers, who placed 175th overall. Paulson finished 176th in last year’s race.
“This season has been building into a crescendo, so to finish it like this is pretty emotional,” Andrus said. “It’s been an intense year and we’ve been so dedicated that it’s been a special season. We also wanted to make this race a good one for Jason. He’s worked so hard and been such a great leader.”
The men’s fifth-place team finish is its highest national finish under head coach Martin Smith. The men’s squad also earned fifth place in 1998, when Smith was an assistant coach, as Steve Fein led the Ducks with an 18th-place finish.
The lone Oregon women’s entrant, Zografos, finished 33rd individually in her final collegiate harrier meet. Zografos ran the 6,000-meter course in 20:31.4. In her other NCAA appearance as an Oregon harrier, Zografos finished 220th in 2000.
Zografos’ All-American distinction marked the 31st All-American cross country honor that Heinonen has seen his harriers earn during his 28 years at the helm.