The Oregon men’s cross-country team is headed to nationals.
The Ducks earned their ticket with a victory in the NCAA West Regional on Saturday at Blue Lake Park outside of Portland, Ore.
No. 6 Oregon registered 69 points, placing ahead of No. 7 Stanford’s 88. The two teams earned automatic berths to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. on Nov. 20.
Sophomore Galen Rupp led the way with a fourth-place finish in his first-ever 10,000-meter regional. Most of the Oregon runners ran close together throughout the race.
“During the race, it was fun to look around and see all the Oregon guys up front,” Rupp said in a press release. “That gives you confidence when you’re able to work together and makes everything easier.”
Freshman Diego Mercado finished in 11th overall, followed by senior Patrick Werhane (15th), freshman Kenny Klotz (19th) and redshirt sophomore Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott (20th). Each earned All-Region honors for finishing in the top 25. The win marked the first at regionals since 1989.
“Today, our goal was to qualify as a team,” Mercado said. “So we approached it that way, and didn’t worry about the individual part.”
At one point in the race the Ducks held five of the top eight spots. They were able to hold onto their lead in the final mile despite a strong push by Stanford that culminated with Cardinal senior Nef Araia winning the race.
“Our men ran really composed and tough, and I was proud of their effort,” Oregon coach Vin Lananna said. “Up front they got a little excited after 7,500 meters and moved to the very front, but that was only because of a lack of experience in that position in this race, and a win is a win.”
For the men, they’ve quickly shifted the focus to the new task at hand – nationals.
“Now we need to recollect ourselves and get ready for NCAAs,” Rupp said.
Women finish sixth
Senior Dana Buchanan led the women to a sixth-place finish. She finished 20th overall, and freshman Bria Wetsch ran well, finishing 34th in only her second race of the season.
No. 1 Stanford won the region for the eighth-straight time and No. 7 UC Santa Barbara finished second to earn the other automatic bid to nationals.
The Oregon women finished a season that saw them reach as high as No. 22 in the national polls, and finish fourth at the Pac-10 meet.
“From where our women started this year to where they ended it, we’ve seen some real progress,” Lananna said.