Seventeen degrees, 21-mile-per-hour winds and a negative five degree wind chill — not the most ideal running conditions.
Yet, that was the weather Monday in Ames, Iowa, the site of the NCAA cross country meet. Despite the harsh conditions, 505 runners, nine of whom were Ducks, lined up for two chilly races.
“The conditions were brutal,” Oregon women’s coach Tom Heinonen said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in 26 years. Even when we’ve run in snow, it hasn’t been this bad.”
Oregon runners did not respond well to the conditions, as few Ducks put in top performances. The Ducks were represented by the women’s team, which placed 28th out of 31 teams, and two individual men.
Sophomore Jason Hartmann put in arguably the best performance of the day for Oregon, earning his second All-American honor by placing 35th in a time of 31 minutes, three seconds over the 10,000 meter course.
“I did all right but not as well as I would have liked,” Hartmann said. “It comes down to doing it on the day. I was in position, but couldn’t close it and that’s the key.”
Senior Michael Kasahun was the only other Oregon runner in the men’s race. The Ethiopia native capped his Oregon cross country career with a 65th-place finish in a time of 31:26.
“During the race, I was in control, but couldn’t close it up,” Kasahun said. “My legs basically froze up on me at the end. I was trying everything I could, but just couldn’t get it out.”
The Oregon men’s team failed to qualify for the NCAA meet after a fourth-place finish at the Western Regional meet Nov. 11. Hartmann and Kasahun qualified, though, by placing second and fourth, individually.
“Obviously, [Hartmann and Kasahun] were disappointed that the team couldn’t be here but still approached the race as mentally tough as they could,” men’s head coach Martin Smith said. “This is tough cross country weather and if you weren’t mentally prepared and mentally strong enough, it could have a major impact.”
Underdogs took home most of the trophies in the men’s race. Providence College’s Keith Kelly outkicked defending national champion David Kimani of Alabama and Stephen Ondieki of Fairleigh Dickinson to win in a time of 30:14.
Third-ranked Arkansas placed five runners in the top-25 to win its third straight, and 11th overall, national title.
Heads were shaking at the Oregon camp after the women’s race as the Ducks placed 28th, the school’s worst-ever finish at nationals.
“Before the race, I told them to run smart, run tough and try to forget about the conditions, but that was pretty difficult to do,” Heinonen said.
Oregon’s top three runners, all of whom are seniors, ran their last races in Oregon uniforms.
Senior transfer Hanna Smedstad, Oregon’s top runner, had an off race, finishing 64th in a time of 21:38 over the 6,000-meter course.
“It wasn’t a very good day, and I didn’t run well,” Smedstad said. “This is the worst conditions I’ve raced in.”
Smedstad, a two-time All-American, placed 18th and 28th in the last two NCAA meets for Oklahoma State.
Senior Rhiannon Glenn was the next Duck to the finish line, placing 153rd in a time of 22:25.
“I had tights on and still never warmed up out there,” Glenn said. “I never broke a sweat, and still didn’t 30 minutes later when I had all my race gear still on and was inside. It was pretty bad out there.”
Senior Katie Crabb, usually the team’s second runner, finished 176th in a time of 22:38. Crabb placed 114th at last year’s national meet.
Sophomore Eri MacDonald and freshman Laura Harmon rounded out Oregon’s scorers in 194th and 196th place, respectively (22:50 and 22:51). Harmon has been battling a cold the past week.
Sophomore transfer Carrie Zografos had one of the better races for the women. Although Zografos was 37 seconds off her personal best, she improved her place from the Pre-NCAA meet Oct. 14 on the same course by 84 places.
Sophomore Erinn Gulbrandsen rounded out the Oregon contingent with a 240th-place finish in a time of 24:06.
Top-ranked Colorado swept team and individual honors. Buffalo senior Kara Grgas-Wheeler won the race in a time of 20:30, seven seconds ahead of runner-up Sabrina Monro of Montana. Colorado placed five runners in the top-50 to capture the national championship.