It was a slow week for cross country.
However, the women were in action Saturday, finishing sixth overall at the Willamette Invitational in Salem. Otherwise, the women’s team has been resting from the Willamette Invitational. Seniors Eri Macdonald and Magdalena Sandoval are preparing to travel as individuals to the Pre-NCAA Invitational in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The men’s team was idle and will continue to be until they attend the Pre-NCAA Invitational on Oct. 18. They will travel along with Macdonald and Sandoval.
Although the men will have a total of three weeks off before traveling to the meet, the break has not been easy.
“We have been making positive steps attitude-wise since our race at (Roy Griak Invitational),” junior Eric Logsdon said. “But we won’t get real answers until we travel again.”
Logsdon also said that the team does not have any major changes that need to be made. However, the team’s success “comes down to being focused and taking care of business.”
The Ducks continue to train hard and have also added busy academic schedules to their load.
All-American junior Ryan Andrus was selected to the First Team All-America Academic squad a year ago, and looks to continue balancing academics and athletics while maintaining his 4.0 grade point average.
Fellow All-American harriers Brett Holts and Logsdon received similar academic honors. Both were selected to the Pacific-10 Conference All-Academic honorable mentions along with senior Noel Paulson.

The Championship Equation
In order for the entire team to make the NCAA Championships, several criteria must be met. The easiest way would be for the teams to place second in their respective regions.
If a team fails to do that, at-large points can be accumulated from various races throughout the season. Assuming the team meets the point mark, it can then be invited to the NCAA Championship. A provisional bid is given to teams that fared well against other ranked teams.
If a team is in jeopardy by failing to lock up a top-two finish in its region, then it must beat other teams at its regional championship and in other head-to-head competitions to accumulate at-large points.
The Oregon men’s team was invited last year with an automatic bid after finishing second in its region behind National Champion Stanford. The women last made the NCAA Championships after receiving enough at-large points to be admitted in the 2000 season.

Rankings Part II
While Oregon remains eighth in the men’s cross country poll — a drop from its pre-season number five ranking — the team is making little of its ranking, good or bad.
“It’s nice to be ranked high,” said Logsdon. “But it doesn’t matter that much. It’s not like football where you need to be ranked high enough.
“Once the gun goes off everyone is the same.”
Oregon is chasing defending National Champion Stanford and is picked to finish second by many in the Pac-10 Conference, with Arizona State as its next closest competitor.
“Arizona State is, on paper, the third best team (in the Pac-10),” Logsdon said. “They were ranked 13th in the most recent poll, and is our nearest competitor from behind.”
Oregon will see many of the same teams it faced off against at the Roy Griak Invitational in its next meet, the Pre-NCAAs, and is hoping for some redemption.
“We have to make sure we have enough at-large points, so we don’t have to worry about qualifying for nationals,” Logsdon said. “Hopefully we can get some revenge on teams (in the Pre-NCAA meet) from (the last race).”