All teams come down to a do-or-die point in their seasons.
The Oregon cross country teams have met theirs.
Whether or not the Duck Harriers will advance to the NCAA Tournament will be determined by this weekend’s performances at the NCAA Western Regional meet in Fresno, Calif.
The Oregon women’s team will be facing an uphill battle in a quest for its fourth straight championship meet berth. The lady Harriers dropped out of the polls completely after starting the season in the No. 12 spot.
“All we’ve got to do at Regionals is edge Washington State and UCLA to get a spot at nationals,” women’s head coach Tom Heinonen said. “If we don’t beat both of them and get fifth there, then we won’t get selected.”
At the Pacific-10 Conference Championships in Seattle Oct. 28, Oregon finished seventh overall, trailing both Washington State and UCLA.
In a prospective three-way meet with Oregon, Washington State and UCLA, based on 6,000 meter personal bests, Oregon ties with Washington State while edging UCLA by one point. The teams are well-matched and similar to each other.
However, in larger cross country meets, such as the Western Regional meet with close to 30 teams, some teams can get spread out. Oregon is the deepest team of the three schools competing for the No. 5 spot, with All-American Hanna Smedstad leading the way and only a 52-second gap between the next seven runners.
Second-seeded Stanford is the meet favorite, followed by Arizona State and Arizona.
The meet will take place at Woodward Park near the Fresno State campus.
Should the Ducks fail to qualify for the NCAA meet, it would be the last cross country meet for seniors Smedstad, Katie Crabb and Rhiannon Glenn.
The projected top-seven women for the meet are Smedstad, Crabb, Glenn, junior transfer Carrie Zografos, sophomores Eri MacDonald and Erinn Gulbrandsen and freshman Laura Harmon.
The 10th-ranked Oregon men stand a good chance of advancing to their 29th-overall and sixth-consecutive NCAA appearance Saturday. The Ducks are ranked second among teams in the Western region, which comprises mostly West Coast schools.
At the Pac-10 Championships, Oregon impressed many people by placing second behind No. 2 Stanford and upsetting conference rival Arizona.
Senior Michael Kasahun and sophomore Jason Hartmann lead the Duck men. Hartmann became a Regionals individual contender when he placed second at the Pac-10 meet. Kasahun, in 10th place, was not far behind the former Pac-10 newcomer of the year.
Projected entrants for the meet include Hartmann, Kasahun, junior Adam Bergquist, senior Lincoln Nehring and freshmen John Lucas, Brett Holts and Noel Paulson.
The women’s 6,000 meter race begins at 10 a.m., followed by the men’s 10,000 meter race. The meet will be the first 10,000 meter (6.214 miles) race for the men this season.