2017 Pac-12 XC ChampionshipsOct 25, 2017 by Johanna Gretschel
Can Colorado's Pac-12 Streak Be Stopped?
Can Colorado's Pac-12 Streak Be Stopped?
Preview of the 2017 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships.
It's no secret that the Pac-12 is the most loaded cross country conference on the planet. This year's edition of the conference championship --which kicks off this Friday in Springfield, Oregon-- features 12 FloXC-ranked men's and women's teams, as well as eight individually ranked women and four individually ranked men.
The University of Colorado is the team to beat, as the No. 3-ranked women have won the past two titles in a row and the No. 6-ranked men have won all six team titles since joining the conference in 2011. Repeating the gender sweep for third year in a row will be tougher than ever in 2017.
FloXC Ranked Teams: No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Colorado, No. 7 Stanford, No. 12 Washington, No. 23 Utah, No. 25 California
FloXC Ranked Individuals: No. 4 Dani Jones (Colorado), No. 5 Katie Rainsberger (Oregon), No. 6 Grayson Murphy (Utah), No. 14 Bethan Knights (California), No. 16 Fiona O'Keeffe (Stanford), No. 19 Lilli Burdon (Oregon), No. 22 Amy-Eloise Neale (Washington), No. 25 Vanessa Fraser (Stanford)
Analysis: We got a taste of the Pac-12 action to come two weeks ago at the D1 Pre-Nationals Invitational in Louisville, where Oregon toppled then-No. 1 Colorado, 63 to 91 points, with a 44-second top-five spread compared to the Buffs' minute-plus differential. Colorado usually has the advantage in a smaller field like Pac-12s due to the strength and tightness of their pack, but they look vulnerable in their effort to win a third-straight title on Friday.
Watch the first round of Oregon vs. Colorado at the DI Pre-National Invitational:
Oregon's secret weapon has been the emergence of first-year cross country runner Lilli Burdon, who set PBs of 4:11 for 1500m and 15:50 for 5K as a sophomore on the track last year. She bridges the gap between frontrunner Katie Rainsberger and Nos. 3 and 4, Jessica Hull and Carmela Baez; Harvard transfer Judy Pendergast and senior Emma Abrahamson are another gap back in Nos. 5 and 6 spot, though returning All-American and last year's No. 2 at NCAAs in Alli Cash still has yet to compete and would make a huge difference if she were to toe the line on Friday.
Meanwhile, Colorado has shown all their cards already. What hurt them at Pre-Nats was redshirt freshman Madie Boreman's 36th-place finish, six places in back of Oregon's No. 5, Abrahamson. But let's remember that the race was Boreman's debut over 6K; the NCAA steeplechase runner-up has a ton of room to acclimate to the distance and narrow the gap.
Another steeplechaser, Utah's No. 6-ranked Grayson Murphy, could upset the balance up front. The individual battle should mirror the team title race with Oregon's Rainsberger and Colorado's Dani Jones headlining the field after placing fourth and third, respectively, at Pre-Nats. But Murphy, who didn't even start college as a distance runner, is on a big upswing after earning runner-up honors behind No. 1-ranked Ednah Kurgat and taking down NCAA 10K champion Charlotte Taylor at the Wisconsin Invitational. She was 16 seconds behind Kurgat both at Wisconsin and Notre Dame; at the latter event, Murphy finished just four seconds behind Jones.
Grayson Murphy reacts to her runner-up performance at Wisconsin behind Ednah Kurgat:
Defending Pac-12 champion Amy-Eloise Neale of Washington is also back for another run, though after placing sixth at Bill Dellinger and 14th at Wisconsin, she would have to make a big jump to contend for the win here.
What of the Stanford women? We ranked the Cardinal No. 2 in the preseason, but still haven't seen All-Americans Elise Cranny, Christina Aragon, and Courtney Smith perform. If any or all of those women are added to Friday's race alongside Fiona O'Keeffe and Vanessa Fraser, Stanford could be a surprise contender.
FloXC Ranked Teams: No. 5 Stanford, No. 6 Colorado, No. 7 Oregon, No. 16 UCLA, No. 21 Washington State, No. 22 Washington
FloXC Ranked Individuals: No. 2 Grant Fisher (Stanford), No. 19 Robert Brandt (UCLA), No. 23 Matthew Maton (Oregon), No. 25 Joe Klecker (Colorado)
Analysis: Now that Edward Cheserek has graduated, a new men's individual Pac-12 champion will be crowned for the first time since 2012 when Lawi Lalang of Arizona captured the title. Grant Fisher of Stanford looks poised to fill the void left by Cheserek after earning runner-up honors at this meet to the Oregon star in 2016 and most recently battling No. 1-ranked Justyn Knight of Syracuse to the finish line at Wisconsin.
While Fisher's win in Springfield is all but certain -- he beat the next ranked athlete in the Pac-12, No. 19 Robert Brandt, by 12 seconds in Wisconsin -- the favorite for the men's team title is much less clear. No. 6-ranked Colorado has won the past six Pac-12 conference cross country titles in a row, but they look vulnerable after beating No. 7 Oregon by just 11 points at Pre-Nats. No. 5-ranked Stanford has not raced Colorado yet, but they defeated Oregon with less than a full squad at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, 73 to 75 points, meaning that each of the top three teams here have a legitimate shot to win.
​Watch Stanford beat Oregon by just two points at the Bill Dellinger Invitational:
Of Colorado's 2016 Pac-12 title-winning team, only Nos. 4 and 5, Ryan Forsyth and Joe Klecker, seem to be in similar or better shape than last year as the duo were 11th and ninth at Pre-Nats, respectively, compared to 15th and 24th in 2016. Last year's No. 1 Ben Saarel (3rd at Pac-12 2016) has graduated, No. 2 Zach Perrin (fourth at Pac-12 2016) appears to be on the comeback train after running No. 6 in 63rd place at Pre-Nats, and No. 3 John Dressel did not race Pre-Nats and may be out for the season with injury.
Both Stanford and Oregon are also projected to add a few men to their lineups: Stanford didn't race Fisher at Dellinger and will likely also add veteran Jack Keelan, absent at Wisco, back to the lineup for conference, while the Ducks are likely to bring All-American Matthew Maton back into the fold, who will provide a much-needed low stick.
Colorado's Zach Perrin and Ryan Forsyth talk to FloTrack after Pre-Nats:
The University of Colorado is the team to beat, as the No. 3-ranked women have won the past two titles in a row and the No. 6-ranked men have won all six team titles since joining the conference in 2011. Repeating the gender sweep for third year in a row will be tougher than ever in 2017.
Women's 6K Championship: Buffs, Ducks Rematch Set
FloXC Ranked Teams: No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Colorado, No. 7 Stanford, No. 12 Washington, No. 23 Utah, No. 25 California
Analysis: We got a taste of the Pac-12 action to come two weeks ago at the D1 Pre-Nationals Invitational in Louisville, where Oregon toppled then-No. 1 Colorado, 63 to 91 points, with a 44-second top-five spread compared to the Buffs' minute-plus differential. Colorado usually has the advantage in a smaller field like Pac-12s due to the strength and tightness of their pack, but they look vulnerable in their effort to win a third-straight title on Friday.
Watch the first round of Oregon vs. Colorado at the DI Pre-National Invitational:
Oregon's secret weapon has been the emergence of first-year cross country runner Lilli Burdon, who set PBs of 4:11 for 1500m and 15:50 for 5K as a sophomore on the track last year. She bridges the gap between frontrunner Katie Rainsberger and Nos. 3 and 4, Jessica Hull and Carmela Baez; Harvard transfer Judy Pendergast and senior Emma Abrahamson are another gap back in Nos. 5 and 6 spot, though returning All-American and last year's No. 2 at NCAAs in Alli Cash still has yet to compete and would make a huge difference if she were to toe the line on Friday.
Meanwhile, Colorado has shown all their cards already. What hurt them at Pre-Nats was redshirt freshman Madie Boreman's 36th-place finish, six places in back of Oregon's No. 5, Abrahamson. But let's remember that the race was Boreman's debut over 6K; the NCAA steeplechase runner-up has a ton of room to acclimate to the distance and narrow the gap.
Another steeplechaser, Utah's No. 6-ranked Grayson Murphy, could upset the balance up front. The individual battle should mirror the team title race with Oregon's Rainsberger and Colorado's Dani Jones headlining the field after placing fourth and third, respectively, at Pre-Nats. But Murphy, who didn't even start college as a distance runner, is on a big upswing after earning runner-up honors behind No. 1-ranked Ednah Kurgat and taking down NCAA 10K champion Charlotte Taylor at the Wisconsin Invitational. She was 16 seconds behind Kurgat both at Wisconsin and Notre Dame; at the latter event, Murphy finished just four seconds behind Jones.
Grayson Murphy reacts to her runner-up performance at Wisconsin behind Ednah Kurgat:
Defending Pac-12 champion Amy-Eloise Neale of Washington is also back for another run, though after placing sixth at Bill Dellinger and 14th at Wisconsin, she would have to make a big jump to contend for the win here.
What of the Stanford women? We ranked the Cardinal No. 2 in the preseason, but still haven't seen All-Americans Elise Cranny, Christina Aragon, and Courtney Smith perform. If any or all of those women are added to Friday's race alongside Fiona O'Keeffe and Vanessa Fraser, Stanford could be a surprise contender.
Men's 8K Championship: Can Stanford Or Oregon Stop Colorado's Streak?
FloXC Ranked Teams: No. 5 Stanford, No. 6 Colorado, No. 7 Oregon, No. 16 UCLA, No. 21 Washington State, No. 22 Washington
FloXC Ranked Individuals: No. 2 Grant Fisher (Stanford), No. 19 Robert Brandt (UCLA), No. 23 Matthew Maton (Oregon), No. 25 Joe Klecker (Colorado)
Analysis: Now that Edward Cheserek has graduated, a new men's individual Pac-12 champion will be crowned for the first time since 2012 when Lawi Lalang of Arizona captured the title. Grant Fisher of Stanford looks poised to fill the void left by Cheserek after earning runner-up honors at this meet to the Oregon star in 2016 and most recently battling No. 1-ranked Justyn Knight of Syracuse to the finish line at Wisconsin.
While Fisher's win in Springfield is all but certain -- he beat the next ranked athlete in the Pac-12, No. 19 Robert Brandt, by 12 seconds in Wisconsin -- the favorite for the men's team title is much less clear. No. 6-ranked Colorado has won the past six Pac-12 conference cross country titles in a row, but they look vulnerable after beating No. 7 Oregon by just 11 points at Pre-Nats. No. 5-ranked Stanford has not raced Colorado yet, but they defeated Oregon with less than a full squad at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, 73 to 75 points, meaning that each of the top three teams here have a legitimate shot to win.
​Watch Stanford beat Oregon by just two points at the Bill Dellinger Invitational:
Of Colorado's 2016 Pac-12 title-winning team, only Nos. 4 and 5, Ryan Forsyth and Joe Klecker, seem to be in similar or better shape than last year as the duo were 11th and ninth at Pre-Nats, respectively, compared to 15th and 24th in 2016. Last year's No. 1 Ben Saarel (3rd at Pac-12 2016) has graduated, No. 2 Zach Perrin (fourth at Pac-12 2016) appears to be on the comeback train after running No. 6 in 63rd place at Pre-Nats, and No. 3 John Dressel did not race Pre-Nats and may be out for the season with injury.
Both Stanford and Oregon are also projected to add a few men to their lineups: Stanford didn't race Fisher at Dellinger and will likely also add veteran Jack Keelan, absent at Wisco, back to the lineup for conference, while the Ducks are likely to bring All-American Matthew Maton back into the fold, who will provide a much-needed low stick.
Colorado's Zach Perrin and Ryan Forsyth talk to FloTrack after Pre-Nats: