FloAwards: Allie Ostrander and Colorado Buffaloes Dominate Wisco, Pre-Nats
FloAwards: Allie Ostrander and Colorado Buffaloes Dominate Wisco, Pre-Nats
After a thrilling NCAA weekend filled with breakthrough performances, the FloTrack staff has picked the top runners and teams who stood out the most from the Wisconsin adidas Invitational and the Pre-National Invitational. FloAwards:
FloFrosh
Allie Ostrander (Boise State)
Boise State’s standout newcomer officially solidified herself as an NCAA title contender at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational after claiming the win in a new course record of 19:19. The previous course record of 19:31 was set by Dartmouth NCAA Champion Abbey D’Agostino. On her way to victory, Ostrander took down NCAA 10K Champion Molly Seidel and NCAA Indoor Champion Dominique Scott. Ostrander’s performance is a huge step up for the freshman who recently finished runner-up to Cal’s Bethan Knights at the Roy Griak Invitational.
Jonah Koech (UTEP)
The UTEP men’s team had an increase in depth this year thanks to the arrival of newcomer Jonah Koech. The young Miner finished fourth at the Pre-National Invitational, behind All American Thomas Curtin (1st), NCAA Champion Edward Cheserek (2nd) and teammate Anthony Rotich (3rd). Koech, an Eldoret, Kenya transplant, is from the same hometown as NCAA steeplechase champion Rotich, who claimed on Saturday that Koech has played a large part in building a strong UTEP team contingent.
Sharon Lokedi (Kansas)
A surprise performance from up-and-coming Kansas runner Sharon Lokedi turned heads at the Pre-National Invitational when she finished fourth overall in a field that included All Americans Erin Clark, Hannah Everson, and Chelsea Blaase. Lokedi competed in indoor and outdoor track in the spring, but has proven that she has the potential to hang with the best competitors after breaking through at Pre-Nationals.
FloTeam
New Mexico
The No. 1 Lady Lobos continued their dominance at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational with a team win of 32 points over runner-up Arkansas who scored 188 points. New Mexico’s top five, led by a fourth-place finish from Courtney Frerichs, was rounded out by a fifth-place finish from Rhona Auckland, a sixth-place finish from Calli Thackery, a seventh-place finish from Alice Wright, and a 10th-place finish from Molly Renfer. To show how deep New Mexico’s team stands, the Lobos would have still won the competition if their sixth and seventh runners (50th, 73rd) were scored. The team would have racked up 155 points, which would still be significantly lower than runner-up Arkansas’ 188 points. Watch the New Mexico squad react to their team win in Madison.
Colorado
The No. 1 Colorado Buffaloes made their debut against ranked teams on Saturday at the Pre-National Invitational where they won the team competition with 89 points, 62 points lower than runner-up Oregon. The Buffaloes were led by a fifth-place finish from All American Pierce Murphy, and were rounded out by a ninth-place finish from Connor Winter, a 14th-place finish from Ammar Moussa, a 15th-place finish from Morgan Pearson, and a 46th-place finish from John Dressel. Despite a group fall 400m into the race, No. 4 and No. 5 runners Morgan Pearson and John Dressel managed to finish high enough to claim another team victory for the Buffalo squad. Watch the post-race interview where Pearson and No. 6 runner Ryan Forsyth discuss the race.
Syracuse
The No. 2 men of Syracuse claimed a dominant team victory at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational led by a standout runner-up finish from sophomore Justyn Knight. The Orange squad accumulated 101 points with a runner-up finish from Knight, a fourth-place finish from Martin Hehir, a sixth-place finish from Colin Bennie, and a 28th-place finish from Joel Hubbard. The only squad that came close to contending with Syracuse was BYU, who trailed with 186 points and had their No. 1 runner, Dallin Farnsworth finish 16th overall. Watch the interview with the Syracuse squad following their victory.
FloPerformer
Thomas Curtin (Virginia Tech)
Virginia Tech’s All American made a bold statement Saturday at the Pre-National Invitational when he claimed the individual victory over NCAA Champion Edward Cheserek. Curtin took off alone from the gun, leading 50 meters ahead of the pack at the mile mark and extending his lead throughout the race in Louisville. By the finish line, Curtin had the victory secured by four seconds in a winning time of 23:18. Curtin did not compete at the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships, but if his performance on Saturday is any indication, the Hokie has the potential to earn his first cross country All American honor in November. Watch Curtin’s reaction to winning Saturday’s race.
Erin Clark (Colorado)
The junior from Colorado stepped up on Saturday at the Pre-National Invitational with an individual win over Air Force’s Hannah Everson and Tennessee’s Chelsea Blaase. Clark was returning from winning the Rocky Mountain Shootout in the second-fastest time behind Jenny (Barringer) Simpson on the Boulder course. Clark’s performance on Saturday catapulted her to No. 5 on the Saucony Flo50 XC rankings. Watch Clark react to her breakthrough performance in Louisville.
Marc Scott (Tulsa)
The senior from Tulsa unleashed a monster kick at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational to claim the individual title in 23:35, which led the men’s team to an eighth-place finish Friday in Madison. Scott boasts a 28:30 10K on the track, and finished 14th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2014. After Friday’s win, Scott jumped to No. 5 on the Saucony Flo50 XC Rankings. Watch the Tulsa standout react to winning the invitational on Friday.