Nov. 10, 2007
Eugene, Ore. - The Washington State University men's cross country team finished eighth overall at the NCAA West Regional Championships led by a junior Drew Polley and senior Andrew Jones, while Sara Trané and Isley Gonzalez led the WSU women, Saturday at Springfield Country Club in Eugene, Ore.
"Of the men, Drew, Andrew and Alex, the top three were in there competing but we didn't quite have the depth that we needed from our fourth and fifth runners to place higher," WSU Head Coach Jason Drake said.
Polley finished the race 25th in a time of 30:49.10 and Jones crossed the line in 27th place in 30:51.60. Other WSU runners earning team points included senior Alex Grant (34th), redshirt freshman Daniel Geib (55th), and redshirt sophomore Sam Ahlbeck (82nd). Also racing for the Cougars were Dominic Smargiassi (84th) and Luke Lemenager (105th).
Oregon runner Galen Rupp won the 10,000m men's race in a time of 29:35.45, helping Oregon claim the team title with 47 points. Teammate Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott was two spots back in third, and all five Oregon runners finished in the top-20 individually. Portland was the second-place team with 76 points, and three runners finishing in the top five.
In the women's race the top three Cougar runners finished within eight seconds of each other. Sophomore Sara Trané placed 31st (21:16.10), senior Isley Gonzalez was 34th (21:17.90), and junior Meghan Leonard finished 36th (21:24.05). Rounding out the Cougar scorers was Collier Lawrence (59th) and Lisa Egami (90th). Ashlee Wall (98th) and Chelsea VanDeBrake (140th) also competed in Eugene.
"On the women's side through our top three runners, Sara, Isley and Meghan, all had good races today," said Drake.
The 6,000m women's race title belonged to Pacific-10 powerhouse Stanford. The Cardinal finished the race with 33 team points. Stanford runner Teresa McWalters took the individual title with a time of 19:57.30, followed by teammates in third and fifth places. Oregon was the second-place team with a total of 77 points.
"Overall, both men and women did what we were supposed to do; it was just that other teams ran really well today," said Drake. "I'm pretty pleased. It's always fun to beat the Huskies, which we did on the men's side."
The at-large individual invitations to the NCAA Cross Country Championships (Nov. 21, Terre Haute, Ind.) will be issued Sunday, Nov. 12.
Men's NCAA West Regionals, Springfield Country Club, Portland, Ore.
(10,000m)
November 10, 2007
Men's Top Team Results:
1. Oregon 47; 2. Portland 76; 3. Stanford 100; 4. California 112; 5. Cal Poly 116; 6.Arizona State 141; 7. UCLA 142;
8. Washington State 220; 9. UC Santa Barbara 224; 10. Washington 233.
Top Five Individuals: 1. Galen Rupp (Oregon) 29:35.45; 2. David Kinsella (Portland) 29:45.70; 3. Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott (Oregon) 30:03.50; 4. John Moore (Portland) 30:05.70; 5. Michael Kilburg (Portland) 30:06.90.
WSU Results: 25. Drew Polley 30:49.10; 27. Andrew Jones 30:51.60; 34 Alex Grant 31:03.75; 55. Danield Geib 31:36.60; 82. Sam Ahlbeck 32:17.10; 84. Dominic Smargiassi 32:19.85; 105. Luke Lemenager 32:44.40.
Women's NCAA West Regionals, Springfield Country Club, Eugene, Ore.
(6,000m)
November 10, 2007
Women's Top Team Results: 1. Stanford 33; 2. Oregon 77; 3. Arizona State 106; 4. Washington 118; 5. UC Santa Barbara 143; 6. Washington State 249; 7. Portland 250; 8. UC Riverside 304; 9. California 328; 10. Long Beach State 334.
Top Five Individuals: 1. Teresa McWalters (Stanford) 19:57.30; 2. Nicole Blood (Oregon) 20:05.35; 3. Alex Gits (Stanford) 20:23.40; 4. Anita Campbell (Washington) 20:23.40; 5. Arianna Lambie (Stanford) 20:31.25.
WSU Results: 31. Sara Trané 21:16.10; 34. Isley Gonzalez 21:17.90; 36. Meghan Leonard 21:24.05; 59. Collier Lawrence 21:46.25; 90. Lisa Egami 22:10.15; 98. Ashlee Wall 22:20.10; 140. Chelsea VanDeBrake 22:57.55.
