Washington State University Athletics
WSU XC Men's Team Fourth at NCAA West Regionals
November 13, 2015 | Cross Country
SEATTLE -- John Whelan and Michael Williams' second and third-place finishes, respectively, led the unranked Washington State men's team to a surprising fourth place at the NCAA West Regionals Cross Country Championships Friday afternoon at a rain-soaked Jefferson Park Golf Course in Seattle. The WSU women's team finished 11th out of 35 teams.
Whelan, a junior from Etna, Calif., ran the 10,000m in a time of 30 minutes, 54.9 seconds with Williams, a sophomore from Richland, Wash., third in a time of 31:05.4. Oregon's Edward Cheserek won in a time of 30:43.2. The other WSU men's scoring were Sam Levora, a sophomore from Sandpoint, Idaho, 32nd (31:52.8), Nathan Tadesse, a freshman from Surrey, British Columbia, 37th (31:56.0), and Chandler Teigen, a freshman from Anatone, Wash., 51st (32:06.8). Other Cougars racing included Jake Finney, a freshman from Post Falls, Idaho, 95th (33:03.9), and Nathan Wadhwani, a freshman from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, 107th (33:17.5).
Whelan went out early with the front pack and led the race at the halfway point with Williams close behind. At the 8000m mark, Cheserek took the lead with Whelan in second and Williams third.
“I wanted to get up to the front, stay out of trouble, and essentially out-last people. That's a strategy that usually works in a 10k cross,” Whelan, the Cougar men's team captain, said. “I think a lot of people, because of the conditions, were a little reluctant to get after it but I was in a position to take the lead and push the pace and for the most part, people just let me go. People thought it was harder to run (in the muddy conditions) than it actually was. It was exciting watching Michael finish right behind me and then the rest of the team not too far behind. There were a lot of Coug fans on the course and then a lot of people who became Coug fans during the race, which was exciting.”
No. 17 Washington won the men's team title for the first time in school history, with 63 points, followed by No. 4 Stanford at 83 and No. 3 Oregon with 99 points. WSU, not nationally ranked and sixth in the West Region rankings after a sixth-place finish at the Pac-12 Conference Championships, took fourth place with 125 points followed by No. 24 Boise State at 137. There were 30 men's team at the West Regional.
The Washington and Stanford men's teams automatically advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships Nov. 21 at Louisville, Ky. The top four individuals not on a qualifying team also automatically advance. There will be an additional 13 teams and two individuals chosen by an NCAA subcommittee for at-large selection that will be announced Saturday, Nov. 14. The last time a WSU men's team competed at the NCAA XC Championships was in 2011, when the unranked Cougars, under the direction of Pete Julian, finished fourth at the NCAA West Regionals at Stanford and went on to place 21st at the NCAA Championships
Senior CharLee Linton led the WSU women with her 47th place finish in a time of 21:32.2. The other Cougar women scorers and their overall places were Devon Bortfeld 53rd (21:37.2), Morgan Willson 66th (21:51.3), Emily Dwyer 81st (22:07.2), and Katherine Dittmann 99th (22:18.7). Also competing were Steffie Pavey 145th (22:52.3) and Anisa Allaet 179th (23:22.6). Allie Ostrander from Boise State, was the women's individual winner with a time of 20:10.9.
No. 4 Oregon and No. 9 Boise State finished one-two in the women's team standings with the Ducks squeaking by the Broncos 79-80. The other top placing women's teams included No. 12 Washington 105, No. 11 Stanford 121, San Francisco 182, No. 30 Gonzaga 224, California 234, Arizona State 243, Portland 286, UCLA 334, and WSU 343.
“It was a great race for both sides. Just a testament to all of their hard work and commitment to the program. I am extremely proud of the way they competed in adverse conditions,” WSU Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Wayne Phipps said. “We had hoped for a top ten women's finish but 11th is a fantastic finish in such a tough region. CharLee led us once again; she got caught way back in the pack and moved up close to a 100 spots to finish 47th. The men were awesome and fourth in the toughest region in the nation is an incredible accomplishment. Michael and John ran brilliant races and their supporting staff battled the entire race which was a key in our team's success. Our work is not done; getting to nationals is just the first step as we have high expectations for ourselves in Louisville. We are much better prepared for 10km than 8km and it showed today. We will get up early tomorrow morning for our long run and be ready to roll in Louisville.”
The NCAA Cross Country Championships are Saturday, Nov. 21, at the E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky.
Players Mentioned
