Men's Cross Country Teams 2007, 2008 (2019) - Hall of Fame

Men's Cross Country Teams 2007, 2008

Induction:
2019

The men’s national championship cross teams of 2007 and 2008 heralded a renaissance of running in TrackTown USA. Two-time USTFCCCA national coach of the year Vin Lananna assembled a cavalry of distance superstars such as Galen Rupp, Shadrack Biwott, Matthew Centrowitz, Luke Puskedra, A.J. Acosta and Andrew Wheating, among many others. The victory by the 2007 squad signaled that running was back at the University of Oregon. After winning their second straight Pac-10 title thanks to a 1-2 finish from Biwott and Rupp, the Ducks set off for the national championships in Terre Haute, Ind. All five scorers earned All-America honors as the Ducks celebrated their first NCAA title since 1977. Rupp finished as the national runner-up, with Biwott running ninth, Diego Mercado 30^th, Kenny Klotz 37th, and Daniel Mercado 41st. Acosta (117^th) and Scott Wall (162^nd) also represented the Ducks. Oregon’s 85 points easily outpaced second-place Iona’s 113. A year later in 2008, the Ducks again prevailed as Pac-10 champions with Rupp winning his second career individual league crown. Rupp then led Oregon at the national championships, where he won the first of his NCAA-record six distance national titles during the 2008-09 academic year. After being denied a year earlier, Rupp made his move on Liberty’s Sam Chelenga with 200 meters remaining and crossed the line in first in 29:03.2. While Rupp was again the Ducks’ pacesetter, the roster behind him was significantly revamped from the previous year. Puskedra, a freshman, was fifth for the Ducks, while Biwott was ninth. Oregon also counted a 45th-place finish from Centrowitz and a 54th-place showing from Diego Mercado. Other Duck finishers Klotz in 66th and Wheating in 75th at 30:40.3 as all seven Oregon harriers finished in the top 75. The Ducks won with 93 points to handily defeat Iona, which finished with 147. It was the first back-to-back titles for the Ducks since 1973 and 1974 teams that were led by the legendary Steve Prefontaine.