Friday, November 1
Savoy, IL
8:35 AM
University of Oregon
at
Big Ten Championships
Photo by: Craig Pessman
Women of Oregon Win Big Ten Cross Country Title
11/01/24 | Cross Country
Silan Ayyildiz was the 2024 Big Ten individual champion.
SAVOY, Ill. – The Oregon women's cross country team won the 2024 Big Ten team title Friday at the Orange and Blue Golf Course in Savoy, Ill. Powered by a 1-2 finish by Silan Ayyildiz and Maddy Elmore, the Ducks captured the program's 11th conference crown in cross country and the university's first title as a member of the Big Ten.
"We picked winning this championship, specifically, as a main goal and focus this season," UO assistant coach Shalane Flangan said following the race. "Coming into the Big Ten, we wanted to make sure we were contributing to an already great conference.
"Nine weeks ago, we sat in Park City, Utah, and they told me they wanted to win this meet and we wanted to be a contender at nationals. I believed them and I'm here to facilitate. They're very driven and I'm just here to support what they want to do and their goals."
The UO men placed three runners inside the top 10 and came away with a bronze finish in the team standings. Oregon and Washington both scored 58 points but the Ducks finished third overall on head-to-head results.
Collectively, the Ducks tallied 11 all-conference performers with first-team honors for Ayyildiz, Elmore, Mia Barnett, Simeon Birnbaum, Elliott Cook and Aiden Smith. Second-team accolades went to Klaudia Kazimierska, Anika Thompson and Tayson Echohawk.
Birnbaum and Echohawk also garnered all-freshman nods. Ali Ince and Charlotte Sinke also posted all-freshman efforts for the UO women.
All-conference selections are based on individual finish with first through 10th landing on the first team and places 11 through 20 on the second team. The top-five freshmen in each race earned spots on the all-freshman teams.
With Friday's performance, Ayyildiz becomes the UO women's first conference champion since Jordan Hasay won the Pac-12 title in 2010. Ayyildiz crossed the finish in 19:13.6, leading a quartet of women under the previous Big Ten meet record of 19:26.3 set by Leah O'Connor of Michigan State in 2014.
Behind Ayyildiz and Elmore, the team's top-five lineup also featured Barnett in seventh, Kazimierska in 11th and Thompson in 12th overall. Wilma Nilsen and Ince, the Ducks' sixth and seventh runners across the line, respectively, were 21st and 25th in the race. Ince was the second freshman in the field to finish.
Through the first kilometer, Penn State held a slim lead over both Oregon and Washington with all three separated by just five points. The Ducks took over the team standings for good by the second checkpoint at just under 2,000 meters.
The Ducks' winning total of 33 points was the lowest score since Michigan State's 26 points in 2014.
Sinke finished 49th overall to secure her spot on the all-freshman team.
On the men's side, Birnbaum and Cook were the only teammates to finish inside the top five with their fourth- and fifth-place respective showings. Smith finished ninth to give Oregon a third top-10 runner and mark a 14-spot improvement from last year's Pac-12 meet. All three of the Ducks' top three were sub-23:00 in Friday's race.
Echohawk, in 17th place, and Evan Dorenkamp, in 23rd place, rounded out the team's top five. Though a newcomer to the Ducks, Dorenkamp was familiar with the Big Ten field as a graduate transfer from Penn State. Benjamin Balazs, the next UO runner, finished in 29th overall to give the team a sixth runner inside the top 30.
"I think we showed really well up front," head coach Jerry Schumacher said. "Our top two to three guys were right there with the best in the conference and that's a really good sign. We still have to work on putting it together in the back with a little more depth. We're still pretty young back there but they're coming on really well so I'm pleased with that.
"We tried to have a balancing act to put us in the best position to win and came up a little bit short today but I thought our team ran really well."
Oregon worked its way into the team lead at the 5K mark before Wisconsin, now the league's seven-time defending champion, made its collective move to the front. The Badgers' Bob Liking won a fourth-consecutive individual title.
Up next: The Ducks' postseason continues at the NCAA West Region Championships (Nov. 15) in Colfax, Wash. The top-two teams at the regional meet earn an automatic spot at the NCAA Championships. The at-large qualifiers will be announced when the entire national field is announced later that weekend.
Meet Results
WOMEN (top 5)
1. #17 Oregon – 33
2. #2 Washington – 60
3. #11 Wisconsin – 133
4. #24 Penn State – 134
5. #22 Minnesota - 146
UO Individual
1. Silan Ayyildiz – 19:13.6
2. Maddy Elmore – 19:14.6
7. Mia Barnett – 19:35.9
11. Klaudia Kazimierska – 19:41.4
12. Anika Thompson – 19:41.6
21. Wilma Nielsen – 19:50.8
25. Ali Ince – 19:58.0
49. Charlotte Sinke – 20:16.6
51. Ella Nelson – 20:19.6
57. Ella Thorsett – 20:24.6
84. Samantha McDonnell – 20:48.7
133. Harper McClain – 21:25.8
MEN (top 5)
1. #9 Wisconsin – 46
2. #18 Washington – 58
3. #25 Oregon – 58
4. Michigan State – 125
5. Michigan – 158
UO Individual
4. Simeon Birnbaum – 22:57.2
5. Elliott Cook – 22:57.6
9. Aiden Smith – 22:59.4
17. Tayson Echohawk – 23:08.3
23. Evan Dorenkamp – 23:13.5
29. Benjamin Balazs – 23:19.2
41. Evan Burke – 23:33.3
42. Quincy Norman – 23:33.8
51. James Harding – 23:42.4
For more news and information about Oregon Cross Country and Track and Field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
"We picked winning this championship, specifically, as a main goal and focus this season," UO assistant coach Shalane Flangan said following the race. "Coming into the Big Ten, we wanted to make sure we were contributing to an already great conference.
"Nine weeks ago, we sat in Park City, Utah, and they told me they wanted to win this meet and we wanted to be a contender at nationals. I believed them and I'm here to facilitate. They're very driven and I'm just here to support what they want to do and their goals."
The UO men placed three runners inside the top 10 and came away with a bronze finish in the team standings. Oregon and Washington both scored 58 points but the Ducks finished third overall on head-to-head results.
Collectively, the Ducks tallied 11 all-conference performers with first-team honors for Ayyildiz, Elmore, Mia Barnett, Simeon Birnbaum, Elliott Cook and Aiden Smith. Second-team accolades went to Klaudia Kazimierska, Anika Thompson and Tayson Echohawk.
Birnbaum and Echohawk also garnered all-freshman nods. Ali Ince and Charlotte Sinke also posted all-freshman efforts for the UO women.
All-conference selections are based on individual finish with first through 10th landing on the first team and places 11 through 20 on the second team. The top-five freshmen in each race earned spots on the all-freshman teams.
With Friday's performance, Ayyildiz becomes the UO women's first conference champion since Jordan Hasay won the Pac-12 title in 2010. Ayyildiz crossed the finish in 19:13.6, leading a quartet of women under the previous Big Ten meet record of 19:26.3 set by Leah O'Connor of Michigan State in 2014.
Behind Ayyildiz and Elmore, the team's top-five lineup also featured Barnett in seventh, Kazimierska in 11th and Thompson in 12th overall. Wilma Nilsen and Ince, the Ducks' sixth and seventh runners across the line, respectively, were 21st and 25th in the race. Ince was the second freshman in the field to finish.
Through the first kilometer, Penn State held a slim lead over both Oregon and Washington with all three separated by just five points. The Ducks took over the team standings for good by the second checkpoint at just under 2,000 meters.
The Ducks' winning total of 33 points was the lowest score since Michigan State's 26 points in 2014.
Sinke finished 49th overall to secure her spot on the all-freshman team.
On the men's side, Birnbaum and Cook were the only teammates to finish inside the top five with their fourth- and fifth-place respective showings. Smith finished ninth to give Oregon a third top-10 runner and mark a 14-spot improvement from last year's Pac-12 meet. All three of the Ducks' top three were sub-23:00 in Friday's race.
Echohawk, in 17th place, and Evan Dorenkamp, in 23rd place, rounded out the team's top five. Though a newcomer to the Ducks, Dorenkamp was familiar with the Big Ten field as a graduate transfer from Penn State. Benjamin Balazs, the next UO runner, finished in 29th overall to give the team a sixth runner inside the top 30.
"I think we showed really well up front," head coach Jerry Schumacher said. "Our top two to three guys were right there with the best in the conference and that's a really good sign. We still have to work on putting it together in the back with a little more depth. We're still pretty young back there but they're coming on really well so I'm pleased with that.
"We tried to have a balancing act to put us in the best position to win and came up a little bit short today but I thought our team ran really well."
Oregon worked its way into the team lead at the 5K mark before Wisconsin, now the league's seven-time defending champion, made its collective move to the front. The Badgers' Bob Liking won a fourth-consecutive individual title.
Up next: The Ducks' postseason continues at the NCAA West Region Championships (Nov. 15) in Colfax, Wash. The top-two teams at the regional meet earn an automatic spot at the NCAA Championships. The at-large qualifiers will be announced when the entire national field is announced later that weekend.
Meet Results
WOMEN (top 5)
1. #17 Oregon – 33
2. #2 Washington – 60
3. #11 Wisconsin – 133
4. #24 Penn State – 134
5. #22 Minnesota - 146
UO Individual
1. Silan Ayyildiz – 19:13.6
2. Maddy Elmore – 19:14.6
7. Mia Barnett – 19:35.9
11. Klaudia Kazimierska – 19:41.4
12. Anika Thompson – 19:41.6
21. Wilma Nielsen – 19:50.8
25. Ali Ince – 19:58.0
49. Charlotte Sinke – 20:16.6
51. Ella Nelson – 20:19.6
57. Ella Thorsett – 20:24.6
84. Samantha McDonnell – 20:48.7
133. Harper McClain – 21:25.8
MEN (top 5)
1. #9 Wisconsin – 46
2. #18 Washington – 58
3. #25 Oregon – 58
4. Michigan State – 125
5. Michigan – 158
UO Individual
4. Simeon Birnbaum – 22:57.2
5. Elliott Cook – 22:57.6
9. Aiden Smith – 22:59.4
17. Tayson Echohawk – 23:08.3
23. Evan Dorenkamp – 23:13.5
29. Benjamin Balazs – 23:19.2
41. Evan Burke – 23:33.3
42. Quincy Norman – 23:33.8
51. James Harding – 23:42.4
For more news and information about Oregon Cross Country and Track and Field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Players Mentioned
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