Friday, November 15
Colfax, WA
11:00 AM
University of Oregon
at
NCAA West Region Championships
Women and Men of Oregon Qualify for NCAAs
11/15/24 | Cross Country
The 2024 NCAA Championships will take place Sat., Nov. 23, in Madison, Wis.
COLFAX, Wash. – The Oregon cross country teams earned NCAA automatic qualifying bid Friday with a pair of top-two finishes at the NCAA West Region Championships in Colfax, Wash. Backing up their Big Ten crown, the second-ranked UO women secured their 12th regional team title, and on the men's side, the No. 15 Ducks finished strong for a runner-up showing.
The 2024 cross country postseason culminates Sat., Nov. 23, with the NCAA Championships in Madison, Wis. The national meet will air on ESPNU with the women's 6K set for a 7:20 a.m. (PT) start followed by the men's 10K at 8:10 a.m.
Silan Ayyildiz, the Big Ten individual champ, and Maddy Elmore finished 2-3 and were joined in the top 10 by Anika Thompson who crossed the line in seventh place. The Ducks' top five was rounded out by Klaudia Kazimierska in 12th and freshman Ali Ince in 22nd place. All five earned all-region honors which are awarded to the top 25 overall.
Oregon sat in second place through the 2K and 3K check points but moved to the front of the standings as the field went through 4,000 meters. By that point, the team's top five were positioned inside the top 25 and held steady for the remainder of the race. The Women of Oregon last won the NCAA West title in 2018.
The Ducks' sixth and seventh runners were Ella Thorsett in 31st and Charlotte Sinke, another freshman, in 65th place overall.
On the heels of his ninth-place finish at the Big Ten meet two weeks ago, Aiden Smith crossed the finish line in fifth place Friday to pace the UO runners. Teammates Simeon Birnbaum and Elliott Cook followed in eighth and 11th places, respectively, and Oregon was the first team with three runners in. The UO top five also included Quincy Norman in 16th place, good for the second all-region honor of his career, and Benjamin Balazs in 29th place.
In the team race, the Ducks occupied the second spot through the first half of Friday's race, trailing only Stanford at each check point. Washington made a move to take over the top spot at the 6K mark which dropped Oregon to third but the top three were separated by just six points. The Ducks went from third to second over the final 1,000 meters.
In that final stretch, Smith went from third to fifth in the individual race but Birnbaum, Cook, Norman and Balazs improved their spots by a collective 12 places to get the team back into the top two to hold off Stanford, 68-73; Washington took the team title with 66 points.
Evan Dorenkamp (40th) and Tayson Echohawk (49th) crossed as Oregon's sixth and seventh runners.
All nine regionals were contested Friday with the top-two men's and women's teams from each meet advancing to the NCAA meet automatically. The entire field including at-large teams and individuals will be announced Saturday afternoon.
Meet Results
WOMEN (top 5)
1. #2 Oregon – 43
2. #12 Stanford – 67
3. #3 Washington – 101
4. #21 Gonzaga – 134
5. (RV) Portland – 156
UO Individual
2. Silan Ayyildiz – 19:19.3
3. Maddy Elmore – 19:23.7
7. Anika Thompson – 19:41.7
12. Klaudia Kazimierska – 19:48.6
22. Ali Ince – 20:06.8
31. Ella Thorsett – 20:25.5
65. Charlotte Sinke – 20:59.2
MEN (top 5)
1. #12 Washington – 66
2. #15 Oregon – 68
3. #7 Stanford – 73
4. #16 California Baptist – 99
5. #25 Portland – 102
UO Individual
5. Aiden Smith – 29:10.2
8. Simeon Birnbaum – 29:12.6
11. Elliott Cook – 29:17.0
16. Quincy Norman – 29:26.7
29. Benjamin Balazs – 29:44.2
40. Evan Dorenkamp – 29:56.6
49. Tayson Echohawk – 30:07.6
For more news and information about Oregon Cross Country and Track and Field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The 2024 cross country postseason culminates Sat., Nov. 23, with the NCAA Championships in Madison, Wis. The national meet will air on ESPNU with the women's 6K set for a 7:20 a.m. (PT) start followed by the men's 10K at 8:10 a.m.
Silan Ayyildiz, the Big Ten individual champ, and Maddy Elmore finished 2-3 and were joined in the top 10 by Anika Thompson who crossed the line in seventh place. The Ducks' top five was rounded out by Klaudia Kazimierska in 12th and freshman Ali Ince in 22nd place. All five earned all-region honors which are awarded to the top 25 overall.
Oregon sat in second place through the 2K and 3K check points but moved to the front of the standings as the field went through 4,000 meters. By that point, the team's top five were positioned inside the top 25 and held steady for the remainder of the race. The Women of Oregon last won the NCAA West title in 2018.
The Ducks' sixth and seventh runners were Ella Thorsett in 31st and Charlotte Sinke, another freshman, in 65th place overall.
On the heels of his ninth-place finish at the Big Ten meet two weeks ago, Aiden Smith crossed the finish line in fifth place Friday to pace the UO runners. Teammates Simeon Birnbaum and Elliott Cook followed in eighth and 11th places, respectively, and Oregon was the first team with three runners in. The UO top five also included Quincy Norman in 16th place, good for the second all-region honor of his career, and Benjamin Balazs in 29th place.
In the team race, the Ducks occupied the second spot through the first half of Friday's race, trailing only Stanford at each check point. Washington made a move to take over the top spot at the 6K mark which dropped Oregon to third but the top three were separated by just six points. The Ducks went from third to second over the final 1,000 meters.
In that final stretch, Smith went from third to fifth in the individual race but Birnbaum, Cook, Norman and Balazs improved their spots by a collective 12 places to get the team back into the top two to hold off Stanford, 68-73; Washington took the team title with 66 points.
Evan Dorenkamp (40th) and Tayson Echohawk (49th) crossed as Oregon's sixth and seventh runners.
All nine regionals were contested Friday with the top-two men's and women's teams from each meet advancing to the NCAA meet automatically. The entire field including at-large teams and individuals will be announced Saturday afternoon.
Meet Results
WOMEN (top 5)
1. #2 Oregon – 43
2. #12 Stanford – 67
3. #3 Washington – 101
4. #21 Gonzaga – 134
5. (RV) Portland – 156
UO Individual
2. Silan Ayyildiz – 19:19.3
3. Maddy Elmore – 19:23.7
7. Anika Thompson – 19:41.7
12. Klaudia Kazimierska – 19:48.6
22. Ali Ince – 20:06.8
31. Ella Thorsett – 20:25.5
65. Charlotte Sinke – 20:59.2
MEN (top 5)
1. #12 Washington – 66
2. #15 Oregon – 68
3. #7 Stanford – 73
4. #16 California Baptist – 99
5. #25 Portland – 102
UO Individual
5. Aiden Smith – 29:10.2
8. Simeon Birnbaum – 29:12.6
11. Elliott Cook – 29:17.0
16. Quincy Norman – 29:26.7
29. Benjamin Balazs – 29:44.2
40. Evan Dorenkamp – 29:56.6
49. Tayson Echohawk – 30:07.6
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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