Saturday, November 23
Madison, WI
7:20 AM
University of Oregon
at
NCAA Championships
Women Fifth at NCAAs, Ducks Collect Four All-Americans
11/23/24 | Cross Country
Highest national finish for the UO women since 2018.
MADISON, Wis. – Buoyed by a trio of All-Americans, the Oregon women finished fifth Saturday morning at the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wis. It was the team's highest finish since a bronze showing in 2018. In the second race of the day, the UO men finished 14th overall, up a spot from their national ranking.
Silan Ayyildiz, Maddy Elmore and Anika Thompson ran to All-America accolades, awarded to the top 40 at the NCAA Championships. For the men, Aiden Smith became an All-American in his first appearance at the national meet. They are the first cross country honors for all four Ducks.
The group features three Oregonians with Elmore (Eugene), Smith (Portland) and Thompson (Junction City).
For the third time in as many postseason races, Ayyildiz and Elmore were the first and second Oregon runners, respectively, across the finish line. Ayyildiz, the Big Ten individual champion, was 13th overall followed by Elmore who was 25th, good for a 27-spot improvement from last season's NCAA meet. For the second-consecutive meet, Thompson was third in the UO lineup. She was 32nd place in Saturday's race, up 72 spots from the 2023 national meet.
Saturday marked the 11th time for the Women of Oregon to collect three All-Americans in a single year.
The Ducks sat in eighth place through the first two-thirds of the race and moved up a spot in the team race when the runners went through the 5K mark. Over the final 1,000 meters, Oregon moved into the top five, overtaking Stanford and New Mexico. In a tight race for the podium, the Ducks were just four points behind Northern Arizona for fourth while holding off Stanford by three to secure fifth.
Klaudia Kazimierska and freshman Ali Ince rounded out the women's top-five lineup like they did at the NCAA West Region Championships just over a week ago. The duo finished 100th and 104th, respectively, on Saturday. Kazimierska posted a 30-spot improvement from a season ago.
Smith's postseason surge continued with his national performance, adding a 29th-place performance in his NCAA debut. Maintaining a top-50 spot for most of the race, Smith moved into All-American status by the 9K checkpoint—at 35th place—and closed strong to finish inside the top 30. The Portland native had a postseason run that also featured top-10 finishes at the Big Ten and NCAA West Region meets.
In another national-meet debut, redshirt freshman Simeon Birnbaum ran to a 74th-place finish. He was followed by the trio of Evan Dorenkamp (116), Elliott Cook (118) and Quincy Norman (124). Cook was in his second NCAA meet qualified as an individual last season.
Collectively, the UO men toggled between 13th and 16th for most of the race, coming through in 16th at the 8K mark. Over the next 1,000 meters, the team made up two places to 14th and held the position to the finish for its first top-15 national finish since 2019.
BYU swept the women's and men's team titles in Madison.
Meet Results
WOMEN (top 5)
1. BYU – 147
2. West Virginia – 164
3. Providence – 183
4. Northern Arizona – 206
5. Oregon – 210
UO Individual
13. Silan Ayyildiz – 19:48.2 (10)
25. Maddy Elmore – 19:55.4 (20)
32. Anika Thompson – 20:00.6 (24)
100. Klaudia Kazimierska – 20:31.8 (77)
104. Ali Ince – 20:33.0 (79)
127. Wilma Nielsen – 20:43.0 (97)
159. Mia Barnett – 20:51.9 (125)
MEN (top 5)
1. BYU – 124
2. Iowa State – 137
3. Arkansas – 202
4. Wisconsin – 212
5. Northern Arizona – 237
…
14. Oregon – 387
UO Individual
29. Aiden Smith – 29:20.9 (26)
74. Simeon Birnbaum – 29:43.4 (64)
116. Evan Dorenkamp – 29:59.3 (96)
118. Elliott Cook – 30:00.2 (98)
124. Quincy Norman – 30:02.6 (103)
155. Benjamin Balazs – 30:17.1 (126)
210. Tayson Echohawk – 30:57.9 (175)
For more news and information about Oregon Cross Country and Track and Field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Silan Ayyildiz, Maddy Elmore and Anika Thompson ran to All-America accolades, awarded to the top 40 at the NCAA Championships. For the men, Aiden Smith became an All-American in his first appearance at the national meet. They are the first cross country honors for all four Ducks.
The group features three Oregonians with Elmore (Eugene), Smith (Portland) and Thompson (Junction City).
Our All-Americans #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/4seyogQKN2
— oregontf (@OregonTF) November 23, 2024
For the third time in as many postseason races, Ayyildiz and Elmore were the first and second Oregon runners, respectively, across the finish line. Ayyildiz, the Big Ten individual champion, was 13th overall followed by Elmore who was 25th, good for a 27-spot improvement from last season's NCAA meet. For the second-consecutive meet, Thompson was third in the UO lineup. She was 32nd place in Saturday's race, up 72 spots from the 2023 national meet.
Saturday marked the 11th time for the Women of Oregon to collect three All-Americans in a single year.
The Ducks sat in eighth place through the first two-thirds of the race and moved up a spot in the team race when the runners went through the 5K mark. Over the final 1,000 meters, Oregon moved into the top five, overtaking Stanford and New Mexico. In a tight race for the podium, the Ducks were just four points behind Northern Arizona for fourth while holding off Stanford by three to secure fifth.
Klaudia Kazimierska and freshman Ali Ince rounded out the women's top-five lineup like they did at the NCAA West Region Championships just over a week ago. The duo finished 100th and 104th, respectively, on Saturday. Kazimierska posted a 30-spot improvement from a season ago.
Smith's postseason surge continued with his national performance, adding a 29th-place performance in his NCAA debut. Maintaining a top-50 spot for most of the race, Smith moved into All-American status by the 9K checkpoint—at 35th place—and closed strong to finish inside the top 30. The Portland native had a postseason run that also featured top-10 finishes at the Big Ten and NCAA West Region meets.
In another national-meet debut, redshirt freshman Simeon Birnbaum ran to a 74th-place finish. He was followed by the trio of Evan Dorenkamp (116), Elliott Cook (118) and Quincy Norman (124). Cook was in his second NCAA meet qualified as an individual last season.
Collectively, the UO men toggled between 13th and 16th for most of the race, coming through in 16th at the 8K mark. Over the next 1,000 meters, the team made up two places to 14th and held the position to the finish for its first top-15 national finish since 2019.
BYU swept the women's and men's team titles in Madison.
Meet Results
WOMEN (top 5)
1. BYU – 147
2. West Virginia – 164
3. Providence – 183
4. Northern Arizona – 206
5. Oregon – 210
UO Individual
13. Silan Ayyildiz – 19:48.2 (10)
25. Maddy Elmore – 19:55.4 (20)
32. Anika Thompson – 20:00.6 (24)
100. Klaudia Kazimierska – 20:31.8 (77)
104. Ali Ince – 20:33.0 (79)
127. Wilma Nielsen – 20:43.0 (97)
159. Mia Barnett – 20:51.9 (125)
MEN (top 5)
1. BYU – 124
2. Iowa State – 137
3. Arkansas – 202
4. Wisconsin – 212
5. Northern Arizona – 237
…
14. Oregon – 387
UO Individual
29. Aiden Smith – 29:20.9 (26)
74. Simeon Birnbaum – 29:43.4 (64)
116. Evan Dorenkamp – 29:59.3 (96)
118. Elliott Cook – 30:00.2 (98)
124. Quincy Norman – 30:02.6 (103)
155. Benjamin Balazs – 30:17.1 (126)
210. Tayson Echohawk – 30:57.9 (175)
For more news and information about Oregon Cross Country and Track and Field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Aaliyah McCormick | NCAA 100M Hurdles National Champion
Thursday, June 19
Matti Erickson | NCAA 800M Runner Up
Saturday, June 14
Hayward Field History
Thursday, June 12
2024-25 Oregon Track & Field Intro Video
Thursday, June 12
