Ducks Host Bill Dellinger Invitational

EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon cross country team hosts the 19^th Bill Dellinger Invitational Friday morning at the Pine Ridge Golf Club in Springfield, Ore. The meet starts with the men's 8K at 11:15 a.m. followed by the women's 6K at 12 p.m.

The Dellinger Invitational will be streamed live by RunnerSpace.

Spectator parking with a free shuttle service is located at the Willamette Leadership Academy. Shuttles will run continuously starting at 8:45 a.m. Fans will be dropped off and picked up at the main clubhouse. Click HERE for full details about the park-and-ride shuttle service.

The Women of Oregon enter the race as the fourth-ranked team in the country while the UO men check in at No. 14 in the latest USTFCCCA national poll. The men's field will also feature No. 23 Air Force.

The Full Field
Air Force
California
Central Washington
Oregon
Oregon State (women)
Saint Mary's (men)
San Diego State (women)
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC Riverside
UCLA
Weber State

The Dellinger Invitational will be Oregon's first meet since Sept. 26, the Cowboy Jamboree for the men and the Gans Creeks Classic for the women. At the latter, junior Juliet Cherubet ran to a fifth-place finish in her Oregon cross country debut and went on to be named Big Ten Athlete of the Week. She navigated the 6K course—site of the NCAA Championships—in 19:20.3.

Both teams finished sixth in the respective race standings.

Cherubet, Diana Cherotich and Anika Thompson are scheduled to be among the women's entries Friday. It would be the UO cross debut for Cherotich who competed for the Ducks this past outdoor season and was the Big Ten champion at 10,000 meters. Thompson was an All-American last season, finishing 32^nd at the NCAA Championships in Madison, Wis.

On the men's side, Aiden Smith, Simeon Birnbaum and Benjamin Balazs are among those set to make their season debuts. All three were part of the Ducks' lineup at last year's NCAA meet where Smith ran to All-America honors with a 29^th-place finish.

The Oregon men have won the Dellinger team race 11 times to go along with seven individual titles both most recently in 2022. The UO women have 10 Dellinger team titles—last in 2022—and eight individual champions; Maddy Elmore won last season.

Friday will also be the final tune-up competition before the start of the postseason. The 2025 Big Ten Cross Country Championships are set for Friday, Oct. 31, hosted by Michigan State.

For more news and information about Oregon cross country and track and field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.