XC Weekend Recap: How’d the Top 10 in NCAA DI, DII and DIII Do?

By Kyle Terwillegar, USTFCCCA
September 8, 2014

NEW ORLEANS – All three NCAA Divisions were in action this weekend for the first time this fall, including many national top-10 teams begining or continuing their drives for national titles.
How did each of them do this weekend? We’ve gathered all the results from the top-10 teams in Division I, Division II and Division III this weekend in one place for you so you can find out for yourself!
Check out the full slate of results in the USTFCCCA InfoZone, and check back in this afternoon for National Athletes of the Week.
Division I

MEN

A week after running its annual time trials, defending champion No. 1 Colorado kept most of its top guys on the sideline as it finished runner-up to Colorado State at the Colorado State Invitational, 24-37…Results
No. 2 Northern Arizona wins 2014 home-opening George Kyte Classic, as Matt McElroy takes the individual win and many of NAU’s top runners compete unattached… Results
No. 3 Oregon opened its 2014 season with a comfortable 20-46 win over Michigan State (receiving Votes) – behind the individual win by defending national champion Edward Cheserek – at its home Bill Dellinger Invitational. The Ducks put seven runners in the top 10… Results
No. 6 Indiana kicked off its season with a dual-meet victory over Tennessee Tech at the Indiana Open, 15-74, as Kieran Reilly took the win in front of a tight pack of five Hoosiers… Results
No.7 Portland debuted with a dual meet 19-36 victory over Illinois in Kelso, Washington, of all places… Results
No. 8 Syracuse took 11 of the top 12 spots – including an individual win by frosh Shawn Wilson – as the Orange scored a perfect 15 to win the Colgate Harry Lang Invitational… Results
No. 9 BYU debuted with a win at the Utah Open as it placed four in the top 10 to outscore runner-up Boise State, 34-45… Results
WOMEN

While the top-10 football match-up between Oregon and Michigan State went to the Ducks, the better-equipped No. 6 Michigan State women’s cross country opened their season with a 20-46-68 win at the Bill Dellinger Invitational over Portland and No. 2 Oregon – which elected to not run a majority of its top runners at its home invitational. The Spartans took six of the top 10 spots, led by winner Rachele Schulist and runner-up Leah O’Connor – an NCAA steeplechase champion on the track in the spring. After missing last year, 2012 Big Ten Champ Sara Kroll finished sixth. Oregon’s top runner was former UConn transfer Lindsay Crevoiserat… Results
No. 7 Arkansas women dominated UC Irvine Invitational as Dominique Scott and Grace Heymsfield lead nine Razorbacks in the top 10… Results
No. 8 Colorado squeaked out a victory over Colorado State at the Colorado State Invitational, 32-24. Jenny DeSouchet led three Buffaloes in the top six. Results
Top individual returner Emma Bates of Boise State debuted with a dominant win at the Utah Open… Results

Division II



Men

Kevin Batt, Matt Daniels and defending national champion Tabor Stevens lead two-time reigning champion No. 1 Adams State to a perfect 15 points in its season opener at its own Joe I. Vigil Open… Results
No. 3 Western State won the Division II competition (one race between Divisions I and II, but scored separately) over RMAC rivals No. 5 Colorado Mines and No. 10 Metro State, 26-31-88. The Western State duo of Keifer Johnson and Ian Butler took first and third individually, respectively, while Colorado Mines had Phil Schneider and Marty Andrie in fifth and sixth… Results
One of the nation’s top returners from a year ago, Johnnie Guy, opened his season with both an individual and team win at his home Southern Indiana Stegemoller Classic as the No. 6 Screaming Eagles won with a perfect score of 15… Results
With several of its top runners in action for the 2014 debut, No. 7 Augustana (S.D.) finished fourth among non-Division I programs at its home invitational as the Vikings ran the race at a controlled, restrained tempo. Central Region rival No. 17 Sioux Falls tied NJCAA member Iowa Central for the non-Division I competition win with 68 points with two runners in the top four… Results
No.8 Alaska Anchorage dominated the Big Wave Invitational at Hawaii by sweeping the top eight positions, led by the trio of Henry Cheseto, Dylan Anthony and Dominik Notz… Results
No. 9 Shippensburg won its Galen Piper Cross Country Challenge to open up its 2014 season, including a runner-up finish by indoor mile champion Brayden Burleigh… Results
WOMEN

Beginning its quest to improve on its national runner-up finish a year ago, No. 2 Adams State took its home Joe I. Vigil Open with a near-perfect 16-point score behind individual winner Lauren Martin – a two-time track champ in 2014 and the No. 2 individual returner from the 2013 NCAA XC meet… Results
Running without its top squad, No. 3 Western State finished runner-up in the Division II competition at the Colorado State Invitational to No. 24 Colorado Mines, 27-28. No. 7 Metro State also brought a small contingent, but not one big enough to register a team score… Results
Like their men’s teammates, the No. 6 Augustana (S.D.) women debuted at their home Twilight Invitational, finishing runner-up among non-Division I programs with a likewise controlled, restrained effort. The Vikings finished back-to-back-to-back-to-back in eighth through 10th. Dordt of the NAIA took the non-DI crown, 46-60… Results
No official team score was kept, but No. 9 Saginaw Valley State swept the top three spots and five of the first 10 at the Ferris State Ray Helsing Bulldog Invitational, led by winner Emily Short… Results
No. 10 Winona State kicked off its season with a resounding win at the Saint Mary (Minn.) Alumin Open, sweeping the first 11 spots led by winner Jordan Skelly… Results

Division III

MEN

Defending national champion No. 1 St. Olaf ran its first home meet of the season, posting a score of 16 points to defeat the St. Olaf Alumni and Macalester. Third-place nationally both in 2012 and 2013, Grant Wintheiser led the way for the individual win with six other current Oles in the top 10… Results
Many of the top runners who debuted for No. 2 North Central (Ill.) a week ago sat this weekend out, but no matter as the Cardinals still claimed the Aurora Spartan Classic, 44-57, over host Aurora… Results
No. 4 UW-Eau Claire opened up its season of high expectations at its UWEC Alumni Open. Minnesota transfer Josh Thorson took the win… Results
The No. 5 Central (Iowa) men opened up their 2014 campaign with a 25-35 win over Loras at their own home Dutch Invitational, though without top runner Eli Horton and several other key runners… Results
Like its rivals from Eau Claire, No. 9 UW-Platteville opened its season with an Alumni Meet… Results
WOMEN

Ultimately the only Division III women’s top-10 team in action this weekend, No. 5 Oberlin took down Division II competition to win the Edinboro Doug Watts Open over Ashland and No. 14 Edinboro, 45-50-51. The Yeowomen’s top five all finished within the 10 10 individual finishers, led by fourth-place Emma Lehman… Results