Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Rainsberger, UO Women Shine in Season Debut
Katie Rainsberger shattered the
meet record to lead a 1-2-3 finish for the Ducks as the Women of Oregon
opened up the season with a win and the Men of Oregon took third at the
12th annual Bill Dellinger Invitational
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EUGENE, Ore. - The
Women of Oregon opened their 2017 cross country season with a victory
at the 12th annual Bill Dellinger Invitational behind a record-breaking
performance from sophomore standout Katie Rainsberger, while the Men of Oregon placed third on Friday at Springfield Country Club.
How it Happened - Women (6K): Coming off a fourth-place NCAA finish as a freshman last year, Rainsberger shattered the previous meet record by 37 seconds in a winning time of 18:47.6, leading a 1-2-3 finish for the Ducks with redshirt freshman Lilli Burdon (19:05.8) and junior Jessica Hull (19:07.8). Junior transfer Carmela Cardama Baez placed 12th overall in 19:24.3, and fellow transfer Susan Ejore rounded out the scorers for the Ducks in 15th (19:35.2). The Women of Oregon finished with 33 points to win the meet handily ahead of Stanford's 66.
Rainsberger was in command from the start, jumping out front early and finishing 18 seconds ahead of teammates Burdon and Hull.
"I was a little surprised with myself actually," Rainsberger said. "I got 400meters
into the race and was like, 'wow, this feels really in control and
really relaxed I think I'm just going to go and see how it feels.' It's
always a little nerve wracking to go from the front, but the early
season meets are just learning experiences and seeing what you can do.
Today I really wanted to see where I was at … I just stayed within
myself and was controlled and confident."
How it Happened - Men (8K): The Men of Oregon placed third in their first cross country meet without UO legend Edward Cheserek, finishing with 75 points to come in behind BYU (17) and Stanford (73). Freshman Cooper Teare (pictured below) was the top Duck in ninth overall (23:52.3) in his first collegiate race, and redshirt senior Sam Prakel (23:53.9) and junior Tanner Anderson (23:54.7) were close behind in 11th and 12th, respectively. Redshirt senior Travis Neuman (24:07.8) was 23rd overall and redshirt junior Blake Haney (24:07.9) closed out the Ducks' scoring in 24th.
What It Means: Despite getting a belated start to the season, the Women of Oregon looked strong as they began their NCAA title defense. The Ducks' 1-2-3 finish is a welcome sign of depth after losing three scorers from last year's NCAA Championships, and the debut of Teare was a encouraging start for the Men of Oregon as the program begins life without Cheserek.
Oregon Women Results:
1. Katie Rainsberger (18:47.6)
2. Lilli Burdon (19:05.8)
3. Jessica Hull (19:07.8)
12. Carmela Cardama Baez (19:24.3)
15. Susan Ejore (19:35.2)
22. Emma Abrahamson (19:46.9)
43. Judy Pendergast (20:19.2)
71. Sabrina Southerland (20:54.0)
107. Brooke Feldmeier (23:26.9)
Oregon Men Results:
9. Cooper Teare (23:52.3)
11. Sam Prakel (23:53.9)
12. Tanner Anderson (23:54.7)
23. Travis Neuman (24:07.8)
24. Blake Haney (24:07.9)
30. Austin Tamagno (24:11.4)
34. Reed Brown (24:18.2)
40. Jack Yearian (24:20.7)
41. Jackson Mestler (24:21.3)
53. Mick Stanovsek (24:29.6)
63. Connor Clark (24:41.5)
69. Bryan Fernandez (24:45.3)
Quotable: Associate Head Coach Andy Powell
Thoughts on the men's veteran runners' performances...
"I think a lot of the veteran guys help theyounger guys out. We kind of broke them up into some smaller groups ,
and those guys did a good job in the middle of the race. Everything was
good as far as execution, but we just need to get a little bit fitter
and finish a little stronger."
Cooper Teare, Freshman
On his first collegiate race…
"It was awesome. Definitely a good first race. We had a big summer and a big week at camp, our first race got cancelled and this is our home course, so it was a good way to open up. Definitely happy with my performance; I felt really strong."
Notable: The previous women's 6K meet record was 19:24.05, set in 2008 by Washington's Kendra Schaaf … Ejore finished 15th overall in her Oregon debut despite missing most of the week of practice due to illness … The BYU men finished two points away from a perfect score, taking the top four spots and five of the top seven to mark the first time since 2012 that the Men of Oregon did not win the Dellinger ... Friday was the Ducks' Women in Flight meet.
Up Next: The Men and Women of Oregon will next travel to the Pre-Nationals Invitational (Oct. 14) in Louisville, Ky., the site of this year's NCAA Championships.
How it Happened - Women (6K): Coming off a fourth-place NCAA finish as a freshman last year, Rainsberger shattered the previous meet record by 37 seconds in a winning time of 18:47.6, leading a 1-2-3 finish for the Ducks with redshirt freshman Lilli Burdon (19:05.8) and junior Jessica Hull (19:07.8). Junior transfer Carmela Cardama Baez placed 12th overall in 19:24.3, and fellow transfer Susan Ejore rounded out the scorers for the Ducks in 15th (19:35.2). The Women of Oregon finished with 33 points to win the meet handily ahead of Stanford's 66.
Rainsberger was in command from the start, jumping out front early and finishing 18 seconds ahead of teammates Burdon and Hull.
"I was a little surprised with myself actually," Rainsberger said. "I got 400
How it Happened - Men (8K): The Men of Oregon placed third in their first cross country meet without UO legend Edward Cheserek, finishing with 75 points to come in behind BYU (17) and Stanford (73). Freshman Cooper Teare (pictured below) was the top Duck in ninth overall (23:52.3) in his first collegiate race, and redshirt senior Sam Prakel (23:53.9) and junior Tanner Anderson (23:54.7) were close behind in 11th and 12th, respectively. Redshirt senior Travis Neuman (24:07.8) was 23rd overall and redshirt junior Blake Haney (24:07.9) closed out the Ducks' scoring in 24th.
What It Means: Despite getting a belated start to the season, the Women of Oregon looked strong as they began their NCAA title defense. The Ducks' 1-2-3 finish is a welcome sign of depth after losing three scorers from last year's NCAA Championships, and the debut of Teare was a encouraging start for the Men of Oregon as the program begins life without Cheserek.
Oregon Women Results:
1. Katie Rainsberger (18:47.6)
2. Lilli Burdon (19:05.8)
3. Jessica Hull (19:07.8)
12. Carmela Cardama Baez (19:24.3)
15. Susan Ejore (19:35.2)
22. Emma Abrahamson (19:46.9)
43. Judy Pendergast (20:19.2)
71. Sabrina Southerland (20:54.0)
107. Brooke Feldmeier (23:26.9)
Oregon Men Results:
9. Cooper Teare (23:52.3)
11. Sam Prakel (23:53.9)
12. Tanner Anderson (23:54.7)
23. Travis Neuman (24:07.8)
24. Blake Haney (24:07.9)
30. Austin Tamagno (24:11.4)
34. Reed Brown (24:18.2)
40. Jack Yearian (24:20.7)
41. Jackson Mestler (24:21.3)
53. Mick Stanovsek (24:29.6)
63. Connor Clark (24:41.5)
69. Bryan Fernandez (24:45.3)
Quotable: Associate Head Coach Andy Powell
Thoughts on the men's veteran runners' performances...
"I think a lot of the veteran guys help the
Cooper Teare, Freshman
On his first collegiate race…
"It was awesome. Definitely a good first race. We had a big summer and a big week at camp, our first race got cancelled and this is our home course, so it was a good way to open up. Definitely happy with my performance; I felt really strong."
Notable: The previous women's 6K meet record was 19:24.05, set in 2008 by Washington's Kendra Schaaf … Ejore finished 15th overall in her Oregon debut despite missing most of the week of practice due to illness … The BYU men finished two points away from a perfect score, taking the top four spots and five of the top seven to mark the first time since 2012 that the Men of Oregon did not win the Dellinger ... Friday was the Ducks' Women in Flight meet.
Up Next: The Men and Women of Oregon will next travel to the Pre-Nationals Invitational (Oct. 14) in Louisville, Ky., the site of this year's NCAA Championships.
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