CCC Cross Country Championship Preview
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Ten teams are set to compete at the Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank, on Friday. The men’s 8,000-meter race kicks off first at the Middlefield Golf Course in Cottage Grove, Ore., at 10 a.m. The women’s 5,000-meters follows right after at 11 a.m. (PT).
Fans can follow the live results link at http://live.tf/3jtv9s or clicking the CCC meet at live.tf/XC.
Team winners from each race earn an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship Meet – Nov. 22 in Vancouver, Wash. The Top-5 finishers in the Top-12 that are not on a team that qualifies for the NAIA meet will also earn bids as at-large spots.
On the men’s side, four teams come into the race ranked in the NAIA Top-25 Poll, led by No. 2-ranked College of Idaho. The Coyotes picked up wins at the Eastern Oregon Open and the Warrior Invitational and have a tight group of guys leading the team, including 2018 CCC champ Marcos Cervantes.
Fifth-ranked Southern Oregon University looks to get back to its winning ways after seeing its 10-year winning streak snapped last year by C of I. The Raiders won the CCC Preview Meet by 16 points and return all-Conference performer Brandon Kelsey.
Oregon Tech made a huge jump from not ranked to No. 17 last week and has Mark French (All-CCC) returning to the conference championship. No. 23 Eastern Oregon University also returns an All-CCC competitor in Dustin Zimmerly, while Northwest University’s Riley Sine (two-time CCC Runner of the Week) is one of the favorites to win the individual title after he claimed the crown in September’s CCC Preview. Northwest Christian University returns All-CCC pick Jacob Truitt to the mix.
With over half of the CCC women’s teams ranked, the 5K is set to have some stiff competition.
No. 3-ranked College of Idaho is the highest ranked team coming into the meet, but No. 18-ranked Oregon Tech looks to defend last year’s title after winning the CCC Preview Meet earlier this season. The Lady Owls return all-conference racer Faith Widman and have some promising young talent in true freshman Delani Detrich, who was named a CCC Runner of the Week this season.
The Yotes have momentum coming into the meet after picking up team wins at both the Eastern Oregon Open and the Warrior Invite – defeating rivals SOU, Oregon Tech and EOU by over a two-minute team-time margin. Molly Vitale-Sullivan, a two-time All-CCC pick and NAIA All-American, and sophomore Larissa Mauer, a 2018 All-CCC pick, look to lead C of I.
No. 9 SOU has also been having a solid season and returns Ariana Toland, another All-CCC pick. The Raiders were the favorites to win the championship in the preseason poll after taking second last year and finishing fourth at nationals.
Last week EOU jumped 11 spots in the NAIA poll to No. 12 and looks to finish strong at the championship meet. The Mounties are led by Michelle Herbes.
NCU, which is receiving votes in the national poll, returns All-CCC runner Anika Rasubala, while another team receiving votes NU comes off a strong race at the Warrior Invite. Kaylea Hartman and Ellie Summers led the Eagles with top-10 finishes and look to carry that momentum into Friday.
Warner Pacific University’s Amelia Pullen has had a stellar collegiate debut season and will be one to watch for the individual crown. She was named the CCC Runner of the Week twice and the NAIA National Runner of the Week twice this year.