COMPLETE RESULTS (PDF)
TALENT – The Cascade Conference men’s cross country crown is back in Southern Oregon’s possession after a vintage performance spurred by individual champion Isaac Fernandez on Friday at Colver Road Fields.
The No. 11-ranked Raiders won the CCC Championships presented by U.S. Bank for the first time since 2017, the year they claimed their 10th title in a row, with an upset of No. 5 Eastern Oregon. Two months after EOU routed them with five of the top-six placers at the CCC Preview Meet, they accumulated 34 points to the Mountaineers’ 66. College of Idaho stole second place with 62.
SOU’s Grier Gatlin, for the 10th time in his career, was voted the CCC Men’s Coach of the Year.
Fernandez became the Raiders’ first individual champion since 2015, completing the soggy 8,000-meter course in 25 minutes 18.7 seconds and clearing runner-up Nick McMillen of Oregon Tech by 5 ½ ticks. Micah Murphy of Northwest (Wash.) was on track to win the title, leading Fernandez and the rest of the field throughout the race, but took a wrong turn over the final 1,000 meters and was ultimately disqualified.
The Raiders’ four other scorers were each among the top-13: third-place Jensen Salvatori (25:24.5), eighth-place Lincoln Woodhouse (25:31.5), ninth-place Logan Jones (25:32.6) and 13th-place Frankie Maciel (25:42.1). Their sixth finisher and first non-scorer, Zackary Alexander, claimed the final all-conference spot in 15th place (25:56.5).
Fernandez, an NAIA All-American last year, earned All-CCC status for the second time and improved on an eight-place showing in 2021. The senior and his teammates clinched an automatic berth to return to the NAIA Championships again on Nov. 18 in Tallahassee, Fla.
C of I – which entered a meet featuring five nationally-ranked teams at No. 14 in the polls – was pushed by three all-conference runners. Hayden Bostrom (25:25.4) led the way in fourth place, Elias Everist (25:36.7) finished 11th and Braden Heath (25:38.5) was 13th.
The Yotes’ fourth and fifth scorers finished 17th and 18th, while EOU’s were 20th and 21st. Fifth-place Hunter Nichols (25:30.2) and sixth-place Travis Running (25:30.8) paced the Mountaineers.
McMillen and 10th-place Jonas Hartline (25:34.1) – both repeat All-CCC performers – helped 22nd-ranked Oregon Tech to fourth in the team standings with 117 points to 15th-ranked Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)’s 122.
MEN’S TEAM SCORES – 1. Southern Oregon 34, 2. College of Idaho 62, 3. Eastern Oregon 66, 4. Oregon Tech 117, 5. Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 122, 6. Northwest (Wash.) 137, 7. Bushnell 232, 8. Multnomah 242, 9. Corban 251, 10. Walla Walla (Wash.) 281
COACH OF THE YEAR – Grier Gatlin, SOU
ALL-CASCADE CONFERENCE (8K)
1. Isaac Fernandez, SOU, 25:18.7
2. Nick McMillen, OIT, 25:24.2
3. Jensen Salvatori, SOU, 25:24.5
4. Hayden Bostrom, CI, 25:25.4
5. Hunter Nichols, EOU, 25:30.2
6. Travis Running, EOU, 25:30.8
7. Dawson Andrews, NU, 25:30.8
8. Lincoln Woodhouse, SOU, 25:31.5
9. Logan Jones, SOU, 25:32.6
10. Jonas Hartline, OIT, 25:34.1
11. Elias Everist, CI, 25:36.7
12. Braden Heath, CI, 25:38.5
13. Frankie Maciel, SOU, 25:42.1
14. Winston Telford, EOU, 25:44.9
15. Zackary Alexander, SOU, 25:56.5