2017 Pac-12 XC Championships

Dani Jones, Colorado Upset Oregon For Pac-12 Conference Title

Dani Jones, Colorado Upset Oregon For Pac-12 Conference Title

In a thrilling battle down the final 100 meters, Dani Jones unleashed her signature kick to win the individual crown and lead Colorado to the program's third straight Pac-12 conference title Friday morning in Springfield, Oregon.

Oct 27, 2017 by Taylor Dutch
null
In a thrilling battle down the final 100 meters, Dani Jones unleashed her signature kick to win the individual crown and lead Colorado to the program's third-straight Pac-12 conference title Friday morning in Springfield, Oregon.

To win the Pac-12 cross country championships, Jones beat All-American Katie Rainsberger of Oregon and 2016 Pac-12 champion Amy-Eloise Neale of Washington. Her victory led the No. 2 Colorado Buffaloes to a dominant team win with 53 points over defending NCAA champions Oregon. 


As she fought for distance over her conference rivals, Jones wasn't sure that the trophy would be hers until the very last moment of the race. But the same kick that helped her earn two NCAA indoor titles proved unbeatable once again. 

"I didn't know for sure, but it was the first time where I've been on that last straightaway with no one around me," Jones said to Pac-12 Network's Lewis Johnson. "You have to enjoy those moments because they're short and they don't happen very often." 

Jones and teammates Kaitlyn Benner (eighth), Sage Hurta (ninth), Makena Morley (15th), and Tabor Scholl (20th) rounded out a team score of 53 points. Behind the Buffaloes, No. 2 Oregon finished runner-up after winning the tie-breaker against No. 7 Stanford who also scored 71 points. No. 12 Washington finished fourth and No. 25 California claimed fifth place in the team race. 

FULL RESULTS