NCAA Division I Pre-Nationals Invitational 2013Oct 16, 2013 by Ryan Sterner
Pre-Nats Title Fight: #2 Colorado vs. #4 Oregon
Pre-Nats Title Fight: #2 Colorado vs. #4 Oregon
With nine ranked teams in the race, NCAA Pre-Nationals is going to be a good midseason preview for the Big Dance in November. But all of the hullabaloo surrounding the 2013 Pre-Nats would be nothing without the ever-mysterious Colorado Buffaloes and Prefontaine’s own Oregon Ducks, ranked #2 and #4 respectively, going head-to-head.
Mark Wetmore’s Buffaloes always seem to make things click when they need to, but as Ryan and Alex said in this week’s Run Junkie, it’s a bit curious what they’ve done this season to garner a no. 2 ranking. They’ve only ran one meet this year (their home opener, The Rocky Mountain Shootout), and it’s clear that they’re not the same squad they were last season. Jake Hurysz is absent (injured?) and they lose the experience of Martin Medina and All-American Aric Van Halen.
Mark Wetmore’s Buffaloes always seem to make things click when they need to, but as Ryan and Alex said in this week’s Run Junkie, it’s a bit curious what they’ve done this season to garner a no. 2 ranking. They’ve only ran one meet this year (their home opener, The Rocky Mountain Shootout), and it’s clear that they’re not the same squad they were last season. Jake Hurysz is absent (injured?) and they lose the experience of Martin Medina and All-American Aric Van Halen.
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2013
1 1 Blake Theroux 25:34
2 2 Pierce Murphy 25:42
3 3 Connor Winter 25:56
4 4 Dillon Shije 26:12
5 5 David Kilgore 26:38
(6) 6 Hugh Dowdy 26:44
(13) 13 Joseph Mitchem 28:51
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2012
1 Jake Hurysz 24:34
2 Blake Theroux 25:01
3 Martin Medina 25:01
4 Pierce Murphy 25:19
5 Hugh Dowdy 25:24
(6) Connor Winter 25:26
(7) Aric Vanhalen 25:39
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And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the finishing times. Boulder was coming off of a 100-year flood, that likely turned the course into soup, it’s still a bit disconcerting when your seventh man runs 28:50, whereas in 2012 their seventh guy was an All-American.
The big question will be whom is Wetmore taking to Terra Haute? Ben Saarel ran unattached at the Shootout, and would have been the team's no. 2 runner. Ammar Moussa ran their time trial in August, but didn’t even run unattached at the Colorado Shootout. And we haven’t seen Hursyz since he failed to make NCAAs this past spring after running 3:40.63 and 14:16.71. A healthy Hurysz will be dangerous, and so would a healthy Moussa—although we haven’t seen him since his freshman year. And since being silly fast as a freshman is all the rage this season, a suited up Ben Saarel would be nice to see.
Oregon is in a similar, albeit a lot more structurally sound, boat. They have had some impressive performances at Bill Dellinger and the Coast-to-Coast Battle In Beantown, winning both meets. Freshman Edward Cheserek seems poised in the number one spot and though their other freshman star didn’t run last week, Jake Leingang gave a solid performance in Boston. The two greenhorns have managed to overshadow the senior leadership the Ducks have in Parker Stinson.
Again, much like CU, the question is who goes to Indiana? Northeastern transfer Eric Jenkins didn’t run Cross Country last year, but in 2011 he ran 30:31 at NCAAs, good enough for 67th place. That, accompanied by the 13:18 5k PR he’s got holstered, would make him an immediate impact player. Senior Mac Fleet hasn’t laced up this season either. The miler had a long track season, but it’s safe to say he could help out the Ducks. Oregon is also holding onto Frenchman Tanguy Pepiot, an 8:33 steeplechaser.
CU may have a bit of a harder time finding the right combination, and proving to the NCAA that their No. 2 ranking is more than the crutch known as The Wetmore Factor. The team does have a good amount of unknown talent, and they're putting on a good poker face while they hold onto their best guys. Or it could be one big bluff depending on the state of Moussa, Hurysz and the eligibility of Saarel.
Oregon on the other hand, may have to rely on a few people that are very new at being Ducks (some even newer at being collegiate athletes), and that lack of cohesion and experience could prove detrimental. But they also have an immense talent pool that they have yet to run--they've got all they're cards showing and then some.
The stories of CU and Oregon are completely different, but both have some roster shuffling to do. But anyway you cut it, it's the two Pac 12 rivals that are going to be stealing the show come Saturday.
Unable to make the trip to Terra Haute, Ind? The next best thing is to watch Pre-Nats LIVE on Flotrack. The Live Stream starts at 11 a.m. EDT.
Oregon on the other hand, may have to rely on a few people that are very new at being Ducks (some even newer at being collegiate athletes), and that lack of cohesion and experience could prove detrimental. But they also have an immense talent pool that they have yet to run--they've got all they're cards showing and then some.
The stories of CU and Oregon are completely different, but both have some roster shuffling to do. But anyway you cut it, it's the two Pac 12 rivals that are going to be stealing the show come Saturday.
Unable to make the trip to Terra Haute, Ind? The next best thing is to watch Pre-Nats LIVE on Flotrack. The Live Stream starts at 11 a.m. EDT.
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