ASU XC’s Houlihan Wins Pac-12 Title; Second In Program History
OAKLAND, Calif.—Arizona State cross country’s senior Shelby Houlihan won her first-ever Pac-12 title, just the second in program history, on Friday at the Metropolitan Golf Course.
Houlihan held off Stanford’s Elise Cranny and California’s Bethan Knights to win the 6k race in 19.59. She joins Amy Hastings, who won the coveted title in 2004.
“The first year Coach Rasmussen and I coached the women, at a meet hosted by California, Amy Hastings won the Pac-10 title,” head coach Louie Quintana said. “Now, 11 years later, he and I are coaching together again, and Shelby (Houlihan) won the Pac-12 title at a meet hosted by California, and that’s just a really cool addition to the story. Shelby is just tremendous, a great competitor, and she trains with such great spirit. This was a great step for her to take in both her career in to get her ready for the NCAA Championships. She had to beat out two of the top freshmen in the country, not just our conference, and she made it look easy. We’re all very proud of her.”
As a team, the Sun Devils finished sixth with 158 points, matching their placement from the 2013 race. Junior Adriana Olivas placed 28th in 21:01, followed by sophomore Jenna Maack in 35th at 21:15, freshman Kirsten Olling n 41st at 21:20, and junior Cristina Juan Torres in 53rd at 21:31.
On the men’s side, ASU finished in sixth in the 8k race with 182 points, led by redshirt junior Ryan Herson’s 20th place finish in 24:15. Redshirt sophomore CJ Albertson followed in 34th at 24:35, followed by sophomore Bernie Montoya in 38th at 24:41. Redshirt junior Ryan Norton finished in 41st at 24:47, while redshirt junior Jeff Bickert rounded out the point scorers in 49th at 25:02.
“We ran very well today on both sides,” Quintana said. “This conference is so good, by far the best group of distance teams in the country. Our guys ran inspired, and to finish 14 points behind UCLA was very encouraging. We’ll see them again in two weeks, and now our guys know that we can run with the No. 11 team in the country. We can run better, we always can, but it’s a great sign that we are performing as well as we are going into the regional meet.”
The men’s and women’s team both finished ahead of Pac-12 rival Arizona, whose teams finished in eighth, earning two points toward the Territorial Cup Series. ASU now leads Arizona, 2-to-0.5.
With each of its scorers in the top-15, the Oregon women won the team title with 54 points, followed by Stanford in second with 74 points, and Colorado in third with 82 points. 2013 men’s champion Edward Cheserek from Oregon defended his title, while the Colorado men placed each of its five scorers in the top-10, winning the team title with 30 points. Oregon finished second with 57 points, while Stanford followed in third with 60 points.
Up next, the Sun Devils return to the Bay Area, competing at the NCAA West Regional meet, hosted by Stanford, on Friday, Nov. 14.
ASU Results
Women’s Team Results
1. Oregon—54
2. Stanford—74
3. Colorado—82
4. Washington—93
5. UCLA—143
6. Arizona State—158
7. California—185
8. Arizona—200
9. Utah—241
10. Washington State—246
11. USC—336
12. Oregon State—342
Women’s Individual Results
1. Shelby Houlihan—19:59 (Pac-12 Champion)
28. Adriana Olivas—21:01
35. Jenna Maack—21:15
41. Kirsten Olling—21:20
53. Cristina Juan Torres—21:31
64. Payton Schutte—21:43
69. Kala Stone—21:54
89. Anna Long—22:13
93. Macy Bricks—22:20
106. Miranda Kewley—22:55
Men’s Team Results
1. Colorado—30
2. Oregon—57
3. Stanford—60
4. Washington—87
5. UCLA—168
6. Arizona State—182
7. California—189
8. Arizona—206
9. Washington State—224
Men’s Individual Results
20. Ryan Herson—24:15
34. CJ Albertson—24:35
38. Bernie Montoya—24:41
41. Ryan Norton—24:47
49. Jeff Bickert—25:02
56. Cody Brazeal—25:24
61. Daniel Wong—26:02
77. Riley Wattier—26:53