Arizona women take home 2013 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships title
LOUISVILLE, CO - It was a tight battle for the Pac-12 Conference team title Saturday in Louisville as Arizona and home team Colorado duked it out in the final loop, but it was the Wildcats who reached the finish line for the win in their first ever conference championship. Stanford junior Aisling Cuffe earned her first individual conference title, leading the Cardinal women with a 21:04 finishing time over the 6k course.
The Wildcats earned a total of 69 points and were led by their only returner, senior Elvin Kibet, who came in second place overall and was also named 2013 Scholar Athlete of the Year. Kibet was followed by teammates Kayla Beattie (fifth), Nicci Corbin (sixth), Maria Larsson (24), and Hannah Peterson (32).
[Related: 2013 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships event schedule, videos and more]
The Colorado women were close behind with a total of 75 points and were led by Olympic steeplechase qualifier Shalaya Kipp who led the Buffaloes with an eighth place overall finish. Teammates Carrie Verdon (tenth), Erin Clark (13), Melanie Nun (14), and Catrina McAlister (30) followed to bring home the runner-up team position for Colorado.
In a surprising upset, the No. 12 Oregon women, who were looking to defend their conference title from last year, finished in fourth place behind No. 1 Arizona, No. 16 Colorado, and No. 13 Washington. The Ducks totaled 113 points barely behind Washington's 111 points, but were unable to close on a top-three team finish.
2013 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships women's team results
