Pair of USTFCCCA honors highlights start of 2018 Pac-12 Cross Country campaign
SAN FRANCISCO – A national-best 11 Pac-12 Conference cross country teams, including six inside the top 10, continue to appear in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Week 1 national rankings released on Tuesday.
MEN’S
4. Stanford
7. Colorado
8. Oregon
13. Washington State
20. UCLA
26. Washington
WOMEN’S
2. Colorado
3. Stanford
4. Oregon
16. Washington
21. California
RV: Utah
The Pac-12’s combined 11 ranked teams are the most of any conference in the country, highlighted by six top-30 men’s programs, which are double the next closest league, and three of the five ranked women’s programs appearing in the top 5.
There was very little movement in either poll from the preseason rankings released two weeks ago as many programs tempo their way into fall racing. The WASHINGTON women were the biggest national climber with a two-spot leap to No. 16, while the Huskies’ men improved one slot to No. 26.
Four Pac-12 programs picked up team titles in the opening two weeks of the season. The CALIFORNIA men won the USF Invitational on Sept. 1 behind a USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week performance from Garrett Corcoran, while the OREGON and UCLA men captured victories at the Oregon XC Preview and Fresno Invitational, respectively, behind individual race wins from the Ducks’ James West and Bruins’ Chris Morzenti.
On the women’s side, UTAH claimed the team title at the CSI Invitational. Oregon’s Susan Ejore collected the first USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honor in the program's cross country history on Monday with her victory in the Oregon XC Preview, while STANFORD’s Christina Aragon took the individual victory at the USF Invite.
The 2018 Pac-12 Championships will be hosted by Stanford at the Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 26. For the second straight year, the Championships will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks with racing starting at 11 a.m. PT.
The NCAA Mountain and West Regionals will be held Friday, Nov. 9 in Provo, Utah and Sacramento, Calif., respectively, with teams advancing to the 2018 NCAA Championships in Madison, Wisc., on Saturday, Nov. 17.
The Pac-12 will be looking to add to its distinction as the winningest conference in NCAA Cross Country history this fall as current league members boast the most combined team national championships (28 – 16 men/12 women) and individual titles (28 – 25 men/3 women) of any league in the country.