Women Finish Third, Teare Runner-up at Pac-12s

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Women of Oregon ran to a bronze finish at the 2021 Pac-12 Championships Friday morning at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah. The UO men began the day with a fourth-place showing, paced by top-five individual finishes from Cooper Teare and Aaron Bienenfeld.
 
Alessia Zarbo, atop the Oregon lineup for a fourth time in as many races this season, led the UO women with a ninth-place performance. She was followed by teammate Aneta Konieczek in 13th place.
 
After the 4K split, the Women of Oregon sat in fifth place, trailing both No. 18 Washington and No. 23 Stanford, but over the final 2,000 meters, the Ducks made up ground to claim third place at the league meet. It is their highest finish since winning the team title in 2018.
 
Outside of Konieczek—34th at the 2019 conference meet—the Ducks' top five were all making their Pac-12 Championships debut. Zarbo competed during the 2021 indoor and outdoor seasons but this marked her first cross country campaign for the Ducks. The remainder of the top-five lineup—Harper McClain, Emilie Girard and Malia Pivec—are all in their first seasons at Oregon.
 
Over the final 2K, Konieczek and McClain moved up seven and eight spots, respectively, while Girard went from 35th to 22nd place. The Ducks' top-seven scorers also featured Nicole Louw (38th place) and Caramia Mestler (51st).
 
For the second time in his career, Teare registered a runner-up finish at the Pac-12 Championships to match his showing at the 2019 conference meet. In three races this season, Teare has a win (Dellinger) and two runner-up performances (Nuttycombe, Pac-12). Bienenfield, competing in his first Pac-12 meet, crossed the line in fifth place, good for his third top-five effort in as many races in 2021.
 
Jack Yearian tied his career-high finish at the conference meet with a 20th-place result, matching his finish from the 2019 Pac-12 meet. Rounding out the men's top-five lineup, Caleb Brown and Quincy Norman finished right next to each other in 24th and 25th place, respectively.
 
The men's top seven also included Abdinasir Hussein (31st place) and Reed Brown (37th). Before the Friday's race, Matt Wisner was named the 2021 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
 
Pac-12 Championships | Final Results
4. Men of Oregon – 72
              2. Cooper Teare – 23:44.1 (2)
              5. Aaron Bienenfeld – 23:49.3 (5)
              20. Jack Yearian – 24:34.9 (20)
              24. Caleb Brown – 24:47.4 (22)
              25. Quincy Norman – 24:47.8 (23)
              31. Abdinasir Hussein – 25:05.9 (28)
              37. Reed Brown – 25:17.6 (33)
              46. Elliott Cook – 25:46.3 (--)
              48. Matt Wisner – 25:47.9 (--)
 
3. Women of Oregon – 92
              9. Alessia Zarbo – 21:02.0 (9)
              13. Aneta Konieczek – 21:06.2 (13)
              20. Harper McClain – 21:27.6 (20)
              22. Emilie Girard – 21:30.7 (22)
              30. Malia Pivec – 21:43.7 (28)
              38. Nicole Louw – 21:57.0 (36)
              51. Caramia Mestler – 22:26.5 (45)
              57. Dania Holmberg – 22:46.8 (--)
              58. Melissa Berry – 22:47.5 (--)
              --. Anika Thompson – DNF
 
Colorado swept the men's and women's team titles at the 2021 Pac-12 Championships.
 
Up Next: The NCAA West Regional Championships will be contested in two weeks—Friday, Nov. 12—at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, Calif. The top-two teams in each race earn an automatic spot at the NCAA Championships (Nov. 20) in Tallahassee, Fla.
 
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