All-Americans Highlight #NCAAXC in Stillwater
STILLWATER, Okla. – Highlighted by a pair of All-America performances Saturday morning, the Oregon cross country teams closed out their seasons Saturday at the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Okla. Izzy Thornton-Bott becomes the newest UO woman to bring home All-America honors in cross country while Aaron Bienenfeld collects his second All-America certificate as a Duck, and third of his career.
The Women of Oregon finished 14th in the team standings and the UO men combined for a 16th-place team finish, up five spots from their national rank entering the meet.
In the first race of the day, Thornton-Bott and Eugene native Maddy Elmore were the first two Ducks across the finish line. Both were also making their debuts at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Thornton-Bott finished in 36th place overall, within the top-40 spots necessary to collect All-America status.
Thornton-Bott and Elmore were also 1-2 in the Ducks' lineup at the NCAA West Regional just eight days ago in Washington.
The UO women added a third top-90 performer in sophomore Harper McClain who finished 89th, a 76-spot improvement from her 2021 debut as a freshman (166) in Tallahassee, Fla. McClain was the 2022 American U20 champion in the steeplechase.
The Ducks rounded out their top five with Malia Pivec, up 10 spots from a season ago, and freshman Klaudia Kazimierska in 132nd and 148th place, respectively. Eugene native Melissa Berry, another NCAA newcomer, and Nicole Louw completed Oregon's seven-woman lineup.
14. Women of Oregon – 390
36. Izzy Thornton-Bott – 20:13.2 (30)
72. Maddy Elmore – 20:25. 3 (60)
89. Harper McClain – 20:33.2 (73)
132. Malia Pivec – 20:48.7 (107)
148. Klaudia Kazimierska – 20:54.0 (120)
172. Melissa Berry – 21:05.5 (143)
236. Nicole Louw – 21:54.9 (199)
Bienenfeld crossed the finish line of the men's 10K in 14th place, a new career-high finish at the NCAA Championships. He placed 18th in 2021, his first season with the Ducks, and was 16th for Cincy at the spring championship in March 2021. Dating back to the Dellinger Invitational in September, Bienenfeld was the top-performing Duck in all five races he competed.
James Gormley, in his first 10K of the season, was the second UO runner across the line with a top-100 finish. He crossed in 94th place in his NCAA debut. Saturday marked Gormley's highest finish within the UO lineup this season, having been fifth for the Ducks at the Dellinger meet and Pac-12 Championships (Oct. 28).
Abdinasir Hussein (131st place) and Quincy Norman (146th) were the next Oregon runners to finish, both improving on their respective 198th- and 199th-place finishes a season ago. Alex Slenning finished 162nd overall as the Ducks' fifth scorer at the national meet. It was his first NCAA Championships since March 2021 when he ran for Washington.
The UO lineup also included Cameron Stein (208) and Josh Edwards (212), another pair of Ducks making their debuts on the national stage.
16. Men of Oregon – 465 points
14. Aaron Bienenfeld – 29:12.2 (13)
94. James Gormley – 30:10.9 (82)
131. Abdinasir Hussein – 30:27.4 (110)
146. Quincy Norman – 30:35.6 (123)
162. Alex Slenning – 30:43.1 (137)
208. Cameron Stein – 31:09.1 (174)
212. Josh Edwards – 31:12.6 (178)
Northern Arizona won the men's title Saturday, taking the top spot with a tiebreaker over home-team Oklahoma State. The NC State women successfully defended their NCAA crown, winning their second-consecutive national title. Charles Hicks of Stanford and Katelyn Tuohy of NC State won the individual titles.
The Ducks announced their 2023 indoor and outdoor schedule earlier this week, a slate that begins Jan. 13-14 with the Cougar Classic in Spokane, Wash., and the UW Indoor Preview in Seattle.
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