NCAA National Championship Weekend
NCAA DI-DIII Wrapped up their seasons last weekend
NCAA DI @ Apalachee Regional Park, Tallahassee, FL
An individual title sweep from BYU, a successful title defense from the men of NAU and the first national title for North Carolina State’s women highlighted the first NCAA Cross Country Championship ran on Florida soil.
After finishing 17th in March, BYU senior Whittni Orton won her first NCAA title as she outlasted Mercy Chelangat, the defending champ from Alabama. On the last time going up “The Wall”, Orton made a move to separate herself from Chelangat and Ceili McCabe of West Virginia. Over the next 500m, Orton gradually put four seconds in between herself and her competitors. Over the last 1k, Orton split a 3:00.6, the fastest last kilometer out of the field. Orton crossed in 19:25.4, the fastest run of her career. Defending champ Chelangat ran 19:29.3, barely edging out McCabe (19:29.5) and Kansas legend Cailie Logue (19:29.8 of Iowa State.
In her fifth appearance at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships, the Girard High School alumni earned the highest finish of her career, taking 4th, capping off one of the greatest collegiate cross country careers put together by a Kansan. This was Logue’s second All-American honor, improving from her 15th place finish in 2019. Logue’s top five finish helped propel the Cyclone women to a 9th place finish, improving their 10th place national ranking from the latest poll.
As far as I can tell, there were only two other Kansas athletes in the women’s race, but please feel free to let me know if I missed someone. I love to learn and promise it won’t hurt my feelings. Emily Venters (Lawrence Free State ‘17) of Utah and Molly Born (Shawnee Mission Northwest ‘18) of Oklahoma State both competed in their second and fourth NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Both have claimed All-American honors before, as Venters took 39th in 2018 and Born finished 16th in 2019. On Saturday, Born was the Cowgirl’s third runner, helping her team to a 13th place finish. Venters and her Ute teammates finished 20th, but Venters was not able to finish the race on a day that saw multiple athletes have less than ideal finishes. Never count Venter’s out as she has plenty of grit. I will not be surprised if she has a huge indoor and outdoor season. It’s always a tough thing to see a DNF for any runner, but even more so when it’s one of the athletes you follow closely and pull for. The University of Kansas’ lone qualifier Lona Latema from Eldoret Kenya took 101st place with a time of 20:31.2, a seventeen second personal best. Lona is just a sophomore so expect to see more of her.
In the team race, the North Carolina State Wolfpack won their first ever NCAA DI Cross Country team title, after defeating BYU and New Mexico, 84-122-130. How did the NC State women do it you ask? It turns out that putting all five runners in the top thirty-two spots, including two in the top fifteen is more than enough.
Kelsey Chmiel (6th/19:34.6)
Katelyn Tuohy (15th/19:43.1)
Alexandra Hays (22nd/19:48.2)
Hannah Steelman (24th/19:49.6)
Samantha Bush (32nd/19:52.9)
The combination of five All-Americans, an eighteen second pack time and personal bests for four out of the five makes for a a dominating national title win. Chmiel (SO-2), Tuohy (FR-1) and Bush (SO-2) all have many years left on the team, along with sophomore’s Claire Walters and Marlee Starliper, two girls who ran 17:13.30 and 16:39.8 for the 5000m in high school. I doubt you were thinking this is a “one and done” scenario for the Wolfpack, but if you were I suggest you think again because they are the real deal.
Like I mentioned earlier, BYU claimed both individual titles, with defending champion and all-around stud Conner Mantz pulling away in the final stretch as he commonly does. 5000m into the race, there was still a pack of roughly twenty-seven athletes all within three seconds of one another. Through 8000m it was down to eleven, and by 9000m it was only four. That last 1000m was far and away one of the most exciting races I have ever watched. If you want to watch it for yourself, go to 27:20 on the video below and watch the finish unfold.
With 800m to go, it was Mantz, Athanas Kioko of Campbell and Iowa State’s Wesley Kiptoo battling it out. As the three came up “The Wall” they were all right with each other, but as soon as they rounded the curve Kioko made a huge move to pull away from Mantz, but the defending champ stayed right behind him and around 200m to go decided that it was time to unleash that powerful kick and he MOVED past Kioko. When I say moved, I mean Mantz threw down one of the nastiest kicks I’ve seen on the grass in recent memory. Mantz crossed the line in 28:33.1, the 6th fastest time ever for the NCAA DI Cross Country Championship. In the last straight away, Mantz put five seconds in between him and runner-up Kiptoo and seven seconds on Kioko.
Kiptoo is an alum of Colby Community College, where he won two NJCAA national titles. In his second year with the Cyclones, Kiptoo’s résumé consists of seven Big 12 titles, two top three finishes in the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships and a national title in the indoor 5000m. Since joining Iowa State last September, Kiptoo has quickly made quite the name for himself and become one of the top runners in the NCAA. Kioko made a name for himself in the Spring after he finished 3rd in the 5000m at the outdoor national championships.
In addition to Kiptoo, there were more Kansas connections representing their universities at the championship meet. Arkansas’ Andrew Kibet attended Hutchinson Community College before his move to Division I, where he won three NJCAA national titles in cross country, the indoor 1000m and the mile. Since joining the Razorbacks, Kibet has collected five All-SEC honors and one All-American honor when Arkansas took 6th in the DMR at the indoor championships in March. On Saturday, Kibet finished sixteen spots and eleven seconds out of an All-American spot, running 29:42.7 while taking 51st.
Jacob Klemz of Portland graduated from Hayden High School in Topeka, and transferred to the University of Portland after multiple seasons at Washburn University. While at Washburn, Klemz was All-MIAA thirteen times and won four conference titles across indoor and cross country. At the national level, Klemz was All-American twice in cross country and once in each the outdoor and indoor championships. Since becoming a Pilot, Klemz has twice qualified for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. This past Saturday Klemz finished 207th with a time of 31:16.2.
Out of all the excitement of the race, there was one of the most gut-wrenching things I have seen in a cross country race. Since his freshman year at Oregon, I have been a huge fan of Cooper Teare. Personally he is one of the athletes that I have admired and have cheered for. On Saturday, Teare fell off the front pack and I was fully expecting him to hang on for a top twenty or thirty finish. As I was watching I assumed that I simply missed him finishing, but eventually the camera focused on a runner sporting a bright yellow and green singlet on his hands and knees incredibly close to the finish line. Medical staff eventually came onto the course and offered to help him, but Teare shook them off and committed himself to get to the line with his own power. A Syracuse athlete even came up and offered to help him up and Teare shook him off just like he did the medical staff. That minute and ten seconds was gut wrenching. Regardless if you’re familiar with him or not, the second video both sums up what exactly happened and shows why he is a class act. The second first video shows the grueling finish. How do you not root for this guy?
After the dust settled, and each and every runner had crossed the line, the men of NAU had successfully defended their title from March and won their fifth title in six years. In those years, the Lumberjacks have moved up to a tie for fifth all time in team titles with Colorado and Wisconsin. At their current pace, NAU should see themselves at number one in no time. Just like NC State, NAU had all of their athletes performing on all cylinders.
Abdihamid Nur (7th/28:52.9)
Nico Young (11th/28:57.5
Drew Bosley (13th/29:13.8)
George Kusche (37th/29:29.5)
Brodey Hasty 39th/29:30.3
Along with five All-Americans and a thirty-eight second split time, each of the five set a personal best, including their six and seven runners. Unlike last year where they graduated two of their top five, the Lumberjacks technically don’t have to lose anyone to graduation. It’s my understanding that Kusche may have his academics completed by the end of next spring but that doesn’t mean he won’t stay. Just some speculation on my part. In addition to “technically” not losing any of their seven, NAU is also bringing in Newbury Park senior Colin Sahlman and Aidan Puffer of Manchester High School, owners of a 14:27.03 and a 14:24.18 5000m time. Who knows who else they could be bringing in as I’m guessing there will be more. I’ve told this to many people, but I think it’s time for me to share my Newbury Park and Northern Arizona pipeline that has come to fruition. Hear me out. Nico Young has two younger brothers, Lex Young and Leo Young who each run 14:27.11 and 14:33.20. Recent commit Colin Sahlman also has a younger brother named Aaron Sahlman (14:43.50) who is a junior along with the Young brothers. With the oldest brother of each family now a Lumberjack, it would only make sense that the brothers would follow…right? I mean who wouldn’t want to go run with their brothers and high school teammates at a school that has won five national titles since 2016? I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty enticing, but we’ll have to wait and see. In terms of team finishes, Iowa State and Oklahoma State took second and third behind NAU, making for a top three finish of 92-137-186.
NCAA DII @ Abbey Golf Course, Saint Leo, FL
A 1-2 finish from Grand Valley State on each side plus four schools controlling the podium made for an interesting day in “The Sunshine State”.
The top three teams on the women’s side matched the national rankings going into the championship meet, with Adams State winning the team title over Grand Valley State and Augustana 59-79-118. Grand Valley State had the top two finishers in the race, along with three more All-Americans. Hannah Becker and Klaudia O’Malley led the way for the champs running 20:22.0 and 20:26.9. Fatima Alanis (20:28.1) of Queens, Celine Ritter (20:30.1) of Lee and Laura Orrock (20:35.8) of Wingate rounded out the top five.
From what I can tell, there was only one Kansan in the women’s race, with that being Jenna Ramsey of Emporia State. On Saturday, along with six other athletes, Ramsey had to pull out of the championship race, calling it at 3000m. The @ESUSports twitter said that she was tripped and was unable to finish. At that point Ramsey had moved up fourteen spots throughout the race and appeared to be running strong, but it just wasn’t her day. Ramsey still had a great season, winning both the ESU Cross Country Invite and the MIAA Championships, setting personal bests of 20:54.7 (6k) and 17:22.4 (5k) along the way. Ramsey only finished out of the top seven once, taking 44th at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival. I think by the end of her career, Ramsey will leave quite the mark on both the MIAA and the Division II stage, so keep your eyes out for her.
The men’s race went as expected, as the three top teams battled it out for the top spot on the podium. Grand Valley State pulled away from runner-up Adams State and defending champs Colorado School of Mines. The Lakers scored a low 43 points, comfortably ahead of Adams State (84) and Colorado Mines (123). Grand Valley State put five in the top twenty-one, going 1-2-12-14-21. Interesting fact, since 1992, there have only been six seasons where one of the three teams were not the champions or runner-ups. The more you know!
On the men’s side, Kansas had a few more athletes crossing the finish line. Starting with the Pittsburg State Gorillas who went into the race ranked 12th in the nation, and were as high as 6th during the season. Out of the seven that donned the crimson and gold, five of them graduated from Kansas high schools. The number one runner for the Gorillas Matthew Oglesby graduated from Galena High School. Oglesby finished in 74th, with a time of 32:09.9 across the 10,000m course. Mason Strader, Ben Kahnk, Connar Southard, and Bryce Kaufmann were the Gorillas 4th-7th, and like Oglesby, they all graduated from a Kansas high school. Strader is a Holton grad, while Southard didn’t go too far from home in Pittsburg, while Kahnk and Kaufmann both graduated from Olathe East. The Gorillas did amazing things this year, winning the program’s first ever MIAA Championship as they beat the two-time defending champion Missouri Southern State University. The Gorillas punched their ticket to the “big dance” when they took third in the Central Regional. Pittsburg State ended their season with a sixteenth place finish at the Abbey Golf Course, taking down eighteen teams in the process.
In addition to the Gorilla Squad, there was a handful of athletes competing both individually and on a team, while representing the state of Kansas extremely well. There were five other Kansas alumni who competed, led by JP Rutledge of Missouri Southern State University. Rutledge hails from Riverton, where he claimed five top three finishes in state competition. Rutledge has transitioned well to the collegiate level, setting personal bests of 14:22.48 in the 5000m and 29:37.6 in the 10,000m (on the grass). In Saint Leo, Rutledge (30:33.5) was the Lion’s top finisher, taking 6th in his first ever NCAA Championship competition. MSSU finished thirteenth in the team race, just twelve points out of tenth.
The next finishers from Kansas were Matthew Maki of Emporia State and Robbie Schmidt of Fort Hays State. Maki, an Andover Central took 50th in a time of 31:47.2. Maki has progressively established himself as one of the strongest runners in both the Central Region and the MIAA. Sporting personal bests of 30:03.1 in the 10,000m (also on the grass) and 14:43.21 in the 5000m. Schmidt, also a senior, took 62nd and ran 32:01.7. Like Maki, Schmidt has multiple All-MIAA honors and has been a consistent runner in the MIAA. Another runner in the MIAA was Alex Kirk of the University of Central Missouri. Kirk and the Mules qualified as a team out of the Central Region with an at-large bid. On the sport’s biggest stage, Kirk, an Olathe East graduate took 144th with a time of 33:02.0. All three men close out their collegiate cross country careers with valiant efforts.
Trent Cochran, a graduate of Gardner-Edgerton and 6A cross country state champion took his talents to Lakewood, Colorado where he runs for Colorado Christian University. He’s made quite the impact in his time as a Cougar. His freshman year he was already scoring, helping his team take 17th at the national championships. Since then, he’s earned multiple All-RMAC honors and a trip to the NCAA DII Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 1500m where he took 11th. Last weekend, with 1200m to go, Cochran was sitting in 12th, but according to his dad, he collapsed in the last 1k and had to take a trip to the emergency room and get pumped with an IV. As we saw in both DI and DII, the heat played a role for some runners, one of them being Cochran. Thankfully, Cochran was okay and will look to get back to it for the upcoming indoor season. At the end of the day, he was still able to finish the race, taking 235th in 36:02.4. Hats off to you Trent, as always we know you will give us a gutsy performance and lay it all out there.
NCAA DIII @ E.P. Tom Sawyer Park, Louisville, KY
Who here remembers the name Clara Mayfield? While in high school, Mayfield, a Manhattan High School graduate, ran 18:00.00 for 5000m, 10:36.00 for 3200m and a 4:52.83 over 1600m. Mayfield was one of the fastest athletes in recent history, and has only improved in her career at Carleton College. She’s lowered her 5000m time down to 17:04.46 and put out a 35:33.86 10,000m. In her freshman year she won her first two cross country races, took 3rd at the MIAC Conference Championship and finished 30th at the NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships. In the following indoor season, Mayfield won both the 3000m and the 5000m at the MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships. She didn’t compete in the following cross country season, but came back in her 2021 outdoor campaign. She won the the MIAC Outdoor 10,000m title and punched her ticket in both the 5000m and the 10,000m to the NCAA DIII Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Mayfield took 14th in the 5000m and was unable to finish the 10,000m. This Fall, the Carleton junior finished in the top three in six out of eight races, including a 2nd place finish in the North Region, qualifying her for her second third national meet. From the firing of the gun to the moment she crossed the finish line, Mayfield was in the top ten throughout the entirety of the race. With a 21:10.8, she was able to take 10th out of 293 runners, earning her first All-American honor in her career. With her success in the Fall, I will not be surprised to see her adding more honors to her résumé.
As always, the NCAA Championship weekend was full of amazing races. Sadly, we have to wait a whole year to see it again, but luckily we still have both the indoor and outdoor season that concludes with the national meet. This next week I’m going to dive into the Eastbay Midwest Regional, recap the NAIA and NJCAA Cross Country Championships from the weekend before Thanksgiving and talk about a non-Kansas team, the boys of Newbury Park High School.