Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Set To Compete At Pac-12 Championships
October 29, 2015 | Cross Country
BOULDER — The University of Colorado cross country program will compete at the 2015 Pac-12 Conference Championships on Friday, October 30, in Colfax, Wash. at Colfax Golf Club.
The men will run first at 11:30 a.m. MT. while the women will follow at 12:35 p.m. MT. A short awards ceremony will follow the championships at 1:10 p.m. MT.
The top-ranked CU men have won all four Pac-12 team titles since joining the league in 2011. The Buffs won by seven points in 2011, defeating Stanford 46-53 and in 2012 they defeated the field with a score of 49-82, once again with Stanford coming in second. The Buffs won the 2013 title in front of the home crowd as CU hosted the championship that year. The Buffs defeated Oregon 28-54 with all five scoring harriers in the top nine. Last year (2014), CU defeated UO 30-57.
CU's women have also been successful at the Pac-12 Championship, winning the inaugural title in 2011 over Washington (50-73). CU enters the meet ranked third nationally and is the highest ranked league team. Oregon is listed fifth in the poll.
The men will be looking for their fifth straight Pac-12 title at the meet, but winning it won't be easy as there is a great deal of depth in the league. Behind the top-ranked Buffs is Oregon at No. 3 in the poll. UCLA is 15th, while Washington is 20th overall. California sits at 21st and Stanford is ranked 23rd.
On the women's side there are five teams ranked in the top 30. The Buffs are the highest ranked women's team at third and Oregon is fifth. Stanford sits at 10th this week and Washington is 12th. Utah is also ranked on the women's side, coming in at 19th.
Senior Pierce Murphy has led the Buffs in both races this season. He won the Rocky Mountain Shootout to start the season, recording his first collegiate win, and was fifth at NCAA Pre-Nationals.
CU's top four runners, have been interchangeable throughout the last few years. Senior Morgan Pearson was second at the Rocky Mountain Shootout and was 15th overall (CU's No. 4) at pre-nats. Senior Connor Winter was second for the Buffs at pre-nats, ninth overall, after finishing third at the Rocky Mountain Shootout. Senior Ammar Moussa made his season debut at pre-nations, placing 14th overall as CU's No. 3 harrier.
Sophomore Zach Perrin was fourth at the Rocky Mountain Shootout after winning the Colorado State Invitational on Sept 4. He ended up 68th at pre-nats, taking seventh for the Buffs. True freshman John Dressel made his CU debut at pre-nats, placing 46th overall. He ran a pair of races unattached prior to his debut, placing second at the CSU Invite and fifth at the Rocky Mountain Shootout. Another Buff to watch will be redshirt freshman Ryan Forsyth. He was fifth at the CSU Invite, seventh at the Rocky Mountain Shootout and 51st at pre-nats.
The Buffs won NCAA Pre-Nationals on Oct. 17 over Oregon (89-151).
The women have been led this season by sophomore Erin Clark. She is undefeated this campaign having won the Rocky Mountain Shootout and pre-nationals. The women's team finished second overall at pre-nats with 151 points. Then-No. 5 Michigan won the meet with 131 points, while Oregon placed third (175).
Senior Maddie Alm was CU's No. 2 runner last year and she hasn't disappointed this year. She was second to Clark at the Rocky Mountain Shootout before placing 18th at pre-nationals. Sophomore Kaitlyn Benner ran her first race for the Buffs this season at pre-nats, finishing 15th overall.
Freshman Dani Jones has earned a spot on the varsity roster this year. She was fourth overall at the Rocky Mountain Shootout (CU's No. 3) and took 62nd overall at pre-nationals. Redshirt sophomore Melanie Nun was fifth for CU at pre-nationals, placing 67th. Redshirt junior Carrie Verdon also ran at pre-nats for the first time, coming in 92nd as CU's No. 6 runner.
The Buffs have also earn points from redshirt freshman Val Constien and sophomore Lucy May this season.
Both teams certainly have the credentials and are prepared for the task at hand this Friday. The meet should be a very exciting one as in past years. The weather for Friday calls for a high of 63 with partly cloudy skies and a 10 percent chance of rain (as of Oct. 22).
The championships will be broadcast tape-delayed on the Pac-12 Network Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. Jim Watson will serve as the play-by-play and Dwight Stone will provide the color. Lewis Johnson joins the duo as the on-course reporter. Results will be posted on CUBuffs.com after the conclusion of the event. Fans can follow @cubuffstrack on twitter for in race updates. The official hashtag of the meet is #Pac12XC.
Following the conference championships, both rosters will be cut to seven over the next couple of weeks before the NCAA Mountain Region Championships, November 13, in Albuquerque, N.M, and the NCAA Championships, November 21, in Louisville, Ky.
2015 PAC-12 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
Friday, October 30
Colfax Golf Course (Colfax, Wash.)
11:30 a.m. (MST) Men's 8k
12:35 p.m. (MST) Women's 6k
1:10 p.m. (MST) Awards Ceremony
