Wetmore's Buffs Set To Defend Pac-12 Men's, Women's Titles

BOULDER — Every year since the first Pac-12 Cross Country Championships were contested, the rest of the conference has looked at Colorado and said, "Maybe this is our year."

But more often than not, the result has been, "Or maybe not."

Since the first Pac-12 races were held in 2011 — the first year of the conference's expansion to 12 teams — the CU men have won all six titles while the women have won three of six.

That means of 12 championship trophies, nine have come home to Boulder, with the Buffs sweeping the titles three times. Two of those three sweeps have come the last two seasons, meaning it's been three years since any team other than Colorado has won a Pac-12 championship.

But every year means renewed hope for the rest of the conference — and judging from national rankings, recent results and home-course advantage, the Buffs will head to the starting line at Friday's meet in Oregon with the rare status of underdogs.

The women's 6K race will begin at 12:10 p.m. (Mountain Time) with the men's 8K event scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. For the first time, the Pac-12 Network will televise both races.

"Oregon just beat our women somewhat soundly (at the Pre-Nationals) and now they're at home on a course we've never seen," CU head coach Mark Wetmore said earlier this week. "Our men did beat Oregon, but by the slimmest of margins in a very big race where the margins get even smaller and smaller. That, coupled with them hosting and being home, I think would put the odds in their favor."

The latest national rankings have the CU women ranked third, behind Oregon (1) and New Mexico (2), while Stanford lurks at No. 14.

The CU men are ranked fifth, with Stanford right behind in sixth and Oregon in eighth.

"Both Stanford teams have held some cards up their sleeves, so to speak, and we haven't seen the best of them," Wetmore said. "If Stanford puts its absolute best roster on the course, they're a team that could win it."

Every year, conference meets present a conundrum for programs who have their eyes on a top-three national finish. After roughly three months of training and a handful of early races, the schedule condenses while also taking a dramatic jump in importance: in the span of a month, teams must prepare for their conference championships, then the NCAA regional meets, then the NCAA Championships.

"Everybody in this sport has to be ready for those three races," Wetmore said. "If you stumble at either of the first two, it's a problem. Having to peak mentally and emotionally for each of those is a problem. So we have to find a way to be mentally and emotionally ready for this Friday and then be back up in time to get the job done two weeks later, and then end at our very best nine days after that. It's not easy. Nobody gets it right every time. But we understand that task and that does influence our training all season long."

There are years when the Buffs have had the "luxury" of training hard right up to the conference championships and still remain relatively confident of having enough left in the tank to win.

This is not one of those years.

"There are excellent teams this year and I'm not sure we'll be the favorite in either race, so we have to be ready to go," Wetmore said. "This is a year that we'll be a little more rested than usual."

On the women's side in the 6K race, the Buffs will be counting on a high finish from Dani Jones. The junior, who last spring won two NCAA Indoor Track Championships (3,000 and distance medley relay), has enjoyed an excellent season thus far, finishing third in the Joe Piane meet at Notre Dame and the NCAA Pre-Nationals. Jones was also a key member of last season's Pac-12 title team, as she finished third.

"She's one of the best five or six in the whole NCAA, and she is a junior who's best known as a middle distance runner," Wetmore said. "She's evolving into a very competent cross runner. She'll be one of the top two or three this weekend."

After Jones, the Buffs will look to Kaitlyn Benner, Sage Hurta, Makena Morley, Melanie Nun and Tabor Scholl. All have previous Pac-12 Championship experience.

"I'll take them in any order just as soon as they get in," Wetmore said.

On the men's side 8K race, Wetmore expects sophomore Joe Klecker to be with the lead pack. Klecker was fourth at the Joe Piane and ninth at Pre-Nationals. The Buffs will also be counting on Ryan Forsyth (11th at Pre-Nationals) and Eduardo Herrera (14th) to score, and are hoping for a solid race from Zach Perrin, who finished fourth in last year's Pac-12 meet.

The wild card for the CU men is the status of junior John Dressel.

"He's a decision yet to be made," Wetmore said. "If he races, we would expect him to finish pretty high. But we have to make good decisions about his future. We are balancing performing well this weekend with making good decisions over the long run for him."

After that, "We need a good solid fifth guy or sixth guy," Wetmore said. "I often say I'd rather have a great fifth runner than a great first runner."

The meet will be contested at the Springfield Golf Club in Springfield, Ore.

"Oregon has picked to host this race on a very flat, very well-groomed, fast cross country course," Wetmore said. "Golf course, fairways the whole way. It favors middle-distance runners. If I had their team, that's how I'd build the course. One might think that does not favor us — but I think we have as many "tracky" speedy people as we have mountain goats. That will be something fun to watch Friday — how fast it's going."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu