Colorado University Athletics
Senior Ethan Gonzales
Photo by: Ken Moreland
Cross Country Gearing Up For 2018 Season
August 24, 2018 | Cross Country
BOULDER — As with every season, expectations and aspirations are high for the University of Colorado Cross Country teams.
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"The teams are both historically pretty good," head coach Mark Wetmore said at CU's annual fall sports media day in August. "These teams can again be pretty good depending on how they show up in 10 days and what work we can get done. I hate to make predictions because our sport is a sport where things can go wrong fast and we are not allowed by the NCAA to have a third string, fourth string and fifth string, so if something goes wrong with your first string, everything comes undone."
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Both rosters have talent, but the women's team is deeper than the men's with three returning All-Americans in senior Dani Jones and Mackenzie Caldwell, as well as junior Sage Hurta. Jones, in particular, will be one of the leaders for the Buffs. A two-time All-American, Jones led the Buffs with a 10th place individual finish at the national championship and won the individual title at the Pac-12 Championships, becoming the first Buff to win the individual title since CU joined the league in 2011.
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Hurta had an outstanding sophomore season, finishing 35th at the NCAA Championships for her second All-American honor in two years. She was also a scorer for the Buffs at the Pac-12 Championships (ninth) and the regional championship (12th). Caldwell, a 2017 All-American, wasn't at full strength last season and is looking to have a senior year to remember.
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In addition to those three, there are several others with varsity experience. Senior Makena Morley led CU at regionals for the second straight year, finishing seventh overall, while sophomore Madie Boreman scored at a pair of postseason meets. Other returning Buffs include Val Constien, Tabor Scholl, Brianna Schwartz and Cayla Seligman.
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But it does not stop there. There are several redshirt and true freshmen who are looking earn their way onto the varsity squad.
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"Dani Jones is back and she is very strong and will certainly be stronger than a year ago if we make no mistakes," Wetmore said. "Sage Hurta is very good, and Makena Morley is very good. Madie Boreman, who was second in the NCAA steeplechase two years ago and was hurt last year, returns. Tabor Scholl, who is a Colorado girl, returns, and there are quite a few people battling for those remaining three of four spots. The women's team should be very good and has a little more room for error."
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The men's team does not share the same depth the women's team has, but that does not mean they cannot be successful as they do have a very talented group returning.
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"We have four returning, proven, and very good runners," Wetmore said. "We will need someone to emerge from the rest of the group as an NCAA contributor at that level. There are a lot of hard working people and sometimes it takes a year or two so I don't know who will fill that fifth through seventh spot to make a full team. We have fourth-fifths of an excellent team with Joe Klecker, John Dressel, Eduardo Herrera and Ryan Forsyth. Ethan Gonzales, Reilly Friedman, Paxton Smith, or maybe some of the freshman coming in are going to have to come on fast. If one, two or three does and the other four stays solid all year, we will be a very good team. There is just no room for error."
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Dressel returns to the team this season after suffering an injury following his first race of the season. He is a two-time All-American and was missed as the Buffs lost their first Pac-12 men's team title by just six points and placed eighth at the NCAA Championships.
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Klecker and Herrera were huge parts of the 2018 team. Klecker was the Pac-12 men's runner-up and won the regional title. Herrera led the Buffs at the NCAA Championship and earned his first All-American honor with a 33rd place finish. Forysth, although not an All-American, has been a consistent part of the team, scoring in all varsity races last season.
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Like the women, the men have a talented freshman class, as it is possible one of them could contribute to the team's success this fall.
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Colorado's schedule is different this season. For the first time in over 30 years, the Buffs will not host their annual Rocky Mountain Shootout.
Â
"Due to the modern NCAA qualifications system, the system that gets teams to the NCAA Finals, smaller meets with only four or five NCAA Division I teams have been pushed out and are discouraged by the system," Wetmore said.
Â
Another notable difference is that for the first time, the Buffs will race on the same course three times at the University of Wisconsin will host the NCAA Championships.
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"I don't think we have ever raced three times on any one course in a season," Wetmore said. "Wisconsin has a wonderful cross country only race course. We have only been there with some emerging varsity people ever, and that was once, a year ago. We hope to take advantage of the chance to visit there twice this year in late September and middle October, with the hope that we may learn a little bit more about that race course, and should we advance to the NCAA championships, we could be a little more comfortable there."
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CU will open up the season on August 31 at the Wyoming Invitational in Cheyenne, Wyo. After that, the Buffs will have almost a month to prepare for the next two meets as CU will split its squad to compete at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, Sept. 28, and the Stanford Invitational, Sept. 29. The Buffs, as usual, will also compete at the NCAA Pre-National Invitational (Oct. 13) before heading into the postseason.
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This year's Pac-12 Championship will be October 26 in Stanford, Calif. The Buffs will be looking to sweep the team titles for the fourth time since joining the league in 2011, but doing so won't be an easy task with the talent in the Pac-12.
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CU's men have won six or seven league titles, while the women have won four since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.
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NCAA Mountain Region Championships will be in Provo, Utah, this year on Nov. 9. Then, for the first time since 1978, the NCAA Championships will take place in Madison, Wis., on Nov. 17.
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"The teams are both historically pretty good," head coach Mark Wetmore said at CU's annual fall sports media day in August. "These teams can again be pretty good depending on how they show up in 10 days and what work we can get done. I hate to make predictions because our sport is a sport where things can go wrong fast and we are not allowed by the NCAA to have a third string, fourth string and fifth string, so if something goes wrong with your first string, everything comes undone."
Â
Both rosters have talent, but the women's team is deeper than the men's with three returning All-Americans in senior Dani Jones and Mackenzie Caldwell, as well as junior Sage Hurta. Jones, in particular, will be one of the leaders for the Buffs. A two-time All-American, Jones led the Buffs with a 10th place individual finish at the national championship and won the individual title at the Pac-12 Championships, becoming the first Buff to win the individual title since CU joined the league in 2011.
Â
Hurta had an outstanding sophomore season, finishing 35th at the NCAA Championships for her second All-American honor in two years. She was also a scorer for the Buffs at the Pac-12 Championships (ninth) and the regional championship (12th). Caldwell, a 2017 All-American, wasn't at full strength last season and is looking to have a senior year to remember.
Â
In addition to those three, there are several others with varsity experience. Senior Makena Morley led CU at regionals for the second straight year, finishing seventh overall, while sophomore Madie Boreman scored at a pair of postseason meets. Other returning Buffs include Val Constien, Tabor Scholl, Brianna Schwartz and Cayla Seligman.
Â
But it does not stop there. There are several redshirt and true freshmen who are looking earn their way onto the varsity squad.
Â
"Dani Jones is back and she is very strong and will certainly be stronger than a year ago if we make no mistakes," Wetmore said. "Sage Hurta is very good, and Makena Morley is very good. Madie Boreman, who was second in the NCAA steeplechase two years ago and was hurt last year, returns. Tabor Scholl, who is a Colorado girl, returns, and there are quite a few people battling for those remaining three of four spots. The women's team should be very good and has a little more room for error."
Â
The men's team does not share the same depth the women's team has, but that does not mean they cannot be successful as they do have a very talented group returning.
Â
"We have four returning, proven, and very good runners," Wetmore said. "We will need someone to emerge from the rest of the group as an NCAA contributor at that level. There are a lot of hard working people and sometimes it takes a year or two so I don't know who will fill that fifth through seventh spot to make a full team. We have fourth-fifths of an excellent team with Joe Klecker, John Dressel, Eduardo Herrera and Ryan Forsyth. Ethan Gonzales, Reilly Friedman, Paxton Smith, or maybe some of the freshman coming in are going to have to come on fast. If one, two or three does and the other four stays solid all year, we will be a very good team. There is just no room for error."
Â
Dressel returns to the team this season after suffering an injury following his first race of the season. He is a two-time All-American and was missed as the Buffs lost their first Pac-12 men's team title by just six points and placed eighth at the NCAA Championships.
Â
Klecker and Herrera were huge parts of the 2018 team. Klecker was the Pac-12 men's runner-up and won the regional title. Herrera led the Buffs at the NCAA Championship and earned his first All-American honor with a 33rd place finish. Forysth, although not an All-American, has been a consistent part of the team, scoring in all varsity races last season.
Â
Like the women, the men have a talented freshman class, as it is possible one of them could contribute to the team's success this fall.
Â
Colorado's schedule is different this season. For the first time in over 30 years, the Buffs will not host their annual Rocky Mountain Shootout.
Â
"Due to the modern NCAA qualifications system, the system that gets teams to the NCAA Finals, smaller meets with only four or five NCAA Division I teams have been pushed out and are discouraged by the system," Wetmore said.
Â
Another notable difference is that for the first time, the Buffs will race on the same course three times at the University of Wisconsin will host the NCAA Championships.
Â
"I don't think we have ever raced three times on any one course in a season," Wetmore said. "Wisconsin has a wonderful cross country only race course. We have only been there with some emerging varsity people ever, and that was once, a year ago. We hope to take advantage of the chance to visit there twice this year in late September and middle October, with the hope that we may learn a little bit more about that race course, and should we advance to the NCAA championships, we could be a little more comfortable there."
Â
CU will open up the season on August 31 at the Wyoming Invitational in Cheyenne, Wyo. After that, the Buffs will have almost a month to prepare for the next two meets as CU will split its squad to compete at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, Sept. 28, and the Stanford Invitational, Sept. 29. The Buffs, as usual, will also compete at the NCAA Pre-National Invitational (Oct. 13) before heading into the postseason.
Â
This year's Pac-12 Championship will be October 26 in Stanford, Calif. The Buffs will be looking to sweep the team titles for the fourth time since joining the league in 2011, but doing so won't be an easy task with the talent in the Pac-12.
Â
CU's men have won six or seven league titles, while the women have won four since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.
Â
NCAA Mountain Region Championships will be in Provo, Utah, this year on Nov. 9. Then, for the first time since 1978, the NCAA Championships will take place in Madison, Wis., on Nov. 17.
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Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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