Friday, October 29
Salt Lake City, Utah
10:00 AM
Colorado
vs
Pac-12 Cross Country Championships
2021 Pac-12 Champions
Photo by: Kory Mortensen, Utah Athletics
Colorado Sweeps Pac-12 XC Championships; Nichols Wins Individual Crown
October 29, 2021 | Cross Country
SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Colorado cross country teams swept the men's and women's team titles on Friday at the Regional Athletic Complete in Salt Lake City at the 2021 Pac-12 Conference Championships, recording the fourth sweep for the Buffs since joining the league in 2011.
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"Right now we're telling them to enjoy it, have fun and back to work tomorrow," head coach Mark Wetmore said.
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This is the eighth Pac-12 team title for the third-ranked CU men as they defeated No. 4 Stanford, 39-52. They previously won six straight titles (2011-2016) and then the 2019 championship. The No. 4 CU women have now won five championships in the Pac-12 as they defeated No. 8 Utah, 24-52. Before today, they won titles in 2011 and then three straight from 2015-17.
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Not to be outdone, Abby Nichols took home the individual crown in the women's race, becoming the second CU female to win a Pac-12 cross country title. Dani Jones is the only other female to win an individual Pac-12 title and did it twice (2017 and 18).
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THE MEN'S RACE:
The 8-kilometer men's race kicked off the event and from the start, CU's men looked sharp. The field took a while to separate but Colorado's men stayed very close to each other. At the first split (2k), the Buffaloes led Stanford as there were five Buffs in the top 10 of the congested pack.
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By the time the racers cross the midway point, Colorado's lead had narrowed as the field started to find some separation. Eduardo Herrera was leading the Buffs in fourth and two others, Andrew Kent and Alec Hornecker, were also in the top-10. Kent was sixth while Hornecker was ninth.
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The 6k split was more of the same for CU and Stanford with the two teams in a close battle for the title. CU had a four-point advantage (42-46) and Herrera had moved into the lead as he was trying to defend his individual title from the 2020 conference championship. Kent was still in the top-10 but had moved to seventh, while Austin Vancil had moved into 10th. The Buffs had two other runners right behind Vancil as Brendan Fraser was 11th and Charlie Sweeney was 13th.
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Herrera was in a race for the title in the final kilometer with Stanford's Charles Hicks, the 2020 runner-up, and Oregon's Cooper Teare. Unfortunately for Herrera, when the latter two made a move, he was unable to match and Hicks would go on to win the race (23:34.9). Herrera almost caught Teare (23:44.1) in the end, finishing a little less than two seconds behind the Duck (23:45.7) for third.
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"The guy who won the race is a really good runner; he's beaten Lalo (Eduardo Herrera) a couple of times," Wetmore said. "The guy who was second, who Lalo almost caught, has a superior 5k on the track. We knew he (Teare) would be formidable - he was not in this race a year ago. Every race is different and every year is different. So Lalo was the defending champion, but only very, very good individuals were ahead of him today."
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But scoring the least amount of points is the ultimate goal. Although Herrera would have loved to add another title to his list of honors, he and his teammates have had their sights set on bringing the Pac-12 trophy back to Boulder after Stanford had won it in 2020.
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Herrera did not have to wait long for his teammates to join him at the finish. Vancil improved from the 6k split and crossed the finish sixth overall (23:52.9) for his best conference finish. Kent was right behind him in seventh (23:54.1), which put three Buffs in the shoot before Stanford's third harrier came through at eighth.
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The Cardinal led 13-16 with three runners through for both teams. Washington finished ninth and 10th and after that, the Buffaloes placed 11th, 12th and 13th to record the win. Sweeney placed 11th (24:11.9) and Fraser was 12th (24:12.6). Stephen Jones took 13th (24:13.8) and although he finished sixth for CU and his placing would not count for the Buffs, it was still important in putting more distance between CU and Stanford in the team standings. Â
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Colorado ended up with nine of its 10 runners finishing before Stanford's fifth runner, who was 26th. After Jones, Hornecker finished 17th and Ethan Powell was 21st. Noah Hibbard took 23rd and Paxton Smith was 29th.
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"I couldn't have asked for better," Wetmore said. "They were smart and patient. They got up early, which you kind of have to do in a good race. Then they kept the pressure on. The attrition happens and it often does, and at the end, they're on the podium."
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Hornecker had his best race of the season Friday, which Wetmore was happy to see.
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"If I had to pick sort of a star of the day, it would be Alec Hornecker, because he's been off his feet for about a year," he said. "He had a disappointing track season and a disappointing early season this fall and today he looks almost like the old guy. He's battling back. It's been a long fight for him but I was very pleased with him today."
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THE WOMEN'S RACE:
After watching CU's men win the team championship, the women were able to get on the course to run their 6k. Similar to the NCAA Pre-National Invitational two weeks ago, Utah was the top competition in the rankings but never overlook any opponent.
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Like the men's race, the pack was very tight in the beginning. Through the 2k splits, CU was second to Stanford, but with the times so close, it was really too close to call. Emily Covert was listed at third with a time of 6:47.2, but the top 10 runners were all within one second of each other.
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By the 4k mark, the field had started to spread out more and the Buffs had moved into first, taking a 41- 65 lead over their host (Utah). Covert was runner second, just 0.1 behind Utah's Emily Venters. Abby Nichols, just a second back, was fourth and Rachel McArthur was eighth.
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Covert, Venters and Nichols started to pull away from the pack just after that point. Covert would take the lead, but Venters reeled her back in before taking the lead back.
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Then with about 1k remaining, Nichols challenged Venters and made her move. It was a move that worked as she started to put some separation between herself and Venters.
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"Once I made the move I couldn't go back so I had to keep trudging forward," Nichols said. "I knew that my team was behind me and working their hardest."
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Nichols did not let up and crossed the finish in 20:25.4 to win her second straight race and become an individual conference champion.
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"I believe Abby's establishing herself as one of the best runners in the country," said Wetmore. "She was savvy again this time, patient and had another nice win. We're proud of her."
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While Nichols was pulling away from Venters, Covert was pulling her in. Down the final stretch, Covert overtook her to earn a runner-up finish in 20:36.7, while Venters finished third in 20:40.7.
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"Emily is a very different runner than a year ago," Wetmore said. "She's made enormous strides in the last 12 months. She was third with about a kilometer to go and reached down and made a big move and ended up getting second for us. Excellent race."
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After Venters, the Buffs took fourth and fifth with India Johnson and McArthur, respectively. Johnson finished in 20:49.5 while McArthur earned a time of 20:50.9.
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Colorado's fifth scorer was freshman Hannah Miniutti. She was 12th overall in 21:04.9. Madie Boreman was sixth for CU, finishing 17th in 21:14.9 and Elizabeth Constein was 18th in 21:19.2. Micaela DeGenero finished 24th in her second meet of the season and Annie Hill was 28th. Kaitlyn Barthell also raced at Pac-12s and finished 54th.
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Following the race, Wetmore was proud, saying, "The women couldn't have been better."
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PAC-12 NOTES: Since joining the Pac-12 Conference, CU has won at least one team or one individual title in the last 11 years … CU has won 13 of 22 team cross country team championships since joining the Pac-12 in 2011 (59.1%) … The Buffs have also won five individual titles, all in the last five years … Dani Jones won back-to-back women's titles (2017-18) and in 2019 Joe Klecker won the men's title. Eduardo Herrera was the men's champion in 2020 and Abby Nichols is the 2021 women's champ … CU's men have now won 30 overall conference cross country championships and the women have captured 20 … Of those 50, 36 have been under head coach Mark Wetmore … His men won 12 titles in the Big 12, while the women won 11 before joining the Pac-12 … His men have won 20 overall cross country titles and the women have won 16 … This is also the 15th time Wetmore has led his teams to a conference sweep.
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UP NEXT: The Buffaloes continue the postseason at the NCAA Mountain Region Championship, which will take them back to the state of Utah in two weeks on November 12. BYU will host the meet in Provo. The women will race their 6k first at 11 a.m., while the men will bump up to the 10k and will run at 12 p.m. The top two teams automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. Â
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RESULTS
2021 PAC-12 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Regional Athletic Complex (Salt Lake City Utah)
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Men's 8k Team Results:
1. Colorado 39; 2. Stanford 52; 3. Washington 68; 4. Oregon 72; 5. Washington State 146; 6. UCLA 190; 7. Arizona State 205 205; 8. California 208; DNF. Arizona.
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Men's 8k Individual Results (top 10)
1. Charles Hicks, SU, 23:34.9; 2. Cooper Teare, OU, 23:44.1; 3. Eduardo Herrera, CU, 23.45.7; 4. Ky Robinson, SU, 23:47.4; 5. Aaron Bienefeld, UO, 23:49.3; 6. Austin Vancil, CU, 23:52.9; 7. Andrew Kent, CU, 23:54.1; 8. Cole Sprout, SU, 23:57.9; 9. Brian Fay, UW, 24:00.7; 10. Kieran Lumb, UW, 24:09.8.
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Other CU Finisher:
11. Charlie Sweeney, 24:11.9; 12. Brendan Fraser, 24:12.6; 13. Stephen Jones, 24:13.8; 17. Alec Hornecker, 24:22.1; 21. Ethan Powell, 24:41.1; 23. Noah Hibbard, 24:47.3; 29. Paxton Smith, 25:03.3.
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Women's 6k Team Results:
1. Colorado 24; 2. Utah 52; 3. Oregon 92; 4. Washington 107; 5. Stanford 120; 6. Oregon State 156; 7. Washington State 179; 8. UCLA 230; 9. California 265; 10. Arizona State 299; 11. USC 332; 12. Arizona 343.
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Women's 6k Individual Results (top 10):
1. Abby Nichols, CU, 20:25.4; 2. Emily Covert, CU, 20:36.7; 3. Emily Venters, UU, 20:40.7; 4. India Johnson, CU, 20:49.5; 5. Rachel McArthur, CU, 20:50.9; 6. Kaylee Mitchell, OSU, 20:51.7; 7. Cara Woolnough, UU, 20:55.0; 8. Haley Herberg, UW, 21:00.00; 10. Zofia Dudek, SU, 21:03.7.
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Other CU Finishers:
12. Hannah Miniutti, 21:04.9; 17. Madie Boreman, 21:17.9; 18. Elizabeth Constien, 21:19.2; 24. Micaela DeGenero, 21:31.6; 28. Annie Hill; 21:40.0; 54. Kaitlyn Barthell 22:28.7.
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"Right now we're telling them to enjoy it, have fun and back to work tomorrow," head coach Mark Wetmore said.
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This is the eighth Pac-12 team title for the third-ranked CU men as they defeated No. 4 Stanford, 39-52. They previously won six straight titles (2011-2016) and then the 2019 championship. The No. 4 CU women have now won five championships in the Pac-12 as they defeated No. 8 Utah, 24-52. Before today, they won titles in 2011 and then three straight from 2015-17.
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Not to be outdone, Abby Nichols took home the individual crown in the women's race, becoming the second CU female to win a Pac-12 cross country title. Dani Jones is the only other female to win an individual Pac-12 title and did it twice (2017 and 18).
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THE MEN'S RACE:
The 8-kilometer men's race kicked off the event and from the start, CU's men looked sharp. The field took a while to separate but Colorado's men stayed very close to each other. At the first split (2k), the Buffaloes led Stanford as there were five Buffs in the top 10 of the congested pack.Â
By the time the racers cross the midway point, Colorado's lead had narrowed as the field started to find some separation. Eduardo Herrera was leading the Buffs in fourth and two others, Andrew Kent and Alec Hornecker, were also in the top-10. Kent was sixth while Hornecker was ninth.
Â
The 6k split was more of the same for CU and Stanford with the two teams in a close battle for the title. CU had a four-point advantage (42-46) and Herrera had moved into the lead as he was trying to defend his individual title from the 2020 conference championship. Kent was still in the top-10 but had moved to seventh, while Austin Vancil had moved into 10th. The Buffs had two other runners right behind Vancil as Brendan Fraser was 11th and Charlie Sweeney was 13th.
Â
Herrera was in a race for the title in the final kilometer with Stanford's Charles Hicks, the 2020 runner-up, and Oregon's Cooper Teare. Unfortunately for Herrera, when the latter two made a move, he was unable to match and Hicks would go on to win the race (23:34.9). Herrera almost caught Teare (23:44.1) in the end, finishing a little less than two seconds behind the Duck (23:45.7) for third.
Â
"The guy who won the race is a really good runner; he's beaten Lalo (Eduardo Herrera) a couple of times," Wetmore said. "The guy who was second, who Lalo almost caught, has a superior 5k on the track. We knew he (Teare) would be formidable - he was not in this race a year ago. Every race is different and every year is different. So Lalo was the defending champion, but only very, very good individuals were ahead of him today."
Â
But scoring the least amount of points is the ultimate goal. Although Herrera would have loved to add another title to his list of honors, he and his teammates have had their sights set on bringing the Pac-12 trophy back to Boulder after Stanford had won it in 2020.
Â
Herrera did not have to wait long for his teammates to join him at the finish. Vancil improved from the 6k split and crossed the finish sixth overall (23:52.9) for his best conference finish. Kent was right behind him in seventh (23:54.1), which put three Buffs in the shoot before Stanford's third harrier came through at eighth.
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The Cardinal led 13-16 with three runners through for both teams. Washington finished ninth and 10th and after that, the Buffaloes placed 11th, 12th and 13th to record the win. Sweeney placed 11th (24:11.9) and Fraser was 12th (24:12.6). Stephen Jones took 13th (24:13.8) and although he finished sixth for CU and his placing would not count for the Buffs, it was still important in putting more distance between CU and Stanford in the team standings. Â
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Colorado ended up with nine of its 10 runners finishing before Stanford's fifth runner, who was 26th. After Jones, Hornecker finished 17th and Ethan Powell was 21st. Noah Hibbard took 23rd and Paxton Smith was 29th.
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"I couldn't have asked for better," Wetmore said. "They were smart and patient. They got up early, which you kind of have to do in a good race. Then they kept the pressure on. The attrition happens and it often does, and at the end, they're on the podium."
Â
Hornecker had his best race of the season Friday, which Wetmore was happy to see.
Â
"If I had to pick sort of a star of the day, it would be Alec Hornecker, because he's been off his feet for about a year," he said. "He had a disappointing track season and a disappointing early season this fall and today he looks almost like the old guy. He's battling back. It's been a long fight for him but I was very pleased with him today."
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THE WOMEN'S RACE:
After watching CU's men win the team championship, the women were able to get on the course to run their 6k. Similar to the NCAA Pre-National Invitational two weeks ago, Utah was the top competition in the rankings but never overlook any opponent.Â
Like the men's race, the pack was very tight in the beginning. Through the 2k splits, CU was second to Stanford, but with the times so close, it was really too close to call. Emily Covert was listed at third with a time of 6:47.2, but the top 10 runners were all within one second of each other.
Â
By the 4k mark, the field had started to spread out more and the Buffs had moved into first, taking a 41- 65 lead over their host (Utah). Covert was runner second, just 0.1 behind Utah's Emily Venters. Abby Nichols, just a second back, was fourth and Rachel McArthur was eighth.
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Covert, Venters and Nichols started to pull away from the pack just after that point. Covert would take the lead, but Venters reeled her back in before taking the lead back.
Â
Then with about 1k remaining, Nichols challenged Venters and made her move. It was a move that worked as she started to put some separation between herself and Venters.
Â
"Once I made the move I couldn't go back so I had to keep trudging forward," Nichols said. "I knew that my team was behind me and working their hardest."
Â
Nichols did not let up and crossed the finish in 20:25.4 to win her second straight race and become an individual conference champion.
Â
"I believe Abby's establishing herself as one of the best runners in the country," said Wetmore. "She was savvy again this time, patient and had another nice win. We're proud of her."
Â
While Nichols was pulling away from Venters, Covert was pulling her in. Down the final stretch, Covert overtook her to earn a runner-up finish in 20:36.7, while Venters finished third in 20:40.7.Â
"Emily is a very different runner than a year ago," Wetmore said. "She's made enormous strides in the last 12 months. She was third with about a kilometer to go and reached down and made a big move and ended up getting second for us. Excellent race."
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After Venters, the Buffs took fourth and fifth with India Johnson and McArthur, respectively. Johnson finished in 20:49.5 while McArthur earned a time of 20:50.9.
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Colorado's fifth scorer was freshman Hannah Miniutti. She was 12th overall in 21:04.9. Madie Boreman was sixth for CU, finishing 17th in 21:14.9 and Elizabeth Constein was 18th in 21:19.2. Micaela DeGenero finished 24th in her second meet of the season and Annie Hill was 28th. Kaitlyn Barthell also raced at Pac-12s and finished 54th.
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Following the race, Wetmore was proud, saying, "The women couldn't have been better."
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PAC-12 NOTES: Since joining the Pac-12 Conference, CU has won at least one team or one individual title in the last 11 years … CU has won 13 of 22 team cross country team championships since joining the Pac-12 in 2011 (59.1%) … The Buffs have also won five individual titles, all in the last five years … Dani Jones won back-to-back women's titles (2017-18) and in 2019 Joe Klecker won the men's title. Eduardo Herrera was the men's champion in 2020 and Abby Nichols is the 2021 women's champ … CU's men have now won 30 overall conference cross country championships and the women have captured 20 … Of those 50, 36 have been under head coach Mark Wetmore … His men won 12 titles in the Big 12, while the women won 11 before joining the Pac-12 … His men have won 20 overall cross country titles and the women have won 16 … This is also the 15th time Wetmore has led his teams to a conference sweep.
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UP NEXT: The Buffaloes continue the postseason at the NCAA Mountain Region Championship, which will take them back to the state of Utah in two weeks on November 12. BYU will host the meet in Provo. The women will race their 6k first at 11 a.m., while the men will bump up to the 10k and will run at 12 p.m. The top two teams automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. Â
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RESULTS
2021 PAC-12 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Regional Athletic Complex (Salt Lake City Utah)
Â
Men's 8k Team Results:
1. Colorado 39; 2. Stanford 52; 3. Washington 68; 4. Oregon 72; 5. Washington State 146; 6. UCLA 190; 7. Arizona State 205 205; 8. California 208; DNF. Arizona.
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Men's 8k Individual Results (top 10)
1. Charles Hicks, SU, 23:34.9; 2. Cooper Teare, OU, 23:44.1; 3. Eduardo Herrera, CU, 23.45.7; 4. Ky Robinson, SU, 23:47.4; 5. Aaron Bienefeld, UO, 23:49.3; 6. Austin Vancil, CU, 23:52.9; 7. Andrew Kent, CU, 23:54.1; 8. Cole Sprout, SU, 23:57.9; 9. Brian Fay, UW, 24:00.7; 10. Kieran Lumb, UW, 24:09.8.
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Other CU Finisher:
11. Charlie Sweeney, 24:11.9; 12. Brendan Fraser, 24:12.6; 13. Stephen Jones, 24:13.8; 17. Alec Hornecker, 24:22.1; 21. Ethan Powell, 24:41.1; 23. Noah Hibbard, 24:47.3; 29. Paxton Smith, 25:03.3.
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Women's 6k Team Results:
1. Colorado 24; 2. Utah 52; 3. Oregon 92; 4. Washington 107; 5. Stanford 120; 6. Oregon State 156; 7. Washington State 179; 8. UCLA 230; 9. California 265; 10. Arizona State 299; 11. USC 332; 12. Arizona 343.
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Women's 6k Individual Results (top 10):
1. Abby Nichols, CU, 20:25.4; 2. Emily Covert, CU, 20:36.7; 3. Emily Venters, UU, 20:40.7; 4. India Johnson, CU, 20:49.5; 5. Rachel McArthur, CU, 20:50.9; 6. Kaylee Mitchell, OSU, 20:51.7; 7. Cara Woolnough, UU, 20:55.0; 8. Haley Herberg, UW, 21:00.00; 10. Zofia Dudek, SU, 21:03.7.
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Other CU Finishers:
12. Hannah Miniutti, 21:04.9; 17. Madie Boreman, 21:17.9; 18. Elizabeth Constien, 21:19.2; 24. Micaela DeGenero, 21:31.6; 28. Annie Hill; 21:40.0; 54. Kaitlyn Barthell 22:28.7.
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Players Mentioned
Distance
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Distance
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Distance
/ Cross Country
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/ Cross Country
Distance
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Distance
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