Colorado
Time Trials
Cross Country Prepares to Begin 2023 Season
August 29, 2023 | Cross Country
BOULDERÂ |The University of Colorado Boulder cross country teams are poised to kick off the 2023 season by hosting time trials on Friday, Sept. 1, at the Buffalo Run Cross Country Course.
The time trials are a collegiate event, exclusively for registered participants. However, the general public is warmly invited to attend and show their support for the athletes by cheering them on.
Colorado's cross country teams are embarking on another chapter of their storied legacy. Under the leadership of head coach Mark Wetmore for over three decades and bolstered by a mix of seasoned athletes and promising newcomers, the Buffaloes are primed for the challenges of the 2023 season; with their sights set on making a solid run toward the NCAA cross country championship title.Â
2023 Recap:
Continuing their strong tradition, the men's and women's squads participated in their 14th consecutive NCAA championship together. The men's team secured an eighth-place finish, while the women's team achieved an 11th-place finish. Notably, three All-American finishes highlighted their performance, including a standout performance by Pac-12 individual champion Bailey Hertenstein. Hertenstein executed a remarkable move in the final 400 meters, catapulting from 16th place to an impressive fifth-place finish.
The women's team emerged as the top performer among the Pac-12 schools, surpassing Utah, Stanford, and Oregon, who were initially ranked higher than Colorado in the final poll.
Austin Vancil and Andrew Kent played pivotal roles for the men's team. Vancil maintained a strong position at the front for a significant portion of the race, making substantial progress in the final 2,000 meters to pass 10 runners and secure an All-American finish in 36th place with a time of 29:33.3. Kent closely trailed Vancil, advancing past 33 runners after the 3,000-meter mark. Kent narrowly missed an All-American finish, taking 43rd place overall with a time of 29:37.8. Seth Hirsch, Charlie Sweeney, and Brendan Fraser completed the scoring with 68th, 69th, and 86th-place finishes, respectively.
On the women's side, the Buffaloes continued their dominance by securing their sixth Pac-12 Championship title on Oct. 28. Hertenstien established a new course record with a remarkable time of 19:11.3. Emily Covert (third place), and Ella Baran (seventh place) further bolstered the team's success, with Kaitlyn Barthell, Gabrielle Orie, Alisa Meraz-Fishbein, Whitney Valenti, and Carley Bennett contributing to the overall achievement.
Kent's outstanding performance in the men's race earned him a fourth-place finish in 22:43.9. The Buffs' showcased their depth, with six athletes finishing within the top 20. Vancil secured 12th place at 23:07.6, followed closely by Noah Hibbard (13th place) and Hirsch (14th place). Hunter Appleton rounded off the team's scoring with an 18th-place finish at 23:17.7.
Ultimately, the men's team amassed 61 points, falling short to the dominant Stanford team that secured 22 points. Washington claimed the third spot with 81 points.
Welcome back, indeed!
The women's team is poised for a strong return, with 12 members coming back. Notably, all three top finishers from the Pac-12 Championship are back on the team. Leading the way is Hertenstein, a graduate student from Tampa, Fla. (Joe E. Newsome |Indiana), who clinched the Pac-12 individual championship title. Joining her are Emily Covert, a redshirt senior from Minneapolis, Minn. (Washburn), and Ella Baran, a graduate student from Plymouth, Minn. (Houston | Johns Hopkins). Their proven track record bodes well for the team's future success.
Also returning is Valenti, a redshirt junior from Brea, Calif. (Brea), who secured a 64th-place finish in the 2022 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships.Â
On the men's side, a formidable group of 22 athletes is making a comeback. The team's strength is evident with the return of standout performers like Vancil, a fifth-year student from Morrison, Colo. (Dakota Ridge), Hibbard, a redshirt senior from Arcadia, Calif.(Arroyo), and Hunter Appleton from New Orleans, La. (Brother Martin). Their top 20 finishes in the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships underline their competitiveness.
With a talented and experienced roster returning for both the women's and men's teams, the Buff's cross country program is well-prepared for another run for a Pac-12 and NCAA Cross Country Championship.
New Faces
The Buffaloes welcomes a promising group of 13 new faces, comprising of six women and seven men. The incoming talent includes notable individuals who have already achieved impressive feats in their respective cross country careers.
Karrie Baloga from New Windsor, N.Y., and Kole Mathison from Carmel, Ind., earned the 2022 Champs Cross Country individual national champions. Balgoa and Mathison earned All-Gatorade Runners of the Year honors. Mathison also added USA Today Boys XC National Runner of the Year. In the same event, Abbey Nechanicky from Plymouth, Minn., secured a fourth-place finish. All three qualified for Team USA U20, with Baloga and Mathison competing and helping Team USA to medals at Worlds, further highlighting their collective talent.
Marlee Starliper, hailing from Dillsburg, Pa., transferred from N.C. State has a stellar background as the former 2019 Gatorade Pennsylvania Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Despite competing for just one entire season in 2022, she earned second-team All-American honors in the 5,000-meter run. Her ninth-place finish at nationals included the seventh-fastest time (15:36.51) in N.C. State's history.
From Flower Mounds, Texas, Natalie Cook joins the Buffs after an impressive first year at Oklahoma State. She secured a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, achieved a second-place finish at the NCAA Division I Midwest Region Cross Country Championships, placed fourth at the Big-12 Cross Country Championships, and clinched first place at the Cowboy Jamboree.
Samree Dishon, a Longmont native, transferred from the University of New Mexico and comes with impressive credentials, being named a USTFCCCA All-American after her 37th-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Her contributions helped the Lobos secure a national runner-up finish during her junior year. She's earned Mountain West Academic All-Conference honors multiple times, and her accolades include Mountain West All-Conference-First Team-Cross Country. As a Niwot alum, she previously won the 2019 Cross Country state title.
Katie Doucette, another Colorado native, hails from Golden, Colo., was a star runner and four year letter winner at Arvada West, and is a two-time All-American at Western Colorado. The graduate transfer earned the All-American honors after back-to-back 37th finishes at the NCAA D-II championship meet. Doucette was named RMAC Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week three times in 2019.Â
The influx of talent isn't limited to the women's team. The men's squad is also gaining notable additions for the 2023 season. Jack Nauman, a Fort Collins native, had an exceptional senior campaign, clinching a Colorado 2A state champion in the 1600m, 3200m, and cross-country events. Conner Wirth from Puyallup, WA, secured a 4A state individual title. Antonio Camacho-Bucks from Ellicott City, Md., earned the title of boys' cross country All-Met Athlete of the Year and a state title during his junior year. Camacho-Bucks was also named Gatorade Runner of the Year. Evan Charkut from Highlands Ranch, Colo., was named to CHSAA Cross Country First Team All-State.
Completing the incoming freshman lineup is Drew Costelow, who finished second in the 5A boys cross country but secured the team state title in his final season at Valor Christian High School. Costelow won five state titles on the track (800m, 1600m, 3200m his junior year and 800m, 1600m his senior year)
In terms of transfers, Paul Stafford, from Lake Wales, Fla., joins the Buffs after a four-season stint with Florida State. His accolades include being a 2019 All-ACC performer and a two-time ACC Performer of the Week.
With this influx of experienced and promising new talent, the Buffaloes are setting the stage for a bright future.Â
2023 Season
In the upcoming 2023 season, Coach Wetmore's Buffaloes are gearing up for an action-packed schedule with a series of competitive events.
The season starts at home as the Buffs will host a time trial on September 1, providing an opportunity to see the 2023 teams.Â
On Sept. 23, the team will head east to participate in the Virginia Invitational, which will take place in Charlottesville, Va. This event holds significance as it will be the exact location of the 2023 NCAA cross country championships. Giving the team a valuable opportunity to preview the course.
To further test their mettle, the Buffaloes will wrap up their regular season with the Nuttycombe Invitational hosted by Wisconsin in Madison on Oct. 13 against some of the nation's best teams. This event will serve as a final tune-up for the team before they approach the 2023 Pac-12 Conference Championship.
The Pac-12 Championships will occur on Oct. 27 in Seattle, Wash. This event will mark the culmination of their conference competition.
Overall, the 2023 season promises to be an exciting journey for Coach Wetmore's Buffaloes, featuring a mix of home meets and high-stakes competitions across different locations.Â
Cross Country By The Numbers
14- Combine Pac-12 Championship Title
8- Combine NCAA Titles
84- Combine NCAA Conference Championship Appearances and an Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Woman (AIAW)
Women's Team
32Â Women's NCAA Championship participation
14- Consecutive NCAA Appearances (30 out of last 31 years (1992-2022) Missing 2008
3- NCAA Titles (2000, 2004, 2018)
2- NCAA Individual Titles (2000-Kara Grgas-Wheeler | 2018-Dani Jones)
3- USTFCAA Coach of the Year (2000, 2004, 2018 - Wetmore)
1- USTFCCA Athlete of the Year (2018-Dani Jones)
25- USTFCCA All-American since joining the Pac-12 (2011)
Men's Team
70- The Buffs will compete in their 70th season
52- NCAA Championship participation
30- Men's consecutive NCAA Championship appearance (1992-2022)
6- on NCAA All-time NCAA Titles list with five championships (2001, 2004, 2006, 2013, 2014)
4- USTFCCA Coach of the Year honors (Wetmore-3, Quiller-1)
32- USTFCCA All-Americans, since joining the Pac-12 (2011)Â
4- NCAA Individual Champions (1982 Mark Scrutton, 1998 Adam Goucher, 2002 Jorge Torres, 2003 Pathan Ritzenhein)
Head Coach Mark Wetmore...
Your thoughts on the 2023 season:
Coach Wetmore:Â
"Every season is new. Every season is different. Sometimes personnel overlap a little bit from one year to the next. But they're a year older. The year wiser you're more experienced. So in a way, it's brand new each time. This year, the women have a lot of new faces, some young, some transfers. Men have some interesting new people that are probably a year or two away from the varsity. So on the men's side, mostly known veterans coming back on the women's side could be very different. Both teams are talented. Both teams have the opportunity to fit and finish high in the conference and high in the Nationals."
Your thoughts on the returners and newcomers:
"There are [13] new people, whether new as 18-year-old freshmen in one case, 17 years old, or new as in graduate transfers from other schools. Each one is unique. Most of the older new people have had some interruption before arriving here. And so it's my task and associate head coach Heather Burroughs task to manage all the new psyches and bodies effectively. Principally we have to be patient and methodical on the men's side. As I said, there's really only one or two new people that would likely impact the varsity..."
Thoughts on the 2023 schedule and how you build your schedule:
"...it's a fluid organic process. But yes, the meet in Virginia in late September, it's a little earlier than we'd like to go hard, but we want to get on that course because it's the NCAA championship. They do host a meet three weeks later there again, but due to the points system for qualifying for the NCAA, it's a pretty big gamble not to go to Wisconsin on that middle October weekend. So we chose the earlier Virginia race to [the] traditional middle October Wisconsin race. The NCAA requires for our beginning of practices to be linked to the first competition. So all over America, every team had something either on the first [of]September or Saturday the second [of] September because we all want to get our seasons beginning; our season [started] this morning.
Thoughts on first practice:
"...very encouraging first day, you're [expecting] kind of a long line of people stepping up to say what's wrong with them, why the summer didn't go well, and why they're not sure they're ready for this training run that day. We had very little of that. We had some very good results despite it getting hot by the end. I would say it's one of the better first days I can recall in memory."
Final year in the Pac-12, it has been a successful run for us in the Pac-12, with 14 combined Championships. Do your recruiting and methods change as you enter the Big 12 next year, or do you stay because you had a successful run in the Big 12?
"Yeah. I don't think our recruiting or method of preparation will change, moving from the Pac-12 to the Big 12. But they're always evolving. And we will do things a little differently next year than we did them this year or we did them 10 years ago. It won't be, though, because of the name of the conference."
What's your final say to the fans as you start the season?
"I would say keep your fingers crossed that coach Burroughs and I are patient and methodical and keep everybody healthy. Because if we do, it will be a very good end of the cross country season."
Players Mentioned
