Ducks get top-10 finish at NCAA Championships
Led by an all-American performance from Izzy Thornton-Bott, the Oregon women claimed a top-10 finish Saturday during the NCAA Cross Country Championships meet.
Thornton-Bott finished 40th as she ran the 6,000-meter course at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 20 minutes, 6.7 seconds.
For the second time, the senior from Australia is a cross country all-American — a distinction that goes to the top-40 finishers at the national championship meet. Thornton-Bott was 36th last season.
Maddy Elmore, who had been the Ducks’ top-finisher in every meet this season, was 52nd in 20:13.5 — 20 spots higher than her finish last season.
Oregon’s other scorers in the 254women race were Anika Thompson (104th, 20:41.9), Katie Clute (111th, 20:44.4) and Klaudia Kazimierska (134th, 20:54.4).
The Ducks finished 10th out of 31 teams with 335 points — a 55-point and four-spot improvement from last season.
NC State was the team champion with 123 points, one better than runnerup Northern Arizona. Washington was eighth with 323 points, Stanford was 12th with 357 and Utah was 13th with 375.
Florida’s Parker Valby won the individual title in 18:55.2. Defending champion Katelyn Tuohy of NC State was fifth in 19:23.
Oregon State senior Kaylee Mitchell had an all-American 12th-place finish in 19:34.1. Teammate Grace Fetherstonhaugh was 78th in 20:31.5.
Oregon’s Elliott Cook, the Ducks’ lone representative in the men’s 10K race, finished 114th in 30:40.4.
Harvard’s Graham Blanks was the individual men’s winner in 28:37.7. Oklahoma State won the team title with 49 points.