Meet Oregon's Elite Duo Of Recruits, Lily Cridge & Kate Peters

Questions and article coordination by Kora Malecek

Minor edits of language for clarity and formatting purposes by Garrett Zatlin

Lily Cridge (IN) and Kate Peters (OR) are two of the nation's absolute best high school distance talents. The two prep-level superstars are both ranked inside the top-five of our TSR Top-50 Recruit Rankings and both women have committed to Oregon.

Cridge has run 4:54 (1600), 10:03 (3200) and 16:22 (5k XC). The two-time Indiana state champion was also the runner-up finisher at the 2021 Garmin RunningLane XC National Championships last fall. She is currently defeated through five cross country races in 2022.

Peters has run 4:17 (1500), 4:49 (mile), 9:25 (3k), 9:51 (two mile) and 16:40 (5k XC). The Lake Oswego senior is a two-time Oregon state champion, winner of the NSAF Outdoor National Championship two-mile title and a top-10 finisher between the Eastbay XC National Championships and the NXN Championships (in separate seasons).

Cridge and Peters are also joined by Ohio native and our TSR #28 recruit, Katie Clute, as recent Oregon commits.

Many thanks to Lily and Kate who took the time to answer some questions for us!

What / who do you owe the most to for your tremendous high school success?

Kate Peters: I owe a lot of my success in high school to my coach Steve Edwards (Shalane Flanagan’s husband). He has helped guide me, teach me how to train and be a better person.

Lily Cridge: I owe everything to my Coach, Dan Kinghorn. Through my ups and downs, he has never once given up on me. Coach Dan has been my guiding light. My number one fan. And he has made me the runner and person I am today.

I am extremely thankful for everything that he has done for me and having him as my coach for all of these years.

Is there a moment that stands out to you as your “a-ha!” moment when it comes to running and racing? As in, was there a particular race or workout that made you realize your true potential?

Peters: I would say placing 9th at Nike Cross Nationals my freshman year was a pretty big for me. It was a crazy goal that I set for myself to finish in the top-10 and to actually do it was pretty cool.

Cridge: There wasn't a particular moment that stands out to me that made me realize that I have a true gift, but I think all my success from my freshman year, by placing 8th at my state meet, made me see how much potential I could have in the future.

What has been your favorite race so far in your career?

Peters: My favorite race in high school so far would have to be the 1500m at the Portland Track Festival in 2022. I was seeded last in the heat by over six seconds, so my goal going in was to not get last haha.

I ended up hanging on and out-kicked a lot of people over the last lap and ran a nine second PR. After the race, I was shocked at the time [4:17] that I ran. My coach wasn’t expecting it either, so that was kinda fun.

Cridge: My all-time favorite high school race was the Garmin RunningLane XC National Championships last December. Or my sophomore year 3200 meter race at the Indiana Track State Meet.

What colleges other than Oregon were you looking at?

Peters: I kept it pretty simple and only looked at Oklahoma State. But then with the coaching change at Oregon, I made the decision to go there instead. So just Oklahoma State and UO.

Cridge: I was looking at Virginia, Wake Forest, Oregon, and NC State.

Why Oregon?

Peters: The decision to go to UO was really easy. It was the college that I had always wanted to go to when I was younger and then to have Jerry [Schumacher] and Shalane [Flanagan] there was a no-brainer.

Cridge: Oregon felt like home. As much as I want to give a real reason as to "why", it just made my heart happy. All of the schools that I visited had amazing coaches and opportunities, but cc

Oregon has the balance of academic and athletics for myself. Not only did Oregon have what I was looking for in a school, but as a running program. It truly is a dream come true.

How do you feel about being coached by someone of Jerry and Shalane’s level? How much of a role did their hiring have on your decision to commit to Oregon?

Peters: Having the opportunity to be coached by Jerry and Shalane is amazing. It’s something that I have always dreamed of and could not pass up. I’m very excited for it.

Cridge: I am super stoked to be coached by Jerry and Shalane. On my first phone call with Shalane, she was so understanding and I knew that she had a huge passion for her new job at the University of Oregon.

Shalane is not only a fantastic coach, but more importantly, is someone that I know I could tell anything to. University of Oregon is definitely not close to Indiana, but I know that the program and Shalane will take good care of me. Jerry is absolutely outstanding too.

What more can you say?!

Do you have aspirations to go pro? If so, did that aspiration impact your decision?

Peters: Yes, a crazy goal of mine is to hopefully go pro someday. That would be amazing and I felt like going to Oregon put me in the best position to have the best shot at that dream.

Cridge: I would love to go pro after my college career. And I know that by being under Jerry and Shalane, they will get me to that level.

Recruiting pitch for other Oregon prospects?

Peters: Haha, come to Oregon because Jack is the cutest baby ever. And very fun to play with. Also, Shalane and Jerry and pretty good coaches, too.

Cridge: Hayward Magic!

For Kate: You were originally committed to Oklahoma State, but then de-committed back in September to join the Oregon Ducks. Why was that?

Peters: I decided to switch from Oklahoma State to Oregon because I felt like I would be happier in Eugene. Going to Oklahoma State meant moving far away from Steve and lots of my friends. The appeal of having all them right there at UO with me was something that I couldn’t pass up.

For Kate: What was it that made you commit to Oklahoma State in the first place?

Peters: I originally committed to Oklahoma State because I thought Dave (Oklahoma State's head coach) was the best coach and the best fit for me. It was also where Steve was steering me towards.

I went on a visit there and really liked the team and facilities. It was hard to tell Dave I was going to UO instead. Oklahoma State is doing a good job and it’s a school that I will always cheer for.

For Lily: You’re one of the best American recruits that Oregon has landed in a while. Do you expect to make an impact / race right away?

Cridge: I am open to whatever Shalane thinks is best. I have full trust in her knowledge that if things are going well during my freshman year, then I will race, but if not, then I know that I still have a bright future.

For Lily: What’s been your biggest challenge in running?

Cridge: My biggest challenge was personally going through mental blocks and under-fueling. It's something that I know a lot of runners go through, but I never imagined it to have happened to myself.

Even if I missed a track season and a cross country season due to it, I have bounced back. And I think the thing that has helped me the most is being open and honest about my struggles and seeing a sport physiologist. This has helped me with the pressures and anxieties that come with the sport.

What are your thoughts on soon being able to train and race with each other as well as other high-level recruits?

Peters: I'm very excited to join the Oregon team and train with them. It's going to be fun to have a ton of training partners and girls to run with every day. I'm excited about the incoming class so far with Lily and Katie [Clute].

Cridge: I am super excited to have a group of girls to train with since I mostly train with boys right now. Kate is an incredible runner and I think training with her will just make me a even better runner.