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First Thoughts (Part Three): SDSU Wins Tie-Breaker, NAU + Cal Poly Cruise & Gonzaga Defeats Portland
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Oct 29, 2023
- 11 min read
As promised, we have one more "First Thoughts" article now on tap to highlight all of the key conference meet action from the last couple of days! Like I've mentioned before, we couldn't possibly touch on every conference meet, but we certainly tried to discuss a lot of key results or any performances that caught our attention.
So with that in mind, let's dive into today's analysis...
BIG Sky XC Championships
Women's Race
1. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (15 points)
The Northern Arizona women easily swept the BIG Sky field, earning a perfect score of 15 points and taking the 6th and 7th place spots as well. Of course, no one should be surprised about this result. The Lumberjacks were undeniably the best team in this field and it wasn't even remotely close.
It was nice to see Ali Upshaw (3rd) run well and validate her performance from the Nuttycombe Invite. I also liked that Nikita Moore (7th) stepped up while her sister, Keira Moore, was most likely rested.
Other than that, I don't have much analysis to offer.
Individual Race
We didn't learn anything new about Elise Stearns after her most recent conference title victory, but I was a little surprised that she put forth such a big effort (winning by over 20 seconds) when she didn't really need to.
Men's Race
1. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (20 points)
No surprises here. Drew Bosley, Santiago Prosser and Brodey Hasty were rested, but the Lumberjacks still took care of business. Montana State's Ben Perrin (3rd) and Matthew Richtman (6th), as well as Weber State's Peter Visser (7th), broke up NAU's pack, but there isn't much that we can really pull from these results.
Individual Race
Nico Young is really good at running...alright, let's move on.
West Coast Conference XC Championships
Women's Race
1. Portland Pilots (40 points)
2. Gonzaga Bulldogs (46 points)
This was quietly one of the better conference title matchups of the weekend. Sure, neither of these teams are expected to be ranked in our top-25, but they're both somewhat competitive and they are fairly equal as far as talent is concerned.
The Gonzaga women were the clear leaders through three runners, flexing strong firepower via Rosina Machu (1st), Sadie Tuckwood (4th) and Jessica Frydenlund (5th). The Portland women countered some of that low-stick scoring with the performances of Laura Pellicoro (2nd) and Fleur Templier (3rd).
However, with Maebh Richardson (9th) falling behind Gonzaga's third scorer, the Pilots were at a disadvantage with two scorers left to cross the line.
Despite that, Portland's depth came through as Courtney Klatt (12th) and Samantha Prusse (14th) closed out the scoring. Gonzaga's final two scorers wouldn't cross the line until 17th and 19th place. And by that point, the Pilots had done enough to outlast the Bulldogs.
It's unlikely that either of these teams will advance to the national meet, but these are two very respectable squads. They may end up being a bit more competitive in the West region than some people realize, although both of these squads would probably need a "push" scenario (and the best race of their season) to advance to Charlottesville.
Individual Race
Rosina Machu (Gonzaga) has continued her breakout season, this time earning a win over an established All-American veteran in Laura Pellicoro (Portland) by nearly 24 seconds. There's no doubt in my mind that Machu can/will be an All-American in a few weeks, but I just don't know where in that All-American range she'll land.
Men's Race
1. Gonzaga Bulldogs (44 points)
2. Portland Pilots (56 points)
3. Santa Clara Broncos (66 points)
The Gonzaga men were simply the most complete cross country team in the field, finding a balance of strong upfront scoring and solid-enough backend support.
Wil Smith (3rd) and Bryce Cerkowniak (4th) emerged as high-impact lead scorers. They were later followed by Drew Kolodge (11th), Logan Law (12th) and Paul Talens (14th). They also had Michael Maiorano (15th) as insurance.
Gonzaga ultimately put six guys across the line ahead of Portland's fourth runner and ahead of Santa Clara's fourth runner. That, in turn, gave them a convincing victory.
As for Portland, Matt Strangio (1st) returned to his low-stick ways and Daniel Abdala (7th) looked strong as well. But truthfully, I'm not sure what happened with the Pilots this fall. So many men who we expected to be high-impact scorers were either absent from competition or just didn't run well.
The Pilots are better than what they've showed this season, but there were clearly some setbacks that they could only do so much about.
As for Santa Clara, they deserve a mention in this article. They were clearly the third-best team coming into this weekend and that was reflected in the team scores. That said, I really liked what the Broncos did through four runners.
Nicholas Russell (2nd) is having a strong and somewhat overlooked season. He was flanked by Ares Reading (9th) and Ian Twyman (10th) who essentially matched Gonzaga and Portland through three runners (more specifically, they were just a few points off).
Their final two runners finished 19th and 26th overall, but the Santa Clara men should take some pride in what has been a fairly successful season this fall. They've run fairly well all things considered.
Individual Race
Gonzaga's Wil Smith came into this meet expected to win, but it was instead Matt Strangio (Portland) who emerged with gold -- and in our eyes, that was an encouraging step forward. The Pilot's low-stick ace struggled earlier this season, possibly due to illness based on an Instagram story that he posted back in September. Luckily, Saturday's win should give him a nice confidence boost heading into the West Regional XC Championships.
Summit League XC Championships
Women's Race
1. South Dakota Coyotes (50 points)
2. South Dakota State Jackrabbits (55 points)
I would be lying to you if I said that I have extensively followed either of these programs during the 2023 cross country season. However, the Summit League almost always gives us a handful of exciting and close matchups. Saturday was no different.
Here's a crazy string of scores: The South Dakota women went 3-4-5-6 through their four runners, headlined by Abby Ripperda, Madison Brouwer, Abrielle Jirele and Ella Byers, respectively. Their fifth runner, however, fell all the way back to 33rd place overall.
That, in turn, nearly let the South Dakota State women back into this race with a scoring contingent that was far more balanced, but much less top-heavy.
Led by Leah Hisken's runner-up result, the Jackrabbits went 9-10-14-20 after her to tally a total of 55 points. That, of course, wasn't quite enough to secure the win.
Those two teams, along with North Dakota State, have seemingly been neck-and-neck all season long. To see the final scores as close as they were (NDSU scored 69 points) makes sense, although each of these team had distinctly different lineup structures, making this race that much more interesting.
Individual Race
I can't say that I'm too surprised about Yonca Kutluk's individual title. She was 5th at Paul Short earlier this season and the NCAA newcomer holds strong marks from her time in Turkey. Keep an eye on her. She could potentially sneak out of the Midwest region (and into the national meet) as an individual.
Men's Race
1. South Dakota State Jackrabbits (46 points)
2. North Dakota State Bison (46 points)
Wow, what a thriller. Let's break down these results...
On Saturday, South Dakota State employed a top-heavy lineup which saw the trio of Carson Noecker, Josh Becker and Daniel Burkhalter go 1-5-6, respectively, in the overall results. However, a gap would later form as the latter-two Jackrabbit scorers placed 16th and 18th.
Meanwhile, the North Dakota State men were a bit more balanced. The trio of Zach Johnson (3rd), Symon Keiser (8th) and Hunter Klimek (10th) weren't as potent as SDSU's top-three, but they had stronger support with Payton Smith (12th) and Tyson Mahar (13th) closing out the scoring. Jake Arason (14th) added insurance.
Of course, as you can see, one method wasn't more or less effective than the other. But with the Jackrabbits holding lethal scoring potency through the first three runners (and therefore winning the five-vs-five tie-breaker), it was South Dakota State winning gold.
Despite settling for 2nd place, the North Dakota State men should be very proud of their performance. They were well behind the Jackrabbits at the Griak Invitational earlier this year, but slowly rebounded at the Bradley Pink Classic and nearly pulled off the win.
As for South Dakota State, they fended off a surprisingly great effort from the Bison. According to TFRRS, they have only one senior in their top-five this year and everyone else is set to return. They could be sneaky-good in 2024 if they can continue to build (and maybe bring in one more high-impact name).
Individual Race
SDSU's Carson Noecker has been as good as advertised this fall. The true freshman was a standout cross country runner in high school, going undefeated throughout the 2022 season. Since joining the Jackrabbits, he has seamlessly transitioned to the collegiate realm, easily taking home gold on Saturday. Look for him to be a key name in the Midwest region over the next couple of years.
BIG West XC Championships
Women's Race
1. Cal Poly Mustangs (39 points)
Despite UC-Davis sweeping the top-three spots, the Cal Poly women proved to have a more complete lineup on Friday -- and they won somewhat comfortably because of that.
The four-woman combo of Schuyler Gooley, Hana Catsimanes, Tatiana Cornejo and Carissa Buchholz went 4-6-7-8, respectively, in the overall results. Riley Cash (14th) closed out the scoring and Isabel Sanchez (15th) offered some great insurance.
The Mustangs aren't at a national qualifying level yet, but they are certainly building towards that point. After placing 7th at Pre-Nationals (ahead of Michigan), there is clearly long-term promise for this program, especially with the way that Coach Michelle Chewens has recruited and developed her squad so far.
This is still a fairly young group with a bright future -- everyone from this lineup is set to return in 2024 (based on TFRRS eligibility). They're heavy underdogs to qualify for the national meet this year, but that may change 12 months from now.
Individual Race
The UC-Davis women have been headlined by the duo of Brianna Weidler and Sierra Atkins over the last couple of seasons. Usually, Weidler comes out on top over Atkins, but the roles were reversed on Friday. That was a great race for Atkins, but look for both of those women to be contenders for individual national qualifying spots in the West region in two weeks.
Men's Race
1. Cal Poly Mustangs (27 points)
No surprises here. The Cal Poly men took care of business as they should have.
Davis Bove, Aidan McCarthy, Anthony Guerra and Spencer Pickren overwhelmed their competition with respective finishes of 1-2-5-6. Rookie Chris Caudillo (13th) would close out the scoring while teammate Oscar Gomez (14th) was a step behind him.
Truthfully, we still don't know exactly how good the Cal Poly men are. They won the Bill Dellinger Invite, but that was a September-time race against an Oregon team that was resting numerous men. They competed at the Santa Clara Invitational (and won), but they were without multiple scorers. And of course, on Friday, the Mustangs took care of a field that couldn't match their scoring prowess.
The Bove-McCarthy-Guerra-Pickren quartet could be really good in two weeks if they can collectively finish high enough in the West region. The gap to their fifth man will need to be tighter, but on paper, this team could take down a ranked squad or two.
Individual Race
Davis Bove (the BIG West individual champion) has been such an outstanding pickup for the Cal Poly men this fall. He has traditionally been viewed as a miler, but has taken advantage of the last year or two to build his aerobic base. He has won all three of his races this fall and I'll be fascinated to see how he handles a larger field like the West Regional XC Championships.
AAC XC Championships
Women's Race
1. Tulane Green Wave (42 points)
2. Charlotte 49ers (58 points)
The Tulane men and women are slowly building their respective programs, leaning heavily on recruiting/transfers to build more competitive stability within the American Athletic Conference.
Gemma Rebollo, the individual title winner, is a perfect example. If the Green Wave coaching staff hadn't added her from the transfer portal (via Wingate) earlier this year, then Tulane actually falls to 3rd place and falls out of contention for the win by a significant margin.
Luckily, Julia Anna Lily Bell (4th) and Danna Diaz (5th) offered excellent upfront scoring support while Paula Vaquera (14th) had a nice race of her own to provide some stability. Tulane's final scorer finished in 22nd place.
The Charlotte women, meanwhile, actually got all five of their scorers across the line before Tulane, but they didn't have nearly the same amount of firepower. Instead, they had a more balanced lineup that went 6-8-12-13-18 in the overall results.
Individual Race
So far this season, Gemma Rebollo has won UNO XC Season Opener, finished 12th at the Southern Showcase as well as the Arturo Barrios Invitational and now has an AAC title to her name. Given how light the South Central region usually is, I wouldn't be surprised if Rebollo qualified for the national meet as an individual two weeks from now.
Men's Race
1. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (38 points)
2. Charlotte 49ers (44 points)
3. Tulane Green Wave (61 points)
This race could have finished in a variety of different ways, but it was the more established Tulsa program that ultimately came out on top. The Golden Hurricanes earned the conference title despite being in a rebuild and not having their top ace (Shay McEvoy) this season.
The Tulsa men didn't have the flashiest upfront scoring presence, but they didn't need to. The combination of Charlie Krasnoff, Malte Propp, Chris McLeod, Johnny Livingstone and Christian Baker went 4-7-8-9-10, respectively, to fend off Charlotte.
The 49ers were headlined by Nickolas Scudder (who won the race) and greatly benefitted from Maddon Muhammad (3rd) having one of the better races of his career. But with their final three scorers finishing 11th, 13th and 16th, the Charlotte men just couldn't match the compact scoring of the Golden Hurricanes.
As for Tulane, their roster approach of building around two or three low-sticks has certainly made them an interesting team to monitor this fall. Bradley Makuvire (2nd), Illia Kunin (5th) and Jack Jennings (6th) were the best trio at the meet. But with their final two scorers finishing 19th and 29th, it largely didn't matter how good their firepower was in a field like this.
Still, it feels like Tulane emerged as a promising team for the long-term this season. They could still make some noise in the South Central region, but how they approach their roster construction in the future is what really fascinates me.
Individual Race
Charlotte's Nickolas Scudder has to feel good about this win. Tulane's Bradley Makuvire is an aerobic beast and is not easy to outrun -- and yet, Scudder won by 22 seconds. Don't forget about the 49er ace as we move up to 10k. This is someone who thrives at that distance and has had strong finishes on top stages throughout this season.
Quick Hits: Interesting/Notable Conference Results
The Furman men and women easily took care of business at the Southern Conference XC Championships, both on the team and individual sides. That said, East Tennessee State's Jason Bowers (2nd) had a nice run of his own. He hasn't faced too many crazy-loaded fields, but he has yet to fall outside of the top-two in his four races this fall.
The Middle Tennessee State men went 3-4-5-6 at the Conference USA XC Championships to secure the title. It looks like the Blue Raiders have a new crop of overseas distance talents who could be a problem for their competitors if they continue to improve over the next few years.
Emily Paupore (Central Michigan) is someone who should be on your radar. So far this season, she has finished 16th at Joe Piane, 7th at the Bradley Pink Classic and is now your newest Mid-American Conference champion. I'm not saying that she's a top-50 talent, but I could absolutely see her advancing to the national meet as an individual.
The Akron men have looked great this year, specifically at the Joe Piane Invitational where they fielded a new-look lineup which featured Brian Masai, Timothy Chesondin and Titus Kirui as their focal scorers. Since then, Kenneth Easterling has given this team yet another reliable scorer to lean on. That being said, the Toledo men deserve A LOT of credit for being just four points off of the Zips at the MAC XC Championships. The Akron men came in as the heavy favorites, but the Rockets were very close to pulling off an upset.
Hannah Prosser (Boston U.) has been really strong this fall. Finishing runner-up at Paul Short and winning the Patriot League title are results that have captured my attention. That said, I'm a little bummed that we didn't get to see her go up against Navy ace Emily Boutin who was absent this past weekend. Seeing those two women go head-to-head would have given us a better gauge as to just how good they are.
