Saturday, November 17
Madison, WI
8:45 AM
University of Washington
vs
NCAA Championships
Huskies Both Go Top-10 For Best Combined Finish Ever
November 17, 2018 | Cross Country
MADISON, Wisc. – Two top-ten team finishes and the best combined finish in program history makes season one officially a huge success for Washington under first-year coaches Maurica and Andy Powell. The Huskies put a tremendous end to consistently impressive seasons today at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, as the men placed sixth for their best finish since 1989, and the women placed ninth after not being ranked in the top-10 all year.
It's just the second time in school history that both Husky squads finished in the top-10 at NCAA Cross Country, the previous time coming in 2015, when the men were eighth and the women were 10th. Washington is one of six programs to have both its teams place in the top-10 at nationals this year.
The Thomas Zimmer Championship Course was coated in snow overnight, with parts of it being blown clear this morning but many parts of the course remained covered in snow throughout the races. But Washington seemed unaffected, as both teams were out aggressively today and ran in the top-10 out of the 31-team fields essentially from start to finish.
For the men, the sixth-place finish matched their ranking coming in. It's the second-best in UW history on the men's side, only the fourth-place team from 1989 finished higher. It's just the fourth top-10 finish in school history for the men, who were led by All-America finishes from senior Tanner Anderson in 19th-place and sophomore Tibebu Proctor in 38th-place.
The sixth- and ninth-place finishes makes for the best combined finish for the Dawgs in school history, averaging them out, surpassing the previous best from 1989 of fourth for the men and 12th for the women.
"From the beginning of the year to now, our men were the most-improved team," said Head Coach Andy Powell, as Washington was ranked 27th in the preseason and ended sixth today. "I think our spread one through five was just about as good as anyone's. All year we had interchangeable parts, different guys stepping up. Every time they would exceed expectations."
The women had two All-Americans themselves, with junior Katie Rainsberger taking 19th and junior Lilli Burdon finishing 33rd. The Huskies went for it early, and were fifth at the 2k split despite coming in ranked 14th, their highest ranking all season. That assertive start helped the Dawgs get into the top-10 and post their best NCAA finish since 2012. Washington finishes in the top-10 for the seventh time in the past 12 years on the women's side.
The women's 6k race was up first this morning, with the women going in with the goal of breaking the top-10. They were out well with Rainsberger, Burdon, senior Emily Hamlin, and sophomore Allie Schadler lined up along the right of the pack separated by about 10 meters each. The 4k split had the Huskies slipping back to 11th, but Washington rallied over the final 2k to get back into the top-10.
Rainsberger was in the top-20 from start to finish to earn her third-straight All-America honor, which go to top-40 individual finishers, and her first as a Husky. She crossed in 20-minutes, 15-seconds. Burdon, who came over from Oregon along with Rainsberger and the Powells, showed how far she was able to come in just a few weeks this season. The New Zealand native did not race this season until the Pac-12 Championships. She went from 31st at Pac-12s to 33rd at Regionals, and then came up huge in 33rd-place today to get her second-straight cross country All-America honor.
Senior Emily Hamlin closed out her cross country career with perhaps her best race ever, and certainly her best NCAAs ever. Last season Hamlin was 155th at Nationals, today Hamlin was 69th in 20:51, an improvement of 86 spots. Sophomore Allie Schadler improved by 107 spots from a year ago, finishing 102nd today.
A big reason the Huskies pushed back into the top-10 was the finish from freshman Olivia O'Keeffe. She picked up 21 places over the final 2k to finish 169th as the No. 5 scorer for the Huskies. In the final team standings, the Huskies had 321 points, with Wisconsin 10th with 325 and Michigan State 11th with 341, showing the value of O'Keeffe's move.
"The women ran great," said Director Maurica Powell. "Katie ran aggressively near the front, Lilli was an All-American with just a month of training under her belt, and Emily had the best cross country race of her career. Allie was a hundred places better than a year ago. Our three freshmen made some mistakes early and were too far back, but they rallied hard and kept fighting when things didn't look the way they expected them to.
"I'm pleased with the improvement from 21st-place last year and also out-performing our No. 14 ranking going into the race. More importantly, from a process perspective, I'm proud of the grit and toughness this group displayed today. They were selfless and they ran hard for each other and for the University of Washington."
Anderson led the Dawgs for the third time this season and after missing All-America honors by one spot last year at Oregon, today he left little doubt, running in the top-25 the whole way and breaking into the top-20 in 19th-place in a time of 29:40 over the 10,000-meters. Anderson's individual finish today was highest for a Husky since Christian Belz was 17th in 1998.
Proctor picked up his first All-America honor today with a 38th-place finish in 29:58. The sophomore from Seattle improved a whopping 134 spots from his freshman year NCAA run.
Senior Fred Huxham, after placing 100th at NCAAs in both 2015 and 2016, cracked double digits today with a 58th-place finish as the No. 3 Husky across. Andrew Snyder improved by 51 spots over his 2017 NCAA appearance, as he was 67th today. And sophomore Talon Hull capped the scoring in 80th-place today, a 64-spot improvement from last season. Sophomore Gavin Parpart also jumped from 245th last year up to 122nd today as the No. 6 Husky.
The men were easily spotted on the course thanks to neon green headbands.
"We wanted our guys to be able to spot each other on the course and try to run together as much as possible," said Andy Powell. "They ran for each other today. We just had great depth again today and a great vibe all season. Career-best NCAA finishes for everyone today so I'm really pleased. Coming on the heels of a great signing class this week, it's an exciting time for the Huskies."
Washington Cross Country
NCAA Championships
November 17, 2018
Madison, Wisc. | Thomas Zimmer Championship Course
Women's 6,000m
Team Standings (Top-20 of 31): 1. Colorado 65; 2. New Mexico 103; 3. Oregon 160; 4. Michigan 213; 5. Stanford 232; 6. Boise State 288; 7. BYU 310; 8. Notre Dame 313; 9. Washington 321; 10. Wisconsin 325; 11. Michigan State 341; 12. Portland 344; 13. North Carolina State 367; 14. Arkansas 398; 15. Iowa State 403; 16. Florida 455; 17. Indiana 455; 18. Columbia 468; 19. Oklahoma State 481; 20. Penn State 482.
Individual Champion: Dani Jones, Colorado, 19:42.
Husky Competitors: 19. Katie Rainsberger 20:15; 33. Lilli Burdon 20:31; 69. Emily Hamlin 20:51; 102. Allie Schadler 21:05; 169. Olivia O'Keeffe 21:35; 188. Shona McCulloch 21:46; 214. Kelly Makin 22:07.
Men's 10,000m
Team Standings (Top-20 of 31): 1. Northern Arizona 83; 2. BYU 116; 3. Portland 160; 4. Colorado 178; 5. Stanford 201; 6. Washington 213; 7. Iowa State 220; 8. Wisconsin 240; 9. Colorado State 309; 10. Boise State 342; 11. North Carolina State 342; 12. Wyoming 371; 13. Oklahoma State 378; 14. Notre Dame 401; 15. Oregon 407; 16. Eastern Kentucky 430; 17. Ole Miss 431; 18. Indiana 469; 19. Michigan 483; 20. Air Force 498.
Individual Champion: Morgan McDonald, Wisconsin, 29:08.
Husky Competitors: 19. Tanner Anderson 29:40; 38. Tibebu Proctor 29:58; 58. Fred Huxham 30:13; 67. Andrew Snyder 30:22; 80. Talon Hull 30:28; 122. Gavin Parpart 30:50; 209. Mick Stanovsek 31:51.
All-Americans
Katie Rainsberger
Lilli Burdon
Tanner Anderson
Tibebu Proctor
Best Husky Men's Team NCAA Finishes
1989 – 4th
2018 – 6th
2015 and 1993 – 8th
2006 and 1990 – 12th
Best Washington Combined Team NCAA Finishes
2018 – Men, 6th, Women, 9th – 7.5 average
1989 – Men, 4th; Women, 12th – 8.0 average
2015 – Men, 8th; Women, 10th – 9.0 average
2008 – Men, 18th; Women, 1st – 9.5 average
2009 – Men, 18th; Women, 3rd – 10.5 average
It's just the second time in school history that both Husky squads finished in the top-10 at NCAA Cross Country, the previous time coming in 2015, when the men were eighth and the women were 10th. Washington is one of six programs to have both its teams place in the top-10 at nationals this year.
The Thomas Zimmer Championship Course was coated in snow overnight, with parts of it being blown clear this morning but many parts of the course remained covered in snow throughout the races. But Washington seemed unaffected, as both teams were out aggressively today and ran in the top-10 out of the 31-team fields essentially from start to finish.
For the men, the sixth-place finish matched their ranking coming in. It's the second-best in UW history on the men's side, only the fourth-place team from 1989 finished higher. It's just the fourth top-10 finish in school history for the men, who were led by All-America finishes from senior Tanner Anderson in 19th-place and sophomore Tibebu Proctor in 38th-place.
The sixth- and ninth-place finishes makes for the best combined finish for the Dawgs in school history, averaging them out, surpassing the previous best from 1989 of fourth for the men and 12th for the women.
"From the beginning of the year to now, our men were the most-improved team," said Head Coach Andy Powell, as Washington was ranked 27th in the preseason and ended sixth today. "I think our spread one through five was just about as good as anyone's. All year we had interchangeable parts, different guys stepping up. Every time they would exceed expectations."
The women had two All-Americans themselves, with junior Katie Rainsberger taking 19th and junior Lilli Burdon finishing 33rd. The Huskies went for it early, and were fifth at the 2k split despite coming in ranked 14th, their highest ranking all season. That assertive start helped the Dawgs get into the top-10 and post their best NCAA finish since 2012. Washington finishes in the top-10 for the seventh time in the past 12 years on the women's side.
The women's 6k race was up first this morning, with the women going in with the goal of breaking the top-10. They were out well with Rainsberger, Burdon, senior Emily Hamlin, and sophomore Allie Schadler lined up along the right of the pack separated by about 10 meters each. The 4k split had the Huskies slipping back to 11th, but Washington rallied over the final 2k to get back into the top-10.
Rainsberger was in the top-20 from start to finish to earn her third-straight All-America honor, which go to top-40 individual finishers, and her first as a Husky. She crossed in 20-minutes, 15-seconds. Burdon, who came over from Oregon along with Rainsberger and the Powells, showed how far she was able to come in just a few weeks this season. The New Zealand native did not race this season until the Pac-12 Championships. She went from 31st at Pac-12s to 33rd at Regionals, and then came up huge in 33rd-place today to get her second-straight cross country All-America honor.
Senior Emily Hamlin closed out her cross country career with perhaps her best race ever, and certainly her best NCAAs ever. Last season Hamlin was 155th at Nationals, today Hamlin was 69th in 20:51, an improvement of 86 spots. Sophomore Allie Schadler improved by 107 spots from a year ago, finishing 102nd today.
A big reason the Huskies pushed back into the top-10 was the finish from freshman Olivia O'Keeffe. She picked up 21 places over the final 2k to finish 169th as the No. 5 scorer for the Huskies. In the final team standings, the Huskies had 321 points, with Wisconsin 10th with 325 and Michigan State 11th with 341, showing the value of O'Keeffe's move.
"The women ran great," said Director Maurica Powell. "Katie ran aggressively near the front, Lilli was an All-American with just a month of training under her belt, and Emily had the best cross country race of her career. Allie was a hundred places better than a year ago. Our three freshmen made some mistakes early and were too far back, but they rallied hard and kept fighting when things didn't look the way they expected them to.
"I'm pleased with the improvement from 21st-place last year and also out-performing our No. 14 ranking going into the race. More importantly, from a process perspective, I'm proud of the grit and toughness this group displayed today. They were selfless and they ran hard for each other and for the University of Washington."
Anderson led the Dawgs for the third time this season and after missing All-America honors by one spot last year at Oregon, today he left little doubt, running in the top-25 the whole way and breaking into the top-20 in 19th-place in a time of 29:40 over the 10,000-meters. Anderson's individual finish today was highest for a Husky since Christian Belz was 17th in 1998.
Proctor picked up his first All-America honor today with a 38th-place finish in 29:58. The sophomore from Seattle improved a whopping 134 spots from his freshman year NCAA run.
Senior Fred Huxham, after placing 100th at NCAAs in both 2015 and 2016, cracked double digits today with a 58th-place finish as the No. 3 Husky across. Andrew Snyder improved by 51 spots over his 2017 NCAA appearance, as he was 67th today. And sophomore Talon Hull capped the scoring in 80th-place today, a 64-spot improvement from last season. Sophomore Gavin Parpart also jumped from 245th last year up to 122nd today as the No. 6 Husky.
The men were easily spotted on the course thanks to neon green headbands.
"We wanted our guys to be able to spot each other on the course and try to run together as much as possible," said Andy Powell. "They ran for each other today. We just had great depth again today and a great vibe all season. Career-best NCAA finishes for everyone today so I'm really pleased. Coming on the heels of a great signing class this week, it's an exciting time for the Huskies."
Washington Cross Country
NCAA Championships
November 17, 2018
Madison, Wisc. | Thomas Zimmer Championship Course
Women's 6,000m
Team Standings (Top-20 of 31): 1. Colorado 65; 2. New Mexico 103; 3. Oregon 160; 4. Michigan 213; 5. Stanford 232; 6. Boise State 288; 7. BYU 310; 8. Notre Dame 313; 9. Washington 321; 10. Wisconsin 325; 11. Michigan State 341; 12. Portland 344; 13. North Carolina State 367; 14. Arkansas 398; 15. Iowa State 403; 16. Florida 455; 17. Indiana 455; 18. Columbia 468; 19. Oklahoma State 481; 20. Penn State 482.
Individual Champion: Dani Jones, Colorado, 19:42.
Husky Competitors: 19. Katie Rainsberger 20:15; 33. Lilli Burdon 20:31; 69. Emily Hamlin 20:51; 102. Allie Schadler 21:05; 169. Olivia O'Keeffe 21:35; 188. Shona McCulloch 21:46; 214. Kelly Makin 22:07.
Men's 10,000m
Team Standings (Top-20 of 31): 1. Northern Arizona 83; 2. BYU 116; 3. Portland 160; 4. Colorado 178; 5. Stanford 201; 6. Washington 213; 7. Iowa State 220; 8. Wisconsin 240; 9. Colorado State 309; 10. Boise State 342; 11. North Carolina State 342; 12. Wyoming 371; 13. Oklahoma State 378; 14. Notre Dame 401; 15. Oregon 407; 16. Eastern Kentucky 430; 17. Ole Miss 431; 18. Indiana 469; 19. Michigan 483; 20. Air Force 498.
Individual Champion: Morgan McDonald, Wisconsin, 29:08.
Husky Competitors: 19. Tanner Anderson 29:40; 38. Tibebu Proctor 29:58; 58. Fred Huxham 30:13; 67. Andrew Snyder 30:22; 80. Talon Hull 30:28; 122. Gavin Parpart 30:50; 209. Mick Stanovsek 31:51.
All-Americans
Katie Rainsberger
Lilli Burdon
Tanner Anderson
Tibebu Proctor
Best Husky Men's Team NCAA Finishes
1989 – 4th
2018 – 6th
2015 and 1993 – 8th
2006 and 1990 – 12th
Best Washington Combined Team NCAA Finishes
2018 – Men, 6th, Women, 9th – 7.5 average
1989 – Men, 4th; Women, 12th – 8.0 average
2015 – Men, 8th; Women, 10th – 9.0 average
2008 – Men, 18th; Women, 1st – 9.5 average
2009 – Men, 18th; Women, 3rd – 10.5 average
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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