Emily Weber wins Bill Dellinger Invitational

Beavers take fourth at Dellinger Invitational

Photo by: Scobel Wiggins/Oregon State Athletics

September 16, 2016 | Women's Cross Country

By: Brooks Hatch

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – Oregon State's Emily Weber opened her senior season in impressive fashion on Friday by taking first place at the Bill Dellinger Invitational cross country meet.

Weber covered the 5,000-meter course at the Springfield Country Club in 17:26 to edge the runner-up by two seconds in the 77-woman field. It was her first cross country race since the 2014 NCAA West Regional; she redshirted last season while doing an internship that made it impossible for her to compete.

"She ran a tremendous race," coach Kelly Sullivan said of Weber, who tied her lifetime cross country best – the 11^th-fastest time in school history – originally set in 2013. "She has worked very hard, she raced smart and it was a big, big win.

"One of our goals was to develop a front-runner on this team and we got that out of Emily today."

Weber said she ran how she felt, not by a specific pace. She came from behind and passed several runners down the stretch for the win.

"It's based off feel, my coach says to really listen to your body," she explained. "Go off of effort, don't go off of pace because that can really screw you up. So I went how I felt, went the pace we've been practicing. I owe a lot to my coach."

The Beavers placed fourth in the eight-team field with 84 points. Oregon (39) defended its team title, followed by Northwest Christian (51) and UC Davis (75). Northwest Christian is the defending NAIA national champion and is a dominant program at that level.

Junior Kristiane Width was OSU's No. 2 runner, as she placed 12^th in 17:44. Lexi Reed continued her strong freshman season by taking 16^th in 18:04; senior Morgan Anderson was 26^th in 18:20 and senior Samantha Lewis was 29^th in 18:29 to complete OSU's team scoring.

"They all ran well," Sullivan said, in a field that featured runners from four teams (Oregon, UC Davis, North Dakota State, Portland) ranked in the top 15 in their respective regions by the USTFCCCA.

Added Weber:

"I think it's really exciting because our team is going in a really positive direction. This just shows that you need to trust your coach 100 percent, and rally with your teammates because you're going to amazing things."

Sophomore Sam McKinnon was 33^rd in 18:38; sophomore Nicole Goecke was 39^th in 19:02 in her first-ever collegiate race. Sophomore Gwyneth McMorris was 48^th in 19:07 in her initial cross country appearance since transferring from Portland State before last season.

Junior Kala Kopecek was 56^th in 19:28. Freshman Emily Bacon (41^st, 18:50) and sophomore Kaely Gordon (62^nd, 19:54) ran unattached.

The Beavers return to action on Sept. 30 at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind.

"We plan to add [sophomore] Juliana Mount," OSU's No. 2 runner in 2015, "and [freshman] Sara Christianson for that meet as people get in better shape," Sullivan said. "Today was a good day. It's exciting."

For more information on the Oregon State track and field program, follow the Beavers on Facebook at Facebook.com/OSUTrackCrossCountry, or on Twitter at twitter.com/@BeaverTrackXC

Bill Dellinger Invitational

TEAM SCORES: Oregon 39; Northwest Christian 51; UC Davis 75; Oregon State 84; North Dakota State 97; Willamette 189; Portland 190; Lewis-Clark State 230.

OSU FINISHERS: 1. Emily Weber, 17:26. 12. Kristiane Width, 17:44. 16. Lexi Reed, 18:04. 26. Morgan Anderson, 18:20. 29. Samantha Lewis, 18:29. 33. Sam McKinnon, 18:38. 39. Nicole Goecke, 19:02. 41. Emily Bacon (un), 18:50. 48. Gwyneth McMorris, 19:07. 56. Kala Kopecek, 19:28. 62. Kaely Gordon (un), 19:54.

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