Saturday, September 7
Portland, OR
All Day
Oregon State
at
Viking Rust Buster
Photo by: Dave Nishitani/Oregon State Athletics
Season Preview: Cross Country Prepped for Portland State Invite
September 03, 2019 | Women's Cross Country
The 2019 cross country season begins this weekend with Saturday’s Portland State Invite. With a balanced roster of depth and newcomers, the Beavers are in for an exciting season coming off last years run to the postseason.
MAKING HISTORY:
The 2018 Cross Country season was one for the history books as the Beavers gained national attention and laid a solid foundation of success for years to come. In only his second year, head coach Louie Quintana took the Beavs to their first ever NCAA Championship in one of many historic milestones of the season. The Beavers also attained their highest ever USTFCCCA West Regional ranking at No. 6 for multiple weeks during the season. The nation also took notice when the team received votes in the USTFCCCA National Poll for just the second time since 2008.
For head coach Louie Quintana, resiliency became a staple of the team's culture last season which seemed to rub off the whole group. The Beavers didn't back down from facing national competition last year and when the time came, OSU didn't miss a step to make their name known. The team kicked of the season with a first place finish at last year's Viking Rust Buster (Portland Invite) and followed that up later with a second place finish at the Sundodger Invite. The Beavs closed the latter portion of their schedule strong by capturing another first-place finish at the Bronco Invite which guided them to post-season competition.
"I think it's always a big thing with cross country to build up that resiliency," Quintana said. "With such a new squad this year, it's very important for them to learn that early in the season."
At the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships the Beavers ran for both their lowest placing, 6th place, and lowest point total in school history. With its 6th place finish at the NCAA West Regional Championships, Oregon State again made history with its highest finish at the regional event.
This upcoming season gives hope for the future as the Beavers have attained a deep recruiting class and made an NCAA championship meet in Quintana's second year with the program.Â
ROSTER OUTLOOK:
The Beavers return 11 runners while also bringing in 11 newcomers which showcases a depth-filled roster. Last season, the Beavs were better and faster with senior Juliana Mount leading the way. However, it's no easy task to replace your front runner who emerged as the top Beaver in each race she ran in.
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 The performances of redshirt junior Lexi Reed, junior Audrey Lookner and freshman Haley Wolf proved that the Beavers were a legitimate power in the cross country scene and could rise to the occasion when it mattered. This season will be guided by those three playing a large role in Mount's absence.
As a freshman, Wolf made her mark by showing her talent early on. She finished 32nd at the West Regional Championships which improved one spot from her 33rd place finish at PAC-12 Championships two weeks prior. Wolf ultimately finished as the second Beaver for five out of her six races last season and posted a 20:25 mark in last year's Bronco Invite. That places her fifth on the all-time 6K list and she will look to continue her consistency this season.
Reed has been an anchor for Oregon State throughout her time in Corvallis and looks to make a big impact in her final season. Reed collected a first-place finish in last year's Portland Invite and was the third Beaver to finish in the majority of her races. Reed also finshed 37th at PAC-12 Championships and 45th at the NCAA West Regional Championships.
Lookner hung around the top four spots for a majority of her races last season, finishing as the third Beaver at Pac-12 Championships and fourth at NCAA West Regionals. Lookner is already seventh on the all-time 6K list with a 20:28 mark in 2017.
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A CALI CONNECTION:
With an impressive crop of recruits and transfers, this season's roster showcases depth from top to bottom. It also features three freshman hailing from the Golden State who bring a great deal of national championship and state meet experience.
Standout freshman Meagen Lowe will be a key addition to the roster as she boasts a 1600m time of 4:43 and a 3200m time of 10:12. The Clovis, California native also brings national championship experience as she finished 34th at Nike Cross Nationals and was a top-three finisher at the California State Championships four separate times.
Fellow freshman Gabby Peterson has PR times of 4:47/10:23 and similar to Lowe, she also won the California XC State Title last fall. She added a 23rd place finish at the 2018 Footlocker National Championships. Peterson won the California XC state title this past fall and followed that up with a 23rd place finish at the 2018 Footlocker National Championships.
Emily Perez, hailing from Alameda, finished close to Peterson in the California State Meet last season where she finished fourth. Perez also had a silver medal performance at the same state meet in 2017. With a three-mile personal best of 16:43, Perez is another valuable piece to a balanced roster.
"We have a lot of youth, obviously," Quintana said. "We're experienced at some big level meets and Foot Locker national championships. We're not intimidated with the group we have coming in. The most glaring thing for us is trying to find that solidified front runner."
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE:
With three girls boasting national championship experience and four recording 3200 times under 10:50 with two under 4:50, the Beavers have a solid foundation to stay competitive and consistent around the collegiate running scene.
NEXT:
Join us on Saturday, Sept. 7th in Portland, Oregon for the Viking Rust Buster (or Portland State Invite) hosted by the Vikings of PSU. Parking is $5 per car or $7 per 12-passenger van. The Beavs will race at 9:30 for the Women's 4K race at Blue Lake Park.
"We used last year's Portland State meet as a launching off point since we only brought six or seven girls," Quintana said. "This year, we're bringing most of our team. I want to see what we've got and I think it's a short enough race so we can get an idea of how people manage their efforts throughout the race."
Lineup: Erin Dietz, Liv Downing, Grace Fetherstonhaugh, Rebecca Ledsham, Audrey Lookner, Meagen Lowe, Sydni Nedza, Emily Perez, Gabby Peterson, Lexi Reed, Libby Rinck, Annika Sundstrom, Greta Van Calcar and Haley Wolf
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Schedule of Events:
Men's 6,000-meter collegiate race, 9 a.m.
Women's 4,000-meter collegiate race, 9:30 a.m.
Boys 4,000-meter high school race, 10 a.m.
Girls 4,000-meter high school race, 10:30 a.m.
Alumni and community 4,000-meter open race, 11 a.m
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Follow Us on Social
For more information on the Oregon State women's cross country team, visit OSUBeavers.com or follow the team's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverTFXC, on Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverTFXC, or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverTFXC.
Â
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
Â
The 2018 Cross Country season was one for the history books as the Beavers gained national attention and laid a solid foundation of success for years to come. In only his second year, head coach Louie Quintana took the Beavs to their first ever NCAA Championship in one of many historic milestones of the season. The Beavers also attained their highest ever USTFCCCA West Regional ranking at No. 6 for multiple weeks during the season. The nation also took notice when the team received votes in the USTFCCCA National Poll for just the second time since 2008.
For head coach Louie Quintana, resiliency became a staple of the team's culture last season which seemed to rub off the whole group. The Beavers didn't back down from facing national competition last year and when the time came, OSU didn't miss a step to make their name known. The team kicked of the season with a first place finish at last year's Viking Rust Buster (Portland Invite) and followed that up later with a second place finish at the Sundodger Invite. The Beavs closed the latter portion of their schedule strong by capturing another first-place finish at the Bronco Invite which guided them to post-season competition.
"I think it's always a big thing with cross country to build up that resiliency," Quintana said. "With such a new squad this year, it's very important for them to learn that early in the season."
At the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships the Beavers ran for both their lowest placing, 6th place, and lowest point total in school history. With its 6th place finish at the NCAA West Regional Championships, Oregon State again made history with its highest finish at the regional event.
This upcoming season gives hope for the future as the Beavers have attained a deep recruiting class and made an NCAA championship meet in Quintana's second year with the program.Â
ROSTER OUTLOOK:
The Beavers return 11 runners while also bringing in 11 newcomers which showcases a depth-filled roster. Last season, the Beavs were better and faster with senior Juliana Mount leading the way. However, it's no easy task to replace your front runner who emerged as the top Beaver in each race she ran in.
Â
 The performances of redshirt junior Lexi Reed, junior Audrey Lookner and freshman Haley Wolf proved that the Beavers were a legitimate power in the cross country scene and could rise to the occasion when it mattered. This season will be guided by those three playing a large role in Mount's absence.
As a freshman, Wolf made her mark by showing her talent early on. She finished 32nd at the West Regional Championships which improved one spot from her 33rd place finish at PAC-12 Championships two weeks prior. Wolf ultimately finished as the second Beaver for five out of her six races last season and posted a 20:25 mark in last year's Bronco Invite. That places her fifth on the all-time 6K list and she will look to continue her consistency this season.
Reed has been an anchor for Oregon State throughout her time in Corvallis and looks to make a big impact in her final season. Reed collected a first-place finish in last year's Portland Invite and was the third Beaver to finish in the majority of her races. Reed also finshed 37th at PAC-12 Championships and 45th at the NCAA West Regional Championships.
Lookner hung around the top four spots for a majority of her races last season, finishing as the third Beaver at Pac-12 Championships and fourth at NCAA West Regionals. Lookner is already seventh on the all-time 6K list with a 20:28 mark in 2017.
Â
A CALI CONNECTION:
With an impressive crop of recruits and transfers, this season's roster showcases depth from top to bottom. It also features three freshman hailing from the Golden State who bring a great deal of national championship and state meet experience.
Standout freshman Meagen Lowe will be a key addition to the roster as she boasts a 1600m time of 4:43 and a 3200m time of 10:12. The Clovis, California native also brings national championship experience as she finished 34th at Nike Cross Nationals and was a top-three finisher at the California State Championships four separate times.
Fellow freshman Gabby Peterson has PR times of 4:47/10:23 and similar to Lowe, she also won the California XC State Title last fall. She added a 23rd place finish at the 2018 Footlocker National Championships. Peterson won the California XC state title this past fall and followed that up with a 23rd place finish at the 2018 Footlocker National Championships.
Emily Perez, hailing from Alameda, finished close to Peterson in the California State Meet last season where she finished fourth. Perez also had a silver medal performance at the same state meet in 2017. With a three-mile personal best of 16:43, Perez is another valuable piece to a balanced roster.
"We have a lot of youth, obviously," Quintana said. "We're experienced at some big level meets and Foot Locker national championships. We're not intimidated with the group we have coming in. The most glaring thing for us is trying to find that solidified front runner."
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE:
- Â Portland, Oregon native Libby Rinck has a 10:05 3K time and also ran at the 2018 NXN Championships last fall.
- Â Freshman and Phoenix native Sydni Nedza has 800m times of 2:21:36 and a 19:47 5K.
- Another piece will be Maggie Smith who was the 2018 Female Athlete of the Year at Niwot High School in Colorado and also has NXN experience.
- Liv Downing has personal bests of 2:20.21 (800m), 10:29.10 (3000m) and 18:51 (5000m XC)
With three girls boasting national championship experience and four recording 3200 times under 10:50 with two under 4:50, the Beavers have a solid foundation to stay competitive and consistent around the collegiate running scene.
NEXT:
Join us on Saturday, Sept. 7th in Portland, Oregon for the Viking Rust Buster (or Portland State Invite) hosted by the Vikings of PSU. Parking is $5 per car or $7 per 12-passenger van. The Beavs will race at 9:30 for the Women's 4K race at Blue Lake Park.
"We used last year's Portland State meet as a launching off point since we only brought six or seven girls," Quintana said. "This year, we're bringing most of our team. I want to see what we've got and I think it's a short enough race so we can get an idea of how people manage their efforts throughout the race."
Lineup: Erin Dietz, Liv Downing, Grace Fetherstonhaugh, Rebecca Ledsham, Audrey Lookner, Meagen Lowe, Sydni Nedza, Emily Perez, Gabby Peterson, Lexi Reed, Libby Rinck, Annika Sundstrom, Greta Van Calcar and Haley Wolf
Â
Schedule of Events:
Men's 6,000-meter collegiate race, 9 a.m.
Women's 4,000-meter collegiate race, 9:30 a.m.
Boys 4,000-meter high school race, 10 a.m.
Girls 4,000-meter high school race, 10:30 a.m.
Alumni and community 4,000-meter open race, 11 a.m
Â
Follow Us on Social
For more information on the Oregon State women's cross country team, visit OSUBeavers.com or follow the team's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverTFXC, on Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverTFXC, or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverTFXC.
Â
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
Â
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