MEET NOTES
TEMPE – It's officially the postseason for cross country programs across the NCAA. For the Sun Devils, this means competing in arguably the deepest conference in the nation with six of nine men's teams, and six of 12 women's teams in the Pac-12 ranked in the top-30 nationally.
The men's 8K run will feature three teams in the top-10, including Stanford, Colorado and Oregon, while the women's 6K pits the Sun Devils against Nos. 1 and 3 Oregon and Colorado.
The women enter the weekend as the sixth-highest ranked program in West Region that includes all of the Pac-12 programs except Utah and Colorado.
Both of ASU's squads head to Oregon with momentum, having swept the ASU Cross Country Invitational a week ago in Tempe. Courtney Lewis, who has been ASU's No. 3 woman for most of the season, won the women's three-mile run and Billie Jo Dytrt took second.
On the men's side, Erik Gonzalez stepped up with John Reniewicki sitting out and claimed the No. 1 spot for the Sun Devils with fellow true freshman Jackson Lewis crossing the line a few places after.
The Pac-12 Championships will be the fourth installment of the season in the rivalry between the Sun Devils and Arizona. While the men have only topped the Wildcats once this season, the women's only loss to Arizona came early in the season during a home meet for the Wildcats. But this time, there's a point on the line.
Sun Devil track and field and cross country has been vital in keeping the Territorial Cup in Tempe as the program has taken 25 of the past 36 possible points against U of A, including 19 of the 24 possible points during the indoor and outdoor seasons since 2010.
Last season, the Devils finished ninth on the women's side and eighth on the men's side with Chelsey (36th) and C.J. Albertson (25th) leading the way for the squads. U of A topped the women, but the Sun Devil men bested the Wildcats who finished ninth.
Both teams will be seeking their first Pac-12 cross country titles, but they will not be alone in the hunt for win No. 1.
Since the conference expanded in 2011, only three programs have won the women's team title. Colorado has taken it three times, Oregon twice and Arizona claimed it in 2013.
The men's title is more elusive as only the men of Colorado have won it in all six seasons.
This season, the depth of the conference is undeniable, and the championship is up for grabs.
Race Day Info
The Pac-12 Championships will be an 8K run for the men and a 6K run for the women at the Springfield Golf Club in Springfield, Oregon, just a 20-minute drive from the host school, the University of Oregon.
Live results will be available online provided by Finished Results.
The action gets started at 11 a.m. PT with the women's race, then the men's race follows at noon.
Fans who want to attend the championship event should park at Mohawk Elementary School and a shuttle system will bring spectators to the course continuously beginning at 9 a.m.
For fans who can't make it to the Beaver State, the Pac-12 Network will provide a live stream online and it will be broadcast in its entirety on the Pac-12 Network.
Results and a full recap of Arizona State's championship runs will be available on thesundevils.com following the completion of the meet.
Coach's Corner – Rasmussen on The Pac-12 Championships
On his expectations for the Pac-12 meet
"The Pac-12 conference is definitely one of the best in the country and it's always going to be a challenge, no matter what team you are. For us, we're always looking to place as high as we can. What does that mean this year? On the men's side, it's trying to beat U of A and somewhere in the six or seven range. On the women's side, we can be in the top-half under the right circumstances. For us, we haven't been able to run a meet where everyone has run well at the same time. We've been trying to do a couple of things to be able to race at their best on the same day."
On who he expects to lead the men's team
"John on the men's side has been leading us the whole year, so for him to go out there and try to be in the top-30 or 35 would be a nice race for him. We're leaning on the rest of the guys to make sure they're doing everything they can to pick up places, especially on U of A to pick up Territorial Cup points and try to help the athletic department start off on a good foot."
On who he expects to lead the women's team
"Sam and Chelsey have done a tremendous job for us this year, so really we're relying on those two to race to the ability they've shown in practice and race the way we've seen them race in previous meets and conference championships. We're really relying on that next group to really be able to run as a pack. If they can do that, we'll be happy with the results at the end."
Looking Back
No team on the men's side other than Colorado has taken the Pac-12 crown since the Buffs joined the conference, and just three women's programs have won conference titles since 2011.
Shelby Houlihan's individual win in 2013 was ASU's first Pac-12 or Pac-12 cross country champion in school history and stopped Stanford from winning three-straight individual crowns.
Men's Past Results – Pac-12 Championships
Year Team Pts. ASU Highest Finisher Place
2016 8th 225 C.J. Albertson 25th
2015 8th 218 C.J. Albertson 19th
2014 6th 182 Ryan Herson 20th
2013 4th 140 Garrett Seawell 13th
2012 4th 109 Nick Happe 11th
Women's Past Results – Pac-12 Championships
Year Team Pts. ASU Highest Finisher Place
2016 10th 236 Chelsey Albertson 35th
2015 6th 162 Samantha Ortega 18th
2014 6th 158 Shelby Houlihan 1st
2013 6th 139 Shelby Houlihan 4th
2012 9th 210 Shelby Houlihan 8th
Sun Devils Sweep in Regular-Season Finale
The Sun Devil women closed out the regular season with a home victory behind a one-two finish from Courtney Lewis and Billie Jo Dytrt at the ASU Cross Country Invitational Friday in Tempe.
The women's three-mile race followed the men's four-mile run that was won by former Sun Devil C.J. Albertson, running unattached.
ASU's women's squad finished with a season-low 24 points thanks in part to the strong performances from Lewis and Dytrt. However, the entire Sun Devil top-five finished in the top-10 of the race with true freshman Angela Saitta coming in fifth, Bianca Tinoco placing seventh in her season debut, and Anastasia Hancock taking ninth in her first race since Sept. 15.
Lewis and Dytrt broke away early and traded the lead several times throughout the course of the second and third loops at the Karsten Golf Course. Lewis, a sophomore, pulled away from Dytrt late as the women neared the chute to come away with her first win as a Sun Devil in 18:19.
The win also marked the Sun Devil women's second win over Arizona this season, with the first coming at the opener in Flagstaff.
Youth was on display for the men's squad earlier in the day with true freshman Erik Gonzalez leading the way for the Devils and another true Freshman, Jackson Lewis, finishing as ASU's No. 2 runner.
Gonzalez and Jackson ran near the front of the pack for most of the race, but Albertson had already built his lead to nearly 15 seconds after just the first loop.
After the four miles, Gonzalez finished fifth in 21:16, and Jackson took ninth in 21:27.
Michael Renner just missed out on his first top-10 finish of the season when he crossed the line in 21:35, good for 11th.
Alexander Stevens finished 14th and Nick Dale rounded out the scoring in 19th.
Sun Devil Entries – Pac-12 Championships
Men: Brandon Boys, Nick Dale, Erik Gonzalez, Jackson Lewis, Bernie Montoya, J.P. Nelson, Ryan Normand, John Reniewicki, Michael Renner, Alexander Stevens
Women: Chelsey Albertson, Billie Jo Dytrt, Emily Gallegos-Francksen, Daan Haven, Courtney Lewis, Alexis Nichols, Samantha Ortega, Anna Pruter, Angela Saitta, Bianca Tinoco
Sun Devil Women Stay Put at No. 9 Out West
After a solid showing at the Pre-Nationals Invitational where the Sun Devil women took down No. 24 Missouri and two more teams receiving votes, ASU held onto its No. 9 spot while the rest of the region shifted.
Eight teams found themselves with a new ranking this week in the USTFCCCA's West Region poll with Stanford taking the biggest tumble from No. 2 to No. 5.
Nationally, Stanford dropped nine places, but the Pac-12 still owns two of the top-three rankings with new No. 1 Oregon and previous No. 1 Colorado slotting in at No. 3.
On the men's side, the Devils were left out of the West's top-15 for a second-straight week.
The national men's poll saw just three teams hold their places with Nos. 1 and 2 NAU and BYU and No. 8 Oregon holding onto their rankings.
Portland and Arkansas effectively swapped spots with the Pilots rising 22 places to No. 3 overall and the Razorbacks falling 22 after a disappointing weekend at Pre-Nats.
TEMPE – It's officially the postseason for cross country programs across the NCAA. For the Sun Devils, this means competing in arguably the deepest conference in the nation with six of nine men's teams, and six of 12 women's teams in the Pac-12 ranked in the top-30 nationally.
The men's 8K run will feature three teams in the top-10, including Stanford, Colorado and Oregon, while the women's 6K pits the Sun Devils against Nos. 1 and 3 Oregon and Colorado.
The women enter the weekend as the sixth-highest ranked program in West Region that includes all of the Pac-12 programs except Utah and Colorado.
Both of ASU's squads head to Oregon with momentum, having swept the ASU Cross Country Invitational a week ago in Tempe. Courtney Lewis, who has been ASU's No. 3 woman for most of the season, won the women's three-mile run and Billie Jo Dytrt took second.
On the men's side, Erik Gonzalez stepped up with John Reniewicki sitting out and claimed the No. 1 spot for the Sun Devils with fellow true freshman Jackson Lewis crossing the line a few places after.
The Pac-12 Championships will be the fourth installment of the season in the rivalry between the Sun Devils and Arizona. While the men have only topped the Wildcats once this season, the women's only loss to Arizona came early in the season during a home meet for the Wildcats. But this time, there's a point on the line.
Sun Devil track and field and cross country has been vital in keeping the Territorial Cup in Tempe as the program has taken 25 of the past 36 possible points against U of A, including 19 of the 24 possible points during the indoor and outdoor seasons since 2010.
Last season, the Devils finished ninth on the women's side and eighth on the men's side with Chelsey (36th) and C.J. Albertson (25th) leading the way for the squads. U of A topped the women, but the Sun Devil men bested the Wildcats who finished ninth.
Both teams will be seeking their first Pac-12 cross country titles, but they will not be alone in the hunt for win No. 1.
Since the conference expanded in 2011, only three programs have won the women's team title. Colorado has taken it three times, Oregon twice and Arizona claimed it in 2013.
The men's title is more elusive as only the men of Colorado have won it in all six seasons.
This season, the depth of the conference is undeniable, and the championship is up for grabs.
Race Day Info
The Pac-12 Championships will be an 8K run for the men and a 6K run for the women at the Springfield Golf Club in Springfield, Oregon, just a 20-minute drive from the host school, the University of Oregon.
Live results will be available online provided by Finished Results.
The action gets started at 11 a.m. PT with the women's race, then the men's race follows at noon.
Fans who want to attend the championship event should park at Mohawk Elementary School and a shuttle system will bring spectators to the course continuously beginning at 9 a.m.
For fans who can't make it to the Beaver State, the Pac-12 Network will provide a live stream online and it will be broadcast in its entirety on the Pac-12 Network.
Results and a full recap of Arizona State's championship runs will be available on thesundevils.com following the completion of the meet.
Coach's Corner – Rasmussen on The Pac-12 Championships
On his expectations for the Pac-12 meet
"The Pac-12 conference is definitely one of the best in the country and it's always going to be a challenge, no matter what team you are. For us, we're always looking to place as high as we can. What does that mean this year? On the men's side, it's trying to beat U of A and somewhere in the six or seven range. On the women's side, we can be in the top-half under the right circumstances. For us, we haven't been able to run a meet where everyone has run well at the same time. We've been trying to do a couple of things to be able to race at their best on the same day."
On who he expects to lead the men's team
"John on the men's side has been leading us the whole year, so for him to go out there and try to be in the top-30 or 35 would be a nice race for him. We're leaning on the rest of the guys to make sure they're doing everything they can to pick up places, especially on U of A to pick up Territorial Cup points and try to help the athletic department start off on a good foot."
On who he expects to lead the women's team
"Sam and Chelsey have done a tremendous job for us this year, so really we're relying on those two to race to the ability they've shown in practice and race the way we've seen them race in previous meets and conference championships. We're really relying on that next group to really be able to run as a pack. If they can do that, we'll be happy with the results at the end."
Looking Back
No team on the men's side other than Colorado has taken the Pac-12 crown since the Buffs joined the conference, and just three women's programs have won conference titles since 2011.
Shelby Houlihan's individual win in 2013 was ASU's first Pac-12 or Pac-12 cross country champion in school history and stopped Stanford from winning three-straight individual crowns.
Men's Past Results – Pac-12 Championships
Year Team Pts. ASU Highest Finisher Place
2016 8th 225 C.J. Albertson 25th
2015 8th 218 C.J. Albertson 19th
2014 6th 182 Ryan Herson 20th
2013 4th 140 Garrett Seawell 13th
2012 4th 109 Nick Happe 11th
Women's Past Results – Pac-12 Championships
Year Team Pts. ASU Highest Finisher Place
2016 10th 236 Chelsey Albertson 35th
2015 6th 162 Samantha Ortega 18th
2014 6th 158 Shelby Houlihan 1st
2013 6th 139 Shelby Houlihan 4th
2012 9th 210 Shelby Houlihan 8th
Sun Devils Sweep in Regular-Season Finale
The Sun Devil women closed out the regular season with a home victory behind a one-two finish from Courtney Lewis and Billie Jo Dytrt at the ASU Cross Country Invitational Friday in Tempe.
The women's three-mile race followed the men's four-mile run that was won by former Sun Devil C.J. Albertson, running unattached.
ASU's women's squad finished with a season-low 24 points thanks in part to the strong performances from Lewis and Dytrt. However, the entire Sun Devil top-five finished in the top-10 of the race with true freshman Angela Saitta coming in fifth, Bianca Tinoco placing seventh in her season debut, and Anastasia Hancock taking ninth in her first race since Sept. 15.
Lewis and Dytrt broke away early and traded the lead several times throughout the course of the second and third loops at the Karsten Golf Course. Lewis, a sophomore, pulled away from Dytrt late as the women neared the chute to come away with her first win as a Sun Devil in 18:19.
The win also marked the Sun Devil women's second win over Arizona this season, with the first coming at the opener in Flagstaff.
Youth was on display for the men's squad earlier in the day with true freshman Erik Gonzalez leading the way for the Devils and another true Freshman, Jackson Lewis, finishing as ASU's No. 2 runner.
Gonzalez and Jackson ran near the front of the pack for most of the race, but Albertson had already built his lead to nearly 15 seconds after just the first loop.
After the four miles, Gonzalez finished fifth in 21:16, and Jackson took ninth in 21:27.
Michael Renner just missed out on his first top-10 finish of the season when he crossed the line in 21:35, good for 11th.
Alexander Stevens finished 14th and Nick Dale rounded out the scoring in 19th.
Sun Devil Entries – Pac-12 Championships
Men: Brandon Boys, Nick Dale, Erik Gonzalez, Jackson Lewis, Bernie Montoya, J.P. Nelson, Ryan Normand, John Reniewicki, Michael Renner, Alexander Stevens
Women: Chelsey Albertson, Billie Jo Dytrt, Emily Gallegos-Francksen, Daan Haven, Courtney Lewis, Alexis Nichols, Samantha Ortega, Anna Pruter, Angela Saitta, Bianca Tinoco
Sun Devil Women Stay Put at No. 9 Out West
After a solid showing at the Pre-Nationals Invitational where the Sun Devil women took down No. 24 Missouri and two more teams receiving votes, ASU held onto its No. 9 spot while the rest of the region shifted.
Eight teams found themselves with a new ranking this week in the USTFCCCA's West Region poll with Stanford taking the biggest tumble from No. 2 to No. 5.
Nationally, Stanford dropped nine places, but the Pac-12 still owns two of the top-three rankings with new No. 1 Oregon and previous No. 1 Colorado slotting in at No. 3.
On the men's side, the Devils were left out of the West's top-15 for a second-straight week.
The national men's poll saw just three teams hold their places with Nos. 1 and 2 NAU and BYU and No. 8 Oregon holding onto their rankings.
Portland and Arkansas effectively swapped spots with the Pilots rising 22 places to No. 3 overall and the Razorbacks falling 22 after a disappointing weekend at Pre-Nats.