SEATTLE – Sun Devil senior Chelsey Albertson ran her way into contention for an NCAA Championship berth Friday at the NCAA West Regional Championships in Seattle with a top-25 performance.
The all-conference honoree looked to be the Sun Devils' leader once again through 2K as she was in the top-25 and cruising with the leaders seeking an individual qualification spot.
"She battled through the whole way," head coach Jeremy Rasmussen said. "She was two seconds from the fourth girl and that is definitely tough. She's worked hard and has dedicated herself to this for the last four and a half years. For her to miss out by that much, I really feel for her."
She came up just short again in arguably the deepest region in the NCAA as her 21st place finish wasn't enough to guarantee her a ticket to Louisville and her first NCAA Championship appearance. Albertson was the fifth-best finishing individual, one place shy of an NCAA berth.
"There's still a glimmer of hope though," Rasmussen said. "With the way she finished, there are two more at-large bids that will be announced tomorrow, so she still has a chance to get to the National Championship."
The race could be Albertson's final as a Sun Devil. She took all-region honors for the second time in the past two seasons, just two weeks after she battled to her first all-conference honor.
"The one thing the ladies need to take away from Chelsey is that she has tried to do everything she could to get to the national meet," Rasmussen said. "She's been a great role model for this team and she's definitely left an impact on the girls."
As a team, ASU's women finished ninth with Courtney Lewis (62), Samantha Ortega (65), Daan Haven (77) and Alexis Nichols (81) also scoring for the Devils to give the squad 304 points.
"I think it was an OK day," Rasmussen said. "Chelsey ran well, Sam didn't have a great race, but I thought Daan and Alexis did well. For us to get to the national meet, we have to continue to make some adjustments. We have to make the next step. We're 100 points away based on today."
ASU entered the day as the ninth-ranked team in the West, but still managed to defeat No. 8 UCLA, who took 12th. The eighth-place team was a surprise San Jose State team that came into the day unranked. The Spartans scored just two more points than the Sun Devils.
In the men's race, John Reniewicki closed out his junior campaign with a 120th-place finish, covering the 10,000-meter course in 32:05.81.
It was Reniewicki's only 10K of the season, and the Sun Devil captain lined up in Seattle alone for the first time this season. It was his second time at the NCAA West Regional Championships and his debut at the Jefferson Park Golf Course.
"It's hard to come here by yourself, but we felt John had earned the right to be here," Rasmussen said. "All year, he's been working to be the best runner could be. He felt good at the beginning, but I think he just ran on tired legs for three-fourths of the race. It was a great experience for him, though, and I think it'll add to the fuel."
The results today cap off the 2017 season for the Sun Devil cross country teams. While it was possibly final race senior leader and Arizona's own Billie Jo Dytrt, and possibly the finale for Albertson, most of the women who ran today will be back for the 2018 season, and Reniewicki will lead the Devils in his swan song next fall, followed by a young group of determined Sun Devils after their season was cut short.
"First things first: we have to make sure we have a great track season and continue to stack consistency," Rasmussen said. "If we can do that and be healthy, we'll get better and make the next level.
"There are a couple more pieces sitting at home or out there for recruiting, and we're going to do a lot of work with this core group to be able to make those steps forward," Rasmussen said.
With cross country over, the next time these Devils will compete will likely be in January for the start of the indoor track and field season.
NCAA West Regional Championships | Seattle | Nov. 10, 2017
Women's Results
21. Chelsey Albertson – 20:09.8
62. Courtney Lewis – 20:59.7
65. Samantha Ortega – 21:02.3
77. Daan Haven – 21:10.2
81. Alexis Nichols – 21:15.9
118. Anna Pruter – 21:53.6
138. Billie Jo Dytrt – 22:09.8
Women's Team Results
1. San Francisco – 59
2. Stanford – 76
3. Oregon – 92
4. Boise State – 104
5. California – 183
--
9. Arizona State – 304
Men's Results
120. John Reniewicki – 32:05.81
Men's Team Results
1. Portland – 63
2. Washington – 65
3. Stanford – 85
4. Oregon – 149
5. UCLA – 164
The all-conference honoree looked to be the Sun Devils' leader once again through 2K as she was in the top-25 and cruising with the leaders seeking an individual qualification spot.
"She battled through the whole way," head coach Jeremy Rasmussen said. "She was two seconds from the fourth girl and that is definitely tough. She's worked hard and has dedicated herself to this for the last four and a half years. For her to miss out by that much, I really feel for her."
She came up just short again in arguably the deepest region in the NCAA as her 21st place finish wasn't enough to guarantee her a ticket to Louisville and her first NCAA Championship appearance. Albertson was the fifth-best finishing individual, one place shy of an NCAA berth.
"There's still a glimmer of hope though," Rasmussen said. "With the way she finished, there are two more at-large bids that will be announced tomorrow, so she still has a chance to get to the National Championship."
The race could be Albertson's final as a Sun Devil. She took all-region honors for the second time in the past two seasons, just two weeks after she battled to her first all-conference honor.
All-Pac-12: ?
— Sun Devil TFXC (@SunDevilTFXC) November 10, 2017
All-Region: ?
What a season it's been for Chelsey Albertson! ??????#ForksUp! ?? pic.twitter.com/ByH7ExaSvu
"The one thing the ladies need to take away from Chelsey is that she has tried to do everything she could to get to the national meet," Rasmussen said. "She's been a great role model for this team and she's definitely left an impact on the girls."
As a team, ASU's women finished ninth with Courtney Lewis (62), Samantha Ortega (65), Daan Haven (77) and Alexis Nichols (81) also scoring for the Devils to give the squad 304 points.
"I think it was an OK day," Rasmussen said. "Chelsey ran well, Sam didn't have a great race, but I thought Daan and Alexis did well. For us to get to the national meet, we have to continue to make some adjustments. We have to make the next step. We're 100 points away based on today."
ASU entered the day as the ninth-ranked team in the West, but still managed to defeat No. 8 UCLA, who took 12th. The eighth-place team was a surprise San Jose State team that came into the day unranked. The Spartans scored just two more points than the Sun Devils.
In the men's race, John Reniewicki closed out his junior campaign with a 120th-place finish, covering the 10,000-meter course in 32:05.81.
It was Reniewicki's only 10K of the season, and the Sun Devil captain lined up in Seattle alone for the first time this season. It was his second time at the NCAA West Regional Championships and his debut at the Jefferson Park Golf Course.
"It's hard to come here by yourself, but we felt John had earned the right to be here," Rasmussen said. "All year, he's been working to be the best runner could be. He felt good at the beginning, but I think he just ran on tired legs for three-fourths of the race. It was a great experience for him, though, and I think it'll add to the fuel."
The results today cap off the 2017 season for the Sun Devil cross country teams. While it was possibly final race senior leader and Arizona's own Billie Jo Dytrt, and possibly the finale for Albertson, most of the women who ran today will be back for the 2018 season, and Reniewicki will lead the Devils in his swan song next fall, followed by a young group of determined Sun Devils after their season was cut short.
"First things first: we have to make sure we have a great track season and continue to stack consistency," Rasmussen said. "If we can do that and be healthy, we'll get better and make the next level.
"There are a couple more pieces sitting at home or out there for recruiting, and we're going to do a lot of work with this core group to be able to make those steps forward," Rasmussen said.
With cross country over, the next time these Devils will compete will likely be in January for the start of the indoor track and field season.
NCAA West Regional Championships | Seattle | Nov. 10, 2017
Women's Results
21. Chelsey Albertson – 20:09.8
62. Courtney Lewis – 20:59.7
65. Samantha Ortega – 21:02.3
77. Daan Haven – 21:10.2
81. Alexis Nichols – 21:15.9
118. Anna Pruter – 21:53.6
138. Billie Jo Dytrt – 22:09.8
Women's Team Results
1. San Francisco – 59
2. Stanford – 76
3. Oregon – 92
4. Boise State – 104
5. California – 183
--
9. Arizona State – 304
Men's Results
120. John Reniewicki – 32:05.81
Men's Team Results
1. Portland – 63
2. Washington – 65
3. Stanford – 85
4. Oregon – 149
5. UCLA – 164