PALO ALTO, Calif. – Alexis Nichols and the Sun Devil women's team earned Arizona State a vital Territorial Cup Series point Friday as ASU topped the U of A women and finished ninth at the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships in Palo Alto, California.
"One of the things I said to the group was that when I was in college and ran the steeplechase, it's the first event on the track, so it was upon me to start the team off right," women's head coach Jeremy Rasmussen said. "That's how I feel about this T-Cup Series point. It's the first full point out there, and it's important for us to go out and do what we can to start our department off right and help bring the trophy back to Tempe."
Nichols finished 41st and put up her best 6K time of the season, crossing the finish line at the Stanford Golf Course in 21:08.5.
Daan Haven (51), Samantha Ortega (52) and Courtney Lewis (55) all finished within three seconds of each other and Meagan Reniewicki's 72nd-place finish closed out the Sun Devils' scoring for the day and locked them in at 250 points.
"Those ladies are very interchangeable," Rasmussen said. "This time, our first through four was maybe 20 seconds apart, which was the best we'd been all season. We've got two weeks to get better and make sure these ladies go into the Regional meet in a good position."
The Wildcats of Arizona finished 10th, giving ASU the T-Cup Series point for women's cross country for the first time since 2015.
In the men's 8K title race that followed, Fearghal Curtin topped his season debut at the Pre-Nationals Invitational two weeks ago by leading the line for the Sun Devils with a 43rd-place finish in 24:19.7, the best time by a Sun Devil this season.
"For Fearghal, it was a heck of a race and a heck of an improvement than his first race two weeks ago," men's head coach Cory Leslie said. "But really when you look at Jackson or really any guy, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who didn't run faster today than they did last time we were here.
The season best performances continued as Jackson Lewis, Garrett O'Toole, Erik Gonzalez and Michael Renner all crushed their season bests and scored for the Sun Devils who finished ninth with 241 points, 40 points better than the previous year.
"I saw a group that was committed and put themselves in a good spot from the start," Leslie said. The team result is unfortunately the same as last year, but I think we took a lot of steps in the right direction.
"The message all along has been, 'we're not going to turn this thing around overnight.' We know it's going to take time and patience, and I think the guys have done a great job of showing up and getting better every day," Leslie said.
The women of Oregon took the team title from 2017 champion and current No. 1 Colorado, and Stanford won the men's team and individual title for the second-straight year.
ASU's postseason push continues in two weeks when the Devils head back to the Golden State for the NCAA West Regional Championships in Sacramento, California.
Pac-12 Cross Country Championships | Oct. 25, 2018 | Palo Alto, Calif.
Women's Results
41. Alexis Nichols – 21:08.5
51. Daan Haven – 21:24.5
52. Samantha Ortega – 21:24.7
55. Courtney Lewis – 21:27.6
72. Megan Reniewicki – 21:51.5
89. Angela Saitta – 22:36.4
92. Anna Pruter – 22:49.1
97. Emily Gallegos-Francksen – 23:20.7
Men's Results
43. Fearghal Curtin – 24:19.7
51. Jackson Lewis – 24:37.1
55. Garrett O'Toole – 24:43.1
57. Erik Gonzalez – 24:50.3
68. Michael Renner – 25:19.3
69. John Reniewicki – 25:21.1
77. Ian Kebenei – 26:19.7
78. Nick Shampoe – 26:20.3
Women's Team Results
1. Oregon – 32
2. Colorado – 48
3. Stanford – 81
4. Washington – 123
5. UCLA – 158
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9. Arizona State – 250
Men's Team Results
1. Stanford – 44
2. Washington – 62
3. Colorado – 82
4. Oregon – 93
5. Washington State – 123
--
9. Arizona State – 241
"One of the things I said to the group was that when I was in college and ran the steeplechase, it's the first event on the track, so it was upon me to start the team off right," women's head coach Jeremy Rasmussen said. "That's how I feel about this T-Cup Series point. It's the first full point out there, and it's important for us to go out and do what we can to start our department off right and help bring the trophy back to Tempe."
Nichols finished 41st and put up her best 6K time of the season, crossing the finish line at the Stanford Golf Course in 21:08.5.
Daan Haven (51), Samantha Ortega (52) and Courtney Lewis (55) all finished within three seconds of each other and Meagan Reniewicki's 72nd-place finish closed out the Sun Devils' scoring for the day and locked them in at 250 points.
"Those ladies are very interchangeable," Rasmussen said. "This time, our first through four was maybe 20 seconds apart, which was the best we'd been all season. We've got two weeks to get better and make sure these ladies go into the Regional meet in a good position."
The Wildcats of Arizona finished 10th, giving ASU the T-Cup Series point for women's cross country for the first time since 2015.
In the men's 8K title race that followed, Fearghal Curtin topped his season debut at the Pre-Nationals Invitational two weeks ago by leading the line for the Sun Devils with a 43rd-place finish in 24:19.7, the best time by a Sun Devil this season.
"For Fearghal, it was a heck of a race and a heck of an improvement than his first race two weeks ago," men's head coach Cory Leslie said. "But really when you look at Jackson or really any guy, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who didn't run faster today than they did last time we were here.
The season best performances continued as Jackson Lewis, Garrett O'Toole, Erik Gonzalez and Michael Renner all crushed their season bests and scored for the Sun Devils who finished ninth with 241 points, 40 points better than the previous year.
"I saw a group that was committed and put themselves in a good spot from the start," Leslie said. The team result is unfortunately the same as last year, but I think we took a lot of steps in the right direction.
"The message all along has been, 'we're not going to turn this thing around overnight.' We know it's going to take time and patience, and I think the guys have done a great job of showing up and getting better every day," Leslie said.
The women of Oregon took the team title from 2017 champion and current No. 1 Colorado, and Stanford won the men's team and individual title for the second-straight year.
ASU's postseason push continues in two weeks when the Devils head back to the Golden State for the NCAA West Regional Championships in Sacramento, California.
Pac-12 Cross Country Championships | Oct. 25, 2018 | Palo Alto, Calif.
Women's Results
41. Alexis Nichols – 21:08.5
51. Daan Haven – 21:24.5
52. Samantha Ortega – 21:24.7
55. Courtney Lewis – 21:27.6
72. Megan Reniewicki – 21:51.5
89. Angela Saitta – 22:36.4
92. Anna Pruter – 22:49.1
97. Emily Gallegos-Francksen – 23:20.7
Men's Results
43. Fearghal Curtin – 24:19.7
51. Jackson Lewis – 24:37.1
55. Garrett O'Toole – 24:43.1
57. Erik Gonzalez – 24:50.3
68. Michael Renner – 25:19.3
69. John Reniewicki – 25:21.1
77. Ian Kebenei – 26:19.7
78. Nick Shampoe – 26:20.3
Women's Team Results
1. Oregon – 32
2. Colorado – 48
3. Stanford – 81
4. Washington – 123
5. UCLA – 158
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9. Arizona State – 250
Men's Team Results
1. Stanford – 44
2. Washington – 62
3. Colorado – 82
4. Oregon – 93
5. Washington State – 123
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9. Arizona State – 241