In this Nov. 23, 2013, file, Colorado’s Blake Theroux races at the NCAA Cross County Championship in Terre Haute, Ind. (Aaron P. Bernstein, Special to the Denver Post)
The University of Colorado men’s cross country team — potentially one of the most dominant in school history — held on to its No. 1 ranking in the final regular season NCAA Division I national coach’s poll released Tuesday.
The men’s team dominated at Saturday’s pre-nationals meet in Terre Haute, Ind., where top teams travel to get race experience on the same course — LaVern Gibson Championship Course — where nationals will be held on Nov. 22. The Buffs put a staggering six runners in the top 14 in one of the most competitive fields in the nation to win the “Blue” race for the second straight year out of 46 teams. Pac-12 conference rival Oregon finished a distant second with 91 points. The Buffs put six runners ahead of Oregon’s No. 3 runner.
Colorado senior Blake Theroux of Chesapeake, Va., finished second in the 8K race in 24 minutes, 6.1 seconds, just two seconds behind Oregon sophomore Edward Cherserk, the defending NCAA and Pac-12 champion. Colorado sophomore Ben Saarel was fourth, junior Ammar Moussa was eighth, senior Jake Hurysz was ninth, junior Pierce Murphy was 12th and junior Connor Winter was 14th.
In cross country, the top five runners count for the final point score, with each place number adding together to form the final team score — with the lowest score winning. If the score between two teams is tied, the placing for the sixth and seventh runners, if necessary, is factored in to decide a winner.
The men’s team has received every first place vote in each poll this season. The 2006 Wisconsin men’s team is the only other to achieve that in 18 years of U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) polling. Colorado beat Wisconsin at the NCAA Championships that year.
The CU women’s team held on to its No. 7 ranking on the coach’s poll after finishing fourth at Pre-Nationals out of 43 teams behind sophomore Erin Clark’s team-leading seventh place finish in the 6K race.
The next poll will be released in two weeks, on Nov. 4, after conference championships. The Buffs travel to the Pac-12 Championships in Oakland, Calif., on Oct. 31.
