BYU women's cross country team placed first and the men's team placed third in their respective races at the Pre-Nationals Meet in Terra Haute, Ind., Saturday. Kassi Andersen led the women's team with a six-place finish on the 6K course. "I think this is the strongest we've been so far," Andersen said. "The course was pretty simple, but it was a lot of fun."
Head Coach Patrick Shane said one of the most impressive things about the race was that the split from BYU's first finisher to their fifth was only 26 seconds. "Anytime you are under a 30 second split you are really getting the job done," he said.
The Cougars accomplished what they wanted to at the meet, but they still have room to grow. Coach Shane said, "We got a good look at the course and ran well. We definitely haven't started to peak, but we'll do that when we need to, which will be November 25, at Nationals."
The men's cross country team finished third in their race, with Kip Kangogo placing first. The Cougars came into the race ranked third, and they finished third. BYU Head Coach Ed Eyestone said the race went right according to form.
Kip said he wasn't running for time, but rather just to win his race. "I didn't run at my full pace," he said. "I was running at medium." He said he just wanted to run well enough to win and stay healthy.
Coach Eyestone said, "Even though the guys were sluggish because we flew in the night before the race, they still ran to expectations. Now we just need to exceed expectations."
The women's B team also won the 6K Open Race, with Kristen Ogden placing first in team scoring and second overall. The men ran a B team at the Idaho State Invitational in Pocatello, Idaho.
Women's Blue Race 6K
Place Name School Time
1. Shalane Flanagan North Carolina 19:56.5
2. Kate O'Neill Yale 20:08.8
3. Moly Austin Colorado 20:12.3
4. Sara Gorton Colorado 20:13.4
5. Laura O'Neill Yale 20:22.8
6. Kassi Anderson Brigham Young 20:23.5
7. Mollie Defrancesco James Madison 20:27.9
8. Michaela Manova Brigham Young 20:34.5
9. Amanda Bales Missouri 20:35.9
10. Ali Henderson William & Mary 20:36.6
Other BYU Finishers:
12. Breanne Sandberg 20:44.0
14. Nan Kennard 20:48.3
15. Katie Martin 20:49.1
21. Jessie Kindschi 21:02.5
Women's Team Finish
1. BYU 55
2. Colorado 143
3. Georgetown 175
4. Wisconsin 207
5. Missouri 209
5. Duke 209
7. North Carolina 230
8. Indiana 239
9. William & Mary 312
10. Michigan 346
Men's Blue Race 8K
Place Name School Time
1. Kip Kangogo Brigham Young 23:45.9
2.Grant Robison Stanford 23:46.1
3.Ian Dobson Stanford 23:49.0
4.Tom McArdle Dartmouth 23:55.3
5.Mark Tucker Butler 23:55.9
6.Donald Sage Stanford 24:02.0
7.Louis Luchini Stanford 24:02.3
8.Nurani Sheikh No. Arizona 24:03.1
9.Peter Meindl Stanford 24:06.7
10.Mark Menefee Kansas 24:07.7
Other BYU Finishers:
25. Lewis Jones 24:26.2
32. Chad Durham 24:43.9
52. Andy Carman 24:57.6
61. Matt Adams 25:02.4
76. Steve Barrus 25:12.6
157. Nathan Robison 25:55.2
Men's Team Finish
1. Stanford
2. Northern Arizona
3. BYU