By David Monti, @d9monti | (c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved; used with permission
(23-Nov) — The Cougars of Brigham Young University swept the men’s and women’s team titles at today’s NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Verona, Wisconsin. In cold and cloudy conditions they became the first school to get the double win since the University of Colorado in 2004, and the fifth school ever to accomplish the feat. The men won by 13 points and the women by 17.
“Our women did a wonderful job and it set the table for us,” BYU men’s coach Ed Eyestone said on the ESPN broadcast of the event. He continued: “We put the pressure on… and held on.”
Led by senior Casey Clinger, the Cougar men settled-in near the front of the field right from the gun. The pace was solid (8:35.7 through 3 km), but not crazy, and that gave Eyestone the confidence that his squad could hold on all the way to the end.
“It helped that the pace was a little conservative early on,” said Eyestone who revealed that his staff used a whiteboard to show his athletes in real time were they stood in the team standings.
At the halfway point (14:30.5), where Texas Tech freshman Ernest Cheruiyot held the lead, BYU was leading by 37 points over Arkansas and 85 points over Oklahoma State, the team that Eyestone said was the strongest coming into these championships. Clinger was doing most of the work, and was the race’s overall leader through 6 km (17:19.8), 7 km (20:20.8) and 8 km (23:08.9). Eyestone, who was the individual winner at these championships 40 years ago, was getting a little nervous.
“The guys knew they needed to hold the line,” he said.
In the middle of the ninth kilometer Oklahoma State’s Brian Musau put in a surge. Harvard’s Graham Blanks, the defending champion, covered the move, but Clinger had to hold back. BYU was leading by 27 points and they needed to protect that lead. Their fifth man, Lucas Bons, was running in 43rd place (38th scoring). Iowa State was still within striking distance.
On the downhill to the 9 km mark, Blanks made a big move and dropped all of his challengers.
“He’s making the decisive move here,” said three-time USATF cross country champion Chris Derrick on the ESPN broadcast.
Blanks ran away from the field to get the win in 28:37.2. New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel –who ran most of the race missing his left shoe, got spiked in the other foot and later needed stitches– took second in 28:38.9. Furman senior Dylan Schubert was a surprise third in 28:39.6. Musau ended up fifth, and the BYU men just kept coming. Clinger was sixth, Creed Thompson was 12th, Joey Nokes 31st (28th scoring), Lucas Bons 39th (35th) and Davin Thompson 50th (43rd).
“We were focused on the build this year,” said Clinger, who finished third last year and seventh in 2022. “We wanted to enjoy every moment.”
Blanks –who joined an elite group back-to-back winners including Conner Mantz, Edward Cheserek, Simon Bairu, and Godfrey Siamusiye– was pleased with how he executed his race.
“I mean first off I love this course,” said Blanks, who competed in the Paris Olympics in the 5000m. He added: “To be able to repeat I can tell you, myself, it’s really difficult. Running in that pack you’re really in awe.”
The BYU women were more conservative in their approach. Through the first kilometer their first athlete, junior Carmen Alder, was only in 32nd place, and they were running behind Northern Arizona University (NAU) by seven points. Indeed, NAU would remain in the lead through 4 km, while at the very front Kenyans Pamela Kosgei (New Mexico), Doris Lemngole (Alabama), and Hilda Olemomoi (Florida) controlled the pace.
“It didn’t feel great until 4-K,” admitted coach Diljeet Taylor. She added: At that point I knew they would be able to close.”
Alabama’s Lemngole won the individual battle with a powerful surge in the final kilometer, crossing the line in 19:21.0. Kosgei and Olemomoi sprinted side-by-side until about 20 meters from the line where Kosgei pulled away to take second in 19:27.8. Olemomoi was third in 19:28.7, and Stanford sophomore Amy Bunnage, an Australian, was fourth in 19:31.1.
BYU’s first finisher, senior Lexy Halladay-Lowry, crossed way back in 14th place (11th scoring), then came Riley Chamberlain in 31st (23rd), Alder in 39th (31st), Taylor Rohatinsky in 43rd (33rd), and Carlee Hansen in 65th (49th). They only ran with the team goal in mind today.
“We were completely and utterly committed to the team,” said Halladay-Lowry. She continued: “We stepped up for ourselves and we stepped up for each other.”
Defending champions North Carolina State only finished eighth, but they put two women in the top-10: sophomores Grace Hartman (fifth) and Hannah Gapes (8th). Hartman was the top American finisher today.
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A total of 254 women and 252 men finished today’s race, widely considered the most competitive team running race in the United States. Next year’s championships will be held in Columbia, Missouri.
