Cross Country: Duck Women Punch Team Ticket to Nationals

Women Run Wild

On Friday, the 12th-ranked Women of Oregon secured an NCAA automatic bid after finishing as runners-up at the West Region meet in Sacramento. This matches their finish from last year and marks their 34th appearance at the NCAA Championships.

Four UO women earned a spot on the all-region team. Maddy Elmore and Izzy Thornton-Bott claimed fifth and 10th positions, followed by Anika Thompson in 12th and freshman Katie Clute in 24th place. This was Thompson’s debut at the West Regional, and Clute ranked fourth among freshman entries.

Tatum Miller secured the fifth spot for the Ducks, finishing 58th overall—a career-best performance at the regional meet. Stanford clinched the team title, with Oregon narrowly edging out No. 8 Washington who was coming of their Pac-12 title win.

Cook Leads UO Men

On the Men’s side Elliott Cook maintained his impressive season by securing a 10th-place finish, leading the UO men, who collectively finished seventh in the team race. Cook, already recognized as an All-Pac-12 performer this season, added all-region honors with his performance on Friday. In his first regional 10K since 2021, Cook completed the Haggin Oaks Golf Course in 29:22.7, finishing as the top men’s performer for the third time in four races this season.

The Ducks also saw top-40 finishes from Josh Edwards and Quincy Norman, who were the team’s 2-3 runners at the conference meet two weeks ago. Freshman Connor Burns claimed the fourth spot for Oregon in 45th place, while Giuliano Scasso rounded out the top-five lineup.

Edwards improved by 21 spots from his 55th-place finish as a freshman last season. Burns, Benjamin Balazs, and Aiden Smith made their NCAA regional debuts for the Ducks.

NCAA West Region Championships | Nov. 10

Full Meet Results

Women of Oregon
5. Maddy Elmore – 19:22.8
10. Izzy Thornton-Bott – 19:41.3
12. Anika Thompson – 19:46.3
24. Katie Clute – 20:06.6
58. Tatum Miller – 20:41.3
67. Harper McClain – 20:46.5
74. Klaudia Kazimierska – 20:50.4

Team Standings (top five)
Women’s 6K
1. #7 Stanford – 77
2. #12 Oregon – 109
3. #8 Washington – 115
4. #21 Cal Baptist – 126
5. Gonzaga - 173

Men of Oregon
10. Elliott Cook – 29:22.7
34. Josh Edwards – 29:57.8
39. Quincy Norman – 30:04.7
45. Connor Burns – 30:13.5
70. Giuliano Scasso – 30:47.6
91. Benjamin Balazs – 31:12.0
167 Aiden Smith – 32:56.1

Team Standings (top five + Oregon)
Men’s 10K
1. #10 Stanford – 73
2. Gonzaga – 98
3. Portland – 125
4. #4 Cal Baptist – 125
5. #22 Washington – 129
—
7. #26 Oregon – 197

The Ducks will head to Charlottesville, VA for the NCAA Championships Saturday November 18.