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November 22, 2008

Footnotes: Storylines for NCAA Cross Country Championships start with Oregon's Rupp

By Craig Pearson

TERRE HAUTE — Last year’s NCAA Championship races provided thrilling story lines, from Oregon’s Galen Rupp falling just a few meters short of Liberty’s Josh McDougal in the final straightaway to the Stanford women’s team celebrating a three-peat.

The possibilities are obviously there for even more drama at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course as the NCAA meet will be contested for the fifth straight year and sixth time overall in Terre Haute.

The story this year again centers around Rupp, America’s top finisher in the 10,000 meters this summer at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Rupp finished behind three Kenyan natives in taking 13th, and he’ll no doubt be tested by Sam Chelanga of Kenya in his quest for his first individual NCAA title.

Chelanga wowed the participants and specatators in an Oct. 18 Pre-Nationals race in breaking McDougal’s 8,000-meter course record.

Rupp gave internet message boards plenty to talk about as well with a sub 28-minute regional race. His finish of 27 minutes, 41.24 seconds at the Stanford Golf Course, a site known to be 85 meters short of 10,000.

Rupp, trying to become the first Ducks’ cross country national champion since his primary coach Alberto Salazar ran won for Oregon in 1977, only ran three races this fall.

“I just wanted to have another good effort,” Rupp said in an interview on www.flotrack.com. “I got a limited amount of races. I’m going to use [the West Regional] as a chance to get ready for NCAAs. I just want to get used to that feeling of having a lot of pain. That’s what NCAAs is going to be like.”

McDougal told USA Today that he’s spent about five hours talking to Chalenga about Rupp.

“Sam and Galen is going to be a great race,” McDougal said. “I know Sam better than anyone. I know Galen as good as anyone. I don’t think you can predict the winner. I think it’s going to be an amazing race to watch.”

Another contender for the individual is freshman German Fernandez. Only three freshmen have ever won an NCAA title, but many consider Fernandez the best high school runner in American history — that includes his senior teammate Ryan Vail, the eighth-place finisher in 2007 as Oklahoma State was third.

“It’s really hard to say how far he can go at this point,” Vail told The Daily Collegian. “He’s the best high school kid the country has ever seen, time-wise. I definitely see multiple national championships in his future.”

With OSU challenging Oregon, the team battle could end up more dramatic than the men’s individual race. The No. 2-ranked Cowboys trot into town looking for the upset.

“[The Ducks] are the favorites for sure, but there’s a lot of good teams out there,” OSU coach Dave Smith said in a university release. “They are the favorites and they’ve got the target on their back and we’re going after them.”

Speaking of the multiple national championships Fernandez might have a chance for some day, Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech will be shooting for her third straight title Monday.

Kipyego is in unbeatable in the eyes of most observers. I’m assuming we can count Florida State’s Susan Kuijken and her coach Karen Harvey among those non-believers in her invincibility.

Kuijken seemed to have more in the tank when breaking the 6K course record at the Pre-Nationals, but it’s likely a battle for second place between the Seminoles’ standout and Washington freshman Kendra Schaaf.

Schaaf and the Washington women’s team are in line to replicate some of the dominance that the Stanford teams have shown in the past three years. The Huskies dominated the field in an Oct. 18 Pre-Nationals race in Terre Haute, but second-ranked Oregon was not around to have any say in the matter.

The Ducks were there, however, to witness the Huskies have an unprecedented sweep of the top six spots in the Pac-10 meet.

The women’s race definitely has odds-on favorites, while the men’s results appear to be more up in the air.



Craig Pearson can be reached by e-mail at craig.pearson@tribstar.com or by phone at (812) 231-4357.

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Consultation: Rex manager Brian Dorsett talks with his pitcher and players during a time-out Sunday, July 15, at Sycamore Field. (Tribune-Star file/Bob Poynter)

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