Women of Oregon Finish 10th at NCAAs

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Women of Oregon ran to a 10^th-place team finish Saturday morning at the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Va., marking the Ducks’ first top-10 national finish since the 2018 season. Individually, senior Izzy Thornton-Bott became a two-time cross country All-American with her 40^th-place performance.
 
At the halfway mark, the UO women moved into 11^th in the team standings, a spot they held at the 4K and 5K checkpoints, as well. The Ducks combined to pick up a spot over the final 1,000 meters for the top-10 showing, up from 14^th a season ago in Stillwater, Okla.
 
Thornton-Bott, in her final race in a UO kit, was part of a six-woman pack that crossed the line within a second of one another. Posting a time of 20:06.7, she just out-leaned Laura Pellicoro of Portland for the final All-American certificate by one tenth of a second. Thornton-Bott also claimed All-America honors last season.
 
Maddy Elmore was the second UO runner across the finish line, posting a time of 20:13.5, just missing a top-50 finish by two places. The Eugene, Ore., native improved her national finish by 20 spot from 2022 where she was 72^nd for the Ducks.
 
As they had been for the first two meets of the postseason, Anika Thompson and Katie Clute were the team’s third and fourth finishers, respectively. Saturday also marked the NCAA Championships debuts for both. Thompson (20:41.9) finished 104^th overall with Clute (20:44.4) not far behind in 111^th place. In 134^th place, Klaudia Kazimierska (20:54.4) rounded out the Ducks’ top-five lineup.

Clute and Kazimierska combined to pick off 45 spots from the 5K split to the finish.

 

Oregon’s top seven at the national meet also featured Harper McClain (21:39.5; 206^th) and, in her NCAA debut, Tatum Miller (22:16.4; 236^th).

 

In the men’s race, junior Elliott Cook finished 114^th overall (30:40.4) in his debut at the NCAA meet. He closes out the season as an All-Pac-12 and all-region runner, qualifying for the NCAA Championships by way of his 10^th-place finish at the NCAA West Regional just over a week ago in Sacramento.

 

NCAA Championships | Nov. 18

Full Meet Results

 

Women of Oregon

40. Izzy Thornton-Bott – 20:06.7 (29)

52. Maddy Elmore – 20:13.5 (39)

104. Anika Thompson – 20:41.9 (78)

111. Katie Clute – 20:44.4 (85)

134. Klaudia Kazimierska – 20:54.4 (104)

206. Harper McClain – 21:39.5 (171)

236. Tatum Miller – 22:16.4…