The Men's Cross Country team gives a strong performance at invitational
By Dannielle Lowe
The University of Portland men's cross country team has opened the season with high rankings. The team is ranked No. 13 in the national poll by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and No. 3 in the West.
During the preseason, Portland was ranked No. 14. But after wiping the floor with the competition at the West Coast Preview, the team moved into the No. 11 position, only to return to No. 13 this week.
Wisconsin is currently ranked No. 1 in the poll, followed by Colorado (No. 2) and Oregon (No. 3). In the West, the Pilots are ranked closely behind Oregon and Stanford.
According to redshirt junior David Kinsella, the team is cautiously optimistic about the rankings, recognizing the numbers for what they are: early poll rankings.
"We've come to expect a top 15 ranking. The program has a long history of excellence, so the ranking is just a ranking," senior Michael Kilburg said.
Despite the high rankings, the athletes believe they can do better. According to Kilburg, the men know they are capable of high achievement and feel pressured to run well for the team.
The team ran well last weekend at one of the top cross country meets in the nation - the Bill Dellinger Invitational held at the Springfield Country Club in Eugene. The meet hosted eight nationally ranked teams including Wisconsin and Oregon, which made for a talent-loaded event. Twelve men ran in the race representing UP.
The Pilots finished fourth while Oregon took the title. Runners John Moore and Kinsella ran exceptionally well, finishing within the top ten.
Moore, a senior All-American, finished in eighth place with a time of 23.45. Kinsella placed 10th with a finishing time of 23.47. Kilburg also ran well, finishing in 18th with a time of 23.54.
According to the men, the race represented the beginning of a new year with a new team. Each runner had a game plan for what he hoped to accomplish and then set out accordingly.
"It went really well," Moore said. "It's a different year with a new team. But everyone ran hard and did well."
Now the men are looking ahead to their next meet - the NCAA Pre-Nationals on Oct. 13 in Indiana.
As for the rankings, well, they're only rankings.
"For now it's just a ranking," Kinsella said. "What matters is what happens in a month and a half."
