Oregon State Cross Country Heads South to Compete at the Dellinger Invitational

CORVALIS, Ore. – The Oregon State cross country team is looking to build off its great start to the season, as it heads to Springfield, Ore. on Friday to compete in the Dellinger Invitational hosted by the University of Oregon.

"This is a huge test for our women," began Oregon State cross country head coach Louie Quintana. "We are going to go in there and compete knowing that we are going to continue to get better in the next four weeks. I know that we are training very well and we're excited."

Ten women will take to the course for the Beavers on Friday, with the remainder of the team travelling, but not competing.

OSU's projected runners are graduate student Colette Richter; seniors Holly Cavalluzzo and Kala Kopecek; juniors Nicole Goecke, Sam McKinnon and Juliana Mount; sophomores Emily Bacon and Greta Van Calcar; and freshman Audrey Lookner and Rebecca Ledsham.

The men's 8,000-meter race begins at 10 a.m., with the women's 6,000 meter race to follow with a start time of 11 a.m. The course will consist of entirely grass and mostly on the golf course's fairways. It consists of two relatively flat loops – an outer loop, and a finish loop.

"I like to run on the conference course prior to the championship event," said Quintana. "Just being able to see the conference course is a top level of importance for us this weekend."

The field includes four nationally ranked opponents, and eight that are regionally ranked by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Oregon, Stanford, Washington, BYU, Portland, Cal Poly, Idaho, UCSB and Gonzaga are all set to compete.

"The meet has really shaped up with BYU coming out of regional, and Stanford coming up this weekend as they usually host their own event," stated Quintana. "There is a tremendous amount of talent who will be at this meet; five of the teams qualified for national just last year."

The Beavers are currently ranked No. 12 in the USTFCCCA West Region Poll, making it the fourth straight week of such ranking. Oregon (1), Stanford (2) and Washington (4) comprise three of the top-four spots in the west region. BYU currently sits in the four spot in the mountain region. Cal Poly (11), Idaho (13) and UCSB (14) are all ranked in the west region.

Four teams are ranked in the national poll; Oregon (2), Stanford (5), Washington (11), and BYU (19).

"We will be prepared for it, we game planned all week and now it is time to go out and execute," said Quintana.

Personal Best: At the season's opener, the Sundodger Invitational, five student-athletes set personal bests for a 6,000-meter race; Juliana Mount (20:44), Nicole Goecke (21:53), Kala Kopecek (22:29), Emily Bacon (23:03), and Gwyneth McMorris (23:04). Mount's time of 20:44 ranks fourth all-time for Oregon State runners in a 6,000-meter event.

Regional Rankings: The Beavers were ranked No. 12 in the West Region of the second regional rankings released on Sept. 25 by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Regional rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region.

Eight Pac-12 teams we ranked in the West Region: Oregon (1), Stanford (2), Washington (4), California (7), Arizona (8), Arizona State (9), UCLA (10), and Oregon State (12). Two Pac-12 schools were ranked in the Mountain Region: Colorado (1), Utah (5).

Returning Beavers: Senior Holly Cavalluzzo returns for the Beavers after redshirting from an ankle surgery in 2016. Cavalluzzo was Oregon State's top finisher in every meet during the 2015 season, and currently ranks second on the career 6,000- meter list (20:30) and 5,000-meter list (16:55).

"I don't think I have ever been so excited to run, I have absolutely loved every single moment since my return," said redshirt senior Cavalluzzo. "I'm very thankful for everything the coaches and trainers have done to help me get to where I am, and I'm very happy and excited to be back."

Junior Juliana Mount returns for the Beavers after being the No. 2 finisher for Oregon State at both the Pac-12 meet and the NCAA West Regional Meet in 2016. Mount sits at No. 4 on the career 6,000-meter list (20:44) at Oregon State, a mark she set at the Sundodger Invite this season, and no. 11 on the career 5,000-meter list (17:16).

A New Era: In the offseason, Oregon State announced the hiring of new head coach Louie Quintana. He comes to Corvallis after a highly successful 16-year coaching tenure at Arizona State University. Quintana has coached 48 All-Americans and 27 Pac-12/MPSF champions.

"Louie's thoughtful approach and vision for our program stood out to our search committee," Oregon State University Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Barnes said. "He was a highly accomplished college and prep student-athlete who will relate well to current and future members of our teams. His commitment to student-athlete growth academically, personally and as an athlete are important factors that ultimately led us to Coach Quintana. We are very excited about what lies ahead for our program under Coach Quintana and welcome him to Beaver Nation."

Up Next: The Beavers are idle next week, and return to action the following week at the Bronco Invitational. Hosted by Santa Clara University, the meet will be held at Baylands Regional Park on Sat, Oct. 14.

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Oregon State Cross Country Heads South to Compete at the Dellinger Invitational

Players Mentioned

Emily Bacon

Holly Cavalluzzo

Nicole Goecke

Kala Kopecek

Rebecca Ledsham

Audrey Lookner

Sam McKinnon

Gwyneth McMorris

Juliana Mount

Colette Richter

Greta Van Calcar

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