CUBuffs.com: Buffs Compete Strong At CSU Invitational

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Zach Perrin recorded his first collegiate victory on Friday night at the Colorado State Invitational, his first cross country meet in a CU u...

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FORT COLLINS, Colo. — University of Colorado redshirt sophomore Zach Perrin recorded his first collegiate victory on Friday night at the Colorado State Invitational, his first cross country meet in a CU uniform since the 2013 NCAA Championship.

Perrin led the men’s team, finishing the 5k race in 14 minutes, 43 seconds. Redshirt freshman Ryan Forsyth also finished in the top-five, completing his run in 15:01. Paul Miller, another redshirt freshman, placed 13th overall for the Buffs (15:15). Sophomore Christian Martin was 17th overall (15:20) and junior Nick Harris rounded out CU’s team score at 25th overall (15:27).

The Buffs had several harriers race unattached, most notably freshman John Dressel who was second overall in 14:51.

The women were led by senior Maddie Alm’s third place finish. She clocked in at 17:39 behind Hannah Everson (Air Force), who won in 17:32. Sophomore Lucy May was ninth overall (17:49) and redshirt freshman Valerie Constien was 10th (17:51). Redshirt sophomore Melanie Nun was just out of the top-10 at 11th (17:58) and sophomore Eryn Blakely was 13th overall (18:04).

CU’s women also had a large group competing unattached. The highest unattached CU women’s finisher was Tayler Tuttle, a sophomore transfer from Georgia. She placed fourth in 17:39, just a split second behind Alm.
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[AztecBuff]

Good to see the season has started, and that there were some good performances to start the year.

 

[AztecBuff]

Full results now available-
Men's- http://www.cubuffs.com/pdf9/3780813.pdf

Women's- http://www.cubuffs.com/pdf9/3780812.pdf

On the men's side, good sign for the future that the 2 top rated recruits in this year's freshman class finished in 2nd and 6th (both running unattached so as to keep the red-shirt option open for them), so both seem to be healthy and ready to fight for a spot on the main squad. Also, looks like sophomore Zach Perrin with his win made a statement to possibly be 1 of the 7 Buffs who competes in the big races later in the year, although nothing can be assumed given the Buffs' stacked roster that leads off with 4-5 All-Americans.

For the women, good to see last year's CU #2 NCAA finisher Maddie Alm lead the way for the Buffs, with a sophomore Georgia transfer Buff finishing (unattached) right behind her.

Overall, have no idea what this race might mean or indicate for the rest of the year, and assume only those on the team, and maybe only the coaches, really know what if anything of significance happened. As I mentioned in the other (race) thready for this race, the Daily Camera preview article noted most of the top established Buff runners weren't even racing, and none of the All-Americans did. For me as a fan, the main thing coming out of it is knowing the runners who DID run seem to be healthy going into the season, while also realizing it didn't necessarily mean anything (heailth-wise, etc.) if other runners didn't run.

 

[AztecBuff]

Just noticed there's also an ~1-1/2 minute highlight video of the races- http://www.cubuffs.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=4370203

 

[Deleted member 807]

XC is a tough fan sport for so many reasons.
There's only 6-7 meets.
The top runners sit out the opening race.
The conference championship isn't as important as the regional in terms of the NCAAs
And the sport doesn't lend itself to much watch TV.

In looking at the results, team scores weren't even posted. It looks like CU was officially behind CSU and AFA in the men's race. But that is meaningless because CU was running red shirts and sitting the all Americans. Who knows if CSU and AFA was also running their second stringers.

Bottom line is that CU will retain the #1 ranking no matter what transpired in Ft. Fun. And CU showed that there is a deep and talented bench behind the top 5.

With the advent of GoPros and drone cameras, I hope that the P12 network or CU Video can someday capture on video the intensity of what goes on during a Cross Country race.

 

[AztecBuff]

With the advent of GoPros and drone cameras, I hope that the P12 network or CU Video can someday capture on video the intensity of what goes on during a Cross Country race.

That probably could be cool (lots of mud all over sweating and wet athletes is always dramatic, and there are the wondering elbows); they could give it an some kind of NFL Films and/ or Hawaiian Iron Man special treatment.

In the short term, I hope the Pac 12 network at least shows the conference championships live this year, or at least lets the host school (looks like maybe WSU) stream the competition live. Last year, they just did a tape delay pretty much highlight show days after the competition was run.

 

[buffgal]

Even from what was on twitter, I had no idea of who was winning or how they were doing.

 

[DBT]

Its all about peaking at the NCAA Championships. Nothing else really matters. Even the Pac 12 will be a prep for the NCAA Championship, though a conference championship is important.

 

[Buffnik]

I have to admit that XC results confuse me. I'm not even sure how it gets determined which teams should get invites to the NCAAs since it doesn't seem like teams try to win meets. I never see the team results (1st/2nd3rd/whatever) listed when I look up schedule/results.

 

[AztecBuff]

I have to admit that XC results confuse me. I'm not even sure how it gets determined which teams should get invites to the NCAAs since it doesn't seem like teams try to win meets. I never see the team results (1st/2nd3rd/whatever) listed when I look up schedule/results.

Here's something from the NCAA- http://www.ustfccca.org/weekly-results/ncaa-championship-qualifying-criteria .

(Note- I believe the following is identical for both the men and women team selections.)
From observing the process as I've gotten more into Buffs sports the last few years, I believe the process MIGHT be something like this:
1) every team that finishes in the top 2 places of each of 9 regional races (which is typically how the the Buffs men and women qualify), the last races before the Championships, auto-qualify for the NCAA championships, so that's how 18 teams get in. Note- the Buffs and Utes (who only field a women's team) are in the Mountain Region, and so are split off from all the other Pac 12 teams, who are all I believe in the Western Region. (This is typically a good thing, as the West is usually more stacked with more ranked teams, although it can of course vary year to year.)
2) Then, 13 other teams for each gender are selected as at-large selections. From watching a selection prediction show or two, it sounds like the at-large selections are usually pretty formulaic, with it being a "game" of who beat who rankings-wise in the typically 3 sets of earlier significant races. The 3 races being in order:
(1) 1st either a Pre-Nationals race (the Buffs typically race in this one) held at the site of the current year's National Championships (Louisville KY this year, recently often Terra Haute IN) OR I believe a large Invitational race the Univ. of Wisconsin hosts each year the same weekend (these races being held 10/17 and 10/16 this year),
(2) each team's conference championship, and of course
(3) each team's NCAA regional race.
(General example of the at-large selection thing- if either of the Buff teams somehow didn't auto-qualify by finishing top 2 at regionals, but had beaten some/ enough higher rated teams they'd raced in any of the above 3 races (And especially beat any another team that auto-qualifies at regionals, or beaten another team that had beaten a team that auto-qualified at regionals), they'd earn an at-large berth.)
(Note- I believe the above emphasis on 3 races is true for the Buffs. Not being that knowledgeable of a general cross country fan, I don't know whether there might be some other teams who may race in some 4th major race with other top competitors that's important enough to influence rankings and at-large championship berth selections.)

Another Note- Typically not an issue for the Buffs, but as the above link notes, in addition to teams who get to race at the championships, the top 4 INDIVIDUAL finishers of each of the regional races for each gender whose team doesn't get selected for the NCAA championships, assuming they placed in the top 25 at the regional race, also get to race in the NCAA championships for individual "glory". And, 2 additional individuals nationally who finished in the top 25 at one of the regional races also get selected via an at-large selection process. What can effect the teams who then race in the championships is that the individual finishers don't count when tabulating the team point totals. (For example, if a Buff individual came in 2nd in their championship race, and the championship winner qualified for the championships as an individual, then the Buff finisher would count as only 1 point for the team, not 2 as will happen if the winner IS from a team that qualified.)