Colorado State University Athletics
CSU Cross Country: Rams Set for Washington Invitational
9/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
2016 Washington Invitational
Saturday, Oct. 1 | Seattle, Wash.
Jefferson Park Golf Course
Women's 6k Invitational: 12 p.m. MT/11 a.m. PT
Men's 8k Invitational: 12:45 p.m. MT/11:45 a.m. PT
Coverage: Meet Notes | Meet Information
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Colorado State cross country team is set for its third meet of the season this Saturday, as the Rams travel to Seattle, Wash. to compete at the 2016 Washington Invitational.
Saturday's meet will begin at 10:50 a.m. PT/11:50 a.m. MT with the playing of the national anthem. The 2016 Washington Invitational is set to be held at the Jefferson Park Golf Course, with the women's 6k invitational beginning at 11 a.m. PT/12 p.m. MT and the men's 8k invitational set for 11:45 a.m. PT/12:45 p.m. MT.
The 29th-ranked CSU men's team will compete against three other ranked schools - No. 3 Oregon, No. 21 Washington and No. 24 Washington State. Rounding out the men's field are Eastern Washington, Grand Canyon, Idaho and Seattle.
Highlighting the Rams' competition on the women's side are No. 4 Oregon, No. 12 Washington and Harvard, who is receiving votes in the USTFCCCA national poll. The CSU women's cross country team will also compete against Eastern Washington, Grand Canyon, Idaho, Seattle and Washington State.
"This meet will be high-caliber but not a big meet," Colorado State head cross country coach Art Siemers said. "The Washington Invitational setup is a little different from the one at the Griak, where there were over 30 teams, and nine or 10 ranked teams on each side. It'll be nice because we'll be able to get into a race and establish our own gameplans easier than having hundreds and hundreds of athletes surrounding you at the very beginning - that can sometimes kind of throw you off your race. This will give us a lot of confidence, racing some of the best teams in the country but in a smaller format."
Last time out, redshirt junior Jerrell Mock led the CSU men's cross country team with a win at the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational, clocking an 8k time of 25:06.4. Grant Fischer (25:37.6) joined Mock in the top 25 with a 22nd-place finish, while Eric Hamer (25:52.3) placed 40th as the men's team finished seventh out of a 29-team field. Ali Kallner (22:43) placed 50th in the 6k to lead the CSU women.
Jerrell Mock Named MW XC Men's Athlete of the Week
- Following his big win at the Roy Griak Invitational, Jerrell Mock was named the Mountain West Cross Country Men's Athlete of the Week on Sept. 27, 2016.
- Mock's victory marked the first time since 2010-11 (Arizona) that individual athletes from the same school had won back-to-back individual titles at the Roy Griak Invitational, as teammate Jefferson Abbey won the individual title last season. In Griak records that date back to 1986, only five other programs have accomplished that feat.
- The Logan, Utah native has steadily improved upon his previous Griak performances, as he finished in second behind only Abbey last season. Mock has placed no lower than seventh, which was his finish in his freshman season.
CSU Men's Team Ranked by USTFCCCA for Fourth Straight Week
- Colorado State's men's cross country squad is ranked by the USTFCCCA for the fourth consecutive poll, checking in at No. 29 in the week three (Sept. 27) national coaches' poll.
- This marks the fourth consecutive season in which the CSU men have been ranked for at least four weeks, all under fifth-year head cross country coach Art Siemers. Before the Siemers era, the CSU men's team had not been ranked since 2005.
- The USTFCCCA has tabbed the CSU men as high as the No. 24 team in the nation in weeks one (Sept. 13) and two (Sept. 20). The Ram men had climbed up one spot at that point from No. 25 in the preseason poll, which was released on Aug. 30.
Rams in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Cross Country National Coaches' Poll
Preseason (Aug. 30): Women's - NR | Men's - No. 25
Week One (Sept. 13): Women's - NR | Men's - No. 24
Week Two (Sept. 20): Women's - NR | Men's - No. 24
Week Three (Sept. 27): Women's - NR | Men's - No. 29
CSU Receiving Recognition in Numerous Polls
- Through four weeks in the 2016 season, the Colorado State cross country team has received recognition from various national and regional polls and rankings.
- The CSU men's team received high praise from FloTrack in the preseason. In FloTrack's 2016 Saucony Flo50 Men's Team XC Rankings, the organization rated the CSU men's cross country squad as the 10th-best in the nation.
- In their most recent 2016 Saucony Flo50 Men's Individual XC Rankings, CSU's Jerrell Mock is ranked as the No. 13 individual men's athlete in the nation, while the Rams' Jefferson Abbey checks in at No. 25 nationally.
- In the preseason, MW coaches declared the CSU men the team to best for the 2016 season. League coaches voted the CSU women as the conference's third-best team.
- The Rams' men's squad has moved up to No. 5 in the Mountain Region in the week three (Sept. 26) USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Regional Cross Country Rankings, while the CSU women's squad remains ranked at No. 6.
- Prior to this week's regional rankings, each of the men's and women's squads had been ranked by the USTFCCCA at No. 6 in the Mountain Region from the preseason (Aug. 29) through week two (Sept. 19).
Rams in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Cross Country Regional Rankings (Mountain Region)
Preseason (Aug. 29): Women's - No. 6 | Men's - No. 6
Week One (Sept. 12): Women's - No. 6 | Men's - No. 6
Week Two (Sept. 19): Women's - No. 6 | Men's - No. 6
Week Three (Sept. 26): Women's - No. 6 | Men's - No. 5
The Return of Two All-Americans
- Last weekend at the Roy Griak Invitational, CSU cross country All-Americans Jefferson Abbey and Jerrell Mock made their respective 2016 debuts. In the preseason, Abbey was tabbed FloTrack's No. 12 individual male athlete in the nation, while Mock was ranked 15th individually.
- Neither Abbey nor Mock ever finished outside of the top-20 in any meet during each athlete's respective 2015 campaigns, and are the only CSU duo since 1961 to garner All-America honors in the same season (Jerry Schmidt and Jerry Glyde).
- Abbey placed 13th out of 252 athletes in the 10k (30:05.3) at the 2015 NCAA Championships to earn All-America honors and record the best finish by a Ram at the meet since Jon Sinclair in 2979. Mock, who won the individual MW Championship, placed 19th at the NCAA Championships with a time of 30:10.3.
Young Rams Shine at CSU Invite
- With many of the Rams' veteran athletes resting during the CSU Invite, many of CSU's young athletes and newcomers had a chance to lead their respective squads in the season opener. In all, six CSU freshmen placed within the top-50 finishers on Sept. 2, while each of the CSU women finished within the top 40 (89 runners).
- Freshman Anthony Laurita led the men's squad in his first race as a Ram, placing 15th in the college 5k with a time of 15:17. Graeme Schroeder, who ran unattached, was the next-highest finishing freshman, placing 30th (15:30). Redshirt sophomore Trent Powell rounded out notable finishes for the men's squad, clocking a time of 15:17 to place 17th.
- Emma Atwell was the top freshman finisher for the CSU women, running the college 5k in 19:22 to place 38th. Kate White, a redshirt sophomore, finished in 16th with a time of 18:17.
Players Mentioned
