The Creighton men’s cross country team finished sixth and the women finished seventh in the Big East Championships hosted by Xavier University in Mason, Ohio this past weekend.
The men’s squad posted an overall score of 195. The women posted a score of 165.
Freshman Lauren Ogg was the top finisher for the Bluejays, placing 15th overall with a time of 20:22 in her 6k race. Ogg finished first for the women’s squad in all six of Creighton’s races this season. She earned the Big East Cross Country Female Runner of the Week award following her victory at the Briar Cliff Invite and also set two school records. Ogg broke Courtney Sawle’s previous school record in the 5k at the Chili Pepper Festival on Oct. 3 and set the 6k school record at the Bradley Classic on Oct. 16.
Freshman Emily Martin finished 33rd overall with a time of 21:05
“Today’s race started faster than usual,” Martin said. “I started picking off competitors earlier on in the race. I think this approach helped me run a PR today. I wanted to run to the best of my ability so I could contribute to our team’s score. I wanted to finish the 6k feeling strong enough to pass as many competitors as possible.”
Junior Maddie Ivy placed 36th after posting a 21:09 time and freshman Megan Paule finished 43rd with a time of 21:29.
Competing in her final Big East Championships as a senior, Emily Mauser finished 49th with a 21:46 time.
“For my last Big East race I felt so much more experienced than my first,” Mauser said. “It means so much to have a great coaching staff, team, family and friends supporting Creighton Cross Country. We have a young team and I know they will do well in the future.”
Coach Matt Rogers said he was proud of the individual performances of the women and impressed with their competition.
“Martin was aggressive in the middle of the race; Mauser was patient and ran like an experienced cross country athlete,” Rogers said. “The Big East Championships on the women’s side is competitive and to be able to compete with such class is an honor.”
On the men’s side, junior Eric Klein was the top finisher. Klein finished 37th overall with a time of 24:53. Sophomore Jake Landreth and senior Michael Holdsworth finished 43rd and 44th with times of 25:07.
“My race plan was for me and Klein to go out at five minute miles and work together,” Landreth said. “I went through the 5k and was on PR pace, so for the last 3k I really worked on staying smooth and keeping good form. The only thing that I felt challenging was how fast the race went out, but we followed our race plans and it paid off.”
In his first Big East Championships race, freshman Spencer DeJong placed 47th with a 25:12 time.
“To compete in the Big East felt exciting and challenging,” DeJong said. “This season I haven’t ran at a meet where there were less then 100 runners. I felt excited to show my skills as a runner and to show others that I was there to compete. I was the only freshman on the men’s team that ran, so I was proud to represent my class for my team.”
Rogers said he was pleased with the way the men were able to execute their race plan.
“[The] men were patient and confident in their race plan,” Rogers said. “They ran well as a team; two places better than we expected this year. Holdsworth ran patiently and closed extremely well and Eric [Klein] ran smart and to his potential.”
Overall, Rogers and his athletes really enjoyed the experience and atmosphere of a Big East Conference meet.
“The atmosphere at this meet was unlike any race I have ever been at,” Landreth said. “Right when I stepped off the bus it was time to take care of business. Being able to compete at the Big East Championships was an honor. Training all season for this meet and being able to show our talents alongside all the schools in our conference was an awesome feeling.”
“It was a very exciting and loud environment; I fed off of my team’s energy and the competition around us,” Martin said. “I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to race against some of the best teams in the nation alongside my teammates — it’s an experience like no other.”
The Bluejays will be back in action at NCAA Midwest Regionals on Nov. 13 at Rim Rock Farm in Lawerence, Kansas.