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Provo, Utah ? The Nebraska cross country team received its first true test of the 2008 season on Saturday at the BYU Autumn Classic in Provo, Utah. The Huskers not only had to the deal with an altitude adjustment of 4,551 feet, but also had to compete against a BYU Cougar team that finished 22nd on the men’s side and 25th on the women’s side at the 2007 NCAA Championships.
Sophomore Lara Crofford showed no ill effects due to the altitude as she dominated the women’s field, running 19:10.9 in the 5K race. Crofford finished nearly 18 seconds ahead of teammate Rachel Carrizales (19:28.2) and over 30 seconds ahead of BYU’s top runner, Anna Sperry (19:41.7). Crofford and Carrizales were joined in the top 15 by senior Jen Pancoast (11th) and sophomore Jen Webers (15th).
Even with Crofford and Carrizales pacing the overall field, the Big Red (51) finished runner-up in the team standings as BYU (35) placed four runners in the top 10. Head Coach Jay Dirksen was encouraged with his team’s finish, considering the Husker women were missing two of its top runners, Ari Goldstein (illness) and Natalja Zarcenko (injury).
“Lara (Crofford) ran great and Rachel (Carrizales) may have run the best I have ever seen her run,” Dirksen said. “If we had our full team here with Ari (Goldstein) and Natalja (Zarcenko) I think we would have had a very good shot at winning the team title.”
For the second straight week redshirt freshman David Adams was the top Husker runner on the men’s side, finishing 11th overall with a time of 21:47.1 in the four-mile race. Adams led the Husker men to a team title last week at the Creighton/UNO Classic with a first-place finish.
Adams, along with teammates Todd Gulizia (17th) and Peter Falcon (25th) led the men to a third-place finish (87). BYU (15) and Utah State (59) took the top two spots. The Cougars were led at home by Stephan Shay (21:00.3). Shay won the men’s individual title while seven other Cougars placed in the top 10.
The Huskers will now have two weeks to prepare for its lone home meet of the year, the 19th Annual Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational. The meet is scheduled for Sat., Sept. 20, at beautiful Pioneers Park in Lincoln. The field will be packed as 30 to 40 teams are scheduled to attend. The women’s 6K race is scheduled for 10 a.m. with the men’s 8K race to follow at 10:45 a.m. The Husker women have won the team title three straight years while the Husker men have won back-to-back team titles.