Monday, March 15
Stillwater, Okla.
University of San Francisco
vs
NCAA Championship
McKenzie Yanek was the Dons' top finisher Monday, placing 78th overall at the NCAA National Championship.
Photo by: Moira Sweeney
XC | Dons Finish Strong at NCAA National Championship
3/15/2021 1:23:00 PM | Cross Country
STILLWATER, Okla. — The University of San Francisco women's cross country team made its sixth appearance as a team at the NCAA National Championship on Monday and second in four years, earning a 30th-place finish at the 2020 championship held at the Oklahoma State Cross Country Course.
Six of the Dons' seven finishers moved up places in the final 1,000 meters of Monday's 6-kilometer race. Three of USF's top-four runners gained double-digit spots over the final kilometer. San Francisco scored 688 total points, beating No. 14-ranked Furman University (761) by nearly 75 points, and finishing only 20 points behind West Virginia (668), who like the Dons also entered the race ranked No. 27 in the nation.
"Today was a tough day for the Dons,"said San Francisco interim head track & field and cross country coach Tim Riley. "I knew we were prepared physically, but unless you have been to these championships before, as none our athletes have, it is pretty difficult to know what it takes to have a good day here."
Like on Feb. 24 at the West Coast Conference Championship, McKenzie Yanek was USF's top finisher Monday, placing 78th overall in a time of 21 minutes, 22.2 seconds in the 6-kilometer race. Yanek made huge moves in the second half of the race. She was as far back as 117th through 3,000 meters, but would gain 39 spots over the final 3 km. Her finishing kick was her biggest move, eclipsing 27 runners in the final 1,000 meters alone.
Eve Jensen, USF's second finisher, also made a big move at the end, gaining 11 spots over the final kilometer to finish 124th in 21:41.9. Zoey Wassell finished 172nd in 22:05.4. Baneet Bains gained 25 spots in the final 2 km, climbing to a 224th-place finish in 22:47.0. Kalii Caldwell rounded out the Dons' scoring as their No. 5 runner, placing 238th with a time of 23:04.0.
Abby Pradere was USF's No 6 runner in 246th place with a time of 23:25.5. Anna Tait finished 251st in 25:05.9.
"I want to thank our lone senior, McKenzie Yanek, for what she has contributed to this program and the trust she put in us to get her back on her feet," said Riley. "This is a young team and one thing we took from this race is that we want to get back here as soon as possible!"
Six of the Dons' seven finishers moved up places in the final 1,000 meters of Monday's 6-kilometer race. Three of USF's top-four runners gained double-digit spots over the final kilometer. San Francisco scored 688 total points, beating No. 14-ranked Furman University (761) by nearly 75 points, and finishing only 20 points behind West Virginia (668), who like the Dons also entered the race ranked No. 27 in the nation.
"Today was a tough day for the Dons,"said San Francisco interim head track & field and cross country coach Tim Riley. "I knew we were prepared physically, but unless you have been to these championships before, as none our athletes have, it is pretty difficult to know what it takes to have a good day here."
Like on Feb. 24 at the West Coast Conference Championship, McKenzie Yanek was USF's top finisher Monday, placing 78th overall in a time of 21 minutes, 22.2 seconds in the 6-kilometer race. Yanek made huge moves in the second half of the race. She was as far back as 117th through 3,000 meters, but would gain 39 spots over the final 3 km. Her finishing kick was her biggest move, eclipsing 27 runners in the final 1,000 meters alone.
Eve Jensen, USF's second finisher, also made a big move at the end, gaining 11 spots over the final kilometer to finish 124th in 21:41.9. Zoey Wassell finished 172nd in 22:05.4. Baneet Bains gained 25 spots in the final 2 km, climbing to a 224th-place finish in 22:47.0. Kalii Caldwell rounded out the Dons' scoring as their No. 5 runner, placing 238th with a time of 23:04.0.
Abby Pradere was USF's No 6 runner in 246th place with a time of 23:25.5. Anna Tait finished 251st in 25:05.9.
"I want to thank our lone senior, McKenzie Yanek, for what she has contributed to this program and the trust she put in us to get her back on her feet," said Riley. "This is a young team and one thing we took from this race is that we want to get back here as soon as possible!"
Players Mentioned
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