UPXC Ranked #4 Nationally!

The New USTFCCCA rankings came out and we are #4 with one week to go before nationals! Even though I think we may be slightly overranked (I think #5-#7 would be more appropriate, but thats just nitpicking), I believe this is the highest ranking in school history and what a time to garner it!

rankings found here
http://www.ustfccca.org/assets/rankings/div1/2009-xc/09-d1-mxc-national-preseason.pdf

And for the record, does UP's sports information not give crap about the cross country/track teams? Seriously, you think after winning 31 staight WCC championships, you think they would give them more coverage, let alone update the rosters (some of which haven't been IN YEARS!) and release something about being #4 NATIONALLY!? I found the link on facebook for crying out loud! For a program of this caliber, this is an embarrassment.

Awesome!!!!!!!!! Very, very impressive!

Here's a link to the correct poll, by the way (the one you linked was the pre-season poll):

http://www.ustfccca.org/assets/rankings/div1/2009-xc/09-d1-mxc-national-preNCAAs.pdf

As for athletics reporing on it... I agree, this is a big story and I can guarantee you that they will release something about it.

However, as someone with SID experience... things like this happen... there's the home-opener for basketball tonight, women's and men's soccer in the playoffs, volleyball still ongoing, women's basketball starting up, and cross country still going on... it's pretty much the single busiest time of the year, not only with tons of releases to write but also tons of media requests and game preperation stuff.

So... if a release doesn't go out about a poll (and it's just a poll) right away... that's OK. I thought their coverage of the regional meet was both timely and thorough.

I agree that 4th is a little high. I think 6th is about right, but who's complaining? And, while I agree with Stonehouse that the SID office is busy this time of year, historically cross country and track and field at UP tends to be at the bottom of the publicity totem pole even when their results are near the top. Anyway, let's hope the Pilots can eek out a 4th place or better finish and get that trophy this year.

Oh I don't disagree with that, but I do think that they have received good coverage this season. Just wanted to point that out.

Also, wanted to thank the Angel for defending Pilot honor on Let's Run. Those Oregon knuckleheads on there just don't seem to get it.

It's funny... they want to criticize UP for having so many foreign runners, even though I think Alfred is the first impact runner from overseas since Uli Stiedl. Pretty ridiculous claim if you ask me.

Portland has always feasted on local NW talent, and Conner has excelled at finding guys who not only have undiscovered potential but are excellent students and can earn academic scholarships. There's a reason why UP's XC teams generally place very highly in the rankings of team GPAs... it's been a recruiting strategy that has worked wonders. When your all-American runners are 4.0 students like David Kinsella, they don't require athletic scholarships.

Well, as someone recently pointed out, PilotNation does not have a section dedicated to XC/Track. Just sayin'.

Congrats to the guys. Now it is time to bring it home at the championships.

Stonehouse wrote:Oh I don't disagree with that, but I do think that they have received good coverage this season. Just wanted to point that out.

Also, wanted to thank the Angel for defending Pilot honor on Let's Run. Those Oregon knuckleheads on there just don't seem to get it.

It's funny... they want to criticize UP for having so many foreign runners, even though I think Alfred is the first impact runner from overseas since Uli Stiedl. Pretty ridiculous claim if you ask me.

Haha nice, I've had to chime in and defend UP on there a few times. As far as foreign runners, one need to look only at recent history to see that UP's success on the national stage has been won mostly with Americans. Hello, Kinsella was 4th last year. In fact, most of our success comes from local PNW guys, as opposed to an Oregon or Stanford program that can recruit nationally.
BTW, after Uli we had one varsity caliber runner from Canada.

Maybe the Oregon folks think Alaska is a foreign county.

coldsmokeCO wrote:

Stonehouse wrote:Oh I don't disagree with that, but I do think that they have received good coverage this season. Just wanted to point that out.

Also, wanted to thank the Angel for defending Pilot honor on Let's Run. Those Oregon knuckleheads on there just don't seem to get it.

It's funny... they want to criticize UP for having so many foreign runners, even though I think Alfred is the first impact runner from overseas since Uli Stiedl. Pretty ridiculous claim if you ask me.

Haha nice, I've had to chime in and defend UP on there a few times. As far as foreign runners, one need to look only at recent history to see that UP's success on the national stage has been won mostly with Americans. Hello, Kinsella was 4th last year. In fact, most of our success comes from local PNW guys, as opposed to an Oregon or Stanford program that can recruit nationally.
BTW, after Uli we had one varsity caliber runner from Canada.

And Brian Bothwell was from NZ or something. I guess people only complain about a foreign team when the foreigners are black. Who complained about Nick Willis?

Not that anyone would ever actually admit to it but simple reading between the lines..........

DaTruRochin wrote:Not that anyone would ever actually admit to it but simple reading between the lines..........

Well, it's probably more of the stereotype that all east Africans are super fast, so that is "unfair."
BTW, isn't Osoro a citizen? I thought he went to HS in the states.

The Angel of Death wrote:
And for the record, does UP's sports information not give crap about the cross country/track teams? Seriously, you think after winning 31 staight WCC championships, you think they would give them more coverage, let alone update the rosters (some of which haven't been IN YEARS!) and release something about being #4 NATIONALLY!? I found the link on facebook for crying out loud! For a program of this caliber, this is an embarrassment.

The sad fact is that no one cares. There are only a few programs, maybe Oregon and Arkansas, with a fan base that gets pissed if the track/xc program is sucking. That's just how it is for cross country. I dread the day that Conner retires, because the school won't go out of their way to make sure the program continues to do well. Look at the other WCC cross country programs, that could very well be us in the distant future.

I was under the impression he was, I he went to HS in North Dakota at least...

coldsmokeCO wrote:
The sad fact is that no one cares. There are only a few programs, maybe Oregon and Arkansas, with a fan base that gets pissed if the track/xc program is sucking. That's just how it is for cross country. I dread the day that Conner retires, because the school won't go out of their way to make sure the program continues to do well. Look at the other WCC cross country programs, that could very well be us in the distant future.

Well haha hopefully Conner can convince one of his former athletes to come back and continue on the tradition... We can hope anyway..

Well, Solof is currently coaching the girls...

When I was a student, we had a runner on the team from Pullman...that's a foreign country, right?

I would buy a ranking of 5 or maybe 4 if Alfred's hand was ok. Any updates on that?

mattywizz wrote:When I was a student, we had a runner on the team from Pullman...that's a foreign country, right?

Well it is pretty close to Idaho. But that guy never made "the team." Hehe.

Alfred's hand? I didn't hear about that. An injury, that is what happened at Regionals? I need to stop going on vacation. I miss too much Pilot info.

mattywizz wrote:Alfred's hand? I didn't hear about that. An injury, that is what happened at Regionals? I need to stop going on vacation. I miss too much Pilot info.

I need to stop going skiing so I don't have to interrupt your Miami vacation for xc updates.

Sorry about posting the wrong poll. My bad. And about the SID comment, I guess it just comes from the "runner inferriority" complex that most of us (well, in my case retired) runners have. Though I had that beat. Oh well.

Anyway, thanks Stonehouse for the shout out about Letsrun (can't believe anyone saw it). I peruse frequently but rarely post, and there was so much garbage being posted that I felt I had to say something. For anyone who hasn't been there, although there is a lot of good running info, it can often times be a cesspool.

mattywizz wrote:Alfred's hand? I didn't hear about that. An injury, that is what happened at Regionals? I need to stop going on vacation. I miss too much Pilot info.

The only formal mention of this I've seen was in the Sunday Eugene Register Guard. Evidently Alfred broke his wrist in a bicycling accident on the Monday before regionals. If he were completely healthy I would feel more confident about a 4th place ranking in the polls.

The Angel of Death wrote:Sorry about posting the wrong poll. My bad. And about the SID comment, I guess it just comes from the "runner inferriority" complex that most of us (well, in my case retired) runners have. Though I had that beat. Oh well.

Nah nah... no doubt XC tends to be very under-reported, at UP and otherwise. Just kind of how it goes, unfortunately. I follow XC and track pretty closely though I was never a runner... I think that's pretty rare though, honestly.

Maybe a day late, but a nice article was posted today on PortlandPilots.com:

“Considering the fact we lined up a young squad of five freshmen and a sophomore at the Regionals last weekend, its amazing to get a No. 4 ranking,” said head coach Rob Conner. “Honestly we are a little over ranked given the distance our fifth man is behind our fourth man but we will take it. My goal all season has been a top-10 national finish so that is the framework I am working from.”

The Portland men will compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Monday, Nov. 23 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course located at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, Ind. The men’s race will begin at approximately 9:08 a.m. Pacific time, followed by the women’s race at approximately 9:58 a.m. Both championship races will be broadcast live on Versus Network and streamed online via NCAA.com.

Pilot fans are invited to watch a LIVE screening of the event in the Chiles Center Hall of Fame Room starting at 8:45 a.m. Pacific time.

http://www.portlandpilots.com/news/2009/11/18/MXC_1118094934.aspx

Didn't realize the races would be on Versus... that's cool. Is that new? Or am I just forgetting. I seem to remember having to watch a so-so video feed on NCAA.com in years past. Might just have to mosey on over to the CC that morning if I'm free!

Good thing DirecTV no longer carries Versus. Maybe I can go watch the race at Buffalo Wild Wings, I'm sure they'd love to put up a XC race on the big screen.

Or...I could watch it somewhere else, seeing as how Buffalo Wild Wings also has DirecTV.

Wow, any TV coverage is a big surprise to me. I gotta work at that hour, thankfully we get the internet stream. I watched it live last year online. It was a battle out front between Rupp and Chelanga, which they devoted 90% of the attention to. Hopefully this year they'll show more of what is going on in the chase pack. In general, good coverage though.