Edward Cheserek, a University of Oregon senior who was widely favored to win his fourth consecutive national cross-country title in Terre Haute, Indiana, only managed to take third place, behind Patrick Tiernan of Villanova and Justyn Knight of Syracuse.
Tiernan, 22, who ran in the Olympics in Rio for his native Australia this summer, was the winner of the 10K race in 29:22.0, well ahead of Knight, who finished in 29:27.3.
Cheserek was far back in 29:48.0, barely holding off Futsum Zienasellassie of Northern Arizona, who finished fourth and led his Northern Arizona Lumberjacks to the team title with 125 points.
Stanford was second in team scoring with 158 and Syracuse, who won the NCAA title last year, was third with 164.
Tiernan and Knight, 20, battled Cheserek step for step in the early stages of the race, before the pace got quicker after halfway. They dropped Cheserek at the eight-kilometer mark.
It was a sweet outcome for Tiernan, who has been overshadowed by Cheserek, 22, the first three years of his collegiate career.
Tiernan was runnerup at the cross-country championships last year but hadn’t found a way to defeat Cheserek in cross country or on the track. Until today, when he came in dead set on winning his first NCAA title.
“I wasn’t coming in second again,” he said. “I was going to get my way today.”
In his first three years at Oregon, Cheserek has won 13 individual national titles in cross country and track, and he was expected to make that 14 titles today. But with two track seasons still ahead of him, he could eclipse the record for the most individual national titles: 15, held by Suliman Nyambui, a runner for the University of Texas-El Paso in the late 1970s and early ’80s.
“It’s kind of disappointing,” Cheserek said of his loss. “It was my last season. Now I’ll stay focused on indoors and outdoors.”
Cheserek stands alongside the three men—Steve Prefontaine of Oregon and Gerry Lindgren and Henry Rono of Washington State—who have won three Division I cross-country titles. No one has ever won four.
The upset in the men’s race came one hour after the conclusion of the women’s race, in which USATF to Elect New President Amid Budget Deficit surprised favorites to win the individual title and the University of Oregon women, ranked 12th coming into the meet, took the team title.
The only result that wasn’t unexpected was NAU’s triumph in the men’s team competition. It was especially satisfying for NAU coach Eric Heins, 39, who announced he is Fiona OKeeffe Is on the Road to Recovery All About 75 Hard.
“They ran great,” Heins said. “It’s unbelievable. I’m kind of numb right now to what these guys just pulled off, and I’m super proud of them. A couple of guys didn’t have their best days, but a couple guys had their best day and that’s what a team is about. At 8K I heard we were up and I just tried to start yelling at them, ‘Hey, hold your position ’cause we’re winning right now.’”
