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August 11, 2011

Dellinger Invitational Highlights 2011 XC Schedule

Meet returns to Springfield CC in 2011.

        EUGENE, Ore. – A return to Springfield Country Club for the Bill Dellinger Invitational and the inaugural Pac-12 Championships are two of the highlights of the 2011 Oregon cross country schedule, announced Thursday by Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna.

        After opening the year with a men’s and women’s dual meet versus Gonzaga Sept. 10 in Sunriver, the season gets underway in earnest with the sixth annual Bill Dellinger on Oct. 1. Wisconsin is the feature attraction among the teams expected to join the Ducks at the Springfield Country Club.

        “The Bill Dellinger Invitational is always a very exciting meet both our fans and for the teams who are competing.“ said Lananna. “We have a great partnership with the Springfield Country Club, where we always get terrific community support and are looking forward to hosting the Dellinger Invitational there in 2011.”

        Oregon will then travel to Madison, Wis., for the highly competitive Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Oct. 14 before closing out the regular season at the Beaver Classic in Corvallis on Oct. 29.

        The championships season opens with the inaugural Pac-12 meet Oct. 29 in Litchfield Park, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix. With the addition of Utah and distance power Colorado, the women’s competition will be a 12-team affair. The Buffaloes also bring their formidable tradition to the men’s championship, which will now feature nine teams (Oregon State, USC and Utah do not sponsor men’s cross country)

        Stanford will host the NCAA West Regional on Nov. 12 before the 2011 NCAA Championships, which will be Nov. 21 at Indiana State’s LaVern Gibson Course in Terre Haute, Ind.

        The men and women both return the national third-place runner from the 2010 NCAA Championships in senior Luke Puskedra and junior Jordan Hasay, respectively. Puskedra is the lone All-American on a men’s team who will look to a number of freshmen and sophomores in 2011. Hasay, on the other hand, is one of eight returning letterwinners for the Women of Oregon.

2011 Oregon Cross Country Schedule

Sept. 10          Gonzaga                                                                        Sunriver Resort, Sunriver, Ore.

Oct. 1                Bill Dellinger Invitational                                  Springfield Country Course, Springfield, Ore.

Oct. 14          Wisconsin adidas Invitational                 at Thomas Zimmer Championship Course, Madison, Wis.

Oct. 22          Beaver Classic                                             at Avery Park, Corvallis, Ore.

Oct. 29          Pac-12 Championships                             at Wigwam Golf Resort, Litchfield Park, Ariz.

Nov. 12        NCAA West Region Championships      at Stanford Golf Course, Stanford, Calif.

Nov. 21        NCAA Championships                              at LaVern Gibson Course, Terre Haute, Ind.

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