PORTLAND, Ore--- The Pilots will be sending both their men's and women's cross country team down to Eugene this weekend to compete in the 8th annual Bill Dellinger Invitational at the Springfield Country Club. The men's 8,000 meter race begins at 10:30 a.m., while the women's 5,000 meter run goes off at 11:15 a.m. Both fields feature regionally and nationally ranked opponents.
The men's field is highlighted by Oregon, currently ranked No. 4 in the nation. Also in the men's race, and regionally ranked, are No. 6 Boise State, No. 7 Washington and No. 13 Gonzaga. The Pilot men will be racing their 'B' squad, while resting their top seven runners for the upcoming Wisconsin adidas Invitational.
"The goal is to make a run off for the eight and nine spots on our team, and decide who will travel to Wisconsin with the varsity," said head coach Rob Conner, "I'm looking forward to seeing how the young guys will deal with a big meet mentality."
For the women, the regionally ranked teams are No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Washington, No. 8 Boise State, No. 10 Portland and No. 14 Idaho, as well as Midwest No. 10 Wichita State. The women are sending their full varsity squad.
"I'm really excited to see how the women compete with these big teams. We feel the women are on the verge of becoming nationally ranked," said Conner.
BILL DELLINGER INVITATIONAL MEN'S RACE
Time: 10:30 a.m. PDT
Length: 8,000 Meters
8K Course Record: 22:55.14, Galen Rupp, Oregon, 10-31-08
Twitter: @OregonTF
Live Results: http://www.rtspt.com/events/oregon/dellinger13/ (also will be posted on www.goducks.com)
Teams (12): Boise State, Clark College, Gonzaga, Idaho, Mt. SAC, Oregon, Portland, Portland State, Seattle, Washington, Wichita State, UO Running Club.
BILL DELLINGER INVITATIONAL WOMEN'S RACE
Time: 11:15 a.m. PDT
Length: 5,000 Meters
5K Course Record: 16:22.92, Sheila Reid, Villanova, 10-2-09
Twitter: @OregonTF
Live Results: http://www.rtspt.com/events/oregon/dellinger13/ (also will be posted on www.goducks.com)
Teams (12): Boise State, Clark College, Gonzaga, Idaho, Mt. SAC, Oregon, Portland, Portland State, Seattle, Washington, Wichita State, UO Running Club.
