BOSTON, Mass. (Goducks.com, RESULTS) – Freshmen Edward Cheserek and Jake Leingang finished 1-2 to lead the No. 12 Men of Oregon Cross Country team to victory at the Boston College Invitational at Franklin Park on Friday.
The Duck men used a huge push over the final 1,000 meters to pull away from the field and win with 22 points. No. 9 Syracuse was second with 69 points, No. 25 Providence was third (81), No. 8 Wisconsin was fourth (88) and Northeastern was fifth (157).
The men placed six runners in the top nine, led by Cheserek’s win in 24:11. The freshmen from Kenya by way of Newark, N.J., made the most of his first turn in the green and yellow, crossing the tape inches ahead of Leingang for individual honors. Leingang, a 11-time state champion from Bismarck, N.D., also clocked in at 24:11.
Oregon’s veterans backed up the two freshmen as the Ducks ran as a pack for nearly the entire 8,000 meter distance.
Ryan Pickering, a junior from West Palm Beach, Fla., finished fourth in 24:14. Sophomore Matthew Melancon, from Eugene, Ore., claimed the No. 7 spot overall in 24:18, while Jeramy Elkaim wrapped up the Ducks’ scoring; the junior from Livingston, N.J., was eighth in 24:20.
For good measure, the Ducks had junior Daniel Winn, from Portland, Ore., ninth, also in 24:20.
“I think that was probably our best spread we’ve had one-to-five in a really long time,” said associate head coach Andy Powell. “We did a really nice job running together and that’s not always easy to do, especially for a younger team.
“We pretty much followed the race plan, which was to race together as long as we could,” added Powell.
“We told them they had to stay together for the first five (kilometers) and we actually made it over six, so that’s a really good sign.”
