NEW ORLEANS – After a strong showing at last weekend’s Bill Dellinger Invitational, the Portland men’s cross country team matched its highest ranking in school history in the latest USTFCCCA NCAA Division I rankings, released on Tuesday. Portland is now No. 4, up three spots from last week’s ranking. The ranking matched the Pilots’ 1993 team that went through an undefeated regular season and won the NCAA West Regional before finishing 12th at the NCAA Championships.
Portland moved up courtesy of a second-place finish at Saturday’s meet hosted by No. 1 Oregon at Springfield Country Club. The host Ducks barely clipped the Pilots by seven points, although Portland boasted the top two finishers as senior David Kinsella and newcomer Alfred Kipchumba paced the field. Junior Tommy Betterbed also placed sixth individually.
“I feel we have three legitimate All-America candidates on the team and I am willing to embrace the No. 4 national ranking,” Portland head coach Rob Conner said. “It is something to be proud of and something to work toward.”
A consistent national contender, Portland has qualified for the NCAA championship meet nine times since 1993. Six of those teams have earned top 20 finishes, including each of the last three seasons. The 2001 Pilots finished a program-best seventh at the NCAA meet.
Notable regular season rankings include No. 5 in 1996; No. 6 in 2001 and No. 7 in 2007. The squad opened the 2008 season ranked No. 7 despite losing All-Americans John Moore and Michael Kilburg to graduation.
Portland’s varsity squad will next be in action at the NCAA Pre-National Meet on Oct. 18 in Terra Haute, Ind.
Top Portland Regular Season National Rankings:
2008: 4th
1993: 4th
1996: 5th
2001: 6th
2007: 7th
Men’s Division I Cross Country National Poll (Oct. 7)
Rank Team (first place votes) Region/Rank Totals Prev.
1. Oregon - (12) West-1 360 1
2. Oklahoma State Midwest-1 348 2
3. Colorado Mountain-1 322 3
4. Portland West-2 314 7
5. Wisconsin Great Lakes-1 313 6
6. Alabama South-1 293 5
7. Iona College Northeast-1 288 4
8. Georgetown Mid-Atlantic-1 261 9
9. Michigan Great Lakes-2 250 8
10. Stanford West-3 247 10
11. Iowa State Midwest-2 232 11
12. Virginia Southeast-1 214 12
13. Florida State South-3 208 26
14. Minnesota Midwest-3 200 14
15. North Carolina State Southeast-2 181 13
16. Auburn South-2 176 21
16. Northern Arizona Mountain-2 176 16
18. BYU Mountain-3 170 15
19. Tulsa Midwest-4 142 NR
20. Texas A&M South Central-2 121 28
21. Texas South Central-1 119 17—tie
22. Providence Northeast-2 110 19
23. UCLA West-4 89 NR
24. William & Mary Southeast-3 77 22
25. California West-6 76 20
26. Syracuse Northeast-3 61 30
27. Arkansas South Central-3 47 24
28. Villanova Mid-Atlantic-2 43 25
29. Cal Poly West-5 41 23
30. Michigan State Great Lakes-3 34 NR
Receiving Votes: Indiana (23), Florida (12), Notre Dame, (12), Butler (8), New Mexico (6), UTEP (4), Washington (2), and Southern lllinois (1).
