MADISON, Wisc. – The Portland men's cross country team finished third at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships hosted at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course on Saturday. It marks the third time in five years that the Pilots have finished third or better and on the podium.
"Wow what a great effort by our guys today," Portland head coach Rob Conner said. "It would have been easy to give up or give less than your best today, but the team-orientated motivation propelled the guys. The conditions were brutal. I am so proud of the culture the guys have built, it was on full display today!"
Three Pilots earned All-America honors, tying the program record set last season. Junior Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse placed 21st to lead Portland and garner his second cross country All-America award. Senior Logan Orndorff crossed the line in 25th place for his first All-America honor, while senior Nick Hauger placed 40th for his second award in as many years.
Seniors Stuart McCallum (48th) and Michael Somers (57th) also scored for Portland, while junior Caleb Webb (68th) and senior Noah Schutte (124th) also had impressive performances.
Portland entered the race ranked No. 4 nationally, but were never worse than third-place during any splits throughout the 10K meet. Northern Arizona won the title for the third straight year with 83 points, while BYU took second with 116 points. The Pilots finished with 160 points, while Colorado 178) took the final spot on the podium. Wisconsin's Morgan McDonald won the individual title on his home course with a time of 29:08.3.
It marks the third overall podium finish for Rob Conner's program. Portland finished third in 2014 and were the NCAA runner-up last year. This was the 19th NCAA Championships appearance for the Pilots and ninth Top 10 team finish.
Portland has had 21 All-America performances at the NCAA meet.
The third-place finish caps a phenomenal season that featured Portland winning its third NCAA West Regional title (1993, 2017). Hauger also won West Coast Conference and West Region individual titles. It is the second straight year that the Pilots claimed the team and individual title in the region, while Conner earned his second consecutive and sixth overall West Region Coach of the Year award.
NCAA Cross Country Championships
Madison, Wisc. (Thomas Zimmer Championship Course)
November 17, 2018
Top Team Finishes
1. Northern Arizona, 83
2. BYU, 116
3. Portland, 160
4. Colorado, 178
5. Stanford, 201
6. Washington, 213
7. Iowa State, 220
8. Wisconsin, 240
9. Colorado State, 309
10. Boise State, 342
Portland Individuals
21. Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse, 29:41.7 (All-America)
25. Logan Orndorf, 29:49.6 (All-America)
40. Nick Hauger, 29:58.5 (All-America)
48. Stuart McCallum, 30:07.8
57. Michael Somers, 30:12.8
68. Caleb Webb, 30:24.3
124. Noah Schutte, 30:51.4
Portland Men's Cross Country NCAA History (19)
Year Team Finish
1993 12th
1996 10th
1998 28th
1999 26th
2001 7th
2003 27th
2005 9th
2006 18th
2007 14th
2008 7th
2009 13th
2010 13th
2011 8th
2012 12th
2013 7th
2014 3rd
2016 13th
2017 2nd
2018 3rd
Portland Men's Cross Country All-Americans (21)
Pete Julian (1993), Uli Steidl (1996), Joe Driscoll (2001), John Moore (2005), David Kinsella (2007, 2008), Alfred Kipchumba (2008, 2009, 2011), Trevor Dunbar (2010, 2011), Scott Fauble (2012, 2013, 2014), Reid Buchanan (2014), Jeff Thies (2017), Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse (2017, 2018), Nick Hauger (2017, 2018), Logan Orndorf (2018)
