Rob Conner begins his 15th year as the head cross country and track & field coach at the University of Portland. During that time, the Pilots have earned national recognition as one of the most consistent distance running forces among NCAA Division I competition.
During his tenure with the cross country teams, Portland posted three top-12 NCAA finishes on the men’s side from 1993-2002, a feat duplicated by just 15 other NCAA Division I programs (during that span).
The 2001 team, led by All-American Joe Driscoll, placed seventh at the NCAA Championships, Portland’s highest national finish. The 2001 season is regarded as the greatest in Pilot history as the Pilots toured the nation with second-place finishes at Minnesota’s Roy Griak Invitational, Arkansas’ Chile Pepper Invitational and the NCAA West Regional.
The 1996 squad, led by All-American Uli Steidl, placed 10th at the NCAA Championships, second at the Colorado Rocky Mountain Shoot-Out, third at the Pre NCAA Invitational and third at the NCAA West Regional meet.
The 1993 team put Pilot cross country on the map. That historic season saw Portland, led by All-American Pete Julian, steamroll through an undefeated season and finish12th in their first-ever NCAA Championships. The Pilots claimed wins at Washington’s Sundodger Invitational, Oregon’s Jeff Drenth Invitational, the West Coast Conference Championships and the NCAA West Regional.
The Portland men have also placed 28th (1998) and 26th (1999) in two other team appearances at the NCAA championships.
Under Conner’s tutelage, Portland has been a consistent force at the NCAA West Regionals, vying nearly every year for a national berth. The Pilot men have placed fourth or higher at the NCAA West Regional meet eight times. Six Pilots have advanced to the NCAA Championships as individual qualifiers, most recently freshman John Moore in 2004. Four Pilots have earned All-America honors.
Portland seeks its 26th-consecutive West Coast Conference men’s title this fall, a streak second only to the University of Arkansas. The Portland women have won 12 conference titles during Conner’s 13-year tenure. The 1993 Pilot women placed sixth at the NCAA West Regional and the 1994 team, led by All-American Nicole Karr, placed seventh at regionals, Portland’s two best regional finishes.
The USA Junior cross country championships has been another area of Pilot success. In the fall of 1994, led by World Championship qualifier Tim Briggs (35th overall at World’s), Pilot runners finished second to Stanford. The 2003 USA Junior cross country championships saw freshman Joe Gray finish seventh, while Nick Schuetze placed ninth in 2001, both just missing berths to the World Junior Championships.
On the track, Pilot distance runners have been successful on a national level. Pilot runners have toed the line at the NCAA Track & Field Championships 27 times since 1992, bringing home 14 All-America certificates. A Portland runner has qualified for the track nationals every year since 1992.
Portland has gained a great reputation for producing national-level steeplechasers and 10,000-meter runners. Six times a Pilot has finished in the top 10 of the NCAA steeplechase under Conner’s guidance. In 1998, Pilots Todd Davis and Bryan Bothwell were ranked second and fourth on the NCAA list. As a 19-year old sophomore, Davis (8:37.93) was the youngest competitor to qualify for the US Olympic Trials in the steeplechase, advancing to the semi finals. In 2002, freshman Matt Harriman was the NCAA’s second-fastest rookie posting an 8:47.57. In 2003, redshirt Joe Gray placed second at the USA Junior Championships recording a personal best of 9:05.96. In 13 seasons, Conner has coached nine Pilot steeplechasers to sub 9:00 performances.
Portland runners have qualified nine times for the NCAA 10,000-meter final under Conner and six times All-America honors were the result. In 2005, John Moore earned All-America honors as a freshman with a mark of 29:09. Capped by Joe Driscoll’s school record 28:48.42, Conner has led eight Pilots to sub 30:00 performances in the 10,000 meters. Pilot freshman Tim Briggs won the USA Junior 10,000 title in 1995.
Nicole Karr continues to set the standard as the highest-placing Pilot with her third-place finish at the 1995 NCAA Indoor Championships in the 3000 meters. Karr and Joe Driscoll hold the rare distinction of earning All-America honors in all three distance running disciplines: cross country, indoor and outdoor track.
University of Portland Cross Country and Track & Field all-Americans during Conner’s tenure
Year Sport Event Name
1993 Track & Field 5,000 Pete Julian
1993 Track & Field 10,000 Pete Julian
1993 Cross Country Pete Julian
1994 Track & Field 10,000 Pete Julian
1994 Cross Country Nicole Karr
1995 Indoor Track 3,000 Nicole Karr
1996 Track & Field Steeplechase Todd Davis
1996 Track & Field 10,000 Ryan Grote
1996 Track & Field 3,000 Nicole Karr
1996 Cross Country Uli Steidl
1997 Track & Field Steeplechase Bryan Bothwell
1998 Indoor Track Mile Todd Davis
1998 Track & Field Steeplechase Bryan Bothwell
1999 Track & Field Steeplechase Todd Davis
2001 Track & Field 10,000 Joe Driscoll
2001 Cross Country Joe Driscoll
2002 Indoor Track 5,000 Joe Driscoll