Upload a Photo Upload a Video Add a News article Write a Blog Add a Comment
MessageReportBlock
Blog Feed News Feed Video Feed All Feeds
 

Folders

 

 

Can Jordan Hasay Win the Women’s XC Individual Title?

Published by
Scott Bush   Aug 31st 2012, 2:28pm
Comments

Last fall, at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, Jordan Hasay (Sr., Oregon) narrowly missed winning her first cross country title, as Villanova standout Sheila Reid edged her at the finish, 19:41.1-19:41.8. It was one of the more exciting finishes in NCAA Championship history and unfortunately for Hasay, she was on the other side of the finish line at the end.

Fast forward to this year. Hasay, heading into her senior season, seems primed and ready to take on all challengers. She’s the top returnee, most experienced runner in the field, and should be hungry to go out on top.

Despite Hasay’s pre-season favorite status, she’ll certainly have her fair share of challengers. One of her top challengers, Katie Flood (Jr., Washington), is someone Hasay is extremely familiar with. These two Pac-12 rivals have battled time and time again over the past few seasons.

Flood finished seventh at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last fall, while coming back in the spring and taking home the NCAA 1,500m title over Hasay (who finished third). Flood continues to improve each and every season and has to be dreaming of winning the title come November.

Hasay’s other primary challenger is Abbey D’Agostino (Jr., Dartmouth). D’Agostino broke onto the national stage in 2011, placing third at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, a mere second behind Hasay. She continued her momentum over the track season, where she won the 5,000m title, while finishing fifth and only .19 out of the third Olympic qualifying spot at the Olympic Trials.

Both D’Agostino and Flood gained experience and confidence with their success this spring and it will be fun to follow, seeing if it translates to the cross country course.

There will be plenty of other women, who if taking a step up in their training and racing, could challenge the top three. Olympic Trials 10k runner-up and NCAA 10k champion Natosha Rogers (Jr., Texas A&M) has to be considered a top five threat despite never having a truly exceptional fall season, while Betsy Saina (Sr., Iowa State) has been one of the most consistent top performers at the NCAA level over the past few years and could challenge on the right day.

Hasay has her work cut out for her if she hopes to earn her first NCAA cross country title. She’s tenacious, a proven winner and has a great support team, but is that enough to push her over the top? We’ll just have to wait and see.

---

With the cross country season kicking off over the next two weeks, we're tackling ten burning questions heading into the 2012 campaign. These questions cover both the high school and college levels. Check back each day as we provide some answers to the questions.

Question 1: Who Will Be The Top American Male Finisher at the NCAA XC Championships?
Question 2: Will Erin Finn and Sarah Baxter Face Off This Fall?

Question 3: How Close Will The Boys Race Be At NXN?
Question 4: Which Team Will Win the NCAA Women's Title?
Question 5: Can Wisconsin Repeat as NCAA Men's Champions?
Question 6: Can Fayetteville-Manlius Repeat as Girls' National Champions...Again?
Question 7: Can Edward Cheserek Maintain His XC Dominance?

More news

1 comment(s)
GrandmaFaye
I am very much looking forward to this XC season. If Sarah stays healthy she will do extremely well. She is a hard worker and very determined in her running.
History for Scott Bush
YearVideosNewsPhotosBlogs
2023   3 1  
2022   5    
2021 12   4  
Show 12 more