Completed Event: Cross Country at Cowboy Preview on August 29, 2025 , , 2nd - M/3rd - W
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Cross Country
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sooners Head to Washington Invitational
October 02, 2014 | Cross Country
NORMAN – With several runners making their first appearances of the 2014 season, the University of Oklahoma cross country teams will head to Seattle this weekend to compete in the prestigious Washington Invitational on Saturday.
The invitation-only meet, hosted by the University of Washington, will be the toughest test for the Sooners so far this season as both the men's and women's fields boast many of the nation's top teams.
The women's race will begin at 11 a.m. (PT) while the men will race at 11:45 a.m. (PT) on the Jefferson Park Golf Course. The course has hosted the 2010 Pac-10 Championships, the USATF Club Nationals and the 2012 NCAA West Regional Championships.
A total of nine other combined squads will compete with one school bringing just its women and another bringing just its men.
Associate head coach Jason Dunn is looking forward to the challenge and the level of competition it will present.
“It's going to be great exposure for us in terms of facing some of the top teams in the country,” Dunn said. “It's going to be a really exciting environment. I want our student-athletes to understand what the highest level of competition is like and that's what it's going to be.”
The 8,000-meter race will feature seven of the nation's top-25 teams in the latest United States Track and Field & Cross Country Association's rankings – No. 2 Northern Arizona, No. 5 Portland, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 Indiana, No. 9 Villanova, No. 13 Virginia and No. 20 UCLA. Other entries for the men's race include Idaho, Utah and Washington. With 26th-ranked OU and 28th-ranked Washington, this field is like a mini-NCAA meet.
As Oklahoma prepares for the steep competition, three Sooners are set to make their season debut– Brandon Doughty, Abbabiya Simbassa and Eric Alldritt.
Dunn has been pleased with their preparation so far and expects the three to shine in Seattle.
“I think those guys have proven with the work that they've put in that they're in a great place,” said Dunn. “I believe as long as they race well then we should see some great results from all three of those guys.”
Doughty, Abbabiya and Simbassa will be joined by eight other Sooners on the men's side including Jacob Burcham, Alex Deir, Allen Eke, Eric Graf, Will Hogston and Kyle Polman. It will be the second race of the season for Burcham and Polman while it will be the third race for Deir, Eke, Graf and Hogston.
The women will run the 6,000-meter race alongside four top-25 teams in the USTFCCCA rankings. The ranked teams include No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Stanford, No. 13 Villanova and No. 15/host Washington. Other teams entered in the women's race include Idaho, Indiana, Northern Arizona, Portland, UCLA and Utah.
Competing for the OU women are Elena Arriaza, Abbey Mace, Kelsey McKee, Bryce Perry, Brittany Tretbar and Belle Wallace. This will mark the third race of the year for each of the women.
Live stats during the event will be available at Record Timing with a complete recap to follow at SoonerSports.com.
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