Sooners Head to NCAA Championships

NORMAN - The University of Oklahoma men's cross country team is on a mission that has been three years in the making. The team left Wednesday to head back to Louisville for Saturday's 78th Annual NCAA Men's Cross Country Championships. The race will be run at Tom Sawyer State Park and it marks OU's first trip back to the NCAA meet since 2012. It will be the first time six of the seven OU entries will compete at the championship. It also is the first time associate head coach Jason Dunn has taken an OU squad to the NCAA since he began with the Sooners in 2013.

"It's definitely exciting to get a team there," Dunn said. "It's what we've been working the last two years for and it's really a good feeling especially since we feel like we could've been here last year."

The men's 10K is set for noon (CT). There will be 71 men's teams represented, including the No. 23 Sooners who will be a part of the 31-scored team competition.

The lone Sooner harrier familiar with the national scene is redshirt senior Brandon Doughty, who ran in the 2012 championship as a redshirt freshman when the Sooners finished eighth overall. Doughty placed 170th (31:18.5) in his national championship debut. However, with a close miss in individual qualifying a year ago and top-four performances at this year's Big 12 and NCAA Midwest Regional Championships, Doughty could be a top contender once again for the Sooners.

Brandon Doughty (left) and Jacob Burcham (right) lead the Sooners during the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships in Lawrence, Kan.

"We'll be counting on his leadership," Dunn said. "He's just been a good leader throughout it all and his positive influence is why we have such a good dynamic."

The Sooners also will look to junior Jacob Burcham for leadership during the race. Burcham has been the front runner for the men in their last three races, including runner-up finishes at the conference and regional meets. His second-place performance at the regional (29:38.6) was a significant improvement from 2014 where he finished 48th (30:59.4). The Sooners hope to capitalize on that momentum Saturday.

"He's continued to impress me in each race," Dunn said. "I'm looking forward to seeing him on Saturday. He's been a low finisher and it is a big help in the team score. It's been inspiring to see him."

The Sooners are coming off a close third-place finish at the regional meet and will need the whole team to perform at their best against a competitive national field. The remaining entries for OU are Eric Alldritt, Matt Brafford, Liam Meirow, Will Hogston, Allen Eke and Dylan Blankenbaker, who was an All-Midwest Region selection along with Burcham and Doughty, after placing 25th (30:40.1). The Sooners have run against nationally-ranked competition throughout the season including the Virginia Panorama Farms Invitational where the men finished second against a strong field in mid-September. They also ran at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational in mid-October.

"I'm pleased with what we did with the schedule because each meet prepared us for this," said Dunn. "The best preparation for Saturday is what we did last Friday [at regionals]. My coach always used to say 'the best preparation for a 10K race is 1 x 10K at race pace.'"

The Sooners have completed that formula and expect a strong outcome.

A live broadcast will be available Saturday at NCAA.com with the women's race to begin at 11 a.m. (CT). Live results for the NCAA Cross Country Championships will be available at PT Timing with a full recap on SoonerSports.com after the meet.

Players Mentioned

Eric Alldritt

Dylan Blankenbaker

Matt Brafford

Jacob Burcham

Jacob Burcham

Brandon Doughty

Brandon Doughty

Allen Eke

Will Hogston

Liam Meirow

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics