LINCOLN, Neb. - Chase Oates and Daemon Rodriguez both earned their spots in November's NJCAA Cross Country National Championships with strong races Saturday at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite, co-hosted at Mahoney Park Golf Course by Nebraska Wesleyan University and University of Nebraska.
Oates, a sophomore from Columbia Heights, Minnesota, continued his strong start to the 2023 campaign with a 59-second 8K PR. Oates crossed the finish line in 106th place overall out of 359 runners in the men's 8K race, running 26:13.3. It was also a 1:21 improvement over his time on the same course last year. That time vaulted Oates from 13th on SWCC's all-time performance list to fourth. It is the fastest 8K cross country time for the program since 2006.
Oates bookended his race with strong 2-kilometer segments. He opened with kilometer splits of 3:08 and 3:12, and closed with splits of 3:14 and 3:08.
"Chase ran an all-around strong race," said Scott Vicker, director of cross country/track & field. "He executed his race plan very well, getting out for the first 2 kilometers just how we wanted. He backed off a little in the third kilometer and then held steady through 6K before turning on the jets again for the final 2K. This was a great learning experience for him. His confidence is growing with each workout we do, but this was the first time he's really been in a pack going that fast, that early. I think it took him a little by surprise during the race, but now he knows he can go with them when they start to move. This is exactly why we go to meets like this, so he can figure these things out before we get to nationals in November."
Rodriguez, a freshman from Midlothian, Texas, also ran a strong race for the Spartans. He easily ran under SWCC's institutional-qualifying standard of 28 minutes, running 27:42.0 for 214th place overall. Rodriguez also got out to a fast start and then settled in, just how Vicker wanted him to.
"What I've been most impressed with from Daemon through these first two meets as a freshman is the precision with which he's been able to execute his race plans," Vicker said. "This is a huge meet, and it gets out fast. He never batted an eye about going out hard and then battling the rest of the way. As Daemon's confidence and fitness continue to grow throughout the season, he's going to get much faster. This was the second-fastest 8K debut during my coaching stint, behind only Chase's 8K debut at this meet last year."
By going under 28 minutes Saturday, both Oates and Rodriguez have punched their tickets to the NJCAA Cross Country National Championships, held in Huntsville, Alabama, on Nov. 11.
Sophomore Michael Mayer finished 306th for the Spartans, running 30:09.4, while sophomore Jonathon Hackett had a big improvement from his time on this same course last year, running 36:19.7. Kyle Sanders ran 40:22.9 in his first career 8K.
"I was really pleased with both Hackett and Kyle. Hackett got out a lot harder than he is used to, and then he was able to finish very strong. He just needs to improve the middle part of his race," Vicker said. "Kyle, I thought, ran much better in this race at a longer distance than he did in the 6K at Simpson, so I'm really proud of him. Michael had a good start and faded a little in the back half of the race. Hopefully he can continue getting his fitness level back up and close the gap on Daemon."
Southwestern finished 29th in the team standings, beating Peru State and Southeast CC.
The Spartans return to action Friday, Sept. 29, at the Gans Creek Classic hosted by Mizzou. This is a change to the team's original schedule, which originally saw the Spartans competing at Grand View's Viking Invitational this weekend.
