USATF XC Champs — Kelati Back Up Front, Wolfe Wins His First

Over the last mile and a half, Weini Kelati (leading) built the nearly 15-second margin on Ednah Kurgat and Katie Izzo that delivered her second USA cross country crown. (KIRBY LEE/IMAGE OF SPORT)

PORTLAND, OREGON, December 06 — Weini Kelati won her second U.S. cross country title on a wet, muddy 10K course at the USATF Cross Country Championships, while recent North Carolina grad Parker Wolfe won his first USA crown.

This yearâ€s US championships — run at Portlandâ€s Glendoveer Golf Club immediately following the NXN High School Championships on the same layout — served as the selection event for the U.S. team that will compete at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida (January 10). The top six finishers in the menâ€s and womenâ€s 10K races qualified for the team while the first two finishers in the inaugural menâ€s and womenâ€s 2K races earned places on the mixed relay.

With the upcoming Worlds the first running of that storied event scheduled in the U.S. since the 1992 edition in Bostonâ€s Franklin Park, athletes were excited to contend for positions on the national team. Deeper and more competitive fields than in recent editions were the result.

Following several days of rain, the Glendoveer course was saturated. The two NXN races served to churn up the grass surface yielding sections of the course that were quite muddy and slippery.

Emma Grace Hurley, the 2024 USA XC runner-up, led the womenâ€s 10K race through the first couple of kilometers with a large pack in pursuit including Kelati, Parker Valby, Ednah Kurgat, Emily Venters, Grace Hartman, Katie Izzo, Taylor Werner, Karissa Schweizer, Elise Stearns, and Shelby Houlihan.

By halfway — passed in 16:44 — Kelati and Izzo had taken over the lead with Kurgat, Hurley, Hartman, Schweizer, Venters, and Valby following behind.

Over the next kilometer, Kelati and Izzo began to edge away with Kurgat running alone in 3rd. Then came Hurley, Schweizer, and Hartman, followed by Valby and Venters.

Kelati — the 2023 USA champion — began to pull away from Izzo by 7K and by 8K (passed in 26:52) had opened up a 6 second lead.

Kurgat continued to run alone in 3rd while Schweizer, Venters, Hartman, and Hurley battled for the remaining three team positions.

Kelati, unchallenged for the rest of the race, ran away to win in 33:46, 15 seconds ahead of Izzo in 2nd in 34:01.

“I knew the course was going to be hard when I see the mud, the hill,†said Kelati. “This is real cross country. If I can challenge myself, put myself in a good position on this course, Iâ€m ready to go.â€

Kurgat (34:10) finished 3rd while Schweizer (34:17) claimed 4th ahead of Venters (34:21) and Hartman (34:26).

 

Rocky Hansen was the early leader from Nico Young, Parker Wolfe and Graham Blanks yet Wolfeâ€s charging finish was decisive at the end of the menâ€s race. (MIKE SCOTT)

Wake Forestâ€s Rocky Hansen — 2nd just two weeks ago at the NCAA cross country championships — went immediately to the front to string out the loaded menâ€s field that included pre-race favorites Graham Blanks and Nico Young as well as Wesley Kiptoo, Wolfe, Paul Chelimo, Ahmed Muhumed, Matt Strangio, Morgan Beadlescomb, and Cooper Teare.

By 5K — passed in 14:28 — the top 6 had separated themselves from the rest of the field. Hansen led Blanks, Young, Wolfe, Muhumed, and Kiptoo running together at least 10 seconds ahead of the field.

The ACC conference duo of Hansen and Wolfe separated themselves from the chase pack by 8K (passed in 23:25), while Kiptoo ran alone in 3rd, then Muhumed, then Blanks and Young.

Wolfe — who finished 3rd in the 2024 Olympic Trials 5000 but didnâ€t have the Olympic qualifying standard so missed out on the Paris Games — surged during the final kilometer. His 2:53 closing 1000 over Glendoveerâ€s Terrace Hill (a two-step steep hill that crests 200m from the finish line) broke Hansen and delivered the win in 29:17.

“I was just trying to stay in contact with him [Rocky],†said Wolfe. “He was ready for this. When we got to 800 left I felt like I just had a little more in the tank going up those hills.â€

Hansen held on for runner-up honors in 29:25, holding off quick closing Kiptoo (29:28) and Muhumed (29:34).

Olympians Young (29:42) and Blanks (29:45) maintained 5th and 6th to claim spots on Team USA.

The 2K events were new at the USA championships and served to select 2 men and 2 women for the mixed relay at World Cross Country. Prior to this year, since the relayâ€s introduction in 2019, athletes self-nominated themselves for the mixed team and were ranked and selected according to their best performance based on World Athletics point among 1500, mile, 3000, 2-Mile (and some years 3000 steeplechase) during a selection window.

With a World Cross Country Championships on home soil this winter, USATFâ€s Cross Country Council decided to hold selection races for the relay.

The menâ€s 2K race was the first event following the morningâ€s NXN races. Liam Meirow led the field through halfway in 2:46, followed by Ethan Strand, Wes Porter, Sam Gilman, plus Craig Engels, Jacob Hunter, and Damien Dilcher.

Tokyo World Championships 1500 semifinalist Strand (5:26) applied pressure during the second half and broke away over the Terrace Hills, holding off a fast closing Porter (5:27) to win as those two earned Team USA slots.

“This place was awesome,†said Strand.†Good atmosphere with NXN. I wanted to come out and test myself today. Today wasnâ€t necessarily about making the World Team, it was more about giving my best effort, try to run hard. NCAA cross country has prepared me to keep my foot on the gas for the whole time.â€

In the womenâ€s 2K race, Gracie Morris led Annika Reiss and Emily Mackay past the 1K split in 3:09 with Tokyo World Championship 800 finalist Sage Hurta-Klecker leading a chase pack a few strides behind.

Morris kept up the pressure and began to pull away from Reiss and Mackay. However, Hurta-Klecker moved well during the second kilometer and passed Reiss and Mackay to run with Morris as the duo approached the Terrace Hill.

Morris charged hard up the Terrace Hill and opened a small gap over Hurta Klecker, winning in 6:20. Hurta-Klecker sprinted home in 6:23 to claim 2nd and the final Team USA position, with Reiss (6:24) closing hard over the final strides to come up just short.

“Honestly I had no idea what to expect,†said Morris of a 2K cross country race. “In the past I havenâ€t been very good at cross country. I just went at it. I felt the field was breaking and I just pressed.â€

The U20 races also served as U.S. national team selection races, with the first five eligible athletes qualifying for Tallahassee — along with the first eligible athlete from each of the morningâ€s NXN races.

Texasâ€s Aidan Torres won the U20 Menâ€s 8K race in 25:11, followed by Tyler Daillak (25:14), Daniel Skandera (25:19), Salvador Wirth (25:21), and Dylan Maloney (25:21). They will be joined on the team by NXN winner Jackson Spencer.

Dukeâ€s Victoria Garces battled with NC Stateâ€s Daniella Scheffler during the second half of the U20 womenâ€s 6K race, before pulling away to win in 21:07 ahead of Schefflerâ€s 21:21. Princetonâ€s Caroline Barton (21:55) finished 3rd, Cincinnatiâ€s Abigail Sewell (22:04) in 4th, and Minnesotaâ€s Norah Hushagen (22:22) in 5th.

Since Garces is too old to be U20 eligible in 2026, Hushagenâ€s Minnesota teammate Avery Marasco-Johnson rounds out Team USA along with NXN runner-up Blair Bartlett. (NXN winner Natasza Dudek is not a US Citizen.)

USATF XC RESULTS

Senior Men

Teams: 1. Swoosh TC 15; 2. Timberline AC 50; 3. Club Northwest 79.

10K: 1. Parker Wolfe (swoosh) 29:16.4; 2. Rocky Hansen (WF) 29:24.8; 3. Wesley Kiptoo (HokaNAZE) 29:27.7; 4. Ahmed Muhumed (HokaNAZE) 29:33.7; 5. Nico Young (adi) 29:41.6; 6. Graham Blanks (NBal) 29:45.0; 7. Liam Murphy (swoosh) 29:59.4; 8. Paul Chelimo (ADP) 30:14.8; 9. Morgan Beadlescomb (adi) 30:15.9; 10. Robert Liking (HokaNAZE) 30:16.1; 11. Camren Todd (unat) 30:17.5; 12. Sean McGorty (swoosh) 30:18.8; 13. Olin Hacker (HokaNAZE) 30:32.0; 14. Dylan Schubert (Asics) 30:33.9; 15. Matt Strangio (BrkB) 30:38.7;

16. Andrew Hunter (Asics) 30:41.2; 17. Drew Bosley (swoosh) 30:42.9; 18. Cooper Teare (swoosh) 30:48.0; 19. Wil Smith (HansB) 30:50.7; 20. Creed Thompson (Brk) 30:52.6; 21. Matthew Wilkinson (DarkSky) 30:53.0; 22. Andrew Colley (ZapE) 30:56.8; 23. Sam Lawler (unat) 31:00.9; 24. Shuaib Aljabaly (HansB) 31:03.9; 25. Aidan O’Gorman (unat) 31:11.4.

2K: 1. Ethan Strand (Swoosh) 5:26; 2. Wes Porter (unat) 5:27; 3. Garrett MacQuiddy (PenDC) 5:34; 4. Sam Gilman (USAF) 5:35; 5. Vincent Ciattei (DSD) 5:36; 6. Kasey Knevelbaard (DSD) 5:38; 7. Liam Meirow (NikeACG) 5:38; 8. Craig Engels (Swoosh) 5:38; 9. Damien Dilcher (UArmMRB) 5:42; 10. Jacob Hunter (unat) 5:47.

Junior Men

8K: 1. Aidan Torres (Tx) 25:10.8; 2. Tyler Daillak (SLO) 25:13.8; 3. Daniel Skandera (unat) 25:19.0; 4. Salvador Wirth (Mn) 25:20.6; 5. Dylan Maloney (NM) 25:20.8; 6. Juan Gonzalez (Or) 25:22.5; 7. Wil Ihmels (Co) 25:43.1; 8. Jack Bidwell (Mi) 25:45.2; 9. Henry Acorn (Va) 25:55.8; 10. Isaac Benjamin (unat) 25:56.1.

Senior Women

Teams: 1. Minnesota Distance Elite 15; 2. Team Red Lizard 44; 3. Santa Barbara Running & Racing 61.

10K: 1. Weini Kelati Frezghi (DarkSky) 33:45.5; 2. Katie Izzo (adi) 34:00.9; 3. Ednah Kurgat (USAr) 34:09.9; 4. Karissa Schweizer (swoosh) 34:16.2; 5. Emily Venters (swoosh) 34:20.7; 6. Grace Hartman (unat) 34:25.7; 7. Elise Stearns (swoosh) 34:33.1; 8. Allie Ostrander (Ois) 34:34.4; 9. Emma Grace Hurley (Asics) 34:40.9; 10. Parker Valby (NBal) 34:48.9; 11. Carrie Ellwood (MamTC) 34:57.8; 12. Makena Morley (Asics) 35:04.8; 13. Elena Henes (adi) 35:10.5; 14. Cailie Hughes (MnDE) 35:10.8; 15. Margot Appleton (NBalB) 35:14.3;

16. Katelyn Tuohy (adi) 35:30.3; 17. Rachael Rudel (FrontRE) 35:32.7; 18. Rachel Anderson (MnDE) 35:33.4; 19. Kasandra Parker (CrownR) 35:34.2; 20. Shelby Houlihan (unat) 35:34.5; 21. Stephanie Bruce (unat) 35:35.8; 22. Annastasia Peters (unat) 35:39.0; 23. Makenna Myler (RunEP) 35:41.1; 24. Taylor Werner (unat) 35:48.3; 25. Amber Zimmerman (unat) 35:52.4.

2K: 1. Gracie Morris (Puma) 6:20; 2. Sage Hurta-Klecker (OAC) 6:23; 3. Annika Reiss (DSD) 6:24; 4. Gracie Hyde (unat) 6:29; 5. Kayley DeLay (BrkB) 6:29; 6. Cailee Peterson (MnDE) 6:32; 7. Emily Mackay (NBal) 6:33; 8. Alexandra Carlson (unat) 6:37; 9. Teagan Schein-Becker (BrkB) 6:37; 10. Addy Wiley (adidas) 6:40.

Junior Women

6K: 1. Victoria Garces (Duke) 21:07.0; 2. Daniela Scheffler (NCSt 21:20.7; 3. Caroline Barton (Prin) 21:54.6; 4. Abigail Sewell (Cinc) 22:03.1; 5. Norah Hushagen (Mn) 22:21.7; 6. Avery Marasco-Johnson(Mn) 22:28.3; 7. Maeve Smith (Vill) 22:52.8; 8. Lillian Dicola (Tol) 23:00.1; 9. Arabella Nelson (OkSt) 23:08.3; 10. Macy Hanson (Mn) 23:09.8.

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