Posted: November 19, 2007

Athletics: McDougal Prevails Over Rupp At NCAA Cross Country Championships

From David Monti © 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com Putting the hammer down in the seventh kilometer, University of Oregon's Galen Rupp was able to shake Northern Arizona's Lopez Lomong, but not Liberty University's Josh McDougal at today's NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. McDougal, who finished a disappointing 27th in last year's race, took over the lead, and pressed the pace past the 8 km mark, building a three-second lead on Rupp, the NCAA 10,000m record holder. But Rupp battled back, retaking the lead midway through the last kilometer on the fast, grass course. "Even after I got that gap I knew it wasn't over," McDougal told CSTV's Craig Virgin after the race. The pair went into the final 100 meters together and it was simply an all-out sprint for the line. McDougal proved that he had the best top-end speed today, easing away from Rupp to win by two strides. "I still thought I had a chance to win," Rupp said after the race. "I went a little early and he got the win." Although Rupp didn't win the individual title, he helped restore the old glory of the Oregon Ducks as they bagged their first NCAA Cross Country team title since 1978. NOTE: Look for complete results and and a longer story in today's RRW from correspondent MIKE SCOTT who is in Terre Haute today --Ed. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest