Ducks run the NCAA table

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- After fighting tooth and nail up the long final straightaway with Josh McDougal of Liberty and then placing second Monday, Galen Rupp turned around and kept an eye on the finish line at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Individual victory wasn't his, but the team championship followed him across the line.

That was the bigger goal all along.

Teammate Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott, who was part of a lead pack of eight that broke away from the field two-thirds of the way into the 10,000-meter race, crossed the line ninth.

Diego Mercado, who didn't run at the NCAA West Regional on Nov. 10 to keep his legs fresh, was 30th. Seven seconds behind him, Kenny Klotz was 37th. And Diego's twin, Danny Mercado, was 41st.

"It's nice we've got these bright yellow uniforms," Rupp said. "It's easy to see when guys cross the finish line. I definitely thought we had a great chance when I saw that all five of us were in, and we were all in the top 30 or 40, which was what we hoped to do on a great day."

It added up to an Oregon victory. After removing individual qualifiers, such as McDougal, from the scoring, the Ducks had the low winning total of 85 points. Second-place Iona scored 113.