Colorado runs Champs Sports XC national championships as two commits win title

The University of Colorado ran the field on Saturday with commits Karrie Baloga and Kole Mathison winning the Champs Sports National title.

The University of Colorado cross country team is feeling the holiday joy this season as a pair of future Buffaloes won the 43rd Champs Sports Cross Country National Championships on Saturday.

Cornwall Central High School (Orange County, N.Y.) senior Karrie Baloga finished the girls race with a winning time of 16:49.2, cutting 40 seconds off her time in last year’s run. On the boys side, Carmel High School (Ind.) senior Kole Mathison broke the 15-minute mark in his victory, finishing in 14:56.6.

Both used their experience running this course last year, at which time it was called the Eastbay championships, to their advantage on this run.

“It’s tough to come out here without any knowledge of it because there are some places where you can make some mistakes. To have that first year, to come out here and race at the highest level, and to learn from my mistakes made last year was definitely a big advantage coming in,” Mathison said.

Kole Mathison, PhotoRun for Champs Sports Cross Country

Mathison said he started his run last year too fast and used too much energy, causing him to slow down on the second loop. He finished in fifth place.

Baloga, who finished in fourth last year, said that in addition to knowing the course layout, the experience helped her deal with the time difference between New York and San Diego and eat better coming into the event.

Karrie Baloga, PhotoRun for Champs Sports Cross Country

She felt good from the gun on Saturday, pushing herself to the front through the first 800 meters and then pushing her pace on the first hill. She maintained her speed as challengers approached throughout the run and made another move at the bottom of the second hill.

“This wasn’t a race where I was going to be able to sit back and just work my way up,” Baloga said. “I knew that if I was to push the pace a little bit to where I felt my body was comfortable, other girls were going to struggle.”

Mathison took a different tactic based on last year’s run. He was patient before attacking and took the lead on the hill midway through the race.

“The plan was to take the lead at some point in the race and then after that, never give it back,” he said.

Mathison finished first in seven races with Carmel High School this season and placed fourth last week at the NXN Nike Cross Nationals with a time of 14:55.5. He overcame an inflamed peroneal tendon in his right foot that nagged him while training in recent weeks, an injury he said felt fine on Saturday.

Baloga tied a bow on her season that started in August at the World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia. As the second-youngest competitor, she finished 11th in the 3000-meter steeplechase. She said that racing against older runners helped her this season.

“I was able to meet a lot of new people and get to experience racing on the world level,” she said. “That was really an eye-opening because it shows what I’m capable of.”

Each racer thanked their friends, family and coaches for their support along their journeys. Baloga’s parents raced at the University of Delaware and provided a strong support system alongside her brothers, Michael and Jack. Mathison said that having his family cheer him on was important to him.

“I thank God for all the amazing people he’s put in my life to get me to this point,” Mathison said.

Now, Colorado gets not just one but two national champions in its incoming class. Mathison pointed to the familial environment and renowned training facilities, and Baloga added that the location in Boulder and the high altitude played a role in her decision. She said that associate head coach Heather Burroughs was at the championship race, watching her future runners compete.

At the conclusion of the interview with Baloga and following a final congratulations, she paused and said she had one more thing to say. “Can you add Sko Buffs to the bottom?”

Sko Buffs.

WATCH: Exclusive highlights from the 2021 Eastbay Cross Country Championships

The best moments from this year’s event

The Eastbay National Cross Country Championships took place in San Diego this past Saturday, with Flower Mound (Texas) High School senior Natalie Cook and Hartland High School (Fenton, Mich.) senior Riley Hough taking the tape in the girls and boys races, respectively.

It was another wonderful chapter in the event’s storied history and had plenty of must-see moments throughout the day—which, thanks to Eastbay Cross Country, you can watch below.

Natalie Cook, Riley Hough win 2021 Eastbay Cross Country Championships

Oklahoma State commit Natalie Cook and Michigan State commit Riley Hough won the 2021 Eastbay National Cross Country Championships.

As Flower Mound (Texas) High School senior Natalie Cook ran the final hill of the Eastbay National Cross Country Championships in San Diego on Saturday, she heard her dad yelling toward her that competitors were closing in.

Cook had dominated her last several races, but this wasn’t just a motivational push from her father; the competitors were nearing. In retrospect, Cook had been too aggressive on the first hill and was feeling the effects now.

She pushed herself forward and won with a time of 17:15.0, beating second-place finisher Angelina Perez by almost five seconds and ending her high school career at the top of the prestigious national race.

“I just had to give all I had left in me to try to finish it. It was hard but I’m really happy on how I finished,” Cook said. “The second loop was really hard and I gave it all I had in me. I’m really happy for my last cross country race.”

Photo: Bruce Wodder @ PhotoRun.net for East Bay Cross Country

The boys winner, Hartland High School (Fenton, Mich.) senior Riley Hough, had similar issues on that hill.

“Going up it the second time was, all of us in the front were basically so tired from it, we were like crawling up the hill,” he said.

Hough had observed patiently from behind the pack before slingshotting ahead on the downhill.

“This course is hard. I wanted to see what these people were going to do, because we’re all near each other’s skill level. Anyone can do almost anything,” Hough said.

He grabbed a lead on that downhill burst and would not relinquish it, winning with a time of 15:11.4.

Photo: Bruce Wodder @ PhotoRun.net for East Bay Cross Country

This ties a bow on a pair of dominant seasons from Hough and Cook. Hough won 15 5Ks with Hartland, a stretch that included a personal record of 14:37.1 in the Portage Cross Country Invitational in October.

He is now headed to Michigan State. Hough said that even after he narrowed down his top two schools to in-state MSU and Michigan, the choice was extremely difficult to make.

“It basically just came down to which team I liked more,” he said. “I ended up liking Michigan State a little more, I blended in with them a little more.”

Cook’s finish was a proclamation of her return from a navicular stress fracture in her foot. The injury cost her a year of running after her sophomore season, according to the Dallas News, but she bounced back this season by winning six of the seven 5Ks she participated in, including one in each of these last three weekends. Just one week before the Eastbay Championships, she set a personal record of 16:04.0.

Cook, who became the first Texas girls runner to win the national title, is Oklahoma State-bound.

“They’re building a great team and I love Coach Dave (Smith) and Coach Anna (Boyert-Thorp) so much,” Cook said. “They want to win nationals and I want to be a part of it.”

Here are the top 10 finishers for the boys and girls races:

Girls Eastbay Championship Results

  1. Natalie Cook, 17:15.0
  2. Angelina Perez, 17.19.7
  3. Jenna Mulhern, 17:20.8
  4. Karrie Baloga, 17:29.1
  5. Riley Stewart, 17:30.3
  6. Kate Peters, 17:34.0
  7. Sophia Kennedy: 17:34.7
  8. Mia Cochran: 17:35.1
  9. Sophia Nordenholz, 17:36.7
  10. Caroline Wells, 17:38.4

Full results here.

Boys Eastbay Championship Results

  1. Riley Hough, 15:11.4
  2. Kenan Pala, 15:14.8
  3. Gavin Sherry, 15:17.3
  4. Zane Bergen, 15:20.2
  5. Kole Mathison, 15:22.3
  6. Tyrone Gorze, 15:26.4
  7. Shane Brosnan, 15:27.9
  8. Izaiah Steury, 15:27.9
  9. Marco Langon, 15:28.1
  10. Emmanuel Sgouros, 15:29.4

Full results here.