WSU's scheduled appearance at Oregon XC Preview scuttled due to air quality issues...

WSU runners Chandler Teigen and Nathan Wadhwani
(Paul Merca photo)

Just received notice from WSU track and cross country sports information director Linda Chalich informing us that WSU’s scheduled appearance at Thursday’s Oregon Cross Country Preview in Springfield at the Springfield Golf Club has been cancelled.

Shortly after receiving the note, the University of Oregon posted a press release confirming the meet’s cancellation.

“Due to the continued air quality issues in the Eugene and Springfield areas, Oregon cross country has made the decision to cancel the Oregon XC Preview this Thursday, Sept. 7, at Springfield Golf Club.

Director of Athletics Rob Mullens, Oregon head coach Robert Johnson, coaches Andy and Maurica Powell and director of athletic medicine Dr. Greg Skaggs have monitored the situation closely over the last couple of weeks, and came to the decision to cancel the meet in order to ensure the safety of both student-athletes and fans.

Fan and student-athlete safety is the primary concern for the University of Oregon, and Dr. Skaggs, university administration and the coaching staff determined that the air quality was simply unsafe for a cross country meet.

The Ducks will still host a pair of meets in 2017 at Springfield Golf Club, the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Sept. 29 and the Pac-12 Championships on Oct. 27.”

In a text from Chalich, she said that the WSU coaching staff “will regroup and may try to find something…if necessary.”

The Oregon XC Preview meet would have been scored as three duals and counted for three contests to meet NCAA requirements.

Several news reports have reported that Eugene’s air quality index had reached unhealthy levels over the last 24 hours due to the combination of high temperatures and large fires in the Rogue, Umpqua, and Willamette valleys, as well as parts of Central Oregon. 

Washington State held its annual alumni meet on September 1st at the Colfax Golf Course, with Nathan Wadhwani (17:31) winning over 6k, and Vallery Korir (13:15) winning over 4k.

WSU's release, along with their official announcement about the cancellation of their trip to Oregon is available here.