It’s no secret that Oregon has famously had some of the best runners and athletes in the country—this season hasn’t been any different.

Last year, the men took fifth place overall at the NCAA Cross Country championships while the women recorded a 14th place finish. Two years ago, the women took the top position on the podium.

The men, already with two wins under their belt, are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, while the women took third place at the first meet of the season, the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Eugene on Sept. 6.

Here are two men and two women Oregon cross country fans should keep their eyes on in the coming weeks as the season hits full stride.

Edward Cheserek

Already with two individual wins under his belt this season and a NCAA Cross Country individual title from last, Cheserek has taken Eugene by storm for his distance ability, especially when he turns on the “afterburners” when the race is on the line. The sophomore from Newark, New Jersey, by way of Kenya joined an elite group of Oregon champions last year that included: Steve Prefontaine, Alberto Salazar and Galen Rupp.

Last weekend, at the Battle of Beantown, he narrowly beat out his opponent—a fellow Duck—to win his fifth consecutive race, dating back to last season.

Eric Jenkins

In his senior season from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Jenkins has proved to be a leader and a consistent impact on the scoreboard for the Ducks. Last weekend in Boston, he was only just narrowly beaten out by Cheserek at the finish line. Last season was his first at Oregon, and earned All-America status after qualifying for the Pac-12, NCAA Regional and NCAA Championships. He cemented his name in the record books with his fourth place finish in the 5,000 meter (13:27.41) at the NCAA Championships, the eighth fastest time in school history.

Lindsay Crevoiserat

The senior from Glastonbury, Connecticut earned the title of Oregon’s top-place finisher in seventh with a time of 20:23 for 6,000 meters in the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Sept. 6. Her effort was her best as a Duck and her first in an Oregon uniform. 

“The first meet, we just got there, and I think it was a good checkpoint for where we are fitness-wise,” Crevoiserat said. “But to having that gap of just training—to focus on training, let us all work together and let us get more in shape and see what that will do for this meet” (Washington Invitational, Oct. 4.).

Megan Patrignelli

During her 2013-2014 campaign, Patrignelli placed the Ducks for the first five meets of the season, including a first place at the PSU Viking Classic was her first victory as a Duck. Her indivual 17th place finish at the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships with a time of 22:18 in the 6,000 meters was good enough to help the Ducks to a fourth-place finish. A senior from Monroe, New York, Patrignelli did not compete in the first meet of the season, the Bill Dellinger Invitational, but will presumably race this weekend in the Washington Invitational.

Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne