Lumberjacks Dominate the Field at Wisconsin Pre-Nationals

MADISON, Wisc. (October 13, 2018) – Northern Arizona University's men's and women's cross country teams participated in the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals event at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wisconsin. In its return NAU again proved why it has been considered by many to be the top tier long distance program at the NCAA Division I level.  
 
The men's team had another immaculate performance winning the Men's 8K Cardinal Race in dominate fashion, having all seven runners finish in the top 21 spots. The women would have another milestone day for the program finishing in ninth place overall, a huge improvement over their 19^th placed finish at Nuttycombe just two weeks prior to Pre-Nationals.
 
The Zimmer course may be the home of the host Wisconsin Badgers but the Lumberjacks are starting to become quite acquainted with the field that will be the site of the 2018 NCAA National Championships. The Nuttycombe Invitational was one of the most impressive team finishes the Lumberjacks have had over the past two years. At Nuttycombe the men's team totaled only 46 points to take the invitational crown.
 
Even with the remarkable team performance at Nuttycombe, NAU may have out done themselves again at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals.
 
The Men's 8K Cardinal Race was filled with the nation's best runners and the Jacks were able to set themselves apart from the competition. Yellow uniforms with "NAU" painted across the chest in navy flooded the frontlines. From the start it was clear that NAU would again light up the field with its seven runners all taking a top 25 spot by the 2K mark.
 
When it came time for the last lap to be completed a familiar sight was seen at the front of the race. Seniors Tyler Day and Matt Baxter were neck-and-neck competing for their respective spot. The friendly rivalry has sparked a drive for both athletes like no other over the past four years and Pre-Nationals would be no different.
 
In the end Day would take second place, finishing only milliseconds behind Stanford senior Grant Fisher. Day posted a time of 23:48.77 seconds, with Fisher barley taking the top spot at 23:48.73.
 
However, the Lumberjacks have always raced as one unit, a collective group of individuals focused on winning as a team. The top spot may have went to Fisher but it was the NAU men's squad that would claim victory over the 2018 Wisconsin Pre-Nationals. A 39 point performance in addition to Day's score of 2 would show the collective effort, energy and focus of the team.
 
"Both of our teams killed it today," said Day. "It was super exciting to see everyone go out and do their thing. The race felt great for me and we are all really looking forward to the conference meet."
 
The Stanford squad would be the next closest competitor on the other side of the gap in team scoring. The Cardinal men's team would put up 84 total points to claim second place, 43 points behind NAU.
 
Baxter would follow up Day with a third place finish. The All-American's time of 23:49.40 was not even an entire second behind his teammate. Despite not racing at Nuttycombe Baxter looked to be in full form during the race and a force to be reckoned with.
 
"The boys had a great day out there today," said Baxter. "We have shown that this team can consistently perform from meet to meet. It was awesome to get back to racing today. My fitness is right where it needs to be right now and we are all ready to get back to work again."
 
Fellow senior All-American Peter Lomong was not to be outdone by Day and Baxter and secured a seventh place finish with a time of 23:57.2. Lomong who placed first at the George Kyte Classic earlier this season, has not finished outside of the top ten all year.
 
The fourth All-American on NAU's unprecedented lineup, junior Geordie Beamish, came in 14^th place with a time of 24:10.9. Sophomore sensation Luis Grijalva, the 2017 Big Sky Conference Male Freshman of the Year would come in 15^th place only one and a half seconds behind Beamish with a time of 24:12.4.
 
Blaise Ferro, who assisted the men's team in securing its win at Nuttycombe with an eighth place performance, came in 18^th crossing the line at a recorded time of 24:15.0.
 
Rounding things out for the men was freshman Ryan Raff. Raff, who was one of the top recruits coming into the 2018 season, finished in 24:22.3 earning him a 21^st placed finish.  At Nuttycombe he came in 52^nd place, making Pre-Nationals a sign of Raff's incredible and speedy progress into collegiate running.
 
"Both teams put in a lot of work at home and today was a chance to put that into action," said assistant coach Becca DeLoache. "No matter the race or the situation you can count on these guys to execute racing and compete with excellency. The guys did a great job of working together and keying off one another in the race."
 
"I was pleased to see our men's team compete as they did today," said Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Michael Smith. "This was our final outing at this course before NCAA Nationals and we executed well for where we are right now. I am looking for particular aspects of the racing that the results did not necessarily show. The decision making, movement inside the race and accountability to each other. We looked good in all those aspects today."
 
In arguably the most exciting race of the day for NAU, the women's team finished in ninth place against top competition in NCAA Division I Cross Country in the Women's 6K Cardinal Race. In what was truly a building moment for the program the women made their case to be a part of Championships at the end of the year.
 
"This was huge," said Smith. "This was likely the most competitive performance I have seen on the women's side that we have had in the three years I have been with NAU cross country. They executed with confidence and mixed it up with some of the best teams in the country."
 
The return of true freshman Bryn Morley was one of the highlights of the day for NAU. Her first race on the national collegiate level resulted in a 39^th placed finish with a time of 21:00.4.
 
"I am so proud of how our team did," said Morley. "They had the best attitudes before the race and it really showed out on the course. We worked together as a unit and it payed off really well. When a team loves each other as much as we do, it is hard not to have fun in any race we have together."
 
Sophomore Delaney Rasmussen was right behind Morley and placed 51^st overall. Her time of 21:13.1 was only milliseconds ahead of Indiana runner Haley Harris (21:13.7), in what was one of the closest finishes throughout the race.
 
"We ran really well and found each other out on the course," said Rasmussen. "This was such a great race for us to gain experience from and be able to see what we can do. After a team race like we had today we are excited to train and get ready for Sacramento and defend our conference championship."
 
The bulk of Lumberjack women ended the race between the 51^st and 60^th places. Sophomore Pipi Eitel (21:16.0) and senior Shannon Molvin (21:18.3) would come in 53^rd and 60^th place, respectively. The final runner to cross the finish line was another freshman, Jesselyn Bries. Bries's time of 21:40.0 gained a 90^th placed finish and greatly assisted in obtaining a top ten finish for the women.  
 
"Of the eight teams who beat us, seven are ranked in the top 30 in Division I," added Smith. "We are headed into that kind of territory ourselves with this young group. Most of all their belief is growing like their fitness, they believe they belong. Only when you believe you should be there can you truly compete. At that point it then just becomes about racing."
 
As it has always done the program for both men and women are looking ahead towards the next challenge. The Big Sky Conference Championships hosted by Sacramento State in Sacramento, Calif., on Oct. 27^th are what NAU cross country now have its eyes on. 2017 resulted in a sweep of the event and the Lumberjacks plan on making 2018 no different.
 
Southern Utah University looks to be the biggest challengers to the Big Sky crown for the men's team. The Thunderbirds also had a top ten finish at Pre-Nationals coming in at tenth place as a team, making the late October matchup even more thrilling.
 
Looking a bit further ahead on the 2018 schedule, NAU is looking to make another appearance in Madison for a third trip on Nov. 17^th for the NCAA Division I National Championships. The Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course has started to look like a second home for the Lumberjacks and both the men's and women's team anticipate a return in the middle of November.
 
If the results are anything like Nuttycombe and Wisconsin Pre-Nationals NAU cross country fans could be in for a historic moment for athletics and the university as a whole.
 
"I'm excited to get this team back to Flagstaff for this next piece of training," concluded Smith.