Men’s Cross Country Captures Third Straight NCAA Mountain Regional Title

PROVO, Utah (November 9, 2018) – Northern Arizona University's men's cross country team has punched its ticket to NCAA Nationals in Madison, Wis., next week after winning its third-straight Mountain Region team title in Provo, Utah. The event took place at the East Bay Golf Course in Provo and was hosted by BYU.
 
The men scored 42 points overall as a squad to take the top spot on the team leaderboard. The next closest team to NAU was BYU, scoring 56 points overall. Colorado followed both teams up with a third-place finish scoring 71 total points.
 
This was the longest race the Lumberjacks have participated in this season with the event having been a 10k. National Championships in Madison next week will also feature a 10k men's race. Having two races at such a long distance two weeks in a row could have proven to be difficult for any other standard team, but the esteemed and experienced NAU crew was not perturbed by the challenge.
 
"Our men's team executed the mission today," said Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Michael Smith. "They advanced and left unscathed. The race was as expected and I liked how they looked. They also managed their emotions really well."
 
Senior All-American Tyler Day was the first runner to cross the finish line for the Lumberjacks coming in at second-place overall in a field that featured some of the top athletes and teams in the entire country. Day's time of 29:18.8 was just seconds behind top individual finisher Joe Klecker of Colorado (29:16.6).
 
Because of the layout of the course the last mile or so was not at a position in which the runners could directly see the finish line, making the final 400 meters a true showcase.
 
"The last 400 meters was tough but I remained calm," said Day. "I knew that everyone was doing their part on our team and we were in a good position to qualify for nationals so there was not much pressure towards the end."
 
Fellow senior All-American Matt Baxter was milliseconds behind Day coming in at 29:19.0. Baxter and Day battling it out for a top three spot has become a routine sight in NCAA Division I cross country and Regionals would be no different. The two were neck-and-neck for the last 100 meters in what was one of the most exciting finishes of the day.
 
"Today was a great last effort before Nationals," said Baxter. "The Colorado teams kept it an honest race out there today. We took care of business out there and now the focus is all on recovery."
 
Colorado State senior runners Eric Hamer and Carson Hume led the race between the 4.5k and 7k marks, but NAU's men were able to hit the gas on the last lap around the 10k course to secure two of the top three spots. Hamer would finish fifth (29:24.1) with Hume coming in at 13^th (29:32.3), behind NAU's next finisher senior Peter Lomong.
 
Lomong's time of 29:25.0 earned him a seventh-place spot and was a major part of locking up NAU's first-place performance.
 
NAU's fourth runner to put points on the board was sophomore Blaise Ferro who came in 14^th place with a time of 29:33.5.
 
Sophomore Luis Grijalva placed 16^th (29:39.0) and was less than six milliseconds ahead of Wyoming's junior runner Christopher Henry (17^th, 29:39.3) and BYU's junior Jacob Heslington (18^th, 29:39.6). In a meet where every second counts Grijalva may have been the most important finish on the back end due to his last 100 meter effort that put him in front of BYU's fifth runner.
 
"With 2k left to go I lost contact with the front group and knew that I had to maintain my position and not let anyone pass me," said Grijalva. "I needed to score the least amount of points I could. With 100 meters to go I saw a BYU runner coming up on my shoulder and knew I had to kick it in and beat him to the line."
 
Freshman Jack Shea ran for a time of 30:25.2 to end the race in 41^st place, with senior runner Kyle Havriliak coming in as NAU's last runner at 74^th place (31:18.5).
 
Junior Geordie Beamish and freshman Ryan Raff did not participate in the event. Their presence at nationals could help to propel the Lumberjack men into a position where they could win their third national title in a row.
 
NAU not only ensured its spot in Madison, but also had five runners place in the top 20 earning All-Region honors for each runner. BYU also received its ticket for the event next week because of its second-place finish.
 
"The team is looking good," added Day. "Next week we will be ready for one last go around together."
 
On the men's side fellow Big Sky Conference members Southern Utah (5^th), Weber State (9^th), Montana State (11^th), Idaho State (12^th), Northern Colorado (14^th) and Montana (16^th) also participated in the event. Southern Utah could receive an at-large invitation to Madison based on its performances throughout the season.
 
The women's squad had an impressive day as well placing sixth overall as a team with a total of 214 points.
 
 
Freshman runner Jesselyn Bries, the 2018 Big Sky Female Freshman Athlete of the Year, ran for a time of 20:38.0 in the 6k race to earn a 22^nd place finish. She would end the day as the only Lumberjack to receive All-Region on the women's side.
 
"I had so much fun running with and for my teammates," said Bries. "I could not be more proud of them. I can't wait to see what we can do together in the future."
 
Sophomore Hannah Behunin, who won the individual title in the women's race at the George Kyte Classic this season, was the next NAU runner to end the race. Her time of 20:56.0 netted her a 32^nd place finish on the leaderboard.
 
Right behind Behunin was 48^th placed runner fellow sophomore Jessa Hanson (21:15.0).
 
"At the end of the day we raced for each other and we raced to represent our school," said Hanson. "The outcome is what it is and we gave our all out there for each other."
 
Not even a full two seconds behind Hanson was another sophomore for the Lumberjacks in Pipi Eitel. She was able to end the race just under one and a half seconds behind Hanson at (21:16.5).
 
NAU's last women's runner to earn points for the team was senior Shannon Molvin. Molvin who has had to battle injuries and adversity her entire career was able to grind it out at Regionals running for a total time of 21:26.2 (62^nd place).
 
The last two Lumberjacks to end the 6k were freshman Cassi Land (81^st, 21:49.2) and sophomore Delaney Rasmussen (92^nd, 21:58.9).
 
One of the biggest moments in this event for the women was the second lap around the course. With each lap consisting of a total distance of 2k the second lap around was going to be the most difficult for the entire field. By around the 3k mark NAU was in eighth place as a team and was able to move up two spots in the second half of the race.
 
The women raced six underclassmen at Regionals, with Shannon Molvin being the only upperclassman. The youthful squad gained quite a bit of experience during the 2018 season and Regionals may have been the biggest stage yet for them.
 
Freshman Bryn Morley did not run at Regionals. Morley and Bries are just two of the many talented freshman the women's crew has added over the past year. The experience gained over the course of the 2018 campaign has created a foundation for this segment of the program to build on in the coming years.
 
"I was as proud of this women's team today as any meet I have ever coached at NAU," added Smith. "The massive growth in one year in how this group walked into this meet, confident, hungry and running amongst some of the best teams in the NCAA like they belonged. It was a phenomenal team effort that required some selfless grit for each other. We have an amazing women's cross country team at NAU right now, they are very early in their careers but believe me they are coming on in a big way."
 
For both men and women this may have been the most difficult course the program has had to run on this year. The grass was strong, short and less muddy than Wisconsin's course, but proved to be challenging because of the multiple turns it featured. The women ran three laps for the event and the men ran five. Composer and pace were a big part of the race plan for both teams.
 
"Today was another great weekend for NAU cross country," said assistant coach Jarred Cornfield. "I was particularly proud of how this young women's team handled the high stress of this environment. We had the girls moving forward and deeply fighting for each spot. The men did a great job of executing and keeping their emotions low."
 
Other women's Big Sky Conference teams that raced at Regionals consisted of Southern Utah (4^th), Weber State (8^th), Montana State (14^th), Idaho State (17^th) and Northern Colorado (20^th).
 
The men are guaranteed to be a part of next week's title chase in Madison, however the women will have to wait until the official NCAA Selection Show on Nov. 10^th to know whether or not they will be racing on Nov. 17^th. Races around the country will be influential in determining the women's spot. For example Florida State, who just won the South Region event, will be assessed in regards to the Lumberjack women since NAU finished ahead of the Seminoles at Pre-Nationals.
 
Overall it was a successful day for the Lumberjacks on both sides. Regardless of the outcome for the women in respects to Nationals, it was a valuable race because it can be used as a starting point for training and mind state for the 2019 season. The men will be fighting for their third consecutive NCAA Division I National title. The entire country and sport will be watching. However, the Lumberjacks focus is on each other as opposed to centering their energy on the opposition.
 
"Even with increased competition at the regional meet, we made the focus on each other," said assistant coach Becca Deloache. "This season, as always, is about us and our journey that is independent from others. Our process stays consistent no matter the meet or competitor. Our guys did a great job today of staying true to our mission and who we are as a team."
 
Mountain Regionals was a field filled with five top-30 teams in the country. On Nov. 17^th the competition will ramp up and feature the highest level of skill the Lumberjacks will see all year. Teams like Wisconsin, Stanford, Portland and BYU will give NAU a run for its money in what will be the culmination of an entire year worth of training and racing for every program involved.
 
"Now we will get this group back to Flagstaff to recover from today's efforts and turn to what's ahead," concluded Smith. "This is a team of repition, we recover and refocus to get back to business as usual on Monday. Nothing changes because it is the National Meet. They know they are ready and they know exactly what they have to do."