MEET INFORMATION
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FLO-TRACKÂ STREAM
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 12, 2019) - Northern Arizona University's cross country program will be making its way to the Beehive State this weekend for NCAA Mountain Regionals in Salt Lake City.
The University of Utah will host the 2019 NCAA Mountain Region Championships on Friday, Nov. 15. Utah will be hosting its first NCAA regional meet since the 2010 season. The 2019 NCAA Mountain Regional will be held at Rose Park Golf Course in Salt Lake City. The Women's 6K Race is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. (MST), while the Men's 10K race will begin at 12 p.m. (MST). Following both races, there will be a recognition ceremony for those athletes that have earned All-Region honors beginning at approximately 1 p.m. (MST).
The men's region contains 18 squads that are likely to travel to Salt Lake City for this year's regional. Northern Arizona won the 2018 NCAA Mountain Region Championships in Provo last season to edge out the meet hosts, BYU, who finished in second. Colorado, Colorado State, and Southern Utah finished as the other top-five teams in the event. To see where the men's teams rank in the Mountain Region in 2019, clickÂ
here.Â
NAU's men's crew has won five of the last seven NCAA Mountain Region Championship, including three straight since 2016. The boys in Blue & Gold are currently the No. 1 ranked team in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional and national rankings. BYU and Colorado are currently ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the Men's National Coaches' Poll, respectively, and will both line up against the 'Jacks on Friday. No. 20 Utah State and No. 25 Colorado State are the other two men's teams featured in the latest USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll that are expected to race.
The women's field could have up to 20 teams competing for the NCAA regional title. At last year's NCAA Mountain Regional, New Mexico won the event, while Colorado finished in second place. BYU, Southern Utah, and Air Force rounded out the top five teams from a year ago. To get a look at the regional rankings so far in 2019, clickÂ
here.
Northern Arizona's women's team is looking to qualify for NCAA's for the first time this decade. The Lumberjack women have not qualified for NCAA National Championships as a team since the 2008 season. The latest USTFCCCAÂ Women's National Coaches' Poll saw the Lumberjacks move to No. 16. No. 2 BYU, No. 8 Colorado, No. 9 Utah and No. 10 New Mexico will be lacing it up alongside the 'Jacks this weekend. The Women's Mountain Region is arguably one of the most loaded fields in all of Division I XC, ensuring that the NAU crew will have to earn its trip to nationals.Â
NCAA Regionals will be taking place across the country this weekend. 31 teams plus individual runners make up the NCAA Championships. There are nine regional meets where the top two teams automatically qualify for the NCAA Division I Championships. After those 18 teams, 13 at-large teams are selected based on how well they have competed against automatic qualifiers. For an individual runner to qualify, they must be one of the first four individuals not on a qualifying team, and finish in the region's top 25.
With NCAA Division I National Championships looming the three-time national champion NAU men have the task of focusing on the current race at hand. NCAA Regionals may be seen as simply a preliminary race to get to Nationals, but like all things the Lumberjacks see it as part of the process to achieving the ultimate goal. The men will run 10,000 meters compared to the 8,000 that they have ran in earlier events this year. The women will run 6,000 meters, which is 1,000 more than previous meets.
You can follow all the latest up-to-date information on the NAU cross country program by following @NAUTrackFieldXC on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
