Cross Country April 14, 2020 Stayson Isobe, NAU Athletic Communications

Celebration of Champions: 2019 NAU Men’s Cross Country

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (April 14, 2020) – The Northern Arizona men's cross country team proved to be the best team in the Big Sky Conference, yet again, in 2019 with a commanding performance at the Big Sky Championship in Greeley, Colo. The Lumberjack men swept the top three spots and placed four runners in the top 10 on their way to their fourth consecutive conference title.

Drew Bosley (26:50.8), Geordie Beamish (26:55.7), Brodey Hasty (26:56.2) and Ryan Raff (27:06.2) all earned all-conference honors in first, second, third and sixth overall to pace the Lumberjacks to their 29th all-time Big Sky Cross Country Championship. Jack Shea (27.26.6) rounded out NAU's scoring with a 12th-place individual finish to bring the Lumberjacks' point total to 24 ahead of runner-up Weber State's 40 points.

Led by Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Mike Smith, who himself earned Big Sky and Mountain Region Coach of the Year awards, the Lumberjack men concluded the season with a runner-up finish at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The podium finish was the program's fourth straight podium finish and seventh top two national finish ever.

The 2019 NAU men's cross country team is the third feature in NAU Athletics' month-long Celebration of Champions. Be sure to follow the celebration on www.nauathletics.com and NAU Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

QUOTABLE
"Our 2019 Men's Cross Country team competed at the top of the country – with yet another undefeated regular season – in a year we won't forget. There were endless highlights and measured growth in a group that was already incredibly strong. In this era of NAU Cross Country, I am continually proud of how our athletes navigate external expectation in the spotlight at the top. After three consecutive national championships, the 2019 season was a good benchmark of the state of our program when second place in the country left many of our guys unsatisfied. Seasons like this help forge our identity and also our values. I'm as proud of this season as any season I've coached at NAU." – Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Mike Smith

2019 NAU MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY BY THE NUMBERS

4	The Lumberjack men recorded their fourth consecutive Big Sky Championship. It was their 12th title in the last 13 years overall.
29	NAU's Big Sky Championship last fall was the program's conference-leading 29th all-time. Montana, the next closest school, has won eight conference titles.
12	The 2019 championship meet marked the 12th time in program history that the 'Jacks swept the top three individual places.
28	Drew Bosley was the 28th Lumberjack male – and fourth straight - to win the conference individual championship. Bosley, who crossed the finish line with a time of 26:50.8, also was named the Big Sky's Male Freshman of the Year.
5	In all, NAU placed first as a team at five meets during the 2019 season including its fifth victory at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational.
6	Six 'Jacks – led by Geordie Beamish, the Mountain Region Athlete of the Year – earned all-region accolades.
2	The Lumberjacks capped the 2019 season with a second-place team finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The finish was NAU's fourth consecutive podium finish.
3	NAU had three runners – Drew Bosley, Abdihamid Nur and Geordie Beamish – earn All-American honors. Bosley finished a team-best 22nd at his first career national meet.