FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (April 16, 2020) – In 2019, the Northern Arizona women's cross country team not only reclaimed their spot atop the Big Sky Conference, but they also made a triumphant return to the national stage. The Lumberjack women hoisted the conference hardware last fall for the 21st time in program history before snapping an 11-year NCAA Championships drought.
NAU absolutely dominated the Big Sky Cross Country Championship on Nov. 2 in Greeley, Colo. by posting a team score of 36 points behind four all-conference performers.
Mikayla Malaspina (18:15.3),
Pipi Eitel (18:21.3),
Taryn O'Neill (18:21.9) and
Miranda Myers (18:36.4) finished second, fifth, sixth and ninth respectively with
Bryn Morley (18:57.1) placing 14th to help NAU significantly outpace Weber State, who finished runner-up with 90 team points.
After recapturing the Big Sky Championship, the 'Jacks ran well at the NCAA Mountain Regional meet to put the squad in position for an at-large berth to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. NAU secured its first bid to the national meet since 2008 and proceeded to finish 14th overall. Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Mike Smith was named the Big Sky Women's Coach of the Year for the second time in three years after leading NAU back to the top of the conference.
The 2019 NAU women's cross country team is the fourth feature in NAU Athletics' month-long Celebration of Champions. Be sure to follow the celebration on
www.nauathletics.com and NAU Athletics on
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QUOTABLE
"The 2019 Women's Cross Country season was one of the best seasons in NAU history culminating with a 14th place finish at the national meet. After a decade absent from national qualifying, this team had been building towards a season like this for the past few years. This past fall, they were not to be denied. They finally had the experience and firepower to put it together. What I'll remember about this group is how they competed selfless and for each other. This was an amazing season that I think our program will look back on as the beginning of what's possible with NAU Cross Country." – Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Mike Smith
2019 NAU WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY BY THE NUMBERS
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The Lumberjacks claimed their 21st Big Sky Championship and third in the last four years. No other school has won more than eight Big Sky women's cross country titles. |
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The 'Jacks crushed the competition at the conference meet, winning the championship by a 54-point margin between themselves and runner-up Weber State. NAU totaled a team score of 36 points to Weber State's 90 points in the largest margin of victory since NAU was 71 points better than runner-up Montana State in 1992. |
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Spearheaded by Mikayla Malaspina's second-place individual finish, four Lumberjacks – Malaspina, Pipi Eitel, Taryn O'Neill, Miranda Myers – finished in the top 10 and earned all-conference honors. |
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NAU rose to as high as No. 11 nationally in the USTFCCCA Coaches Poll in 2019. It marked the program's highest national ranking since the 'Jacks were No. 7 in 2007. |
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After a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Mountain Regional meet, the Lumberjacks earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. NAU made its 16th all-time appearance at the national meet and first since 2008. |
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NAU wound up finishing 14th at the NCAA Championships for the program's 14th top 15 finish ever. |
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Mikayla Malaspina was the Lumberjacks' top finisher at the NCAA Championships, just as she was at the conference and regional meets, in 42nd overall. Malaspina posted a time of 20:52.9, which was just two seconds away from All-American distinction. |
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The Lumberjack women showed signs of things to come at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational where they made a 13-spot leap up the team leaderboard from a year ago, finishing sixth as a squad after a 19th place finish in 2018. |
