FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 18, 2021) - The Northern Arizona cross country program will anxiously await the starting gun at Apalachee Regional Park on Saturday morning, as the women's 6K NCAA National Championship race is scheduled to begin at 8:20 A.M. (MT) while the men's 10K will run at 9:10 A.M. (MT); both live results and a live stream will become available upon the start of the event.
The national meet in Tallahassee, Flo. will feature 32 top teams and 38 individual competitors on each side.
The No. 1 NAU men will face No. 2 BYU, No. 3 OSU, No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 5 Colorado, No. 6 Iowa State, No. 7 Stanford, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 9 Arkansas, No. 10 Tulsa, No 11. Air Force, No. 12 Washington, No. 13 Texas, No 14. Michigan, No. 15 Ole Miss, No. 16 Princeton, No. 17 Wake Forest, No 17. Furman, No. 19 Syracuse, No. 20 Oregon, No. 21 Gonzaga, No. 22 Portland, No. 23 Alabama, No. 24 Southern Utah, No. 25 Harvard, No. 25 Georgetown, No. 27 Florida State, No. 28 Minnesota, No. 29 Butler, No 30. Michigan State, and North Carolina.
Although the Lumberjack men have been consistently ranked first all season, and are favored to defend their national title, the most recent USTFCCCA Coaches Poll votes were not unanimous; NAU received seven of the 11 first place votes, while BYU was given two, and OSU and Notre Dame respectively received one vote each.
With recent ranking shifts, and all things considered, it does look to be a very tight race.
Meanwhile, the now No. 21 NAU women have moved around quite a bit throughout the course of the season, beginning the fall as the No. 12 seed. Contrary to the appearance of declined position, the Lumberjack women have solid footing, and are ready to fight after a tough season of competition.
The women's field will consist of No. 1 NC State, No. 2 New Mexico, No. 3 Colorado, No. 4 BYU, No. 5 Minnesota, No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 8 North Carolina, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 10 Notre Dame, No. 10, Iowa State, No 12. Florida State, No. 13 Wisconsin, No. 14 Utah, No. 15 Alabama, No. 16 Stanford, No. 17 Michigan, No. 18 Colorado State, No. 19 Michigan State, No. Syracuse, No. 21 NAU, No. 22 Georgetown, No. 23 Washington, No. 24 Harvard, No. 25 Providence, No. 26 Oregon, No. 27 Utah State, No. 28 West Virginia, No. 30. Butler, Villanova, and Rice.
With NC State receiving a majority of votes, it may seem as though the Wolves have it locked up, but both the Lobos and Buffs received first place votes as well, displaying that the women's race can belong to anyone on Saturday as well.
The last time the NAU men set foot on this course All-American redshirt sophomore
Abdihamid Nur ran the fifth fastest recorded time in Apalachee Regional Park history (22:55.2), leading the Lumberjacks across the line and ultimately placing five men in the top-25.
Prior to that, they won the Cowboy Jamboree hosted by Oklahoma State with their five scoring men all completing the race within the top-16, and with their sixth and seventh men finishing within the top-22.
Since then, they have conquered Big Sky Championships, finishing with five men within the top-15, to earn their 30th team title in program history, led by individual champion and All-American sophomore
Drew Bosley.
Just one week ago, the NAU men placed second at the NCAA Mountain Regional meet, with All-American freshman
Nico Young finishing second overall, and the remaining scorers all falling within the top-26, conclusively earning an automatic national bid.
In the meantime, the Lumberjack women will also return to the Tallahassee course after a seventh place team performance at pre-nationals; All-American junior
Taryn O'Neill finished fourth overall, with the final scorer coming in 87th.
They also competed at the Paul Short Run in the beginning of October, winning the meet with a three-two tiebreaker advantage over Villanova after placing five women in the top-29.
At conference championships the women won their third consecutive team title as their scorers finished within the top-12 and O'Neill claimed the individual championship.
Last week, the Lumberjacks placed sixth at the Mountain Regional meet after their final scorer came in 51st and O'Neill was crowned the individual champion, ultimately earning an at-large bid.
Teamwork is essential as the men seek their fifth national title in six years, and the women aim to place in the top-20; the team-mentality is truly the heartbeat of the program and has been especially evident this fall.
These Northern Arizona teams have displayed depth and unity all season, much like the popular aspen tree of Flagstaff, whose roots connect clusters of duplicate trees under the surface of the soil.
While walking through the forest it may seem that one is surrounded by plentiful individual trees, but what may not be immediately apparent is that these trees are all sprouted from the very same root, sharing a support system, depending on one another and growing together.
In many ways the NAU cross country program mirrors the aspen tree; its rich history has laid the foundation for generational success, as the athletes continue to build and develop from each other and the distinguished coaching staff.
