FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (June 14, 2021) – Building upon a 2019 season that put the Northern Arizona women's cross country team back on the national map, the Lumberjacks built upon that success this spring behind a veteran-heavy squad. Not only did NAU win its Big Sky leading 22nd all-time conference championship, but the Lumberjacks placed 11th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Although their normal fall season was pushed back to the spring, the momentum within the Lumberjack women's cross country program was far from halted. The Lumberjacks opened the spring season ranked No. 26 in the country, and immediately made a statement by placing third – ahead of both No. 8 Washington and No. 18 Utah – at their season debut on Feb. 1 at the Silver State Collegiate Cross Country Challenge in Las Vegas.
After returning to Las Vegas once more – a third-place finish at the Battle Born Collegiate Challenge – the Lumberjack women were masterful in claiming their fourth conference title in the last five seasons. Led by junior
Taryn O'Neill's individual victory, the Lumberjacks placed all five of their scoring runners in the top eight to run away with the Big Sky Championship with 27 team points on the last Saturday in February.
O'Neill, who also placed first at the season's opening meet, once again led NAU at the national championships in Stillwater, Okla. on March 15, earning All-American honors with a sixth-place finish. With O'Neill leading the way and three other runners – senior
Delaney Rasmussen (44th), junior
Jessa Hanson (79th) and junior
Bryn Morley (93rd) – crossing the line in the top 100, NAU closed the season with an 11th place performance.
The 11th place national finish was the program's best since 2007.
NAU women's cross country is the second feature in NAU Athletics' Champions Week celebrating the department's national and conference champions. Be sure to follow Champions Week on
www.nauathletics.com and on social media on
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FROM THE COACH
"The 2020 Women's Cross Country season followed one of the best seasons in NAU history in 2019 and they moved the bar even higher as they finished the year with an 11th place finish at the national meet. With consistent showings during the regular season against top nationally ranked teams in the country, this led to one of the strongest championship seasons ever. They dominated the Big Sky with a convincing win at the conference championships. What I'll remember about this group is how they competed without fear against the very best in the NCAA. This was an amazing season that I think our program will look back on as a huge building block for NAU Cross Country." – Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
Michael Smith
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This spring's Big Sky Championship was NAU women's cross country's 22nd all-time with no other school claiming more than eight Big Sky women's cross country titles. |
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NAU had all five of its scoring runners earn all-conference honors and place in the top eight at the Big Sky Championship in Riverdale, Utah. |
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Finishing with 27 team points, the Lumberjacks were 46 points better than Weber State, the meet's host and runner-up. |
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Not only were the Lumberjacks dominant in claiming the conference title, but they were historically dominant. The 27 points were the lowest point total by a team in almost 19 years since NAU won the 2002 championship with 18 points. |
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Taryn O'Neill became the 17th Lumberjack to win the individual Big Sky championship and the first since Paige Gilchrist in 2017. |
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O'Neill would later become just the fifth Big Sky Conference women's runner to place in the top six at the NCAA Championship. The All-American's sixth-place finish was the highest by a Lumberjack since Johanna Nilsson won it all in 2005. |
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NAU's 11th place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships was the program's highest since placing seventh in 2007. |
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The 11th place finish also marked a three-spot improvement from the team's 14th place standing at the 2019 national meet. |
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This spring's national finish was the Lumberjack women's 15th all-time top 15 finish at the NCAA Championships. |
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Michael Smith earned the Big Sky Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year award for the second consecutive year after leading the Lumberjacks to the conference title and the third overall in his career. |
