FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 17, 2023) – For the first time in school history, both the men's and women's cross country teams are ranked first in the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll. This is also the first time that one school has had both top teams in the nation since Oregon was ranked first in the men's and women's polls on Sept. 30, 2008.
The updated rankings follow dominant performances by both NAU teams at the Nuttycombe Invitational this past week. The Lumberjacks became the first school in meet history to sweep the championship races, with both teams seeing commanding victories.
The women earned the first number one national ranking in program history after finishing with a total of 52 points, 43 points ahead of second-place finisher NC State.
Elise Stearns led the team, running a 6K time of 19:54.6 to finish fourth in a stacked field.
Gracelyn Larkin and
Annika Reiss also finished in the top-10, placing eighth and 10
th respectively. Larkin ran a time of 20:01.5, while Reiss ran a time of 20:06.7.
Aliandrea Upshaw finished 12
th with a time of 20:08.7, while
Keira Moore rounded out the scoring for the 'Jacks with a time of 20:16.9 to finish 18
th.
Stearns has been a consistent top finisher for NAU this season, never finishing outside of the top-5 in each competition. At the Virginia Invitational, she won the individual title on the course that will host the NCAA National Championships later this fall. Freshman
Keira Moore has been yet another bright spot for the Lumberjacks, consistently contributing to the team score in each meet this season. In the team's first look at the national championship course, she finished 14
th in a highly competitive field with a 5K time of 16:40.5.
The men cemented their place as the nation's best as they scored 76 points to easily win the team title at the Nuttycombe Invitational.
Nico Young finished second for the second consecutive year, running an 8K time of 23:26.1.
Drew Bosley was not far behind, showing why he is one of the top runners in the nation as he ran a time of 23:32.1 to place eighth.
Aaron Las Heras had a strong race in his first outing as a Lumberjack, finishing 12
th with a time of 23:29.0.
Theo Quax and
Santiago Gomez-Prosser rounded out the NAU win as they finished 25
th and 29
th respectively with times of 23:55.3 and 23:57.6.
Young and Bosley have consistently shown that they are among the best in the nation, neither finishing outside of the top-10 in any race the past two seasons. The Nuttycombe Invitational was Young's season-opening race, but Bosley has been dominant in every meet he's competed in this season. He took the individual title at both the George Kyte Classic and the Virginia Invitational prior to his performance in Madison.
Both teams have found their way to the top of the pack at every meet this season, taking the team title in each competition. The undefeated start to the season is the best in program history, with the teams hoping to carry their momentum into the postseason.
The top ranked NAU Lumberjacks will be back in action next week as they head to Missoula, Montana to begin their postseason at the Big Sky Conference Championships on October 27.
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