FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (August 1, 2023) – The Northern Arizona University cross country teams look to build off the success from their best season in school history, which saw the men win their sixth NCAA National Championship in seven years and the women earn a sixth-place finish at the national meet.
The men will return four of their five scorers from last season's national champion team, each of them having earned All-American honors.
Nico Young and
Drew Bosley cemented their places as two of the top runners in the nation last year, culminating in second and third place finishes at the national meet. Also returning will be
Santiago Gomez-Prosser, who finished 19
th, and
Brodey Hasty who finished 25
th.
Following their best NCAA National Championship finish since 1991, the women will have high hopes as they return three of their scorers.
Elise Stearns made her mark on Lumberjack history as she finished fourth at the national meet, earning All-American honors. Also returning will be
Annika Reiss, who finished 47
th, and
Alexis Kebbe, who finished 99
th.
NAU will open their season with their only home meet of the year, the 43
rd annual George Kyte Classic. The meet will take place on Sept. 2 at Buffalo Park in Flagstaff.
Drew Bosley and
Elise Stearns are defending champions of the collegiate divisions, each leading their teams to dominant victories. The men will be looking for their 11
th straight victory, while the women will be looking for their sixth consecutive George Kyte win.
On Sept. 23, both teams will get their first look at this year's national championship site as they travel to Charlottesville, Va. for the Virginia Invitational.
The following week, the Lumberjacks will make the short trip to Tucson for the Dave Murray Invitational on Sept. 29. NAU has not competed at the Dave Murray Invitational since the 2015 season in which both teams took third place.
After a two-week break the 'Jacks will be back on the road, traveling to Madison, Wis. for the Nuttycombe Invitational. Last season NAU returned to Nuttycombe for the first time in many years, taking third place in both the men's and women's races.
Nico Young finished second while
Drew Bosley placed fifth in the men's race, and
Elise Stearns finished third in the women's race.
NAU will begin their postseason by defending their Big Sky titles in Missoula, Mont. on Oct. 28. The Big Sky Championships were last held in Missoula in 2007, when both teams won the team titles.
Last season the teams swept the team titles for the 17
th time in conference history. The men won for the third straight year, while the women earned their fourth consecutive team title.
Nico Young took the individual title with
Drew Bosley finishing in second. For the women,
Elise Stearns won the individual title while
Annika Reiss placed second. Last year's wins marked the women's 23
rd Big Sky team title and the men's 31
st team title.
The NCAA Mountain Regionals will be held on Nov. 10 in Lubbock, Texas. If they advance, the teams will then travel to the NCAA National Championships in Charlottesville, Va.
The Northern Arizona University cross country teams are ready to compete this fall and build upon their success from last season. Last season's men's national championship and women's sixth place finish led to the best overall year in program history.
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