FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Oct. 17, 2024) – The final tune-up before the championship portion of the season takes the Northern Arizona cross country teams to Madison, Wisc., for the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals meet on Saturday, Oct. 19. NAU will become quite familiar with Madison, as it will return to the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course on Nov. 23 for the 2024 NCAA Division I National Championships.
Each squad can race eight athletes in the "A" races and five in the open. The women's "A" 6k takes off at 8 a.m. Mountain Standard time followed by the men who race an 8k at 8:40 a.m. The open races are set for 9:20 a.m. for the women and 10 a.m. for the men. Live results can be found
HERE, and the meet will also be streamed
HERE.
Northern Arizona will get a strong taste of the national competition it will square up against in November. Led by the No. 1 nationally ranked Lumberjack women, the women's "A" race will feature the top five nationally ranked teams in No. 2 BYU, No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 5 NC State. NAU topped BYU and Notre Dame at the Joe-Piane Notre Dame Invitational and will look forward to racing against the Wolfpack for the first time since finishing runner-up by a point to them at the 2023 national championships.
The talent is as equally loaded on the men's side, as the No. 6 ranked Lumberjacks will toe the line against No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 2 BYU, No. 3 Arkansas, No. 4 Iowa State and No. 5 Notre Dame. NAU finished runners up to the Cowboys at the 2023 National Championships and second to the Fighting Irish at their home invitational this season.
Representing Northern Arizona on the men's side is
Caleb Easton,
Randy Espinoza,
Corey Gorgas,
Cael Grotenhuis,
Justin Keyes,
Erik Le Roux,
David Mullarkey,
Zack Munson,
Kang Nyoak,
Manny Perez,
Santiago Prosser,
Aidan Puffer,
Colin Sahlman and
Ford Washburn.
Mullarkey has been the top finisher for the men in two out of three meets so far this season, winning the George Kyte Classic and finishing fourth at the Joe Piane-Notre Dame Invitational. Keyes took home first place at the Dave Murray Invitational back in September.
The women's start list is made up of
Karrie Baloga,
Hayley Burns,
Alex Carlson,
Alyson Churchill,
Maggi Congdon,
Anna Fenske,
Maisie Grice,
Alexis Kebbe,
Ava Mitchell,
Keira Moore,
Nikita Moore,
Elise Stearns,
Emma Stutzman and
Ali Upshaw.
Northern Arizona has won the team title in all three meets this year, including a prestigious first-place finish at the Joe Piane-Notre Dame Invitational. The Lumberjacks have had a different top-finisher in all three meets, as
Nikita Moore and
Ava Mitchell led NAU at the George Kyte Classic and Dave Murray Invitational and
Karrie Baloga placed seventh at Notre Dame to lead the way.
Four Lumberjacks have been honored with Big Sky Athletes of the Week honors so far this season in Mullarkey, Keyes, Mitchell and Baloga.
The last time out, NAU claimed the women's title at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational by placing all five scorers in the top 15, finishing with 52 points ahead of No. 2 BYU (65 points) and No. 3 Notre Dame (70 points). The men finished second with 68 points behind No. 9 Notre Dame (55 points) with the entire top five placing in the top 20.
Saturday's meet concludes the regular season portion of the schedule for NAU as the teams turn its sites to the Big Sky Conference Championships in Pocatello, Idaho on Nov 1. The men's squad will look to defend its Big Sky title for the fourth-straight season while the women will go for their sixth. As a program, the 'Jacks will go for their fourth-straight sweep and the 21
st overall sweep in program history.
