NEW ORLEANS, La. (Sept. 17, 2024) – Although it has sat idle competition wise since Aug. 31, the Northern Arizona men's and women's cross country teams remain nationally ranked in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Coaches' (USTFCCCA) Poll and the NCAA Division I Mountain Region rankings.
The NAU women check in at No. 2 in the National Coaches' Poll and No. 1 in the Mountain Region, while the men are ranked No. 4 nationally and No. 2 in the regional rankings.
The women's team entered week one tied for first in the USTFCCA National Coaches' Poll with NC State, who the Lumberjacks finished runner-up to by a point at the 2023 National Cross Country Championships. The Wolfpack has yet to begin its season but checked in at No. 1 with NAU close behind at No. 2. NC State received six first-place votes while the Lumberjacks received four. Notre Dame, Oregon and Washington round out the top-five.
The Lumberjack men were ranked fourth nationally during the preseason and remain locked in that spot after the first week with 297 points. Oklahoma State, BYU and Arkansas are ahead of the 'Jacks, while Iowa State completes the top-five. The regional rankings currently have the Lumberjacks ranked second behind BYU. Joining NAU in the top-five of the Mountain Region is Big Sky Conference foe, Montana State.
Northern Arizona began its season by hosting the annual George Kyte Classic at Buffalo Park where both the men's and women's team each won the meet for the seventh-straight year.
Nikita Moore was the top-finisher for the NAU women, finishing second with a time of 14:28.6 on the 2.5-mile course. The Lumberjack women then claimed spots four through 13 to easily win the team title. Newcomer
David Mullarkey won the men's 4.5-mile race in his NAU debut, clocking a time of 22:00.2.
Colin Sahlman followed with a second-place finish, running the race in 22:10.2.
NAU will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Dave Murray Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. The 'Jacks swept both the team and individual titles there a year ago.
