Harriers Prepped For NCAA Mountain Regionals
November 12, 2015 | Cross Country
BOULDER — The University of Colorado cross country teams are ready for the 2015 NCAA Mountain Region Championships on Friday, November 13, in Albuquerque, N.M.
The CU men enter the meet as the top-ranked team in the nation, while the women are second in the latest poll. The men are also the top team in the region, while the women are second behind No. 1 New Mexico.
The Buffs will be competing for two automatic berths to the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 21, in Louisville, Ky. There are nine regional championship sites, automatically qualifying 18 teams for nationals. Another 13 teams will be selected for at-large bids on Saturday, Nov. 14, by the NCAA selection committee.
The CU men have won this meet 16 of the last 23 times. In total, they have 20 regional titles, while the women have won 12 region titles.
Both fields have some good competition. Behind the CU men are No. 3 BYU and No. 11 UTEP. There are two other teams in the region looking to do well. Air Force is 21st and Colorado State is 25th overall. On the women's side, the best competition should come from No. 1 New Mexico. Utah is ranked 20th this week, while BYU is 24th and Weber State is 25th.
The Buffs are coming off a very successful Pac-12 Championship, with both teams winning the league's team title. It is the second time in five years that the Buffs have won both men's and women's championships; the 14th overall time in CU history.
The men claimed their fifth straight victory at Pac-12s, defeating Stanford 46-57. CU's women came from behind to knock off Oregon 46-51.
New Mexico will serve as the host of the regional championship at UNM North Golf Course starting at 12 p.m. with the women's 6-kilometer race. The men's 10k race will follow at 1 p.m. and a short awards ceremony will follow to honor the top 25 racers on each side with all-region honors. Friday's forecast is a high of 58 degrees Fahrenheit.