Top-Ranked Women, Fifth-Ranked Men Head To Regionals

BOULDER — The University of Colorado cross country teams are ready for the 2017 NCAA Mountain Region Championships on Friday, November 10, in Logan, Utah.

The CU women enter the meet as the top-ranked team in the nation, while the men are fifth in the latest USTFCCCA Poll. The women are also the top team in the region, while the men are third behind BYU and Northern Arizona.

Utah State will serve as the host of the regional championship at Steve & Dona Reeder Cross Country Course. The women's 6k race is first at 10:15 a.m. MT, while the men's 10k race will follow at 11:15 a.m. MT. 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 54 degrees Fahrenheit. Admission is free.

Both fields have some great competition. The CU women might be the top-ranked team in the country, but New Mexico is second. There are three other ranked teams in the region: Utah State (15), BYU (18) and Northern Arizona (29). The men have top-ranked Northern Arizona and No. 2 BYU in their race, as well as eighth-rated Colorado State. In addition to those teams, there are three more top-30 opponents in Southern Utah (12), Air Force (16) and Utah State (23).

The Buffs will be competing for two automatic berths to the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 18, 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. 11, by the NCAA selection committee.

The CU men have won this meet 17 of the last 25 times. In total, they have 21 regional titles, while the women have won 14 region titles. Both Buffalo squads won the 2014 and '15 regional titles.

The Buffs are coming off a very successful Pac-12 Championship. The women won their third straight title, while the men picked up a second-place finish. Junior Dani Jones won the individual women's titles, while sophomore Joe Klecker was the runner-up in the men's race.

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Players Mentioned

Dani Jones

Joe Klecker