CEDAR CITY, Utah - For the seventh time in the last eight seasons, the Southern Utah men's cross country team will be competing at the NCAA National Championship this Saturday November 20 in Tallahassee, Florida. Alison Pray will also be competing for an individual national title for the third time in her career.
Last Time Out
Both Thunderbird teams competed at the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships last week in Provo. The men's team finished in fifth place and the women's team finished in 11th place.
Christian Ricketts was the top finisher for the Thunderbirds on the men's side, coming in seventh place with a time of 29:54.5. Nate Osterstock finished in 25th place with a time of 30:25.3, Kevin Ramos finished in 33rd place with a time of 30:35.6, and Isaiah Labra finished in 43rd place with a time of 31:11.6.
Alison Pray was the top finisher for the T-Birds on the women's side coming in fifth place with a time of 20:24.4. Madisan DeBos finished in 53rd place with a time of 21:44.8, Raquel Suarez finished in 75th place with a time of 22:22.6, and Haley Tanne finished in 93rd place with a time of 22:53.3.
Ricketts, Osterstock, and Pray all earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors for their top-25 finishes at the regional championship. The men's team climbed back into the Top-25 in the USTFCCCA National Rankings as well and will go into the final week of the season as the No. 24-ranked team in the country.
NCAA National Championship Preview
Only 31 teams in all of NCAA Cross Country make it to the National Championship and Thunderbird men's team will be one of them this weekend in Tallahassee. Southern Utah is just one of two teams in the Big Sky to make it as a team, with the other being the defending national champions Northern Arizona.
Alison Pray is one of four Big Sky athletes to qualify for the National Championship on the women's side and the only one to be making her third trip to the big dance.
Meet Day Information
Saturday's races will start with the women's 6K race at 8:20 a.m. Mountain time (10:20 a.m. Eastern time). The men's 10K race will take place at 9:10 a.m. Mountain time (11:10 a.m. Eastern time).
Both races will be streamed live on ESPNU and live results can be found at pttiming.com. The races will be run at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2021 Thunderbird Cross Country season by following @SUUTFXC on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Track & Field and Cross Country page on Facebook.
