CEDAR CITY, Utah - Coming off of a successful conference championship meet, the Southern Utah University men's and women's cross country programs are set for the NCAA Mountain Regionals this Friday, Nov. 10 at Chaparral Ridge Cross Country Course on the campus of Texas Tech University.

MEET INFORMATION

LIVE RESULTS

Head Coach Eric Houle Said:

"Both teams have dealt with a lot of setbacks this year with injuries and sickness. But we do have some potential with individuals, possibly making it through to the National Championship. Sariah has been running very strong this year, and I think she is poised to potentially be one of the qualifiers. Travis has been running well in the last few meets, and if he can get out with the top pack, he could push his way into the National Championship."

Last Time Out

On Friday, Oct. 27, the Thunderbird cross country teams traveled to Abilene, Texas for the Western Athletic Conference Championships.

Leading the way for the men was Freshman Jacob Peterson in sixth place and a time of 23:51.7, Travis Feeny followed close behind in eighth and a 23:57.3.  Coleman Cragun finished in 14th with a time of 24:27.9 and Noah Jenkins came in 16th and a time of 24:34.1. Santiago Gaitan and Max Jones came in 23rd and 24th place respectively with times of 24:51.7 and 24:52.3.

Rounding out competition for the 'Birds was Bowen Martin in 27th place with a time of 25:00.2, Lanse Larsen in 32nd and a time of 25:17.8 and Nethaneel (Ban) Taylor in 38th and a time of 25:22.2.

In the women's bracket, Sariah Hernandez led the way for the Thunderbirds with a ninth place finish and a time of 20:49.6.  27th place went to Taylor Jorgensen with a 22:07.8, and Daisy Baker and Quinn Hagerman finished back-to-back in 29th and 30th with times of 22:16.5 and 22:23.4.

Wrapping things up for Southern Utah was Josii Johnson in 32nd place with a time of 22:29.4, Addison Dalton in 37th place and a time of 22:42.6 and Makalya Pitcher in 40th with a time of 22:52.7.

Race Info

The 2023 NCAA Mountain Regionals will take place on the Chaparral Ridge Cross Country Course just west of Texas Tech's campus.  

Chaparral Ridge has become one of the premiere sites for collegiate cross country since it was converted from a golf course back in 2017 and features running thoroughfares 25 feet wide and an entirely soft surface made primarily of Bermuda grass.

The Thunderbirds will be competing in a field of over 350 athletes from some of the top programs in the country.  The men's teams will be taking on four of the top 30 teams in the country including number one ranked Northern Arizona.  The women will be facing similarly tough competition with two of the top five nationally ranked teams against BYU and NAU.

The top two teams in each region will secure an opportunity to compete in the NCAA Championships on University of Virginia campus on Saturday, Nov. 19.  The final four regional finishers will also earn an automatic bid and there will be an additional 13 teams across the country that will be selected by the NCAA D1 Cross Country Subcommittee.

The women's 6000 m will kick off competition at 9:00 am MT followed by the men's 10000 m at 10:00 am MT.

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Stay up to date during the 2023 Thunderbird Cross Country season by following @SUUTFXC on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Track & Field and Cross Country page on Facebook.

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