NAU Men Claim NCAA XC Championship Crown
Men's Championship Results
Women's Championship Results
STILLWATER, Okla. (March 15, 2021) – It was a huge day for the Big Sky Conference at the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships. The Northern Arizona men claimed their fourth NCAA title in five years, while all Big Sky teams finished 11
th or better.
Entering the championships second in the nation, the Lumberjacks axed the competition in dominant fashion. With four runners finishing in the top 10, Northern Arizona posted the lowest men’s team score since 2005 with a total of 60 points (3-5-6-8-38). Freshman Nico Young led the way with a fourth-place finish (29:58.3).
“We wanted to get the job done at halfway,” said Northern Arizona Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Mike Smith. “We knew our strength in where we train – in Flagstaff, Arizona – would take care of us from there and that’s what it did.”
The Southern Utah men, who claimed the most recent Big Sky Championship, bested their national ranking of No. 24 and finished ninth with 270 points. Senior Nate Osterstock was the first Thunderbird to cross the finish line, doing so in 31:00.3. It’s the first top 10 finish for the Southern Utah men and the best team performance since 2017 when it placed 11
th. The Thunderbirds team scored points of 28-41-44-74-83.
It’s the first time the league has had two men’s programs finish in the top 10 at NCAA’s in the same year.
Montana State junior Duncan Hamilton clocked a time of 31:36.3 for 110
th place. Weber State junior Taylor Dillon raced to a time of 32:04.3 for 137
th place.
The Lumberjack women, the reigning Big Sky Champions, placed 11
that NCAA’s, a three-spot improvement from a season ago. NAU’s lineup scored points of 5-36-65-74-75-138 to earn 318 points as a team.
For the first time since 2003, the Big Sky had two women’s runners place in the top 10 at nationals. Northern Arizona junior Taryn O’Neill led the way with a sixth-place showing, as she crossed the line in 23:20.3. O’Neill became the fifth runner in league history to place in the top six, as it was the best individual placement in 16 years for a Big Sky runner.
Weber State senior Summer Allen was right on O’Neill’s heels, as she raced to a time of 23:30.3 for seventh place. Allen’s performance is the highest finish for a Wildcat in school history.
Alison Pray of Southern Utah finished in 50
th place with a time of 21:04.4.
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