FARMINGTON, Utah (September 28, 2022) – Another big weekend of men’s and women’s cross country is ready to being, with the Big Sky Conference as a whole continuing to make waves across the NCAA landscape.
National Rankings Update
After a massive performance at the Cowboy Jamboree, the Northern Arizona University women’s team jumped up the USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll and are now the No. 4 team in the nation. This is the highest ranking in the program’s impressive history.
NAU’s men’s squad dropped a couple spots and will enter October as the No. 3 team in the NCAA following the Cowboy Jamboree.
Montana State’s men’s team remains ranked, sitting at No. 22 according to the USTFCCCA. The Bobcats will run their biggest meet of the season thus far this weekend, competing at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational.
Regional Ranking Breakdown
The Big Sky Conference remains strongly represented in the USTFCCCA Region Rankings, with 11 different programs receiving a ranking from the organization.
Men’s Mountain Region
No. 2 – Northern Arizona
No. 5 – Montana State
No. 13 – Weber State
No. 14 – Idaho State
Women’s Mountain Region
No. 1 – Northern Arizona
No. 10 – Montana State
No. 11 – Weber State
No. 14 – Idaho State
No. 15 – Northern Colorado
Men’s West Region
No. 11 – Portland State
No. 15 – Idaho
Athletes of the Week Update
Running against some of the toughest competition the NCAA has to offer at the Cowboy Jamboree, Northern Arizona swept the Big Sky’s weekly Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors, with the nods going to Nico Young on the men’s side and Elise Stearns on the women’s side.
Lumberjacks Selected Big Sky Preseason Favorites
In a unanimous decision by the league’s head coaches, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks were selected as the preseason favorites on both the men’s and women’s sides to win the 2022 Big Sky Conference titles.
2022 Big Sky Conference Championships
The 2022 Big Sky Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will take place on October 28th, 2022 at Fairways Golf Course in Cheney, Washington. The event will be hosted by Eastern Washington University.
The Schedule
Friday, September 30
Event: Montana Open
Location: Missoula, Montana
Host: Montana
Participants: UM
Event: Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational
Location: South Bend, Indiana
Host: Notre Dame
Participants: MSU
Event: Gans Creek Classic
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Host: Missouri
Participants: EWU, WSU
Saturday, October 1
Event: John Payne/Curtis Invitational
Location: Bellingham, Washington
Host: Western Washington University
Participants: EWU
Event: UIW Invitational
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Host: University of Incarnate Word
Participants: UNC
Event: Charles Bowles Invitational
Location: Salem, Oregon
Host: Willamette
Participants: PSU
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