MISSOULA, Mont. (Oct. 27, 2023) – Northern Arizona University continued their stretch of dominance on Friday afternoon, as they swept the 2023 Big Sky Conference Cross Country Championships at the University of Montana Golf Course.
Final Results
The ‘Jacks are the No. 1 team in the nation on both the men’s and women’s side and stayed undefeated with first-place finishes in both races.
This marks the 20
th time both programs have won the meet in the same year.
NAU’s women started the day on the right foot, as they put up an impressive 15-point performance by securing the top-seven finishers in the field.
They are the first women’s team in Big Sky history to score just 15 points.
Missoula native Elise Stearns claimed Individual Champion honors for the second-consecutive season, running the 5K course in 16:21.10.
When it was the men’s turn, Nico Young dominated the field for the Lumberjacks with an 8K time of 22:49.80.
NAU secured four of the top-five spots, as they were broken up by Montana’s State’s Ben Perrin who finished in third.
Stearns and Young both repeated as Big Sky Champions after claiming the individual titles in 2022 when Cheney and Eastern Washington served as championship host.
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2023 Women’s Cross Country Championships
Individual Champion: Elise Stearns, Northern Arizona
Freshman of the Year: Hailey Low, Weber State
1 – Elise Stearns, Northern Arizona (16:21.10)
2 – Annika Reiss, Northern Arizona (16:44.30)
3 – Aliandrea Upshaw, Northern Arizona (16:46.20)
4 – Gracelyn Larkin, Northern Arizona (16:47.60)
5 – Maisie Gice, Northern Arizona (16:51.00)
6 – Ruby Smee, Northern Arizona (16:53.30)
7 – Nikita Moore, Northern Arizona (17:08.40)
8 – Katja Pattis, Idaho (17:15.90)
9 – Kyla Christopher-Moody, Montana State (17:25.90)
10 – Grace Gilbreth, Montana State (17:33.70)
2023 Men’s Cross Country Championships
Individual Champion: Nico Young, Northern Arizona
Freshman of the Year: Sam Ells, Montana State
1 – Nico Young, Northern Arizona (22:49.80)
2 – Aaron Las Heras, Northern Arizona (23:10.70)
3 – Ben Perrin, Montana State (23:33.0)
4 – Kang Nyoak, Northern Arizona (23:37.70)
5 – Corey Gorgas, Northern Arizona (23:38.90)
6 – Matthew Richtman, Montana State (23:46.10)
7 – Peter Visser, Weber State (23:51.40)
8 – Theo Quax, Northern Arizona (24:02.90)
9 – Cael Grotenhuis, Northern Arizona (24:07.00)
10 – Jack Scherer, Northern Arizona (24:07.60)