FARMINGTON, Utah (Nov. 27, 2024) – After a very successful championship season, the Northern Arizona University women’s cross country team has been named Big Sky Conference Commissioner’s Team of the Month for November, the league office announced today.
The Lumberjack women started the month by securing a clean sweep of the Big Sky Conference Championship, scoring just 15 points. Northern Arizona took the top six sports in the race, led by Individual Champion Ali Upshaw.
For Northern Arizona, the title won in Pocatello, Idaho was the sixth-consecutive title. NAU has claimed eight of the previous nine available Big Sky titles.
NAU was an automatic qualifier for the National Championship after claiming a second-place finish at NCAA Mountain Regionals in Reno, Nevada. Elise Stearns led the Lumberjacks in the race, finishing in fourth. For Stearns, that was just her second race since the 2024 Big Sky Indoor Track & Field Championships.
At nationals in Madison, Wisconsin, the Lumberjack women secured a fourth place finish, scoring 206 points in the championship 6K.
Upshaw was the top finisher for NAU, securing All-American status at 22
nd overall in the field. Stearns was the second athlete over the line for NAU, becoming an All-American in 36
th. For Stearns, she is now a three-time All-American and two-time Big Sky Champion.
NAU’s fourth place finish is the third-best in Big Sky history. NAU’s team in 2023 finished as national runner-up, and in 1991 the Lumberjack women finished in third place. It marked the eighth time that Northern Arizona has claimed a top-10 finish at nationals on the women’s side.
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Previous Team of the Month Winners
January – Northern Arizona Indoor Track & Field Programs
February – Eastern Washington Basketball Programs
March – Northern Arizona Men’s Indoor Track & Field
April – Sacramento State Athletics
May – Idaho State & Montana State Campus Staffs
June – Montana Marketing Department
July – Weber State Women’s Cross Country
August – Montana State Football
September – Idaho State Volleyball
October – Montana Women’s Soccer