Harriers Set for NCAA Mountain Region Championships
11/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Cross Country
The championship will be hosted by Weber State University.
The women’s 6-kilometer race will begin at 11 a.m., and will feature 17 squads from the Mountain Region.
Headlining the list with be #11 Colorado State, #13 Colorado, #17 BYU, #18 Texas Tech and #22 Northern Arizona.
Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech, who was last year’s national and Mountain Region champion, returns to defend her title.
The top two teams, along with the top four individuals not belonging to those squads, will receive automatic entry into the 2007 NCAA Cross Country championships. Thirteen team at-large berths, as well as individual entries, will also be awarded on Sunday.
The Montana State women’s team enters this weekend’s race ranked 14th in the region. The Bobcats have been listed as high as 12th this fall.
“We’re on a mission to improve upon our ranking,” said MSU head coach Dale Kennedy. “This region is loaded with talent, so it will be a challenge.”
Senior Elisabeth Driscoll will be running for All-Region accolades, which go to the top 25 finishers. Last season, the Bozeman native was sidelined with an illness and didn’t compete in the Mountain Region race. She has been MSU’s No. 1 runner this season.
“We’re hoping Elisabeth has the best race of her career and can place in the top 25,” Kennedy said. “Usually, following the Big Sky meet it’s hard to get our kids up for this race. Fortunately, the last two weeks have been very positive, with solid workouts.”
Also looking to contribute will be Carrie Gottschalk, Kayla and Jayme Larson and freshman Kala Jacquet of Butte.
“”Despite having three seniors on the team, we’ll be using this for future experiences,” Kennedy said. “We’re taking this very seriously, and we’ll learn something that will help us in the seasons that follow.”
The men’s 10-kilometer event will begin at 12:15 p.m. and will feature 15 Mountain Region teams.
Nationally-ranked squads competing on Saturday include #2 Northern Arizona, #3 UTEP, #6 Colorado, #26 BYU and #32 Weber State.
NAU’s Lopez Lomong, who won the Big Sky title two weeks ago, is the favorite to capture the Mountain Region crown.
“It’s amazing to me how talented the Mountain Region is, especially on the national cross country scene,” Kennedy said. “I truly believe it’s the best Big Sky Conference sport in terms of national prominence.”
The Bobcats will be paced by sophomore Nick Atwood, who placed first for MSU in every meet this fall.
“Boy, we’re really hoping that Nick Atwood can slide into one of the four individual spots or a potential at-large berth,” Kennedy said. “He’s coming off a great race at the Big Sky meet, and if he can improve on that, he’ll have a shot.”
Following Atwood for the Bobcats will be Graydon Curry and Matt Adams, who have raced at the Nos. 2-3 positions this season. Freshman Tyler Noland has been a consistent fourth place finisher, while the group of Dan Jackson, Carl Nystuen, Chad Nauman and Kelvin Daratha has been interchangeable at the back of the pack.
“This could be a special group in two years, and the experiences gained at this meet will serve us greatly in the future,” Kennedy said. “We’ll have everyone returning, along with some kids that were unavailable to us this season. The future is very bright for this group and they’ll gain a lot of confidence this weekend.”
The NCAA Cross Country Championships will be held Nov. 19 in Terre Haute, Ind.
The women’s 6-kilometer race will begin at 11 a.m., and will feature 17 squads from the Mountain Region.
Headlining the list with be #11 Colorado State, #13 Colorado, #17 BYU, #18 Texas Tech and #22 Northern Arizona.
Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech, who was last year’s national and Mountain Region champion, returns to defend her title.
The top two teams, along with the top four individuals not belonging to those squads, will receive automatic entry into the 2007 NCAA Cross Country championships. Thirteen team at-large berths, as well as individual entries, will also be awarded on Sunday.
The Montana State women’s team enters this weekend’s race ranked 14th in the region. The Bobcats have been listed as high as 12th this fall.
“We’re on a mission to improve upon our ranking,” said MSU head coach Dale Kennedy. “This region is loaded with talent, so it will be a challenge.”
Senior Elisabeth Driscoll will be running for All-Region accolades, which go to the top 25 finishers. Last season, the Bozeman native was sidelined with an illness and didn’t compete in the Mountain Region race. She has been MSU’s No. 1 runner this season.
“We’re hoping Elisabeth has the best race of her career and can place in the top 25,” Kennedy said. “Usually, following the Big Sky meet it’s hard to get our kids up for this race. Fortunately, the last two weeks have been very positive, with solid workouts.”
Also looking to contribute will be Carrie Gottschalk, Kayla and Jayme Larson and freshman Kala Jacquet of Butte.
“”Despite having three seniors on the team, we’ll be using this for future experiences,” Kennedy said. “We’re taking this very seriously, and we’ll learn something that will help us in the seasons that follow.”
The men’s 10-kilometer event will begin at 12:15 p.m. and will feature 15 Mountain Region teams.
Nationally-ranked squads competing on Saturday include #2 Northern Arizona, #3 UTEP, #6 Colorado, #26 BYU and #32 Weber State.
NAU’s Lopez Lomong, who won the Big Sky title two weeks ago, is the favorite to capture the Mountain Region crown.
“It’s amazing to me how talented the Mountain Region is, especially on the national cross country scene,” Kennedy said. “I truly believe it’s the best Big Sky Conference sport in terms of national prominence.”
The Bobcats will be paced by sophomore Nick Atwood, who placed first for MSU in every meet this fall.
“Boy, we’re really hoping that Nick Atwood can slide into one of the four individual spots or a potential at-large berth,” Kennedy said. “He’s coming off a great race at the Big Sky meet, and if he can improve on that, he’ll have a shot.”
Following Atwood for the Bobcats will be Graydon Curry and Matt Adams, who have raced at the Nos. 2-3 positions this season. Freshman Tyler Noland has been a consistent fourth place finisher, while the group of Dan Jackson, Carl Nystuen, Chad Nauman and Kelvin Daratha has been interchangeable at the back of the pack.
“This could be a special group in two years, and the experiences gained at this meet will serve us greatly in the future,” Kennedy said. “We’ll have everyone returning, along with some kids that were unavailable to us this season. The future is very bright for this group and they’ll gain a lot of confidence this weekend.”
The NCAA Cross Country Championships will be held Nov. 19 in Terre Haute, Ind.
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