As expected, the NAU men’s cross country team gained one of the 13 at-large berths to compete in next Saturday’s NCAA nationals in Madison, Wisc.
The Lumberjacks’ selection was entirely without suspense. NAU on Friday finished a close third in the Mountain Regionals behind BYU and New Mexico and, considering their strong performances in the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational (second) and Pre-Nationals (fifth), there was little drama that NAU men would get the nod to join its women’s team, which auto-qualified Friday.
In all, the NCAA selection committee tabbed six teams from the tough Mountain Regional. In addition to auto-qualifiers BYU and New Mexico, there was NAU, Colorado, Utah State and Wyoming. Montana State, second in the Big Sky but seventh at the regionals, was left off.
For those wondering when the last time the NAU men had to go the at-large route to qualify for the nationals, it was in 2011.
In that year, as with this year, NAU finished third in the regionals with 69 points, as BYU and Colorado grabbed to auto bids. The Lumberjacks’ top five scoring runners in 2011: Diego Estrada (4th), Jordan Chipangama (5th), Tim Freriks (11th), Matt Soloe (24th), Andrew Belus (25th).
(Quick digression: A senior from the Air Force Academy finished 21st in that regional, a dude by the name of Jim Walmsley.)
So, how did the NAU men do in the 2011 nationals? Not great: 14th.
But Estrada did get a fourth-place finish.
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