The Southern Utah University cross country teams will begin postseason play as they head to Flagstaff, Ariz., for their first Big Sky Conference Cross Country Championships since rejoining the conference earlier this year. Northern Arizona University will host this year’s event on Friday, Oct. 30.
The men’s team is coming off the Pre-Nationals Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., where they placed No. 33 out of a field of 44 competitors. They were led by Logan Peel, who recorded a time of 24:16.7 to place No. 95 overall.
The women’s team last raced at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, where they took an eighth-place finish behind junior Angelina Lione, who finished No. 19 overall with a time of 21:08.9.
A quote from coach
“We are looking forward to the opportunity to compete in our first Big Sky Conference Championship back in the Big Sky,” said head coach Isaac Wood.
Coach Wood also commented on the lead-up to the event, stating, “We have had some really good weeks of training, and we are confident that we will have a performance that you’ll be proud of. I’m proud of these young adults who worked so hard and are excited to enter the postseason with confidence.”
Sizing up Northern Arizona
NAU’s men’s team is seeking its sixth straight Big Sky Conference Championship trophy behind a roster that is ranked No. 19 in the nation. The women’s team is ranked fifth in the country and is looking for their eighth straight championship.
The Lumberjacks started the year hosting the George Kyte Classic, winning both the men’s and women’s races. They then headed to the John McNicolas Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., where the women won the race out of a field of 28, and the men took seventh.
NAU rounded out the regular season at the Nuttycombe Invitational, where the women’s team finished third, followed by the men’s in 13th.
The rest of the field
Montana State University started the season strong with both the men’s and women’s teams winning their first three races of the year in the MSU Bobcat Twilight, Montana Invite, and the Frank Knott Classic. Both squads rounded out the season at the Pre-National Invite with the men placing No. 12 and the women placing No. 28.
The University of Montana has competed in five races during the regular season. Starting with the MSU Bobcat Twilight, where the men took a second-place finish, followed by the women in third. The Grizzlies then headed to Pullman, WA, for the Cougar Classic, where the men finished second and the women third.
Montana’s men’s team finished the regular season with three podium finishes of second, third and second. The women’s team finished the season in fourth, fifth and sixth.
T-Birds to watch
Peel is the Thunderbirds’ top runner, leading all SUU runners in the events he competed in. In the opening race in Orem, Utah, Peel placed 12th in 14:26.2; he followed with an eighth-place finish at the University of California, Riverside Invitational in 23:41.9.
He then raced at the Color Country Invitational, taking fifth with a time of 22:21.8, and competed at the most recent race of the Pre-Nationals Invite, with a 24:16.7, No. 95 out of a field of 339 runners.
The top runners for the women’s team have been sophomore Aspen Hacker and junior Audrey Hales. Hacker didn’t race in the opening race but did at the UCR Invitational, where she placed No. 29 with 20:51.1.
She then placed fifth at the Color Country Invitational, recording a 18:43.47. Hacker then finished her regular season at the Bill Dellinger Invite placing No. 32, 21:32.9.
Hales finished the Utah Valley University Invitational placing No. 25 at 17:35.32, 39th at the UCR Invitational, recording a time of 21:04.8, and No. 30 at the Bill Dellinger Invite in 21:31.0. She did not race at the Color Country Invitational.
Up next
The Thunderbirds will await to see whether they are selected for the Mountain Regionals, which will be hosted by the University of New Mexico on Nov. 13. If selected, the women’s race will begin at 11 a.m., followed by the men’s race at noon.
Author: Dylan Johnson
Photo by SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
sports@suunews.net
