Pac-12 Cross Country to enter 11 ranked teams in NCAA Championships
SAN FRANCISCO – The national-best 11 Pac-12 cross country teams which qualified for this Saturday’s NCAA Championships all appear in the final U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national rankings released on Tuesday.
MEN’S WOMEN’S
5. Colorado 1. Colorado (8 first-place votes)
6. Stanford 4. Stanford
12. Washington T6. Oregon
14. Oregon 22. Washington
16. UCLA 23. California
27. Washington State RV: Utah
The Pac-12 will be looking to add to its distinction as the winningest conference in NCAA Cross Country history this week as current league members boast the most combined team national championships (28 – 16 men/12 women) and individual titles (28 – 25 men/3 women) of any league in the country. The Oregon women are the defending NCAA national champions.
The Pac-12’s six men’s teams in the NCAA field and national poll are the most of any conference, while the five women’s teams in the NCAA field and rankings trail only the Big Ten’s six. Additionally, the combined five men’s and women’s teams in the top 10 are the most of any conference.
The No. 1 ranked COLORADO women won their fifth consecutive NCAA Mountain Regional title, while the No. 4 STANFORD women placed second in the NCAA West Regional to capture automatic NCAA Championship berths. The Buffaloes and Cardinal will be joined by NCAA at-large selections No. 6 OREGON (third at West Regional), No. 22 WASHINGTON (sixth at West Regional) and No. 23 CALIFORNIA (fifth at West Regional).
The Washington men climbed eight spots to No. 12, their highest ranking since starting the 2016 season at No. 8, thanks to a runner-up showing at the NCAA West Regional to claim an NCAA Championship automatic bid. No. 5 ranked Colorado finished third at the NCAA Mountain Regional - powered by sophomore Joe Klecker’s individual victory – and was one of five Pac-12 teams to earn at-large selections, along with No. 6 Stanford (third at West Regional), No. 14 Oregon (fourth at West Regional), No. 16 UCLA (fifth at West Regional) and No. 27 WASHINGTON STATE (seventh at West Regional).
California’s Trent Brendel and Garrett Corcoran qualified as individuals for the NCAA Championship men’s race, while ARIZONA’s Claire Green, UTAH’s Grayson Murphy and WASHINGTON STATE’s Vallery Korir qualified for the women’s race.
Louisville will host the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships this Saturday, November 18, at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park. The women’s race will begin at 7:45 a.m. PT, followed by the men’s race at 8:45 a.m. PT.