Cross country teams up and running ahead of big races

On Oct. 27, both the men’s and women’s cross country (XC) teams headed to Missoula to compete in the 2023 edition of the annual Big Sky Championships.

“A couple weeks ago we went to Missoula and got second at the Big Sky Championships in super cold and snowy conditions,” redshirt junior and fifth-year runner Ben Perrin said. “It's been a great season so far. There was a lot of expectation for another great season after we qualified for NCAA's last year for the first time in 20 years,” he said. 

After placing second at the Big Sky Championships – NAU placed 1st for both the men’s and women’s races – both teams will head down to Lubbock, Texas this upcoming Friday, Nov. 10 to compete in the NCAA Mountain Region Championships. Both teams qualified for the NCAA Mountain Region Championships last year and the men’s team placed twenty-fifth at the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma. 

“Our next race is the regional meet in Lubbock, Texas. After this race we'll find out if we qualify for nationals,” Perrin said. “This team is different from years past because since we qualified for nationals last year, we are dealing with higher expectations than ever before as a team. Everyone has handled it really well, and we've really taken the way we approach training and racing to a new level.” 

The season opened on a shaky note. Both the men’s and women’s didn’t place as well as they wanted — ninth and tenth respectively — on Sept. 29 at the annual Joe Piane Notre Dame Invite held in South Bend, Indiana. Star runner Duncan Hamilton graduated last spring and losing him may appear to hurt the team on paper, but Perrin says members of both the men’s and women’s teams have stepped up in a big way. 

“Losing Duncan obviously is a big bummer not only because he is a great runner, but a great teammate as well,” Perrin said, “Owen Smith [junior] has been running extremely well. His improvement from last year and how hard he works everyday in practice continues to inspire me. He is also a great teammate and encourages everyone on the team through the highs and lows. We wouldn't be where we are without him,” he said.

“Grace Gilbreth [junior] has been running great as well. She's had a breakthrough season so far and continues getting better each race. She's super talented at running, but also a really hard worker. She's a great teammate and always inspires me after I watch her race,” he said. 

Looking ahead, the goal is set: race well on Nov. 10 and have both teams make the NCAA Championships on Nov. 18 in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

You can visit msubobcats.com for more information on both teams.