Freshman Nico Young<\/strong> led the men\u2019s team, finishing fourth in the 10K with a time of 29:58.3. Also in the men\u2019s top 10 were senior Blaise Ferro<\/strong>, who finished sixth with a time of 30:02, sophomore Abdihamid Nur<\/strong>, who finished seventh with a time of 30:05.3; and senior Luis Grijalva,<\/strong> who finished ninth with a time of 30:10.2. The team\u2019s 60 points was almost 30 points ahead of runner-up Notre Dame and is the lowest team champion score since 2005. A national champion team has not placed four men within the top 10 since 2003.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was a hard course to be running that fast upfront, and they were in a lot of distress early, but maintained a lot of composure to protect those positions,\u201d Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Michael Smith<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n The top four finishers stayed close together for much of the race, switching off who led throughout the 10,000-meter course. Heading into the final stretch of the race, Ferro pushed All-American Young, who surged ahead to his fourth-place finish.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew that they were going to be strong in the front\u2014three of those guys have a bunch of national experience\u2014but Nico has never been in a situation like this, and I think the affirmation of running with teammates was really helpful,\u201d Smith said. \u201cNico has a bright future in NCAA cross country.\u201d<\/p>\n The Lumberjack men\u2019s stacked roster was on display for all to see in Stillwater as<\/p>\n final scorer sophomore Brodey Hasty<\/strong> (30:50.9) fought to the finish and placed 44th to secure NAU\u2019s victory.\u00a0Junior Ryan Raff<\/strong> and sophomore Drew Bosley<\/strong> rounded out the national championship team.<\/p>\n Despite the challenges collegiate cross country has faced this season and NAU\u2019s runner-up finish at the NCAA\u2019s last year, the NAU men have surpassed both physical and mental obstacles to return to the top and earn their fourth national title. \u201cI feel so proud to carry on the great legacy here at NAU of coaches before me and coaches after me,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI just want to do my part to lead this program and carry on the tradition that\u2019s been set.\u201d<\/p>\n The women\u2019s team also bested their performance last year. After starting the season ranked No. 26 in the NCAA Division I USTFCCCA poll, the Lumberjack women pushed their way into the top 10 and were ranked No. 9 entering the race.<\/p>\n Junior All-American runner Taryn O\u2019Neill<\/strong> led the women\u2019s team, finishing in sixth place with a 6K time of 20:23.3. O\u2019Neill is the fifth runner in conference history to place in the top six and had the best individual finish in 16 years for a Big Sky women\u2019s runner.<\/p>\n \u201cTaryn is a leader, and it shows in her level of commitment; she\u2019s someone who takes chances and is excited about what she’s doing,\u201d Smith said. \u201cShe\u2019s a special athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n NAU, who are the reigning Big Sky Champions, had four women place within the top 100, including senior Delaney Rasmussen<\/strong> (21:01.8) finishing second for the Jacks in 44th place, junior Jessa Hanson<\/strong> (21:22.6) in 79th and junior Bryn Morley (21:28.6) coming in 93rd.\u00a0Sophomore Jesselyn Bries<\/strong> (22:04.2) rounded out the Lumberjacks\u2019 scoring runners, recording a placement of 171st and completing a team total of 318 points to seal an 11th place finish. Senior Pipi Eitel<\/strong> and sophomore Annika Reiss<\/strong> also competed for the Lumberjacks.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo years ago, we hadn\u2019t been to this meet in a decade, then 14th last year, and 11th this year. We’re moving<\/p>\n the needle at NAU women\u2019s cross country,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWe have a special group of athletes that are really making their mark in the history of NAU women\u2019s cross country. We\u2019ll be right back at it this fall and we\u2019re going to keep getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/xc1.jpeg\")
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