The men’s cross-country team took to the NCAA West Regionals in Sacramento, Calif. on Friday, in hopes of earning a spot in the NCAA Championships on Nov. 19 in Terre Haute, Indiana. Sophomore Nick Hauger led the way for the Pilots with a sixth place individual finish. The team came in second overall and punched their ticket to the championships.
Hauger finished with a time of 29:48.1. A 15th place finish was the next highest for the Pilots, which came by way of junior Jeff Thies who finished with a time of 29:58.1.
Of the seven Pilot runners, none finished outside of the top 30 and the Pilots found themselves with a second place finish behind Pac-12 powerhouse Stanford and one spot ahead of UCLA.
The West Coast Conference champion women’s cross-country team also fared well on Friday as they finished fifth as a team behind a strong performance from junior Lauren LaRocco who finished fourth overall with a time of 19:42.8.
Senior Anna Farello and sophomore Taryn Rawlings claimed top 30 finishes for the Pilots with times of 20:17.4 and 20:12.9 respectively.
The women’s team did not officially claim a spot in the NCAA Championships with their fifth place finish at regionals, but they will find out Saturday, Nov. 12 if they will be selected to the NCAA Championship field.
The men’s team already has their ticket punched, but the women will have to wait and see if they will make their first NCAA Championship appearance in team history.
