CCC Cross Country Teams Eye NAIA Region I Meet
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Men’s and women’s cross country teams from the Cascade Conference descend on the campus of The Evergreen State College here Saturday for the NAIA Region I Cross Country Championships. At stake: automatic berths in the NAIA National Championships for the team champions, as well as a handful of berths in the national meet for individuals not on the advancing teams.
Racing gets underway at 10 a.m. with the women’s 5K (3.1 miles); the men’s race, covering eight kilometers (4.8 miles), begins at 10:45 a.m. The post-meet awards ceremony is slated for 11:30 a.m.
The national championships are slated for Nov. 17 in Kenosha, Wisc.
Teams eligible to compete in this weekend’s region meet include those from the CCC, as well as independents from University of British Columbia, Carroll College, Great Falls, Lewis-Clark State, Rocky Mountain, Simon Fraser and Westminster (Utah).
Eastern Oregon’s men’s and women’s teams enter the meet as among the favorites in the respective races, with each squad coming off CCC championship performances Oct. 20 in Eagle, Idaho.
Four of the top six teams in this week’s Region I men’s rating are from the Cascade Conference. In last week’s national poll, Lewis-Clark State and Eastern Oregon were ranked 8-9 nationally. Two other CCC teams – Southern Oregon (15) and The College of Idaho (T-23) – were also listed in last week’s Top 25 poll.
On the women’s side, Eastern Oregon is ranked fourth in this week’s regional rating, followed by The College of Idaho (5), Corban (6) and Northwest (7). Nationally, the CCC had two teams in last week’s national Top 25 – Eastern Oregon (17) and College of Idaho (20), with Corban also receiving votes.
The national championship field calls for 28 teams on both the men’s and women’s sides – 13-14 regional champions, with the remainder of the field filled with at-large selections from the Top 25 rating. At each regional meet, the top five individuals not associated with the championship team and/or at-large selections will qualify for nationals. Regions with 20 or more sponsored teams will qualify the top seven individuals not on a qualifying team.
Region I – Men’s Ranking (Oct. 29)
1. Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho)
2. Eastern Oregon University
3. Southern Oregon University
4. The College of Idaho
5. Simon Fraser University (B.C.)
6. Corban College (Ore.)
7. University of British Columbia
8. Northwest University (Wash.)
9. Carroll College (Mont.)
10. The Evergreen State College (Wash.)
Region I – Women’s Ranking (Oct. 29)
1. Simon Fraser University (B.C.)
2. University of British Columbia
3. Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho)
4. Eastern Oregon University
5. The College of Idaho
6. Corban College (Ore.)
7. Northwest University (Wash.)
8. Carroll College (Mont.)
9. Oregon Tech
10. The Evergreen State College (Wash.)
Parking Information
Parking is available in C-lot accessible via Evergreen parkway and main campus
entrance (at roundabout). Parking is limited, but available at F-lot, which is accessible
via Driftwood Rd (across from student dorms). Parking is free on weekends.