PREVIEW: CCC Cross Country Championships Presented by U.S. Bank

11/2/2018 10:54:37 AM

LAKE SAMMAMISH, Wash. – The Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) is comprised of some of the NAIA’s top cross country programs, with each of the conference’s squads set to face-off in the CCC Cross Country Championships tomorrow (November 3) at Lake Sammamish State Park in Washington. The meet will feature some of the country’s top harriers, with huge national implications at stake.

The day’s events will kick off with the women’s cross country teams competing in a 5K race beginning at 11 a.m., with the men slated to begin an 8K shortly thereafter at 12 p.m.

As is the standard, the top-five finishers for each team will contribute to their school’s cumulative scores. For each race, the top-12 finishers will earn CCC All-Conference honors, with the team champion earning the right to bring seven competitors (plus an additional alternate) to the NAIA Championship meet, set to take place on November 16 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

For the remainder of the field, an at-large berth will be required to compete as a team at the national meet, with the NAIA’s final rankings playing a key role in determining the bids. On an individual level, the top-four harriers on non-qualifying teams will receive individual berths to the national meet, as long as they placed in the top-15 of the CCC Championships.

Both races promise to be hotly-contested battles, with the CCC featuring four teams in both the men’s and women’s NAIA top-25 rankings.

On the women’s side, No. 4-ranked Oregon Tech enters the meet as the slight favorite, with No. 8-ranked Southern Oregon, No. 13-ranked College of Idaho, and No. 19-ranked Northwest Christian sure to be nipping on the Lady Owls’ heels.

Oregon Tech will be spearheaded by its trio of reigning All-CCC award-winners: Danielle de Castro, Cindy Reed, and Susie Garza. Jenna Storms serves as Southern Oregon’s lone returning All-Conference honoree, with College of Idaho’s Molly Vitale-Sullivan and Erin Moyer also set to compete after receiving the recognition last year. Corban’s Sydney Nichol is the only other returning All-CCC harrier slated to participate in Saturday’s race.

On the men’s side, the dual between No. 3-ranked Southern Oregon and No. 4-ranked College of Idaho will undoubtedly to be fun to watch, with No. 14 ranked Eastern Oregon, No. 20-ranked Northwest Christian, and (RV) Oregon Tech also demonstrating throughout the year that they possess the firepower needed to make a run for the title.  

A number of last-year’s All-Conference honorees will be returning to the CCC Championship stage, headlined by Noah Oberriter (Southern Oregon), Robert Swoboda (Corban), Mark French (Oregon Tech), Alex Martin (College of Idaho), Andrew Sutton (College of Idaho), and Riley Sine (Northwest).

That’s not to say that an upset couldn’t be in the works in either the men’s or women’s races this weekend, as each program in the CCC has showcased its talent and promise in different forms and fashions throughout the 2018 season, highlighting the conference’s unrivaled depth from top to bottom.

With a berth to the NAIA National Championship Meet at stake, fans of the CCC can expect a thrilling pair of races in Lake Sammamish, Wash. Stay tuned at CascadeConference.org for results from the meet, and follow the CCC on social media for the latest news, headlines, and updates on your favorite CCC teams.