UNK Hosts Cross Country Regional this Saturday

UNK Hosts Cross Country Regional this Saturday

Division II’s Toughest Region; Adams State # 1

By Peter Yazvac, UNK Sports Information Director

Kearney, Neb. – Nov. 4, 2008 - Some of the nation’s top collegiate cross country runners will descend on Kearney this Saturday to compete in the 2008 NCAA Division II Central Regional meet.

Held at the Kearney Country Club, the meet will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the men. The women will then run at 11:00 a.m. No admission will be charged to watch the action.

Every school that sponsors cross country in the RMAC and NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) will compete in the meet.

This is the first time since 1997 Nebraska-Kearney has hosted this meet. UNK is one of eight regional hosts this fall; the others include Slippery Rock, Pa. (Atlantic Region), Big Rapids, Mich. (Midwest Region), Boston, Mass. (Northeast Region), Searcy, Ark. (South Region), Live Oak, Texas (South Central Region), Wingate, N.C. (Southeast Region) and La Jolla, Calif. (West Region).

These regional meets serve as qualifiers for the NCAA Division II Championships, which will be this year held Nov. 22nd in Slippery Rock, Pa.

The Central Region, formerly known as the North Central Region, has traditionally been the best in the nation. At the 2007 NCAA Division II Championships, this region had five of the top 10 teams on the men’s side while having four of the top 10 teams in the women’s race.

Because of this success, the top six men's teams on Saturday, and the top five women's teams, will qualify for the 2008 NCAA meet. Additionally, the top two individuals not from one of the qualifying teams will also earn a trip to Pennsylvania.

RMAC-member Adams State is the five-time defending national champion on the women’s side. Since 1992, either the Grizzlies or RMAC-member Western State have won the Division II national women’s title. Abilene Christian (Texas), from the South Central Region, is two-time defending men’s champions but both Western (second) and Adams (third) were close to ACU at last year’s NCAA meet. Before ACU’s recent run, either Adams or Western won the national title over a seven year span.

Currently, Adams State is No. 1 in the nation in both the men’s and women’s polls. Western State (fourth women; five men) is close on both sides behind with the Augustana women ranked seventh.

For UNK, the Lopers will look to see if top runners Tanner Fruit (Ogallala), Al Sanabria (Minden), Amy Long (Minatare) and Lauren Stengel (Deshler) can crack the top 30. Fruit, a sophomore, earned 3rd-team All-RMAC honors this year while both Sanabria and Long have had very solid freshmen seasons.