Ags to run at regionals
The WAC champion cross country team will be headed to Provo on Saturday to race in the NCAA Mountain Region Championships.
The Aggies dominated the field at the WAC Championships in Boise, Idaho, taking six of the top 10 spots in the men’s race and giving them some momentum heading into regionals. Trever Ball and Clark Bryner finished first and second overall.
The women’s team placed second and was led by Tiffany Strickland, who finished
second.
As the Aggies gear up for their chance to qualify for the NCAA Nationals, they are being showered with praise. Ball has been named WAC runner of the week four times this season and was also honored by being named Cross Country Athlete of the Year and first-team all WAC. Coach Greg Gensell was named Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. Seth Wold and Vanessa Hawkins were both named Freshman of the Year for the men’s and women’s sides, respectively.
Up for grabs at the East Bay Golf Course will be a second trip to Terre Haute, Ind., this year and a chance to race against the best in the country.
Last year, the Aggies placed seventh and were left out of the nationals party.
There is a lot on the line as the men take on a 10-kilometer course and the women race 6 kilometers, for the entire team, but particularly the seniors.
For Ball, Bryner, Carson Campbell, Ryan Jenks, Jill Steele and Tiffany Strickland, this may be the final race of their college careers, depending on how they finish.
-graham@cc.usu.edu