SALT LAKE CITY — The BYU women’s cross country team won the NCAA Mountain Region Championships to claim its spot in the NCAA Championships and the men’s team gave a competitive case for an at-large bid by placing third on Friday at Rose Park Golf Course.

Men’s Results

Women’s Results

The women competed in the 6k race followed by the men who ran in the 10k.

Prior to the NCCA Mountain Region Championships, both teams were named West Coast Conference Champions and had strong performances at the Pre-National Invitational.

The No. 2 BYU men’s team finished third at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships with a score of 56 points. The Cougars ran in the top pack with No. 1 Northern Arizona and No. 3 Colorado. They competed against two other top-25 teams including No. 20 Utah State and No. 25 Colorado State. Including Friday’s finish, performances in this season’s races put the men’s team in a good position for an at-large selection announced in the NCAA Selection Show.

“I think it was a really good day for us because we accomplished the goals that we made,” BYU head coach Ed Eyestone said. “We wanted to advance and do it without hurting our chances for next week. We know that NAU and Colorado are very good teams and we were happy to run with them.”

All-American Conner Mantz finished first for the No. 3 men’s team and third overall in the 10k race with a time of 30:32.6. Two more Cougars claimed spots in the top 10 with Jacob Heslington (30:43.3) in eighth and Danny Carney (30:44.3) in 10th. Both Connor Weaver (30:50.0) and Michael Ottesen (31:05.9) ran career-best times to place 13th and 21st, respectively.

To round out the team’s finish, Zac Jacklin (31:22.1) took 29th and Kramer Morton (31:41.8) placed 44th. Those finishing in the top 25 were all-region honorees.

“We did everything we needed to do to advance, and I think the men will have some zip in their legs for next week,” Eyestone said.

Men’s Team Notables

• BYU men’s cross country placed third with a score of 56 points
• All-American Conner Mantz took fourth place overall and finished first for the Cougars
• Connor Weaver (30:50.0) and Michael Ottesen (31:05.9) earned career-best times in the 10k
• The Cougars claimed five top-25 spots and all-region honors

The No. 3 BYU women’s team secured first place for the first time since 2003 with a total score of 70 points, edging out No. 8 Colorado, No. 9 Utah and No. 10 New Mexico.  The Cougars faced two other nationally ranked teams—No. 15 Air Force and No. 16 Northern Arizona. Placing first automatically qualifies the women for the NCAA Championships next weekend.

"Our main goal going into this meet was to advance, so I’m proud of our effort,” BYU associate director of cross country and track and field Diljeet Taylor said. “We ran a more controlled race, so to still walk away with a win while resting two of our top-five runners shows incredible depth. I think we're in a good spot going into the national meet."

All-Americans Erica Birk-Jarvis (19:57.7) and Courtney Wayment (20:03.5) led the charge for the Cougars, finishing third and fourth, respectively. Olivia Hoj (20:07.9) crossed the finish line in seventh, followed by Sara Musselman (20:37.2) in 22nd place. Birk-Jarvis, Wayment, Hoj and Musselman earned all-region honors after placing in the top 25.

Anastaysia Davis (21:01.5) placed 34th, followed close behind by Ember Stratton (21:06.5) in 38th. Sadie Sargent (21:23.3) rounded out the Cougars’ showing with a 53rd-place finish.

Women’s Team Notables

• The women’s team will advance to the NCAA National Championships for the sixth-straight year
• The BYU women’s team won the NCAA Mountain Region Championships for the first time since 2003, scoring 70 points
• All-Americans Erica Birk-Jarvis and Courtney Wayment finished in the top-10 after placing third and fourth respectively
• Four Cougars secured spots in the top-25 with all-region honors

Both coaches were impressed with the control and depth that was evidenced in the teams’ finishes.   

The Cougars will travel to the NCAA Cross Country Championships for their final meet of the season on Saturday, Nov. 23, in Terre Haute, Indiana. The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Committee will announce the qualifying teams and individuals for Nationals at the selection show on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 5 p.m. ET.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The No. 2 BYU men’s team and the No. 3 BYU women’s cross country teams are preparing to compete in the Mountain Region Championships at the Rose Park Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 15.

The men will compete against multiple top-tier programs from across the region. On the men’s side, the top-three teams in the nation are set to compete in No. 1 Northern Arizona and No. 3 Colorado. Also in the field is No. 20 Utah State and No. 25 Colorado State. 

“The Mountain Regional meet is kind of like a semi-final for us,” BYU head coach Ed Eyestone said. “We want to run strategically since the eight day turnaround with the national meet is so quick. We feel like we’re in a good place, we’ve worked hard and competed well in our meets from earlier in the season. We want to run a solid race and get ourselves ready for the national meet next week.” 

The Cougars will face off against top-ranked Northern Arizona for the first time this season, and third-ranked Colorado for the second time after edging out a victory at the Pre-Nationals meet. Last season, the Cougars were the runner-ups to the eventual national champions at the Mountain Regionals. BYU won the Pre-Nationals Invitational earlier this season and is coming off its fifth-straight WCC championship win. The Cougars look to clinch their 21st-straight bid to the NCAA Championships.

Men’s Team Notables

• The men’s team has advanced to the NCAA National Championships every year since 1999

• The Cougars finished second at the 2018 NCAA Mountain Regionals

• Conner Mantz finished in sixth at the 2018 Mountain Regional Championships, while Rory Linkletter and Connor McMillan finished in the top-10 as well, finishing eighth and ninth, respectively

• Miles Batty was the last men’s runner to win the men's Mountain Region Championship race (2011)

For the women, No. 8 Colorado, No. 9 Utah and No. 10 New Mexico also will be represented at the meet. No. 15 Air Force and No. 16 Northern Arizona make it six teams in the top-20 in the country at Friday's race.

“We feel good,” BYU associate director of cross country and track and field Diljeet Taylor said. “This meet is good preparation, a stepping stone to the national meet. We’re focused on putting in a good effort, running a strong race without sacrificing too much since the turnaround for the NCAA Championship meet is only eight days later.”

The Cougar women face off against multiple regional foes for the first time this season as No. 9 Utah and No. 10 New Mexico headline top-10 Mountain Region opponents. BYU defeated No. 8 Colorado at the Pre-Nationals Invitational, where the Cougars placed second overall, by 39 points. BYU is coming off its second-straight WCC Championship win, placing eight runners in the top-10. The team looks to clinch its fifth-straight appearance to the national meet.

Women’s Team Notables

• The women’s team is looking to advance to the NCAA National Championships for the fifth-straight year

• The Cougars finished third overall at the 2018 NCAA Mountain Regionals

• Erica Birk-Jarvis finished third overall at the 2018 NCAA Mountain Regional Championships while Courtney Wayment-Smith also finished in the top-10 after placing ninth

• Michaela Mannova was the last BYU women’s runner to win the women's Mountain Region Championship race (2003)

Teams that finish first and second in each region automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships while the remaining teams await the decision concerning 13 national at-large bids. The at-large selection is determined through a review of regular-season competition and finishes at regional championships. More details on qualifying for the NCAA National Championships can be found on ustfccca.org.

The first race of the day will be the women’s 6k at 11 a.m. MST followed by the men’s 10k at noon. The race will be streamed online at FloTrack.org. Live stats, the course map and other general information can be found on utahutes.com. Follow BYU cross country’s Instagram and Twitter pages for live updates.