BYU cross country sweeps team races at Mountain Regional, qualifies for nationals
Courtesy BYU Athletics
Casey Clinger of BYU cross country leads a group of teammates at the Mountain Regional in Reno, Nev., on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.No. 1 BYU men’s cross country secured a qualifying spot for the national championships at this year’s NCAA Mountain Regional Friday afternoon.
The Cougars posted 52 points while battling snowy conditions through the 10k race at the Washoe County Golf Course. BYU finished first overall in the team category to secure an automatic bid to the national championships next week. Northern Arizona, who previously claimed the 2020, ’21 and ’22 national titles, placed third on the day with 71 points.
The beginning of the race saw seniors Joey Nokes and Casey Clinger lead BYU, maintaining ninth and tenth place respectively through 2.5k. Creed Thompson moved up at the halfway mark to run in stride with Clinger who dropped to 15th. The three runners pushed ahead at 7.5k to form a pack with Davin Thompson tacking on the back to put the Cougars in the top-12.
BYU closed out the race as a team with Clinger finishing fourth overall, Creed Thompson in sixth, Davin Thompson in eighth, Nokes in ninth and Luke Grundvig in 25th.
“The approach today was to run it like a preliminary heat in track,” said assistant coach Ryan Waite. “The guys were patient, didn’t go with early moves and then closed well. Luke Grundvig, who was our fifth man, closed really well to secure a team win. Now it’s just about recovery to be ready for eight days from now.”
The Cougars will head to the 2024 NCAA National Championships on Saturday Nov. 23. The race will be held at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wisconsin with the men’s championship 10k set for 10:10 a.m. CT.
The BYU women also won the NCAA Mountain Regional with 52 points to top No. 4 Northern Arizona’s 65 points and No. 10 New Mexico’s 11 points.
Riley Chamberlain led the charge for the Cougars, finishing in 19:56.54 to place fifth. Chamberlain’s time is the second fastest of her career over the 6000-meter distance. Carmen Alder also broke the 20-minute barrier finishing in eighth place with a time of 19:57.8.
Taylor Rohatinsky and Taylor Lovell both finished in the top 10, placing ninth and 10th, respectively. Rohatinsky ran 20:05.6 and Lovell ran a 6k career-best of 20:09.2 Carlee Hansen rounded out BYU’s scoring five, clocking 20:15.1 for 20th.
Next up, the Cougars will travel to Madison, Wisconsin for the NCAA Cross Country Championships Nov. 23 at Zimmer Championship Course.
The Cougars have now qualified for 10 consecutive NCAA Cross Country Championships.
