Conference matchups more prevalent than showdowns involving national powers in cardinal, white races for both genders

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

For those anticipating a showdown involving the men’s cross country teams from Northern Arizona and Brigham Young, they will have to wait until the NCAA Mountain Regional.

For those seeking a rematch of the Colorado and New Mexico women’s squads following their clash Sept. 28 at the Nuttycombe Invitational, that, too, won’t materialize until Nov. 9 in Provo, Utah.

The race entries for the NCAA Division 1 Pre-Nationals, scheduled for Saturday at the Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wisc., were released Monday, with conference clashes emerging as the main storyline.

Nationally ranked programs were split evenly into cardinal and white races for both genders.

As a result, West Coast Conference rivals Portland and BYU will headline the men’s white race, joined by Pac-12 programs Washington, Washington State and UCLA, as well as Big 10 powers Indiana and Purdue, in addition to Air Force and Syracuse.

The men’s cardinal race features the team and individual winners from Nuttycombe, with Morgan McDonald leading host Wisconsin against top-ranked Northern Arizona, led by Matthew Baxter and Tyler Day.

A preview of the Pac-12 finals will unfold with Colorado, Oregon and Stanford all among the cardinal entries, with fellow Mountain Regional powers Colorado State and Southern Utah joining Northern Arizona and Colorado. North Carolina State and Ole Miss are also among the ranked entries.

The women’s cardinal race will also showcase a Pac-12 preview with Dani Jones and Makena Morley leading top-ranked Colorado against Oregon, along with unranked rivals Arizona, Cal and UCLA. Big 10 programs Indiana and Minnesota are also entered, along with SEC powers Arkansas and Ole Miss, in addition to West Coast Conference leaders BYU and Portland, as well as North Carolina State.

Alicia Monson, the individual winner at Nuttycombe, will lead host Wisconsin in the women’s white race, setting up a rematch with New Mexico’s Ednah Kurgat and Weini Kelati. The Lobos will compete against Pac-12 powers Stanford and Washington for the first time, with Wisconsin being joined by Big Ten rival Michigan.

Furman, Georgia, Utah State and Notre Dame are also entered in the race, along with unranked Kansas and Louisville.

Sharon Lokedi could race for Kansas, along with Dorcas Wasike for Louisville, adding even more individual depth to an already talented field.