USTFCCCA News & Notes
By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA
October 14, 2022  
Here. We. Go.
This is the biggest weekend of the regular season, bar none.
From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: Meets & Results | USTFCCCA Scoreboard
Collegiate cross country is about to hit another gear.
You already know about the Nuttycombe Wisconsin
Invitational, but here are several others that caught our eye from an
absolutely loaded slate.
Augustana Interregional Invitational
The Augustana Interregional Invitational might only be in
its second year of existence, but it’s attracting quite the crowd – and if last
year is any indication, we’ll see some great racing on the Saluki Golf Course
in Rock Island, Illinois.
The Women’s 6k Varsity goes off first at 10:30 am CT with
four teams that were ranked in the top-10 of the most recent NCAA DIII National
Coaches’ Poll: No. 2 Wartburg, No. 3 UChicago, No. 7 Washington (Mo.) and No.
10 Pomona-Pitzer (No. 11 Hope is entered as well). Several of these teams faced
off against each other already this season, but once October hits, all bets are
off. That’s what happened last year at this meet when Pomona-Pitzer held off
Wartburg for the team title, as Washington (Mo.) and UChicago had to be
separated by a tiebreaker for third.
The Men’s 8k Varsity toes the start line at 11:15 am CT with
three of the top-4 teams in the most recent National Coaches’ Poll: No. 1
Pomona-Pitzer, No. 3 Wartburg and No. 4 North Central (Ill.). If you’re
wondering where the second-ranked team (aka MIT) is headed, keep reading. If
you think this matchup looks familiar, that’s because it should: Wartburg and
Pomona-Pitzer treated fans to an instant classic last year with the former
winning 39-46, while North Central (Ill.) finished a distant third. The
Sagehens got the last laugh on the Knights, though, as they captured their
second national title in a row five weeks later in Louisville, Kentucky.
Connecticut College Invitational
Anybody who is anybody in the northeast is headed to the
Connecticut College Invitational on Saturday in Watertown, Connecticut. Racing
takes place at Harkness Memorial State Park.
The Women’s Blue 6k starts at 11 am ET with ten teams that
were ranked in the top-35 of the most recent National Coaches’ Poll, including
two in the top-10: No. 6 MIT and No. 8 Amherst headline the group with eight
other squads sandwiched between Nos. 10 and 32. Look for some big changes to
the rankings in the East and Mideast Regions next week with No. 1 vs. No. 2 vs.
No. 3 in the East Region and No. 1 vs. No. 2 vs. No. 3 vs. No. 4 vs. No. 5 in
the Mideast Region.
The Men’s Blue 8k takes the course at noon ET with – you
guessed it – ten ranked teams in the mix, including – you guessed it – two in
the top-10: No. 2 MIT (we told you to keep reading) and No. 9 Williams are the
heavy hitters. While there are big implications for the East and Mideast
Regions (just like the women’s race), the top-4 highest ranked squads in the
field represent four different regions: MIT is in the East; Williams is in the
Mideast; No. 13 Haverford is in the Metro; and No. 16 St. Olaf is in the North.
Other Meets Of Interest
Trojan Invitational
Colby (Kan.) CC has attracted a strong collection of programs for the Trojan Invitational on Saturday at Meadow Lake Golf Course in Colby, Kansas.
Racing begins at 10 a.m. CT with
the women’s 5K that is headlined by Colo. School of Mines, ranked No. 3 in NCAA
Division II.
The men’s 8K follows at 10:45 am
with five top-10 programs – two from NCAA DII and three from NJCAA Division I.
The DII squads at No. 1 Colo. School of Mines and No. 9 Colorado Christian,
while the trio of JUCO teams are all top-6 – No. 3 Colby (Kan.) CC, No. 4
Trinidad State (Colo.) and No. 6 Northwest Kansas Tech.
The host Trojans are led by Sanele
Masondo, who has twice been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week
this year in NJCAA DI.
Ollie Isom Invitational
The Ollie Isom Invitational in El Dorado, Kansas, brings together a trio of top-10 NJCAA DI women’s teams from Kansas in No. 2 Hutchinson CC, No. 5 Butler CC and No. 9 Dodge City CC as well as another power from the Jayhawk state in NJCAA DII No. 4 Cowley.
Racing begins at 11:45 am CT.
