The Wyoming men’s cross country team has been picked to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA cross country national championships after an impressive season that saw the Cowboys finish sixth in the highly competitive Mountain region that competes in D-I collegiate cross country.
The Mountain region as a whole is one of two regions in the nation sending six teams to the national championships, as the Cowboys had their hands full in vying for their position within the region. In the week six national coaches poll, the final poll of the year, the Cowboys were ranked 29th nationally, a factor that certainly played into their selection of an at-large bid. Other teams from the Mountain region that were ranked included the top team in the nation, BYU, as well as New Mexico, Northern Arizona, Utah State, and Colorado, all of which were also placed ahead of the Cowboys in the poll.
Jacob White was instrumental towards the success of the Cowboys this season, as the junior had the highest placement of any individual runner for the Cowboys at the regional championship, placing 19th. Seniors Ryker Holtzen and Mason Norman were just behind White, placing 32nd and 37th, respectively. Gus McIntyre and Dylan van der Hock rounded out the Cowboy scoring at the event with 43rd and 54th place, respectively. It was likely the competitiveness between all these athletes that led them down a path to receive an at-large bid to the national championships.
“I’m really proud of them, just how much they care and just the effort that they’re putting into their training this year has been really phenomenal,” White said of his teammates.
The Cowboys last qualified as a team to the national cross country championships in 2018. That team, led by all-American runner Paul Roberts, finished in 12th as a team. This year’s team, which isn’t too far removed from that 2018 run, looks up to that group who was coached by their current head coach, Scott Dahlberg.
“It’s been a while since Paul Roberts went and got that 20th at the NCAA, I feel like maybe I’m getting kind of close to that range,” White said earlier in the season.
“I feel very proud to represent the university and the state that way,” he added.
The Cowboys and White will run and represent the Cowboys this Saturday, November 23 in Madison, Wisconsin where they will hope to prove to be better than their current national ranking of 29th when they take to the course.
