Tech men's cross country qualifies for NCAA National Championships
INDIANAPOLIS - Following a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships in Evansville, Indiana on Saturday, Michigan Tech men's cross country was revealed Monday as an NCAA Division II National Championships qualifier, selected as one of 10 at-large teams decided on by committee. The Huskies join thirty-three teams selected to participate in the championship. The top three, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of eight regions, for a total of 24 teams.
The Huskies qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second time in program history. Their first appearance on the National stage was in 2019-20 in Sacramento, California. Tech finished 13th. The championships will be held November 20 in Saint Leo, Florida at The Abbey Course. Saint Leo University and Tampa Bay Sports Commission will serve as hosts. The men's race begins at 9:45 a.m. Eastern.
Junior All-Midwest Region runner Clayton Sayen was the top finisher for the Michigan Tech men at the Midwest Region Championships last weekend. He crossed the line 11th with a time of 30:44.6. Freshman Drew Kolodge placed 27th (31:32.0), followed by freshman Nick Niemi (31st - 31:37.2), senior Luke Moore (33rd - 31:39.8), and freshman Sam Lange (37th - 31:44.1).
Michigan Tech has been ranked inside the nation's top-25 teams by USTFCCCA twice this season. The Huskies are currently ranked No. 25 (October 27) among NCAA Division II institutions.
LAST TIME AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Matt Pahl (graduated) and Braden Reichl (senior) earned USTFCCCA All-America honors as the Michigan Tech men's and women's cross country teams competed at the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championships.
- Running at the Haggin Oaks Golf Course in Sacramento, California, Pahl crossed the finish line of the men's 10K race in a time of 30:17.8 to place 21st.
- Pahl was joined in the top 25 by his teammate Reichl, who crossed the line in 23rd with a personal-best time of 30:20.2 to score the second All-America finish of his cross country career. A junior from Green River, Wyoming, Reichl hit the one-mile marker in 76th and continued to climb through the field until he jumped into the top 40 at the 5K checkpoint. Reichl spent the next three kilometers moving through the pack until he reached 23rd at the 9.1K point, where he remained for the final homestretch of the race to finish 0.6 seconds in front of Tanner Chada of Grand Valley State.
- Sayen narrowly missed out on an All-America spot by finishing the race in 44th with a time of 30:56.4.