No. 9 XC Set for Big 12 Championship
October 31, 2014 09:30 AM | General
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| Cleary |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The No. 9-ranked West Virginia University cross country team travels to Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kansas, for the 2014 Big 12 Cross Country Championships this Saturday, Nov. 1.
The women’s event will get underway at 11 a.m., ET, on Saturday.
“The goal for any team in any sport is to arrive at the championship portion of its season in shape and healthy,” said coach Sean Cleary. “This team has done a very good job at arriving at this very point healthy and ready to go.”
The Mountaineers placed second at the event a year ago, marking their highest finish ever at the Big 12 Championships following a fourth-place finish in 2012.
“This race will be one of the most competitive races in the country this weekend. At the very front, seven to eight individuals in this race are running at a level worthy of All-America status,” Cleary said. “My belief is that we have a few that are dreaming of such performances.”
West Virginia has placed in the top five in every competition this season, including a fifth-place finish in its most recent outing at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on Oct. 17, defeating 17 ranked teams.
“The team competition appears to be the most competitive since we have arrived in the Big 12. (No. 6) Iowa State is surely the favorites with very strong teams from (No. 21) Oklahoma State and (No. 28) Baylor lining themselves up for the NCAA Finals,” Cleary said. “We look to have four teams that are capable of top-25 finishes in the national meet. The remaining teams all have very strong front runners which will make for a truly national class conference meet.”
WVU currently ranks No. 9 in the most recent USTFCCCA National Poll – its highest ranking since 2011. In total, West Virginia has been ranked in the top ten 16 times since 2008.
The top women’s team is crowned league champion, while the top 15 individuals to cross the line earn all-conference distinctions.
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