Men Earn At-Large Bid to Nationals

PROVO -- For the 12th consecutive season the BYU men’s cross country team will compete at the NCAA National Championships after earning an at-large bid following their performance at the MWC Championships and the Mountain Region meet.

The NCAA announced the teams that would compete for the championship on Sunday evening. A total of 31 teams compete at nationals every season, with 18 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large teams. Teams earn an automatic bid via winning their respective conferences, while at-large teams are selected by an NCAA committee.

This marks the second consecutive season the Cougars will compete as an at-large team. The past two automatic bids from the Mountain West Conference have gone to the New Mexico Lobos.

Junior Kate Bowen, the lead runner of the BYU women’s team throughout the 2010 season, will represent the women at nationals. Bowen finished 12th overall at the Mountain Region meet, good enough for an individual bid to the national meet.

As a team the Cougar women failed to earn an at-large bid from the NCAA following a third-place finish at the MWC Championships and a fourth-place finish in the Mountain Region. This marks the second time in three seasons the women have not competed as a team at nationals.