BYU men's cross country in NCAAs

TERRE HAUTE, Ind., — Two Mountain West Conference teams and five individuals will represent the league at the 2008 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships today in Terre Haute, Ind.

The BYU men's and New Mexico women's teams each qualified based on their respective performances at the Mountain Regionals, Nov. 15. BYU's Angela Wagner, Colorado State's Ellie Rastall, TCU's Festus Kigen, Utah's Alyssa Abbott and Wyoming's Mark Korir also were selected to compete individually.

The BYU men's team is headed to its 10th straight NCAA Championship as a member of the MWC. The Cougars received an at-large bid after finishing third as a team behind Colorado and Northern Arizona at the Mountain Regionals. Senior Kyle Perry led the Cougars, finishing second (29:29) in the 10K race. Korir, the 2008 MWC Men's Runner of the Year, trailed Perry, finishing third overall (29:33) to earn his third-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship. Korir collected all-American honors with 22nd- and 19th-place finishes in the 2006 and 2007 events, respectively. Kigen will make his second-consecutive appearance after placing fourth (30:35) at last Saturday's South Central Regionals.

On the women's side, New Mexico earned its first NCAA Championship berth since 1985. The Lobos placed six runners in the top-20 in the 6K race at the Mountain Regionals, led by senior Michelle Corrigan, who ran the course in 20:44 to finish fifth overall. Wagner, the 2008 MWC Women's Runner of the Year, finished just ahead of Corrigan with a time of 20:43 to earn her second-consecutive NCAA bid.

Utah will be represented at the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2004 by Abbott, who finished ninth (20:52) at the Mountain Regionals. Rastall, a 2008 MWC second-team all-conference selection, placed 12th overall (20:57) in regional action to earn her position in the NCAA Championship race.

The NCAA selects 31 teams for each of the men's and women's national meets, automatically qualifying the top two teams from each of the nine regions. Thirteen additional squads receive at-large invitations. Thirty-eight runners, including the top four from each region who were not part of a qualifying team, plus two additional at-large runners, are selected. Individuals must place in the top-25 in their respective region to be eligible for selection to compete in the NCAA Championships.