Event: 2018 NCAA Cross country Championships
Host: NCAA
Dates: Saturday, Nov. 17
Location: Thomas Zimmer Championship Course, Madison, Wisconsin
Live Stats: RecordTiming.com
Video: FloTrack
 
Schedule of Events (All Times Pacific)
Women's Championship 6K Race - 8:45 a.m.
Men's Championship 10K Race - 9:45 a.m.
 
THIS WEEK - NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
• The Portland Pilots men's and women's cross country teams will compete at the 2018 NCAA Championships at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis., on Saturday morning.
• The men enter the meet at #4 in the USTFCCCA polls and the women at #23.
• The men's roster was unavailable for this event.
• The women competing are: (Seniors) Lauren LaRocco, Taryn Rawlings, Rebecca Howard, Virag Weiler, Courtney Cox; (Juniors) Aoibhe Richardson; (Sophomore) Jasmine Fehr.
• Women's head coach Ian Solof quote: "The team is really excited to be back at the Nationals. This group has impressed me all season with their tough racing, competitive spirit, and team unity. I couldn't be prouder of them. We will approach this race like any other, ready to run hard and fight the whole way."
• Last season, the Portland men's cross country team posted their best-ever finish at the NCAA meet with a second place finish. The historic event marked the second time that the team has landed on the national podium, with three All-American performances (Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse, Jeff Thies, and Nick Hauger).
• On the women's side, Taryn Rawlings qualified as individual to compete at the national meet, placing 51st overall.
• The meet will be live streamed on FloTrack and live stats can be found on RecordTiming.com. The link to the live stream and stats can also be found on PortlandPilots.com.
• Portland Athletics will be hosting a watch party in the Pilot House on Saturday on the University of Portland campus. Doors will open at 8:15 a.m. and complimentary food and beverage will be provided.
 
2018 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• The Portland Men opened up the 2018 season by claiming the Portland State Invite. Said Guermali led the Pilots with a first place finish and was named the WCC Runner of the Week for his performance.
• The Portland women won their second meet of the year, the Oregon Preview. The Pilots placed six runners in the top-10, with redshirt sophomore Susan Van Weperen leading the way with a third place finish.
• At the Nuttycombe Invite, the men's team place­d third and the women took 12th among stacked fields.
• Nick Hauger was named WCC Runner of the week after Nuttycombe for his 6th place finish. The finish marked the best ever by a WCC representative.
• Lauren LaRocco also earned WCC Runner of the Week honors after finishing 16th overall in Wisconsin.
• At the NCAA PreNational meet in Wisconsin, the Portland men finished 9th overall, led by senior Michael Somers who placed 22nd in his first race in the Portland jersey.
• The Pilot women finished 6th as a team in Wisconsin, led by LaRocco's seventh place finish.
• Back in Portland at the Warner Pacific Classic, both the men's and women's teams swept the meet with first place finishes. Redshirt sophomore Lacey Conner claimed the individual title on the women's side and redshirt freshman Evert Silva led the Portland men with a second place finish.
• The Pilot women then competed at the Beaver Classic in Corvallis, Ore., where the team took first overall, led by junior Sophia Noto who finished first as an individual.
• Both men's and women's teams placed second at the 2018 WCC Championships. Senior Nick Hauger finished first overall to claim the individual title, the first since 2014 when Portland's David Perry was the individual champion.
• LaRocco, Taryn Rawlings, and Aoibhe Richardson earned All-WCC First team on the women's side, with Virag Weiler garnering honorable mention. Hauger and Riley Osen were named All-WCC First team for the men, with Caleb Webb and Reuben Kiprono collecting honorable mention honors.
• On the academic side, 25 Pilots earned All-WCC academic honors.
• At the 2018 West Regional, the men's cross country teams secured their spot at the 2018 National meet by defending their Regional title and again placed first as a team. This year, Hauger took first overall as an individual within an impressive performance by the entire Portland squad. Hauger, Logan Orndorf, Michal Somers, and Noah Schutte each earned All-West Region honors.
• The women took fifth at the West Regional meet, which helped them secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships for the second time in their program's history. LaRocco led the team with an eighth place finish. LaRocco, Rawlings, and Richardson each earned All-West Region honors.
 
PILOTS IN THE POLLS
• The Portland men have ranked as high as No.3 as a team in the FloTrack rankings, and moved back up to No.3 after winning the West Region title.
• The Pilot women have also made an appearance in the FloTrack women's Team poll, ranking as high as No.12. They currently rank No.21 in the team poll.
• After Hauger's first place finish at the WCC Championships, FloTrack ranked Hauger as the No.7 individual, nationally.
• LaRocco ranks at No.17 after her eighth place finish at the West Region meet.
• In the USTFCCCA team polls, the men's team has ranked as high as No.3 this season, but currently ranks No.4 in the national poll.
• On the women's side, the team started out the season receiving votes in the USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll. They now currently rank No.23 nationally.