Senior Natalie Swain and Sarah Ellis earned all-region honors at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, according to a November 13 report from Utah State University Athletics.
Swain's performance placed her in a strong position to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country National Championships, depending on at-large selections.
The women's squad finished seventh in the 6k championship race, scoring 214 points. Swain finished 18th with a time of 20:37.9, gaining 11 positions after the first split. Ellis secured the final all-region position in 25th with a time of 20:50.8.
Other Aggie women included Brie Smith, who finished 48th in 21:38.7, Ava Trimble in 59th in 21:53.0, and Shelby Jensen, who finished 64th in 22:03.2. The women's team score was bolstered by Jane Williams and Avery Moore, who finished 79th and 90th respectively.
The men's squad finished in sixth place with 203 points, tying with Montana State. The Aggies secured the tiebreaker by winning the head-to-head matchup 3-2 across the top five runners. Jayden Holdsworth secured the decisive win in the final 600-meter split to win the matchup against the Bobcats.
Leading the men was senior Logan Garnica, who finished 33rd in 30:21.6. Junior Joshua Armstrong finished 36th in 30:27.9, beating his personal best for the second consecutive meet. Other men's finishers included Jedidiah Megargel in 42nd, Joseph McKee in 48th, and Jayden Holdsworth in 49th.
Utah State's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, Artie Gulden, expressed pride in the grit shown by both the men and women despite the season ending a week earlier than desired. Gulden noted that Swain showed great determination after being close to qualifying last year.
The NCAA Cross Country Selection show is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, at 3 p.m. to determine the national championship field. Swain's automatic bid depends on the at-large selections of three regional opponents: No. 1 BYU, No. 9 Colorado, and No. 16 Utah.
