Cross Country Looks To Make History at NCAA Regionals

Friday, November 12

Huntsville, Ala.

8:30 am

University of North Florida

NCAA Regionals

NCAA South Regional meet preview graphic of Nathan Jubran running at ASUN meet

11/11/2021 1:00:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Live Timing Meet Info

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida cross country will make their way to Huntsville, Ala., this Friday to race in the NCAA South Regional meet at John Hunt Park. Both teams look to qualify for their first-ever team berths in the NCAA Championships, while Nathan Jubran has his sights set on returning to cross country's biggest stage after qualifying as an individual this past spring.

LAST TIME OUT

The men's team claimed back-to-back ASUN championships when we last saw the Osprey runners at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Noah Perkins finished second overall as the top runner for UNF and finished with the third-best 8k time in the program's Division I history. Jubran, as well as Jake Turner, finished in the top eight spots and all seven runners for the men finished in the top 21 spots at the conference championship meet. The men will now prepare for their first 10k race of the season when they compete at regionals.

The women's team put together a seventh-place finish at the ASUN Championship on Oct. 30 in Orlando, Fla. They were able to edge out in-state rivals Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast at the meet. Mia McLain was the top Osprey runner for the women with a top-25 finish with Camryn Cooney and Raquel Lespasio not far behind as they both finished in the top 40. They raced in the only 5k competition of the season at the ASUN meet and will return to the 6k format for the NCAA South Regional meet.

MAKING STRIDES

The Ospreys look to clinch their first-ever team appearance at the NCAA XC Championships with a top-two finish at the NCAA South Regional meet. Jubran qualified as an individual for the championship meet last spring as the first-ever UNF runner to race in the NCAA final meet. He will look to bring his team along with him this time, as a top-four finish would put them in contention to be selected for the race.

The women's team has their sights set on their third top-10 finish of the season when they race this Friday. McLain and Cooney have finished as the top runners for the Ospreys for the past three meets and will lead the pack for the women at regionals. Lespasio finished as the top Osprey runner at the FSU XC Open earlier this season and looks to repeat that performance in Huntsville, Ala.

NOTABLE OPPONENTS

The men's team will compete against the top competition from the South Region that includes 10 Power Five teams in this meet.
There will also be five other ASUN teams that will make the trip to Huntsville, Ala., for the regional meet. North Florida currently ranks fourth in the South Region poll, which would put them in contention for an at-large bid for the NCAA Championships if they finished at the spot on Friday.

The women's meet will feature 11 Power Five teams, as well as six opposing ASUN schools, during their 6k meet on Friday morning. The meet will also have 10 other schools that reside within the state of Florida. The Ospreys are not ranked within the top 15 of the South Region poll but have a chance to impress against the top teams in their region.

EVENT SCHEDULE

The Ospreys starts the morning with the women's team competing in the 6k race at 9:30 am ET. The men's team will follow up afterward and start their 10k race at 10:30 am.

This will be the first time this season that the men's team will be participating in a 10k race, while the women have been running 6k races all season, with the exception of the ASUN Championship.

UP NEXT

If either team finishes in the top two of the NCAA South Regional meet on Friday, they will automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 20, in Tallahassee, Fla. A third- or fourth-place finish at the meet would put them in contention for an at-large bid that would be announced during the NCAA Division I Women's and Men's Cross Country Selection Show on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 5 pm ET.

There are also 38 individuals across all NCAA regional meets that are selected through an automatic qualifier and at-large bid process if their teams do not qualify for the NCAA Championships. The top four runners that don't qualify with their teams at the regional meet will automatically qualify for the NCAA final meet as individuals next weekend.

PIGG'S POINTS

"We are 19 guys, all from the state of Florida. Each of whom has been working with a purpose to be the best runners they can be. We work day in and day out together, support one another, and hold each other accountable. From freshmen to sixth-year seniors, they are committed to raising the level of UNF cross country. The conference championship was exciting, but I think we can put together a more complete team performance. The 10k race fits our profile well. We are looking forward to the opportunity to line up and compete for a spot at the NCAA Championships. The top two automatically qualify with the next two teams standing a good chance to get an at large bid. All we can control is how we compete, so we will focus on that and let the chips fall where they may.

Our women look to put out our best performance of the season. We have continued to get better each week and look to have a good one in Huntsville. Senior Camryn Cooney has been running well and is in a spot to run the best race of her college career. Excited to get out there and see where we stack up at the end of the year. As a group, our goal is to finish in the top 15." -- head coach Jeff Pigg