Rams set for Mountain West Cross Country Championships this Friday

2017 Mountain West Cross Country Championships
Friday, Oct. 27
Men's 8k | 10 a.m. MT
Women's 6k | 10:45 a.m. MT
Hosted by New Mexico
UNM North Golf Course | Albuquerque, N.M.

Coverage: CSURams.com/live (MW Network) | Championship Central
Colorado State Cross Country: Twitter | Performance List

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Colorado State cross country team will travel to Albuquerque, N.M., this week for the 2017 Mountain West Cross Country Championships on Friday.

This year's conference meet is hosted by New Mexico at the UNM North Golf Course. First up on Friday is the women's 6k, which is slated to begin at 10 a.m. MT. The men's 8k is set to begin shortly after the conclusion of the women's race, with a start time scheduled for 10:45 a.m. MT.

Final results and a full recap will be posted to CSURams.com as soon as each are available following Friday's action. The entire meet will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network, and may be accessed through the link above and on the cross country schedule page on CSURams.com.

"This is a very good conference," Colorado State cross country head coach Art Siemers. "There's many teams that have been ranked in the top 20 this year, so it's going to be a tough meet. We know that. That's the great thing – we're going to have to work for it. It makes it all worth more."

Colorado State's men enter this meet ranked No. 9 nationally, the Rams' highest ranking on the men's side since week two of 2003 (No. 8) and their second-best ranking all-time from the USTFCCCA. Mountain West coaches projected the CSU men to be the favorites on the men's side in each of the preseason and midseason coaches' polls. Notably, the Rams also moved up to No. 4 in the Mountain Region rankings, behind only national No. 1 Northern Arizona, No. 2 BYU and No. 5 Colorado.

"Something we've been striving for over the past few years has been to try to win our first-ever Mountain West championship," Siemers said. "We've been close three times, but we feel like this is our year. We've been training really well and been executing in the big races so far. We think we have the depth that's going to get us over the top this year."

The Rams' women received votes in the USTFCCCA's week three poll this season, marking the first time the women's team has at least received votes since the 2010 season. Conference coaches projected CSU's women to finish fourth in each of the preseason and midseason polls, but the Rams narrowed the gap in the midseason poll. The Rams were 10 points behind third place in the preseason poll, but only one point behind projected third-place Utah State in the midseason poll.

"We've been training great, and I think our ladies believe that they can really improve off of what they've done," Siemers said. "We had a strong home meet and ran really well, but in the last two meets, we just hadn't had everyone clicking. We've learned from those meets, and the goal for everyone is to find our teammates, work together and see how far we can move up."

CSU has finished runner-up on the men's side three times under sixth-year head coach Art Siemers, including in 2016, and in third place twice. On the women's side, Siemers has guided the Rams top-four finishes in each season, including a runner-up finish in 2012. The Rams last won the Mountain West women's cross country title in 2007, while the men are seeking their first-ever MW cross country title.

This season, CSU's men won their first-ever team title at the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational, led by the meet's third-ever repeat champion, Jerrell Mock. The Rams women placed sixth at the Griak, marking a seven-place improvement from the 2016 meet. The ninth-ranked men went on to place sixth at the loaded Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, placing ahead of 14 ranked teams and behind only top-ranked Northern Arizona, No. 3 Portland, No. 4 Syracuse, No. 6 Stanford and No. 7 Furman.

Rams' Men Ranked Ninth for Second-Highest All-Time Ranking from USTFCCCA
- The Colorado State men's cross country's team has steadily risen up the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) poll all season, reaching a No. 9 ranking in the week five rankings. That is CSU's second-highest cross country ranking from the USTFCCCA all-time, and its highest since 2003.
- The Rams entered this season ranked as the No. 18 team in the nation by the USTFCCCA, and held that position in each of the week one and week two polls. Following the program's first-ever team title at the Roy Griak Invitational, the Rams rose to No. 15 in week three and No. 11 in week four.
- CSU's sixth-place finish at the stacked Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational prompted a two-spot move to No. 9 in the subsequent rankings. The Rams finished above 14 ranked teams and five teams that were each ranked in the top seven by the USTFCCCA in week five.
- Additionally, CSU's women received votes in the USTFCCCA week three poll following a sixth-place finish at the Griak. Colorado State had not received votes or been ranked on each of the women's and men's sides in the same week since 2005.
- No. 18 is the second-highest preseason ranking the Rams' men have ever received from the USTFCCCA, and their highest preseason position since 2002. The Rams' No. 18 ranking in week one was also their highest in week one since 2002, while their No. 18 ranking in week two was their best in that week since 2003.
- CSU's men finished 17th nationally in 2016, the program's top final ranking since 2003.
- Colorado State cross country has been ranked in the preseason in each year dating back to 2014 under sixth-year head cross country coach Art Siemers. The Rams have been ranked by the USTFCCCA for 35 consecutive polls, dating back to the week three rankings in 2013, and have been in the top 20 for nine consecutive weeks (since week five in 2016).
- CSU is currently the highest-ranked men's cross country team in the Mountain West.

USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country National Coaches' Poll
Preseason (Aug. 29): Women's – NR | Men's – No. 18
Week One (Sept. 12): Women's – NR | Men's – No. 18
Week Two (Sept. 19): Women's – NR | Men's – No. 18
Week Three (Sept. 26): Women's – RV | Men's – No. 15
Week Four (Oct. 3): Women's – NR | Men's – No. 11
Week Five (Oct. 17): Women's – NR | Men's – No. 9

Rams' Men Ranked in Top Four Regionally, Women Ranked Ninth in Region
- Colorado State's men's cross country team began the 2017 season ranked in the top five in the highly competitive Mountain Region. Following their performances at the Roy Griak Invitational and the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, the Rams moved up to No. 4.
- CSU's women's squad was tabbed the preseason No. 7 team in the Mountain Region entering 2017, and had risen to No. 6 regionally prior to their current No. 9 standing.
- CSU's men placed fourth in the 2016 Mountain Regional to reach the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2016. The Rams toppled then-No. 15 UTEP in the regional, and placed behind only the nation's top three teams at the time (No. 1 Northern Arizona, No. 2 Colorado, No. 3 BYU).
- The Rams' women placed sixth in their region one year ago, as then-senior Janelle Lincks and 2017 senior Darby Gilfillan earned All-Region honors en route to berths to the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Cross Country Regional Rankings – Mountain Region
Preseason: Women's – No. 7 | Men's – No. 5
Week One: Women's – No. 6 | Men's – No. 5
Week Two: Women's – No. 6 | Men's – No. 5
Week Three: Women's – No. 6 | Men's – No. 5
Week Four: Women's – No. 7 | Men's – No. 5
Week Five: Women's – No. 9 | Men's – No. 4

Rams' Men Tabbed Preseason and Midseason Favorite in the Mountain West
- The Colorado State men's cross country team was selected as the favorite to win the 2017 Mountain West title by conference head coaches, while Colorado State's women's team was projected to finish fourth in the 2017 MW Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll. Those rankings were released by the conference on Wednesday, Aug. 30.
- The CSU men received 46 points overall and five of eight possible first-place votes in preseason voting. The Rams' women earned 71 points. The Rams are one year removed from a runner-up Mountain West finish on the men's side and a fourth-place conference finish on the women's side.
- The midseason poll was released on Thursday, Oct. 5, with each of the Rams' women and men holding their respective positions from preseason voting. CSU's men picked up more points in midseason polling to extend their edge over Boise State (49 points, all seven possible first-place votes), while the women earned 69 points and are just one point back of third-place Utah State.
- The Rams return three All-Mountain West performers from the 2016 conference meet, including 2016 runner-up and 2015 MW champion Jerrell Mock, as well as Grant Fischer and Cole Rockhold. Eric Hamer (15th place) and Carson Hume (16th place), who took the next two positions outside of All-Mountain West honors (top 14), also return for 2017. No other team returns as many athletes that finished in the top 16 (five for CSU) at the 2016 conference meet.
- The Rams' women return three of their top four finishers from the 2016 conference meet: Ali Kallner, McKenna Spillar and Kate White. Darby Gilfillan, a two-time NCAA Cross Country Championships participant, also returns for her senior season.

Griak Title Leads to USTFCCCA NCAA Di Men National Athlete of the Week Honor for Mock
- Following his second consecutive individual title at the Roy Griak Invitational, Colorado State senior Jerrell Mock was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I Men National Athlete of the Week on Monday, Sept. 25.
- Mock earned the national honor after becoming just the third men's individual in meet history to capture the Griak title in consecutive seasons. The senior is the first to repeat as champion since 2002-03 (BYU's Kip Kangogo).
- With Mock's second Griak crown, Colorado State became the only program in meet history to have the individual men's champion in three straight seasons. Former CSU All-American Jefferson Abbey started that streak with his individual title in 2015.
- Mock led the then-18th-ranked Colorado State men to their first-ever team title at Roy Griak Invitational, as the Rams topped a field that included then-No. 20 UCLA and then-No. 25 Michigan State. The Rams finished with 47 points to top the Spartans (55 points) and the Bruins (63 points).

Rams Make History as Mock, Spillar Earn MW Athlete of the Week Honors
- Following their performances at the Roy Griak Invitational, McKenna Spillar and Jerrell Mock were named the respective women's and men's Mountain West Cross Country Athletes of the Week. The league announced those selections on Tuesday, Sept. 26.
- Mock earned his accolade following his second consecutive individual title at the Roy Griak Invitational, while Spillar was the highest Mountain West finisher (30th) at the meet. Mock's performance hoisted the Rams to their first-ever team title at the Griak, while Spillar helped the Rams improve from 13th in 2016 to sixth this season.
- It was the second time this season that Colorado State swept Mountain West athletes of the week, marking the first time a school has done so twice in a single season was in 2012 (New Mexico). However, in each of those weeks, UNM's men's selection was a co-athlete of the week. The most recent school to sweep MW honors outright was BYU in 2010; no other current conference member has ever swept league honors outright twice in a single cross country season.
- No Mountain West school this season has as many weekly conference accolades as Colorado State's four. Utah State has three, while New Mexico has one.

Gilfillan and Powell Named MW Athletes of the Week After Opening Weekend
- With their performances at the CSU Duals, Colorado State's Darby Gilfillan and Trent Powell were named the respective women's and men's Mountain West Cross Country Athletes of the Week on Sept. 5.
- Those accolades were the first weekly conference honors for each of Gilfillan and Powell. Additionally, that was the first time that any Mountain West school has swept the weekly women's and men's conference cross country honors since 2014 (Wyoming's Holly Page and Amos Bowen), as well as the first time that Colorado State has since 2012 (Kaitlin Hanenburg and Alex Muntefering).
- Gilfillan was the top collegian in the CSU Duals women's 5k, finishing in 17:35. Among the runners defeated by Gilfillan were track & field NCAA champions Sage Hurta and Dani Jones, as well as All-Americans Madie Boreman and Makena Morley.
- Powell placed second of 120 runners (including unattached entries), clocking a time of 14:52 to improve upon his previous best cross country 5k by 25 seconds. CU All-Americans Joe Klecker and Zach Perrin were among the runners that Powell finished ahead of at the CSU Duals.

Trio of All-Americans Highlight Returners for Rams' Men
- Among the returners for Colorado State men's cross country in 2017 are three athletes that have earned an All-America honor during cross country or track & field: Jerrell Mock, Grant Fischer and Cole Rockhold.
- Mock has been a consistent low stick for the Rams in each of the past two cross country seasons, finishing as the Rams' No. 1 runner in each meet in 2016 and as an All-American in 2015. Among Mock's most notable cross country finishes are individual victories at the 2016 Roy Griak Invitational and 2015 Mountain West Championships, as well as a runner-up finish at the 2016 conference meet and a 19th-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
- Fischer emerged as a consistent No. 2 runner for the Rams during the 2016 cross country season, earning All-Region and All-Mountain West honors. Fischer carried that over to the 2017 indoor and outdoor track & field seasons, earning All-America honors in the indoor 5,000 meters and in the 10,000 meters.
- Rockhold was an All-Mountain West performer for the 2016 cross country season, placing 13th at last year's conference meet. During 2016-17, Rockhold went on to add an individual MW title in the 3,000 meters before earning First-Team All-America honors in the event at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and Honorable Mention All-America honors in the outdoor 5,000 meters.

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