BYU Women's cross country psych for Nationals this Saturday

No. 3 BYU women's cross country are setting their eyes on the ultimate prize at the NCAA national championship Nov. 18 in Earlysville, Virginia.

According to the NCAA, the top two teams from each of the nine regions all qualified to race in nationals. Thirteen more teams were selected at-large to participate as well. This past weekend, BYU took second at regionals, automatically qualifying for the championships this Saturday. Carmen Alder placed fourth overall with 19:30.5 as Aubrey Frentheway ran on Alder's tail with 19:30.6. Lexy Halladay-Lowry finished third for BYU behind Frentheway with 19:47.1.

The nationals course in Panorama Farms is the same course in which the Cougars won the XC-23 Pre-Nationals Invitational last month. In the invitational, Alder placed in first place with 19:36.2, winning her first individual collegiate title. Following her for BYU was Jenna Hutchins with 19:58.3, placing in fifth. Then, Frentheway finished in seventh with 20:00.6. A video of drone footage here shows a 3D layout of the 6k course at Panorama Farms.

The Cougars last won the National Championships in the 2020-2021 season during the pandemic. The following season, they placed in second for the 2021 Championships. Last season in 2022, BYU fell short as they finished in eighth place for Nationals.

Can Coach Diljeet Taylor and her team bring home the national title once again?

The course map can be found here and live results will be posted here.

The 6k race will begin on Saturday, Nov. 18 8:20 a.m. MT and will be streamed on ESPNU/ESPN+ here.