THIS WEEK'S MEET
- The ninth ranked University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's cross country team will be one of 34 teams running for the national title at Saturday's 2021 NCAA Division II National Championship meet. The Mountain Lions will run the 10k course beginning at 7:45 a.m. (MT) from the Abbey Golf Course in Saint Leo, Fla.
MEET INFORMATION
LAST TIME OUT
- Two weeks ago at the NCAA South Central Regional meet, Afewerki Zeru bested his previous personal best 10k time by more than a minute as he finished runner-up for the second straight meet. Zeru crossed the finish line in 29:42.16. Matthew Schramm, Evan Graff and Mark Simmons finished within five spots and five seconds of each other. Schramm posted a 19th place finish in 30:59.84, followed by Graff in 20th place (31:00.61) and Simmons in 23rd place with a time of 31:04.69. All three Mountain Lions also recorded personal best times. Rounding out the fifth scorer for UCCS was Branden Bohling in a time of 31:31.30 for a 35th place finish.
MOUNTAIN LIONS COMPETING AT NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (10K PR TIMES)
- Branden Bohling (31:31.3, Nov. 6, 2021 at NCAA South Central Regional)
- Evan Graff (31:00.7, Nov. 6, 2021 at NCAA South Central Regional)
- Gavin Harden (31:49.6, Nov. 6, 2021 at NCAA South Central Regional)
- Matthew Schramm (30:59.9, Nov. 6, 2021 at NCAA South Central Regional)
- Mark Simmons (31:04.7, Nov. 6, 2021 at NCAA South Central Regional)
- Will Young (32:08.7, Nov. 6, 2021 at NCAA South Central Regional)
- Afewerki Zeru (29:42.2, Nov. 6, 2021 at NCAA South Central Regional)
NCAA DIVISION II SELECTIONS
- A total of 34 teams were selected for the 2021 NCAA Division II National Championship Cross Country meet. The top three teams from each regional meet automatically advanced to the championship finals (24 teams). Ten at-large teams were selected by the NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Cross Country Committee using selection criteria. There was no limit to the number of at-large teams that may be selected from any given region.
THE FIELD
- Men's Qualifying Teams, Region
- #3 Adams State, South Central
- #11 Alabama Huntsville, South
- #20 American International, East
- #4 Augustana (South Dakota), Central
- California Poly Pomona, West
- Central Missouri, Central
- #7 Chico State, West
- Catawba, Southeast
- Cedarville, Midwest
- #13 Charleston (West Virginia), Atlantic
- #6 Colorado Christian, South Central
- #1 Colorado School of Mines, South Central
- #9 Colorado-Colorado Springs, South Central
- Concord, Atlantic
- Edinboro, Atlantic
- #25 Embry-Riddle (Florida), South
- #22 Fresno Pacific, West
- #2 Grand Valley State, Midwest
- #8 Lee, South
- #14 Lewis, Midwest
- #17 Michigan Tech., Midwest
- #18 Mississippi College, South
- #10 Missouri Southern State, Central
- #24 Nebraska-Kearney, Central
- #12 Pittsburg State, Central
- #21 Queens (North Carolina), Southeast
- Southern Connecticut State, East
- #19 Southern Indiana, Midwest
- Stonehill, East
- #16 Walsh, Midwest
- #5 Wingate University, Southeast
- Wayne State (Michigan), Midwest
- #15 Western Colorado University, South Central
- #23 West Texas A&M, South Central
NATIONAL MEET HISTORY
- UCCS is making their eighth appearance as a team at a NCAA National Championship meet. The highest a Mountain Lions team has finished at a National Championship meet was 11th place (2004, 2012). The highest individual finisher at a NCAA National meet was eighth place from Moses Tum in 2004 (32:22.1).
- Four Mountain Lions will be entering Saturday's race with National Championship meet experience. Graff, Schramm, Simmons and Zeru all competed at the last NCAA Championship meet which was held in 2019. Schramm, Simmons and Zeru are also competing in their third straight national meet as all three ran in the 2018 national meet. They become the first Mountain Lions to compete in three national meets in program history.
USTFCCCA ALL-AMERICAN AWARDS
- The top 40 finishers at Saturday's race will earn 2021 All-USTFCCCA All-America honors. The All- America teams will be announced on Monday, November 22, followed by the National Athletes and Coaches of the Year of the Year on Tuesday, Nov. 23.
WEATHER FORECAST
- Temperatures at the start of Saturday's race will be in the low 70's with the humidity reaching 80 percent. Winds will be coming out of the Northeast at 14mph.
2021 AWARD WINNERS
- Four Mountain Lions ran to all-region honors in Lubbock, Texas. Afewerki Zeru, Matthew Schramm, Evan Graff and Mark Simmons all finished in the top 25 to earn all-region accolades, the most ever by a Mountain Lion team. Zeru also became the first Mountain Lion to earn All-Region honors three times.
- All four Mountain Lions that earned All-Region honors also earned All-RMAC recognition at the conference championship meet on Oct. 23. Zeru earned All-RMAC First Team honors with his second-place finish, marking the second time in his career with the first team accolade (2019). Schramm and Simmons both earned their third career All-RMAC Second Team award. This is the third straight year Schramm received all-conference second team honors while Simmons earned the award in 2018 and 2019. Bohling received his first career All-RMAC Second Team recognition with his 19th place finish.
- Will Young led a squad of seven Mountain Lions on the 2021 RMAC All-Academic Team. Young was voted to the First Team while six more earned RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll accolades: Branden Bohling, Troy Cournoyer, Evan Graff, Sean Graff, Walker Rudolph, and Matthew Schramm.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
- Each week the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announces Regional (Tuesday's) and National (Wednesday's) rankings.
2021 USTFCCCA DII XC NATIONAL RANKINGS
- Nov. 10 (Week 7)
- Oct. 27 (Week 6)
- No. 12 (FINAL - South Central Ranking: No. 4)
- Oct. 13 (Week 5)
- No. 13 (South Central Ranking: No. 4)
- Oct. 6 (Week 4)
- No. 13 (South Central Ranking: No. 4)
- Sept. 29 (Week 3)
- No. 14 (South Central Ranking: No. 4)
- Sept. 22 (Week 2)
- No. 13 (South Central Ranking: No. 4)
- Sept. 15 (Week 1)
- No. 23 (South Central Ranking: No. 6)
- Sept. 1 (Preseason)
- No. 25 (South Central Ranking: No. 7)
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH MARK MISCH
- The 2021-22 school year marks Mark Misch's 15th season with the UCCS cross country and track and field programs. He is the Head Men's Cross Country and the Assistant Track and Field Coach for men's distance.
- In a COVID-19 abbreviated season in 2020, Misch and the Mountain Lions competed in two regular season meets - both home meets - before hosting the RMAC Cross Country Championship meet at Monument Valley Park. The Mountain Lions opened the season with a first-place finish at the UCCS Rust Buster, hosting the first collegiate Division II race of the season. Two weeks later, UCCS recorded a second-place finish at the UCCS XC Open, held at Cherokee Ridge Golf Course, before notching a sixth-place finish in the conference championship meet and automatically qualifying for the 2020 D2 XC National Invitational. Matthew Schramm earned All-RMAC Second Team honors with a 25th place finish while seven Mountain Lions were named to the RMAC All-Academic Team: Charlie Kieffer (First Team), Cole Dunton, Evan Graff, Gary Kurtz, Walker Rudolph, Patrick Schmidt, Will Young.
- During the 2020 season, Misch also served as the national coordinator for the inaugural XC National Coaches' Poll, which was released weekly and included conference and national rankings involving teams competing in cross country in 2020. In December 2020, Misch was named the 2020 Estonian Men's Coach of the Year after coaching the 2020 Men's Athlete of the Year Tiidrek Nurme.
SOCIAL
Twitter - @GoMountainLions
Instagram - @gomountainlions
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
