Women's Cross Country Season Recap

• It was a historic season for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's cross country team as the Mountain Lions recorded their highest finish ever in program history at the NCAA Division II National Championship meet.
• The Mountain Lions started the season winning the six-team UCCS Rust Buster on Sept. 3.  One month later, the Mountain Lions traveled to Louisville, Ky. for the prestigious Live in Lou Classic where they posted a fourth place finish out of 41 teams.
• In their first post-season race, the Mountain Lions ran to a third-place finish at the conference championships held in Durango, Colo., followed by another third-place finish at the South Central Regional meet as all five Mountain Lion scorers finished in the top 25 to garner USTFCCCA All-Region accolades.
• "I am extremely proud of what the team accomplished this fall," said head coach Corey Kubatzky. "We've been building towards this for many years, with many athletes and staff members making contributions that got us closer and closer to the goal of getting on the podium at Nationals for the first time ever. This accomplishment belongs to them as well. Moreover, I am proud of how we did it - with a commitment to excellence in the classroom and a culture of shared leadership and support among these incredible young women."

 
Award Winners

• Layla Almasri: USTFCCCA All-America First Team, USTFCCCA All Region, All-RMAC First Team, RMAC All-Academic First Team, RMAC Runner of the Week (Sept. 7)
• Nadine Almasri: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Molly Breuer: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Anna Fauske: USTFCCCA All-America First Team, USTFCCCA All Region, All-RMAC First Team, RMAC All-Academic First Team
• Kelsey Graff: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Rachel Goodrich: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Kate Hedlund: USTFCCCA All-America First Team, USTFCCCA All Region, RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Mason Ingallinera: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Jessica Madrid: All-RMAC Second Team
• Riley McGrath: USTFCCCA All-America First Team, USTFCCCA All Region, All-RMAC Second Team, RMAC All-Academic First Team
• Rachel Richtman: USTFCCCA All Region, RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll

 
Hot Takes

• UCCS automatically qualified for the national meet after their third place finish at the NCAA South Central Regional meet, making it the 12^th time competing at NCAA Championship race (2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2006, 2004, 2002, and 2000). 
• This year's national championship meet was the sixth straight year UCCS has competed in the national championships under head coach Corey Kubatzky, and the ninth time in the past 10 championship seasons. 
• Layla Almasri and Riley McGrath earned their second straight All-America accolades while Kate Hedlund and Anna Fauske earned their first career All-American honor.
• The four All-Americans are the most in program history.
• Almasri and McGrath are the third and fourth Mountain Lions in program history to earn multiple All-America distinction.
• A program record five Mountain Lions garnered all-region accolades: Almasri, Fauske, McGrath, Hedlund and Rachel Richtman. 
• Almasri crossed the finish line first for UCCS in all five meets this season, including the individual title at the UCCS Rust Buster.
• UCCS finished in the top five at the conference championship meet for the 11^th straight year.  It was also the fifth time they have placed in the top three in that span.
• The four all-conference honors is the second time in program history the Mountain Lions have had four runners represented on the All-RMAC Team.
• Almasri nabbed her third all-conference honor (2019, 2021, 2022) and her second straight top-five finish at the conference meet.
• McGrath garnered her second straight All-RMAC award while Fauske and Madrid earned her first career all-conference accolade.

 
National Rankings

• UCCS was ranked in the top-5 of the USTFCCCA Division II Women's Cross Country Poll in all 10 weeks.  The Mountain Lions started out with a No. 5 ranking in the preseason before posting a No. 4 ranking in eight of the nine next weeks.  The No. 4 is the highest ranking ever in program history.

 
USTFCCCA DII NATIONAL RANKINGS
 

Preseason (Aug. 29)	No. 5
Week 1 (Sept. 14)	No. 4
Week 2 (Sept. 28)	No. 5
Week 3 (Oct. 5)	No. 4
Week 4 (Oct. 12)	No. 4
Week 5 (Oct. 19)	No. 4
Week 6 (Oct. 26)	No. 4
Week 7 (Nov. 8)	No. 4
Week 8 (Nov. 23)	No. 4
Final (Dec. 2)	No. 4

 
 
 
2023 Season Outlook

• UCCS will aim to get back to a podium finish in 2023, but will first put their focus on the 2022-23 indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.
• "While we lose a few athletes who have had a huge impact on our success, we return a very talented and hardworking group next fall that will surely have high expectations as well," said Kubatzky.  "I am excited to see how this group continues to build on what past teams have built!"

 
For everything UCCS Athletics, follow the Mountain Lions on social media and stay tuned to gomountainlions.com.
 
SOCIAL
Twitter – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
Facebook – GoMountainLions