Men's Cross Country Season Recap

• The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's cross country team had a fantastic season, finishing fourth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship meet, seventh in the NCAA South Central Regional meet, and 15th place (435 points) in the NCAA Division II National championship meet.
• The Mountain Lions started their season by finishing first among seven competing teams at the annual UCCS Rust Buster 8k on Sept. 7. A few weeks later, they competed at the UWP Lucian Rosa Invite 8k in Kenosha, Wis., placing first out of nine participants.
• UCCS' postseason began on Oct. 26, competing at the RMAC Championship meet hosted in Las Vegas, N.M. The Mountain Lions placed fourth in the conference at the meet. UCCS then placed seventh out of 24 teams at the South Central Regional 10k meet hosted in Denver, Colo., at Washington Park, earning a trip to the NCAA Division II National Championship meet.
• At the championship meet in Sacramento, Calif., the Mountain Lions showed out, placing 15th in the nation out of 34 teams in Division II.

 
Award Winners

• Kyle Briggs: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Michael Burke Jr.: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Tyler Campbell: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Koy Cunningham: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Brett Davis: RMAC All-Academic First Team, All-RMAC First Team
• Jack Donze: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Joseph Hamilton: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Peter Harrison: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Joseph Impellitteri: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Tyler Jamieson: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Will Lamb: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Caden Leal: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Pablo Lomeli: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Nick Pascarella: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• TJ Saglembeni: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Turner Schad: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Jagger Zlotoff: USTFCCCA All-Region Team, RMAC All-Academic First Team, All-RMAC First Team

 
Hot Takes
 

• UCCS competed in the national championship meet for the 11th time in program history this season (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2008, 2004), with it being their sixth straight opportunity to compete for the title.
• Boosting the Mountain Lions to a top-15 finish at the national championship meet was Enzo Knapp, who crossed the finish line first for UCCS with a time of 31:01.3 for a 67th-place finish. Joining Knapp in the effort was Jagger Zlotoff, who placed 82nd with a time of 31:11.2, Brett Davis, who placed 99th with a time of 31:21.2, and Joseph Impellitteri, who clocked a time of 31:33.9 and a 126th place finish.
• Other Mountain Lion participants who contributed to the 15th-place finish were Caden Leal, who placed 136th (31:41.1), Jack Donze, who placed 159th (31:57.0), and Koy Cunningham, who placed 181st (32:15.5).
• Five Mountain Lions, including Knapp, Davis, Impellitteri, Leal, and Cunningham, ran personal bests at the championship meet.
• The championship race was Zlotoff's third straight appearance and the second for Davis, Donze, and Impellitteri. It was Knapp, Leal, and Cunningham's first appearance.

 
National Rankings
 

• The Mountain Lions started the 2024 season ranked No. 23 in the USTFCCCA Preseason Poll and stayed in the top-25 the entire season. UCCS' highest ranking was when they finished 15th in the NCAA Division II National Championship meet.

 
USTFCCCA DII NATIONAL RANKINGS

Preseason (Sept. 4)	No. 23
Week 1 (Sept. 18)	No. 20
Week 2 (Sept. 25)	No. 19
Week 3 (Oct. 2)	No. 20
Week 4 (Oct. 9)	No. 21
Week 5 (Oct. 16)	No. 22
Week 6 (Oct. 30)	No. 16
Week 7 (Nov. 13)	No. 19
Final (Nov. 23)	No. 15

 
 
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.