BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's and men's cross country programs will put it on the line one last time in 2019, racing in the NCAA Division II National Championships on Saturday in Sacramento, California. 

 

Each Viking squad is part of the 34-team national championships race that will be held on Saturday (Nov. 23) at Arcade Creek Cross Country Course (at Haggin Oaks). Racing begins at 10 am with the women's 6K and the men's 10K follows at 11:15 am. 

 

• Live Results
• Webcast via FloTrack ($)

 

This marks the second consecutive season both the Western Washington University men's and women's cross country teams are heading to the NCAA Division II National Championships and the eighth time in program history that both teams have advanced to nationals in the same season.

 

"We are heading to nationals with the goal of finishing higher than our current rankings, but I also think both teams have a chance to really shoot up leaderboard if they run with that pack mentality that has made them so strong this season," said 33^rd-year head coach Pee Wee Halsell. "I believe we can surprise some people and put up a good placing. The team has really positive vibes heading into the championships and I am looking forward to see how they compete on the course."

 

The WWU women head into the national meet with a No. 18 USTFCCCA ranking, with the men listed No. 22. WWU's men's squad placed 5^th at the NCAA II West Regional in Monmouth, Oregon two weeks ago, with the women's team finishing 7^th. The West Region proved to be one of the toughest in the nation, as four of the 10 at-large teams for the championships came out of the region for both the men and women. 

 

This marks the 11^th trip to nationals for the men's team in program history and the 9^th for the women's team. WWU was one of 19 NCAA Division II schools to have both its men's and women's cross country programs qualify for the 2019 national championships.

 

Here is a look at WWU's starting lineup of seven runners for the 2019 NCAA Division II Championships.

 

 

The championships will be held on Saturday in Sacramento, California on the Arcade Creek Golf Course at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex. Sacramento State University and the Sacramento Sports Commission will serve as hosts for the event, with the women's 6K race beginning at 10 am, followed by the men's race at 11:15 am. Live results will be available with a direct link atWWUVikings.com/XC_Live.

 

A live web stream of the championships will occur on FloTrack.com beginning at 10 am until the conclusion of the awards ceremony on Saturday, November 23.  FloTrack Pro subscribers will have access to the NCAA cross country coverage. Those seeking access can become a FloTrack Pro subscriber for a monthly price of $29.99 or an annual price of $149.99. A subscription includes access to all FloTrack live broadcasts, video on-demand from all events, documentaries, technique videos and more, as well as premium content across the entire FloSports network. 

 

This marks the eighth time in program history that both the men's and women's programs have been selected to race for the NCAA II national championship. This marks the 9^th trip to nationals for the women's program, and the second consecutive year after placing 20^th in 2018 at the NCAA II Fall Championships Festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. WWU's previous trip to nationals was in 2015 when the team earned a 6^th-place finish. This is the 11^th selection for the men's team and second consecutive season after finishing 26^th last year at nationals. Here is a look at WWU's prior finishes at the NCAA West Regional and NCAA II National Championships since joining the NCAA in 1998:

 

                                                                                                     

A total of 34 teams were selected to participate in each championship. The top three, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the eight regions across the country, for a total of 24 teams. Both the WWU men's and women's teams were one of 10 additional teams on both the men's and women's side that were selected at-large by the NCAA II Cross Country Committee. An additional 24 individuals were selected to participate in each championship through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process. The list of advancing teams and individuals are list are posted on NCAA.com.

 

Here is a look at WWU's team finishes during the 2019 cross country season:

 

 

Fans can follow WWU Cross Country online at WWUVikings.com/XC, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUTFXC), Instagram (@WWUTFXC) and Facebook (@WWUTFXC).