Part of the girls cross country team practices on the track to improve their speed. Many of the athletes in cross country continue their season into track and field as they look to compete in this weekend’s NCAA Regional Championships. Photo by Charlotte Lao/The Daily Campus
The UConn men’s and women’s cross country teams are poised to deliver a good showing at this weekend’s NCAA Regional Championships in Buffalo, New York.
Despite the course being changed overnight due to poor conditions, head coach Greg Roy has assured that the team is healthy, with one goal in mind.
“Our goal is to run our best races of the season, and who to tell where that could take us,” Roy said. “If you look at the season we’ve had, we started unranked, progressed each week and now we’re currently ranked ninth. We’re in great shape and healthy as can be.”
On Thursday afternoon, the U.S Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association via its Twitter page announced Thursday afternoon that the course would be changed due to conditions.
“Due to concerns about poor footing, ice & student-athlete safety, the races at the NCAA Division I Northeast Regional Championships in Buffalo, New York, will be run on a road course,” the announcement read.The meet was originally going to be held at Audubon Golf Course.”
Finishing 14th in team standings at last year’s championships, the men’s team looks to improve on that performance.
“What would be ideal is of course if we could have three athletes finishing in the top 50, and finish scoring by placing within 80-100.” Roy said.
Clinching the top spot last year for the Huskies women’s team, Mia Nahom returns this year leading the charge.
UConn’s women’s team placed 12th at last year’s championships, with Nahom’s best individual finish in the women’s 6K being 55th.
Friday’s championships will see the top two teams, men’s and women’s, gaining automatic qualification for the national championships in Tennessee later this month. The Huskies women’s team clinched their first trip to the National Championships in 2012.
Nicholas Martin is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at nicholas.r.martin@uconn.edu