Thanks to some solid performances at the NCAA West Regional, three Big West squads and one at-large qualifier will head to Terre Haute, IN to compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

On the men's side, the Cal Poly Mustangs and the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos receive at-large berths into the championships. The Gauchos finished seventh in the 25-team field, while the Mustangs finished in ninth in the 10K race. The two squads combined for three top 20 individual finishers as UCSB’s J.D. Krawczyk (7th-30:28.06) and Mike Chavez (14th-30:35.81) and Cal Poly’s Phillip Reid (12th-30:34.34) were among the top finishers.

On the women's side, UC Santa Barbara continued its outstanding season as the Gauchos finished second, only behind national power and top-ranked Stanford. Four of UCSB's top five runners finished in the top 15, led by Big West Athlete of the Year Lauren Christman (5th-21:17.50). UC Irvine harrier Laura Olvera broke up the Stanford pack at the finish with a third place showing at 21:16.2. It was her best-ever showing at the regional meet and earned her an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships.

The 68th annual men's and 26th annual women's NCAA Cross Country Championships will be hosted by Indiana State University and held at Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, IN, on November 20. The men's race will be a 10K race, while the women's championship jaunt will be a 6K affair.