Both Washington squads ranked ninth in latest USTFCCCA cross country poll...

NEW ORLEANS--Both University of Washington cross country teams find themselves ranked ninth in the current USTFCCCA Division I national men's and women's cross country poll, released Wednesday.

The men's team, coming off a third place finish at the Silver State Collegiate Challenge meet Monday in Las Vegas, leapfrogged from the number 18 spot, after beating then-number 4 ranked Notre Dame, while holding their own against number 2 BYU and number 1 Northern Arizona.

In the poll, BYU and Northern Arizona traded places, based on the strength of their victory on Monday.

Arkansas is ranked number 3, followed by Tulsa and Oklahoma State, which will host the delayed 2020 NCAA Division I cross country championships on Monday March 15th.

Other Pac-12 men's teams ranked in the national top 30 include number 10 Oregon, number 12 Stanford, and number 13 Colorado.

Both Gonzaga and Washington State received votes from the national coaches' panel, but are outside the top 30.

The Washington women dropped one spot from number eight after their fourth place finish in the Silver State Collegiate Challenge in Las Vegas on Monday.

The nation's top five women's teams are in order: Arkansas, BYU, NC State, Stanford & New Mexico.

Other Pac-12 teams in the national top 30 include number 8 Colorado, number 21 Oregon State, number 24 Oregon, and number 26 Utah.

Both Husky squads were missing runners, as several competed over the weekend at the UW Indoor Preview meet, while others were held out. 

The Husky cross country teams will next run on Friday February 19th at the Battle Born Collegiate Challenge in Las Vegas, before hosting the Pac-12 championships on March 5th at the Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, south of Tacoma.

The USTFCCCA release is available here, while the UW release is here.

KATIE NAGEOTTE ENDS INDOOR SEASON...

In an Instagram post, former Pullman resident Katie Nageotte announced that she will end her 2021 indoor season, after competing in only one meet this season.

Nageotte, who was hit with the COVID-19 virus in December, said in the post, "I’m having a hard time telling my body to move the way I’m used to. The mind-body connection is just slow, and in an event that requires a very sharp focus, it’s been a bit unsettling."

She and her coach, UW alum and former American record holder Brad Walker, will concentrate on training for the upcoming outdoor season.

You can read her post below.

MT SAC ANNOUNCES SPREAD OUT MT SAC RELAYS MEET...

In a post on the Mt. SAC Relays website, the school announced a slight change to its meet schedule.

Both the decathlon and heptathlon, which were held at Azusa Pacific University, will return to the Mt. SAC campus on April 14th and 15th.

The main portion of the meet also returns to the Mt. SAC campus in Walnut, after it was moved to other venues in Southern California while Hilmer Lodge Stadium, underwent a remodel in anticipation of hosting the 2020 US Olympic track & field trials. USA Track & Field pulled the meet from Mt. SAC in favor of Eugene's Historic Hayward Field, even though Mt. SAC had won the bid to host the Trials.

The Collegiate Classic and the Invitational Distance Carnival, will both be held on April 15-16th, while the International Day of Champions, which is the showcase portion of the Relays, will be held on April 17th.

The community college portion of the Mt. SAC Relays will be held May 1st, while the high school portion of the Relays will go May 14-15th.

The announcement by the school is available here.

NOTE: The sports information office of the University of Washington, the Mt. SAC Relays, and the USTFCCCA contributed to this report.

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