Thunderbirds place five scorers in top 11 to capture first team crown since 2015 against short-handed Lumberjacks, who have Nur win program’s fifth straight individual title while resting Ferro, Grijalva and Young; O'Neill and return of Hanson help NAU women place five in top eight to repeat as champions

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

OGDEN, Utah – Northern Arizona had already secured three pieces of the puzzle in pursuit of sweeping every title Saturday at the Big Sky Conference Cross Country Championships.

But with the Lumberjacks deciding to rest Luis Grijalva, Blaise Ferro and freshman Nico Young – all three potential All-Americans at the March 15 NCAA Division 1 Championships – for the 8-kilometer race Saturday at Schneiter’s Riverside Golf Course, the move opened the door for the Southern Utah men’s team to be a roadblock for Northern Arizona in its quest for a fifth consecutive team crown.

Southern Utah placed five scorers in the top 11 to win its first championship since 2015 by a 35-38 margin over the Lumberjacks, who had Abdihamid Nur and Taryn O’Neill capture the individual crowns, along with winning a second straight women’s team title.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

Nur became the fifth Northern Arizona in as many years to secure the men’s individual championship, navigating his way throughout the snow-covered layout in 23 minutes, 55.6 seconds. Drew Bosley, Matthew Baxter, Tyler Day and Futsum Zienasellassie won the past four individual crowns for the Lumberjacks, with Nur’s victory making it 29 overall for NAU in conference history.

Stefen Rasmuson set an aggressive tone early in the race for Southern Utah, allowing his teammates to find their comfort level in the chase pack. Although Nur surged into the lead near the midway point of the race, followed by Montana State’s Duncan Hamilton (23:58.1), Rasmuson was able to hold on for third place in 24 minutes flat, allowing his Thunderbird teammates to remain in close contact behind him.

Aidan Reed (24:07.7) and Nate Osterstock (24:08.5) finished fifth and sixth, with Christian Ricketts (24:27.4) and Isaiah Labra (24:29.4) taking 10th and 11th. Southern Utah also had the top freshman in the conference in Santiago Gaitan placing 13th in 24:35.6.

Without the impressive trio providing support for Nur as they had done Feb. 19 at the Battle Born Collegiate XC Challenge in Las Vegas, the Lumberjacks had Ryan Raff finish fourth in 24:02.7, with Bosley earning eighth in 24:21.8 after capturing the 2019 title in Greeley, Colo., and Brodey Hasty finishing ninth in 24:24.1. Senior Aldo Marquez was the fifth scorer for Northern Arizona, taking 16th in 24:43.5.

Hamilton, who was 10th at the 2019 conference final for Montana State, battled Nur throughout the race to secure the runner-up finish and guide the Bobcats to fourth place overall with 93 points. Taylor Dillon of Weber State, fourth at the 2019 championship meet, secured seventh for the host Wildcats in 24:13.6 to contribute to a third-place team finish with 67 points. 

Although Northern Arizona didn’t boast its full men’s team, the Lumberjacks showcased a returning veteran Saturday to its women’s lineup in Jessa Hanson, whose last appearance in a conference championship meet was 2018.

Hanson placed fifth in the 5-kilometer race in 17:24.9 in support of O’Neill, who clocked 16:59.9 to improve from a sixth-place finish in 2019 and become the first Northern Arizona female athlete since Paige Gilchrist in 2017 to capture the individual title.

O’Neill and Hanson led five NAU scorers in the top eight and a sixth athlete placing 11th overall to produce an impressive 27-73 victory over Weber State. It marked the 22nd team championship and 18th individual crown for the Lumberjacks in women’s program history.

Bryn Morley (17:29.5), Pipi Eitel (17:29.7) and Delaney Rasmussen (17:30.7) were right behind Hanson, placing sixth, seventh and eighth, followed by Jesselyn Bries (17:56.3) in 11th overall.

Weber State graduate student-athlete Summer Allen, who won the 2013 Big Sky individual title and was 17th at the 2018 conference final before returning to competition this season after giving birth to her first child last year, placed second in 17:08.7, followed by Southern Utah senior Alison Pray (17:19.7) taking third for the second year in a row.

Montana State sophomore Camila Noe, who captured the title at the 2019 conference meet in Colorado, finished fourth in 17:23.3. Noe remained with O’Neill through the first 2 kilometers, but the Northern Arizona junior surged ahead and Allen followed, leaving Pray and the Montana State standout to chase the remainder of the race, which featured intermittent snow flurries and hail.

Idaho senior Malaina Thacker, who finished 19th in 2019, improved to ninth in 17:35.2. Billie Hatch, an NCAA Division 2 All-American at Dixie State, secured 10th in her Big Sky championship debut in 17:41.2.

Olivia Lackland Henry earned the first conference freshman of the year honors for Montana, placing 27th overall in 18:33.1.