LOGAN, Utah – Following its performance at the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships, Utah State's men's cross country team climbed another spot in the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country National Coaches' Poll.
The Aggies, who placed fourth last Friday in a loaded Mountain Regional, garnered 132 points in this week's poll to rank as the highest team in the Mountain West and the fourth-highest team in the region at No. 19.
This is Utah State's highest ranking since the Aggies peaked at No. 19 in Week 5 of the 2017 season.
Mountain Region-foes Northern Arizona (329 points and 10 first-place votes), Colorado (313 points) and BYU (308 points) checked in at Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively.
Other Mountain West teams in the top 25 included Boise State at No. 25 with 62 points, while Air Force (8 points) was one of seven teams listed as receiving votes, along with Weber State (13 points) and Southern Utah (8 points).
In Utah State's last outing, the Aggie men placed fourth with 106 points and had five runners earn all-region honors at the Mountain Regional Championships, which took place at the Rose Park Golf Course in Salt Lake City.
Five Aggies placed in the top 25 to earn all-region honors, led by grad transfer
Dallin Farnsworth, who placed 16th with a time of 30:53.0. Senior
Luke Beattie (31:05.6) finished 20
th and was followed by sophomore
Caleb Garnica (31:06.3) in 22nd, senior
Adam Hendrickson (31:07.3) in 23rd and senior
James Withers (31:13.7) in 25th.
The Aggies' fourth-place finish was their best ever at a regional meet, with their previous highest finish coming in 2017, when they placed seventh in Logan. Five runners earning all-region honors is the most ever by a USU team, as well.
Other finishers for the Aggie men included senior
J.D. Thorne, who placed 35th with a time of 31:35.5, and junior
Haydon Cooper, who finished 102nd with a time of 33:38.9.
Utah State earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championships, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23, in Terre Haute, Ind. The top-two teams from each region automatically qualified for the meet, while Utah State earned an at-large bid, along with 12 other teams. This is USU's second at-large berth to the NCAA Championships after earning one in 2017, as well.
Utah State's trip to the NCAA Championships caps a season in which the Aggies won five meets, including finishing first in a 44-team field at the Paul Short Run on Oct. 5, and winning their first-ever Mountain West Championship on Nov. 1.
The NCAA Championships will be hosted by Indiana State at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute.
Fans can follow the Utah State track & field and cross country programs at twitter.com/USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at instagram.com/USUTF_XC. Aggies fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
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