LOGAN, Utah – Utah State cross country is headed to the Gem State, where the Aggies will take part in the 2023 Mountain West Cross Country Championships.

The championships will be held on Friday, Oct. 27, at Eagle Island State Park in Eagle, Idaho. The men's 8-kilometer race is slated to begin at 10:15 a.m., while the women's 6K competition will start at 11 a.m.

"Both teams are excited to compete at the Mountain West Championships," said Utah State head coach Artie Gulden. "The conference championship is always an exciting meet. Hopefully, we can rise to the occasion and compete well. We are looking for a lot of fire and emotion from both teams on Friday."

The race will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network, while live results will be available at Record Timing.

The Aggie men were picked fourth in the MW Pre-Championship Cross Country Coaches' Poll and the women were tabbed fifth.

Air Force, which is ranked No. 26 in the nation, claimed the top spot on the men's side in the poll, receiving five first-place votes and 60 points. For the women, it was No. 25 Colorado State claiming the top spot with 10 first-place votes and 100 points.

Utah State's men's team will be represented by grad seniors Bridger Altice and Camren Todd, seniors Yonas Mogos, Spencer Nelson and Max Wehrli, juniors Caleb Armstrong, Brennan Benson, Wyatt Evans and Eric Nelson, and sophomore Logan Garnica.

The Aggie women will be represented by grad seniors Bailey Brinkerhoff-Todd and Abby Jensen, senior Sammi Lee, juniors Mimi Miyazawa and Emma Thornley, sophomore Sarah Ellis, and freshmen Shelby Jensen, Megumi Ludlow, Brie Smith and Natalie Swain.

At the 2022 MW Championships in Laramie, Wyoming, the Aggie men and women both placed third. Todd earned second-team all-league honors after placing ninth with a time of 23:58.4.

Following Friday's MW Championships, the Aggies will be back in action on Friday, Nov. 10, at the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships in Lubbock, Texas.

The NCAA Championships will take place eight days later on Saturday, Nov. 18, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

For more information on the Utah State track & field/cross country programs, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at USUTF_XC.

-USU-