RSSBot
11-12-2011, 06:30 AM
By Brian Howell Camera Sports Writer
Winning is always nice. But for the Colorado cross country team, being just good enough is all that matters today.
Originally posted by Daily Camera (http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-college-sports/ci_19321020?source=rss)
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Buffnik
11-12-2011, 01:43 PM
The Buffaloes will compete in the Mountain Region Championship in Provo, Utah. With the NCAA championships just nine days away, the Buffs aren't too concerned with winning.
"This is more of a qualifying round than it is a championship," long-time Buffs coach Mark Wetmore said. "There is a trophy and there is a first-place runner, but most people dial their training way back for (this meet) and then go back to work and what we call 'train through' the regionals."
CU does need to run well today. The top two teams in the men's and women's races automatically qualify for nationals. The third and fourth place teams are in great position for an at-large bid.
"You can play it too carefully, end up fifth and not get through," Wetmore said. "Or, you can run really hard and be tired next week. So, it can be tricky."
The Buffs probably don't have much to worry about, however.
The women are the third-ranked team in the country, and there's only one other top-30 team at the regionals -- No. 19 New Mexico. The men are ranked fourth nationally, just behind host BYU (No. 3). No. 12 Northern Arizona is the only other top-30 team in the field.
The last time CU's men or women failed to finish in the top four at regionals was in 1991, when both were fifth. Since then, the men haven't finished out of the top two and have taken 15 regional titles. The women have seven regional titles since 1991.
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Good luck at Regionals today!