After a minimal regular season, the post-season begins for the cross country teams, as they're scheduled to toe the starting line this Friday at the Pac 12 Championships, hosted by Washington this year.
All channels of the Pac 12 Networks is scheduled to show this, with coverage starting at noon MT, a little before the women's 6K race scheduled start at 12:10 PM MT. This is then followed by the men's 10K an hour later at 1:10 PM MT.
In addition to the usual GREAT importance the teams seem to place on these Championships due to "conference pride", and how great the conference is in this sport, this year's races figure to also have more importance than ever for qualifying for the NCAA Championships, as (1) there have been less races this year, both in total and against other national powerhouses and (2) the teams are being selected by a committee rather than the usual mathematical points (KOLAS) system.
As also noted below, in the national coaches' poll released earlier this week, the women are now ranked #6 in the country (vs. #5 in the previous poll), while the men moved up one (from #10 to #9).
Go Buffs!!!
Preview-
Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2021/3/3/buffs-ready-for-pac-12-cross-country-championships.aspx
"
BOULDER — After two regular season meets, the postseason will begin quickly for the Colorado cross country teams with the Pac-12 Conference Championships this Friday, March 5, at Chambers Creek Park in University Place, Wash.
Washington is the host for this year's conference meet, The women will race first, kicking off the event with a 6-kilometer run at 12:10 p.m. MT. The men's 8k run will follow at 1:10 p.m. MT. Both races will be followed by a short awards ceremony.
For the fourth straight season, Pac-12 Network will broadcast the championships live. Jim Watson will serve as the play-by-play announcer and Tom Feuer will provide the color.
The Buffs have done well at the conference championship meet in the past and look to continue that tradition. The men enter as the defending champion, but only two runners who scored on that team in 2019 are racing on Friday, so it's a very different team this season.
...
The men's team enters the championship ranked ninth and is the third highest-ranked Pac-12 team in the USTFCCCA Coaches Poll. Stanford is the highest at fourth, while Washington is eighth. The only other conference team ranked in the national poll is Oregon, coming in at 12th. In the nine-year history of the Pac-12 Championship, only two teams have won the team title: Colorado (7) and Stanford (2).
So far this season, the men have recorded a third-place finish at the FSU Winter Classic (after the tie-breaker with Iowa State) and a third-place finish at the Battle Born Collegiate Challenge.
The women were fourth in 2019 at Pac-12, but this season they are very experienced and looking to finish higher. Like the men, the roster looks different, but with a twist. Colorado added a pair of graduate transfers in the offseason, giving the Buffs some extra experience. Micaela Degenero raced at Michigan, while Abby Nichols ran at Ohio State.
...
The CU women enter the meet ranked sixth in the latest USTFCCCA poll, which is behind No. 5 Stanford. Behind those two are No. 12 Washington and No. 24 Oregon State, while Oregon and Utah are both receiving votes. CU has won the most team titles in the field with four, while Oregon has won three. Stanford and Arizona have each won one.
Following the conference championships, the NCAA will announce the field for the NCAA Championships on Saturday, March 6. The championship will follow on Monday, March 15, in Stillwater, Okla. Due to the split season, there will not be a regional championship, so the only way to advance to the NCAA Championship is through the selection process.
RESULTS: Live results will be available at https://live.pntfo.com/meets/6886 and final results will be posted at CUBuffs.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Fans can follow @CUBuffsTrack on Twitter for in-race updates. The official hashtag of the meet is #Pac12XC.
2020 PAC-12 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Friday, March 5, 2021
Chambers Creek Park (University Park, Wash.)
11:55 a.m. - Called to Start – Women
12:10 p.m. - Women's 6000m Championship Race
12:50 p.m. - Women's Awards Ceremony
12:55 p.m. - Called to Start –Men
1:10 p.m. - Men's 8000m Championship Race
1:50 p.m. - Men's Awards Ceremony
USTFCCCA POLLS: The latest edition of the USTFCCCA Division I Coaches Poll was released on Wednesday, March 3, and both of Colorado's cross country teams were ranked in the top-10.
The women moved down one spot from fifth to sixth, switching positions with conference foe Stanford. CU recorded 264 points in the poll, while Stanford received 280. Arkansas and BYU held down the top two spots, respectively, while New Mexico moved up one to third and NC State dropped one to fourth. In the regional rankings, CU is fourth.
On the men's side, CU moved up one to ninth with 231 points. BYU, Northern Arizona and Arkansas stayed put at first, second and third, respectively, while Stanford moved up to fourth, dropping Tulsa down to fifth. Oklahoma State is currently sixth, Iowa State is seventh and Washington is eighth. The Buffaloes are third in the regional rankings.
Full polls are available at USTFCCCA.org.
"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Media links:
Live video - The Championships are being shown live on all Pac 12 channels. For those whose Cable/ Satellite/ Cord Cutting subscription includes access to any of those Pac 12 channels, assume they can also be streamed through a link at https://pac-12.com/cross-country/event/2021/03/05/pac-12-womens-cross-country-championship .
Live results/ timing - https://live.pntfo.com/meets/6886
Championships Notes - https://cubuffs.com/documents/2021/3/3/2020_Pac_12_Notes.pdf
All channels of the Pac 12 Networks is scheduled to show this, with coverage starting at noon MT, a little before the women's 6K race scheduled start at 12:10 PM MT. This is then followed by the men's 10K an hour later at 1:10 PM MT.
In addition to the usual GREAT importance the teams seem to place on these Championships due to "conference pride", and how great the conference is in this sport, this year's races figure to also have more importance than ever for qualifying for the NCAA Championships, as (1) there have been less races this year, both in total and against other national powerhouses and (2) the teams are being selected by a committee rather than the usual mathematical points (KOLAS) system.
As also noted below, in the national coaches' poll released earlier this week, the women are now ranked #6 in the country (vs. #5 in the previous poll), while the men moved up one (from #10 to #9).
Go Buffs!!!
Preview-
Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2021/3/3/buffs-ready-for-pac-12-cross-country-championships.aspx
"
BOULDER — After two regular season meets, the postseason will begin quickly for the Colorado cross country teams with the Pac-12 Conference Championships this Friday, March 5, at Chambers Creek Park in University Place, Wash.
Washington is the host for this year's conference meet, The women will race first, kicking off the event with a 6-kilometer run at 12:10 p.m. MT. The men's 8k run will follow at 1:10 p.m. MT. Both races will be followed by a short awards ceremony.
For the fourth straight season, Pac-12 Network will broadcast the championships live. Jim Watson will serve as the play-by-play announcer and Tom Feuer will provide the color.
The Buffs have done well at the conference championship meet in the past and look to continue that tradition. The men enter as the defending champion, but only two runners who scored on that team in 2019 are racing on Friday, so it's a very different team this season.
...
The men's team enters the championship ranked ninth and is the third highest-ranked Pac-12 team in the USTFCCCA Coaches Poll. Stanford is the highest at fourth, while Washington is eighth. The only other conference team ranked in the national poll is Oregon, coming in at 12th. In the nine-year history of the Pac-12 Championship, only two teams have won the team title: Colorado (7) and Stanford (2).
So far this season, the men have recorded a third-place finish at the FSU Winter Classic (after the tie-breaker with Iowa State) and a third-place finish at the Battle Born Collegiate Challenge.
The women were fourth in 2019 at Pac-12, but this season they are very experienced and looking to finish higher. Like the men, the roster looks different, but with a twist. Colorado added a pair of graduate transfers in the offseason, giving the Buffs some extra experience. Micaela Degenero raced at Michigan, while Abby Nichols ran at Ohio State.
...
The CU women enter the meet ranked sixth in the latest USTFCCCA poll, which is behind No. 5 Stanford. Behind those two are No. 12 Washington and No. 24 Oregon State, while Oregon and Utah are both receiving votes. CU has won the most team titles in the field with four, while Oregon has won three. Stanford and Arizona have each won one.
Following the conference championships, the NCAA will announce the field for the NCAA Championships on Saturday, March 6. The championship will follow on Monday, March 15, in Stillwater, Okla. Due to the split season, there will not be a regional championship, so the only way to advance to the NCAA Championship is through the selection process.
RESULTS: Live results will be available at https://live.pntfo.com/meets/6886 and final results will be posted at CUBuffs.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Fans can follow @CUBuffsTrack on Twitter for in-race updates. The official hashtag of the meet is #Pac12XC.
2020 PAC-12 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Friday, March 5, 2021
Chambers Creek Park (University Park, Wash.)
11:55 a.m. - Called to Start – Women
12:10 p.m. - Women's 6000m Championship Race
12:50 p.m. - Women's Awards Ceremony
12:55 p.m. - Called to Start –Men
1:10 p.m. - Men's 8000m Championship Race
1:50 p.m. - Men's Awards Ceremony
USTFCCCA POLLS: The latest edition of the USTFCCCA Division I Coaches Poll was released on Wednesday, March 3, and both of Colorado's cross country teams were ranked in the top-10.
The women moved down one spot from fifth to sixth, switching positions with conference foe Stanford. CU recorded 264 points in the poll, while Stanford received 280. Arkansas and BYU held down the top two spots, respectively, while New Mexico moved up one to third and NC State dropped one to fourth. In the regional rankings, CU is fourth.
On the men's side, CU moved up one to ninth with 231 points. BYU, Northern Arizona and Arkansas stayed put at first, second and third, respectively, while Stanford moved up to fourth, dropping Tulsa down to fifth. Oklahoma State is currently sixth, Iowa State is seventh and Washington is eighth. The Buffaloes are third in the regional rankings.
Full polls are available at USTFCCCA.org.
"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Media links:
Live video - The Championships are being shown live on all Pac 12 channels. For those whose Cable/ Satellite/ Cord Cutting subscription includes access to any of those Pac 12 channels, assume they can also be streamed through a link at https://pac-12.com/cross-country/event/2021/03/05/pac-12-womens-cross-country-championship .
Live results/ timing - https://live.pntfo.com/meets/6886
Championships Notes - https://cubuffs.com/documents/2021/3/3/2020_Pac_12_Notes.pdf