Both NNU cross country teams are headed to the NCAA West Regional meet this weekend in San Francisco at Golden Gate Park. The women run at 9 a.m. on Saturday followed closely by the guys at 10 a.m.

The women enter the weekend as the 8^th ranked team in the region and the fourth ranked team from the GNAC. With everyone finally healthy and feeling good they are looking to finish higher than their ranking and hopefully contend for a spot to the national meet. The top four teams at the regional meet will qualify for the national meet on Nov. 21^st in Indiana. The NNU women are lead by junior Jaclyn Puga who earned her second GNAC all-conference honor at the GNAC championships a week and a half ago. Puga is followed closely by freshman standout Jordan Powell and GNAC newcomer of the year Michelle Phillips. If the women register a top ten finish at the regional championships it will be the third year in a row following a 5^th place in 2007 and a 9^th place in 2008. Prior to 2007 the highest place for the NNU women’s team in the region was 15^th.

One the men’s side, the Crusaders enter the weekend as the 7^th ranked team in the West Region and the 4^th ranked team from the GNAC. The men are also hoping to place higher than their ranking and move past a few teams that beat them at the GNAC championships. The men are led by freshman standout and all-conference performer Barak Watson, who finished 10^th at the conference championships a week and a half ago. The men’s team returns to the regional meet after failing to qualify a year ago. Their expectations are high and everyone is healthy and confident heading into the weekend. This will be the first 10k of the year for the team, so how they handle the distance will be a big factor into how well the team finishes. The top three teams in the men’s race will advance to the national championships.

This year marks the first time both Crusader cross country teams enter the regional championships ranked in the top ten. If both come out with top ten finishes this will also mark the first time that feat has been accomplished by the Crusaders. The previous best combined finish for the teams was in 2007 when the women were 5^th and the men were 11^th.