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Since the start of the season, Northwest Missouri State's cross country teams have been ranked somewhere in the top 10 of the South Central Region.
On Saturday, the Bearcats will find out exactly where they stack up against the best of the best in the MIAA, Heartland, Great American and Lonestar Conferences at the South Central Regional Meet in Wichita Falls, Texas.
If the Bearcats can finish in the top two of either race, they would earn an automatic qualifying berth to the Division II Cross Country Championships in Spokane, Wash Nov. 19.
"I think we're in the mix," said Northwest Missouri State head coach Scott Lorek. "There's probably five or six teams that believe that as well. I think anything can happen. I think we're good enough to be in the top two. It's going to be a challenge. It's going to be tough, but I think we're ready to go."
Northwest's men's team is currently ranked fourth in the region after finishing second at the MIAA meet.
Ranked ahead of the Bearcats are MIAA champion Central Missouri, Eastern New Mexico and East Central (Okla.).
The women trail the four MIAA schools that finished ahead of them at the MIAA meet as well as two Lonestar Conference teams (Midwestern State and West Texas A&M) and two Great American Conference teams (Harding and East Central (Okla.).
"I think things are so close and tight that if anybody has one person with a down day it's going to be capitalized on by the others," said Lorek. "We definitely have to be on and we have to absolutely have our best meet."
For the men's team, that would mean placing five in the top 25 as they did at the MIAA meet and perhaps even five in the top 20.
The Bearcats are led by senior T.R. Pursell who finished fifth at the MIAA Championships. The rest of their top seven is veteran-laden aside from freshman Drew Keefer.
"The men have been running with a pretty small split less than a minute between our first and fifth guys and of course, the higher we can move up, the better," said Lorek.
The women have a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of their lineup with MIAA champion Angela Adams and fifth place finisher Katti Carroll, but only one other Bearcat runner finished among the top 25 at the league meet.
Since the start of the season, Northwest Missouri State's cross country teams have been ranked somewhere in the top 10 of the South Central Region.
On Saturday, the Bearcats will find out exactly where they stack up against the best of the best in the MIAA, Heartland, Great American and Lonestar Conferences at the South Central Regional Meet in Wichita Falls, Texas.
If the Bearcats can finish in the top two of either race, they would earn an automatic qualifying berth to the Division II Cross Country Championships in Spokane, Wash Nov. 19.
"I think we're in the mix," said Northwest Missouri State head coach Scott Lorek. "There's probably five or six teams that believe that as well. I think anything can happen. I think we're good enough to be in the top two. It's going to be a challenge. It's going to be tough, but I think we're ready to go."
Northwest's men's team is currently ranked fourth in the region after finishing second at the MIAA meet.
Ranked ahead of the Bearcats are MIAA champion Central Missouri, Eastern New Mexico and East Central (Okla.).
The women trail the four MIAA schools that finished ahead of them at the MIAA meet as well as two Lonestar Conference teams (Midwestern State and West Texas A&M) and two Great American Conference teams (Harding and East Central (Okla.).
"I think things are so close and tight that if anybody has one person with a down day it's going to be capitalized on by the others," said Lorek. "We definitely have to be on and we have to absolutely have our best meet."
For the men's team, that would mean placing five in the top 25 as they did at the MIAA meet and perhaps even five in the top 20.
The Bearcats are led by senior T.R. Pursell who finished fifth at the MIAA Championships. The rest of their top seven is veteran-laden aside from freshman Drew Keefer.
"The men have been running with a pretty small split less than a minute between our first and fifth guys and of course, the higher we can move up, the better," said Lorek.
The women have a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of their lineup with MIAA champion Angela Adams and fifth place finisher Katti Carroll, but only one other Bearcat runner finished among the top 25 at the league meet.
That has to improve if the Bearcats wish to contend for a top-two spot.
"Angela and Katti have to be our top runners again, and our third, fourth and fifth need to be a group and finish more solid than we did at the conference meet," said Lorek.
If the rankings hold true to form and the Bearcats are left out of a team qualifying spot, Adams and Pursell still have a legitimate shot at making it to nationals on their own.
The next two individuals not on the top two teams at regionals also quality for nationals. Lorek says that usually requires a top five finish.
Adams finished 14th at regionals last year and is coming off the best race of her career.
"Midwestern State's top runner is running great and there are other women in our conference that are capable of doing that," said Lorek. "She's in the thick of things. Coming out as the MIAA champion, that puts her as probably one of the favorites I think."
Pursell finished 10th at regionals last year and will be running on a course that plays to his strengths.
"It's going to be a hilly course down there and he's an excellent hill runner," said Lorek. "I think that's going to help him. There's a lot of good runners in there, but he's also one of them."
