WSCU cross-country teams finish second at Regionals, head to Nationals

Olstad individual champion

The Western State Colorado University men and women both finished in second place at the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championships on Saturday. Vegard Olstad (Jr., Gjovik, Norway) came away with the individual title for the Mountaineer men.


The Western women got the day started competing in the six-kilometer race. Tara Richardson (Sr., Wiggins, Colo.) was the top runner for the Mountaineers. Richardson finished in fifth place with a time of 21:32. Finishing behind her were teammates Anna Marshall (Sr., Pueblo, Colo.) and Julie Pack (RSo., Phoenix, Ariz.). Marshall finished in seventh place with a time of 21:38, while Pack finished in 11th place with a time of 21:48.

 As a team, the Mountaineer women scored 62 points while first place Adams State finished with 28.


The number-one ranked Mountaineer men battled until the very end of the 10-kilometer race with Adams State University. In the end, only seven points separated the two teams. 

After winning the 2013 RMAC Championship, Olstad duplicated his success and added a South Central Regional Championship to his resume. Olstad finished with a time of 29:57.
Following Olstad, the Adams State men went 2-3-4. Garrett Wilson (Sr., Highlands Ranch, Colo.) was the next Mountaineer to cross the finish line, placing seventh with a time of 30:34. Tyler Saiz (Fr., Albuquerque, N.M.) finished immediately after Wilson in eighth place with a time of 30:39.


Despite losing at Regionals, the Western men have a chance to repeat 2011’s success at the NCAA Division II National Championships. In the 2011, the Western men won the RMAC Championships, finished second at the Regional Championships and ended by winning the National Championship in Spokane, Wash. This year, the championships are back in Spokane.


The entire Western men’s cross-country team competing on Saturday was named to the USTFCCCA South Central All-Region Team. This includes Olstad, Wilson, Saiz, Michael Cernoia (RSo., Pueblo, Colo.), Bryon Puentes (Fr.), Adam Sinda (Sr., Arvada, Colo.) and Michael Schmidt (Sr., Pueblo, Colo.) 

On the women’s side, Richardson, Marshall, Pack, Amy Penn (Fr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Cassie Ortiz (Sr., Fort Collins, Colo.) all made the All-Region team.

 Both Mountaineer teams will travel to Spokane for the NCAA Division II National Championships on November 23.