Mountain West XC Championship Preview

Welcome to the new Danger Zone, also known as the Mountain West Conference.

This year the Mountain West is deep as it is talented.

Many questions will be answered this weekend at the conference championship meet, where both New Mexico teams will look to continue their recent dominance.

This year’s meet will be held Friday, October 30 in Reno, Nevada. The men’s race gets underway at 10 a.m. PDT (12 p.m. CDT), whlie the women’s race starts 45 minutes later.

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Men’s Race

Team Breakdown

New Mexico is one of three teams that have won a men’s cross country title in the Mountain West Conference since the league’s inception in 1999. The Lobos have also won the past six crowns dating back to 2009.

If this season has shown anything, though, New Mexico is in a bit of a lull and it might be time for a new team to ascend to the championship.

After being ranked in the preseason, the Lobos have slipped. New Mexico opened with a ninth-place finish at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational and struggled to finish 23rd at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational two weeks ago.

With the door wide-open, three teams are hungry to stake their claim – No. 16 Boise State, No. 26 Air Force and No. 30 Colorado State. While the Falcons have a talented roster, the two teams to keep an eye on are the Broncos and Rams. Boise State was 11th at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational and should place several of its runners inside the top-15. If Colorado State puts its 3-4-5 runners somewhere in the top-30, chances are the Rams will have a great chance at the title because their 1-2 punch of Jefferson Abbey and Jerrell Mock is among the best in the nation.

Individual Race

• Favorites – Air Force’s Patrick Corona, Boise State’s Michael Vennard, Colorado State’s Jefferson Abbey and Jerrell Mock, New Mexico’s Dan Milechman.

Women’s Race

Team Breakdown

We’re all in agreement that this part of the preview is about what team will finish second to New Mexico, right? Glad we got that out of the way early.

Since 2008, the Lobos have been the cream of the crop in the Mountain West and won seven consecutive titles. With what is sure to be an eighth this season, New Mexico will tie BYU’s unprecedented streak from 1999 until 2006.

Any question about the Lobos’ chances in Reno, Nevada pertain to their team score and how low it can possibly go. BYU is the only team to have scored a perfect 15 points since the Mountain West upped the distance of the championship race to 6K.

There are two teams that will try to ruin New Mexico’s bid at 15 – No. 9 Boise State and unranked Air Force. Both teams should have runners in the top-5 – Allie Ostrander for the Broncos and Hannah Everson for the Falcons – unless the Lobos go ballistic.

Chances are Boise State finishes second and Air Force third behind New Mexico.

Individual Race

• Favorites – New Mexico’s Rhona Auckland and Courtney Frerichs, Boise State’s Allie Ostrander, Air Force’s Hannah Everson.