It’s Cross Country Championship Saturday!

NEW ORLEANS — It all comes down to this.

One race for the men. One race for the women.

Today is Championship Saturday for NCAA Division I Cross Country, NCAA Division II Cross Country, NCAA Division III Cross Country and the NAIA Cross Country.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS CENTRAL

Eight teams toe the line with a No. 1 next to their names: Northern Arizona‘s men and Colorado‘s women in NCAA DI, Colorado Mines‘ men and Adams State‘s women in NCAA DII, North Central (Ill.)‘s men and Johns Hopkins‘ women in NCAA DIII as well as British Columbia‘s men and Northwest Christian (Ore.)‘s women in the NAIA. How many will stand atop the podium and leave their respective championship sites with championship trophies though?

The individual races promise to dazzle, but few carry the magnitude of the men’s race in NCAA DI, where Oregon’s Edward Cheserek chases his fourth consecutive XC title. No man has done that in the storied, 77-year history of the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.

If Cheserek wins, he’ll join 289 other athletes in being named All-America by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The USTFCCCA honors 80 individuals in both NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II, 70 in NCAA Division III and 60 in the NAIA.

There is truly nothing like Championship Saturday in collegiate cross country.

"I don’t think an event like this really exists in other sports," NC State women’s coach Laurie Henes said Friday during the NCAA DI press conference in Terre Haute, Indiana. "You put all of the best people on the line at the same day — 800-meter runners through 10K — and everyone gets the opportunity to race against the best and run to their potential."

It’s a battle against oneself for the betterment of the team.

"We always say cross country is the ultimate test of team culture, especially tomorrow," Stanford men’s coach Chris Miltenberg said Friday. "There is no way you can have seven people have a great day tomorrow. The question is, ‘Which of them can go put in really solid days when they’re not having great days?’"

Championship Saturday is the end of the line.

"Throughout the regular season, if you make a mistake, you learn from it and then go to the next meet and hopefully improve upon that," Northern Arizona coach Eric Heins said. "With this one, we’re done tomorrow. There’s a whole lot of waiting if you don’t run up to your best."

But that’s what makes it the best.

"Most of the coaches up here would say whatever season they’re in is kind of their favorite season, but for those of us who have the opportunity to run cross country, I think you all know what the truth is," BYU coach Ed Eyestone said. "We can all maintain that this is the most difficult footrace at the NCAA level to win, because you have 200-plus guys out there champing at the bit. It’s going to be a great day."