By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The 82nd NCAA Division 1 men’s cross country finals and 40th edition of the women’s championship race are scheduled for Monday in Stillwater, Okla. The women’s 6-kilometer race is scheduled for 11:50 a.m. Central and the men’s 10-kilometer race is slated to start at 12:40 p.m. Central.

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Here are 10 storylines to follow as the meet is held outside of November for the first time in history:

The one that matters most

Brigham Young and Northern Arizona have raced in Stillwater in October and Las Vegas in February, each time with one or both teams not fielding a full lineup, but there won’t be anything held back Monday in a showdown of the country’s top two men’s programs.

BYU ended Northern Arizona’s three-year reign as champion in 2019 with a 109-163 victory at the LaVern Gibson course in Terre Haute ind.

Northern Arizona was attempting to join Arkansas (1990-93) as the only men’s teams to win four in a row, but now the Lumberjacks will look to return the favor and prevent BYU from securing back-to-back championships in the first 10-kilometer race this season for either group.

Both teams boast impressive trios up front, with BYU relying on Conner Mantz, Casey Clinger and Brandon Garnica – all sub-13:30 athletes in the indoor 5,000 meters – against Northern Arizona’s Luis Grijalva, Abdihamid Nur and freshman Nico Young.

Only Nur competed Feb. 27 at the Big Sky Conference Championships for the Lumberjacks, who rested Blaise Ferro, Grijalva and Young. As a result, Southern Utah knocked off Northern Arizona by a 35-38 margin in the 8-kilometer race to secure the conference’s automatic bid to the national championship meet.

BYU ran all three athletes Feb. 24 at the West Coast Conference Championships, with Mantz, Clinger and Garnica all finishing in the top five to help the Cougars prevail 25-51 over first-time national qualifier Gonzaga.

The Cougars also have veteran experience with seniors Elijah Armstrong, Ethan Cannon and Clayson Shumway as potential options in their lineup, in addition to freshman Aidan Troutner, who has rejoined the BYU lineup after serving a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Northern Arizona will need strong performances from the back half of its lineup in order to triumph again, including potential contributors Drew Bosley, Brodey Hasty and Ryan Raff.

Neither team competed at the Division 1 indoor championship meet in Arkansas in order to put all of the focus on Monday’s race, so racing on fresh legs versus tired legs shouldn’t be an issue for either lineup.

BYU pursues breakthrough

Brigham Young has had to deal with the disappointment for the past 16 months of a 96-102 setback to Arkansas in the 2019 women’s championship race in Terre Haute.

But after the Cougars captured the distance medley relay title Friday at the Division 1 indoor final in Arkansas, followed by Courtney Wayment winning the 3,000 championship Saturday, it appears the defining race for the women’s cross country program could be on deck Monday.

BYU women’s coach Diljeet Taylor was intentional in separating her two lineups this winter, so there will be no crossover of athletes like Wayment and Olivia Hoj Simister, who have both exhausted their cross country eligibility for the Cougars after competing at the 2019 final.

The biggest question for BYU entering the meet is the health status of senior Whittni Orton, who hasn’t competed since Oct. 17 when she won the 6-kilometer race at Oklahoma State. Orton was seventh in 2019, and if she is recovered from injury, could be an individual title contender.

But the Cougars have plenty of experience with seniors Anna Camp-Bennett and Sara Musselman, junior McKenna Lee, sophomores Aubrey Frentheway and Haley Johnston, along with freshmen Lexy Halladay and Anna Martin.

BYU has the potential to sweep both team championships, a feat last achieved by Stanford in 2003.

The Cougars have won four times – 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2002 – and have also been runner-up on four occasions in program history, including 1998, 2000 and 2003, losing by less than 10 points three times overall, including in Terre Haute.

Kiptoo looking to take two

Iowa State junior Wesley Kiptoo produced a dominant performance Friday in the 5,000 meters in Arkansas, clocking a championship meet record 13:23.77 to also elevate to the No. 11 all-time collegiate indoor competitor.

Kiptoo is now looking to join Wisconsin’s Morgan McDonald, Syracuse’s Justyn Knight, Oregon’s Edward Cheserek, Arizona’s Lawi Lalang, Texas Tech’s Kennedy Kithuka and Liberty’s Sam Chelanga among the distance runners in the past decade to win both Division 1 track and cross country titles.

Villanova’s Patrick Tiernan, who won the cross country crown in 2016, was the only athlete in the past decade not to double up with a track title, although the Nike Oregon Track Club professional athlete has represented Australia at the Olympics and World Championships in his career.

Kiptoo will be joined by Florida State’s Adriaan Wildschutt, Cincinnati’s Aaron Bienenfeld, Southeastern Louisiana’s Shea Foster, Indiana’s Ben Veatch, Arkansas’ Amon Kemboi, Eastern Kentucky’s Ahmed Jaziri, Furman’s Cameron Ponder, Villanova’s Sean Dolan and the Ole Miss duo of Mario Garcia Romo and Waleed Suliman among the male athletes with the potential to be All-Americans in both track and cross country.

Andrew Kibet of Arkansas and Arjun Jha of Indiana, who both contributed to All-America efforts Friday in the distance medley relay, are expected to compete Monday as well. 

Going for the decorated double

Several female athletes who decided to compete at both the indoor track and cross country championship meets now have an opportunity to achieve All-America honors at both meets.

Following a repeat team title and third indoor national crown overall, it is unclear what lineup will represent Arkansas, as coach Lance Harter indicated the Razorbacks might be running several underclassmen Monday after their veterans pulled much of the weight in the distance events Friday and Saturday to contribute 45 points to the team championship.

Krissy Gear, Abby Gray, Lauren Gregory and Kennedy Thomson all earned All-America track honors in individual events for Arkansas and have the potential to race for the same recognition in cross country. Gear, Gray and Thomson are all listed on the Monday lineup for Arkansas.

Minnesota’s Bethany Hasz, Air Force’s Mahala Norris, Rice’s Grace Forbes, Michigan State’s Jenna Magness, North Carolina State’s Hannah Steelman, Florida State’s Maudie Skyring, UMass Lowell’s Kaley Richards and Ohio State’s Allie Guagenti all earned All-America first-team accolades with top-eight individual finishes in indoor track, and will now seek a top-40 performance in cross country.

Norris and Steelman have already been All-Americans in cross country from the 2019 championship meet in Terre Haute, Ind.

Oklahoma State’s Sivan Auerbach and Taylor Roe, Michigan’s Alice Hill and Katelynne Hart, North Carolina State’s Katelyn Tuohy and Savannah Shaw, Florida State’s Alyson Churchill and Skyring, along with Ole Miss athletes Loral Winn and Madeleine King all secured All-America recognition as members of their school’s distance medley relays, and now can compete for individual cross country honors.

Alabama sophomore Amaris Tyynismaa ran a 4:31.11 anchor on the DMR to lift the Crimson Tide to what was believed to be a fourth-place finish Friday, but the team was later disqualified. Tyynismaa and Jami Reed are both scheduled to compete Monday for Alabama after running the DMR.

Present and future goals for Stanford

With the most experienced lineup in the women’s race, Stanford knows it has an opportunity to contend for the championship for the first time since winning three in a row from 2005-07.

Ella Donaghu, Jessica Lawson, Julia Heymach and Christina Aragon all return from a lineup that placed third in 2019 in Terre Haute with 123 points, less than 30 behind champion Arkansas.

Stanford hasn’t placed in the top two since its 2007 crown, but after capturing the Pac-12 title March 5 at Chambers Bay Regional Park in Washington, the Cardinal has the momentum necessary to contend for the championship.

Donaghu and freshman Zofia Dudek are the top teammates in the race, with Heymach among the most improved athletes in the country in the past 16 months. If Stanford can get strong veteran performances from Lawson and Aragon, the Cardinal could be celebrating a sixth women’s team championship.

The Stanford men are also a legitimate podium contender, but the best days for the Cardinal appear to be in front of them, especially with underclassmen Charles Hicks, Cole Sprout, Devin Hart, Ky Robinson and Thomas Boyden potentially racing the 10-kilometer distance for the first time.

Senior Alek Parsons, an All-American in 2019, and junior D.J. Principe are the only athletes in the Stanford lineup that competed in 2019. Callum Bolger has also previously raced at an NCAA final during his Cardinal career.

Stanford will battle Arkansas, Tulsa, Iowa State, Colorado and Oklahoma State for the final two podium places behind what is expected to be a championship showdown involving BYU and Northern Arizona.

Home team looks to get cooking

Before Northern Arizona, the Oklahoma State men’s team was the last program to win three titles in a four-year span, capturing championships in 2009, 2010 and 2012, with a runner-up finish in 2011.

Although Oklahoma State isn’t expected to contend for the title against BYU and Northern Arizona, the Cowboys have the potential to achieve a podium finish for the first time since placing third in 2013.

Isai Rodriguez, Ryan Schoppe, Ryan Smeeton, Alex Maier and Victor Shitsama lead Oklahoma State, which prevailed against Iowa State on a head-to-head tiebreaker at the Big 12 Conference final Oct. 30 after the teams finished in a 31-31 tie.

Oklahoma State trailed Northern Arizona by only six points Oct. 17 at its invitational and prevailed by 17 points against BYU, but the Cowboys were the only team among the trio competing at full strength.

The return of All-American Molly Born, who placed 16th at the 2019 championship meet, has the Oklahoma State women’s team ready to surprise after several strong performances throughout the winter.

Oklahoma State was fourth at the Big 12 Conference final behind Iowa State, Texas and West Virginia, but the strength up front with Gabby Hentemann and Taylor Roe, along with the return of Born and the emergence of Sivan Auerbach, in addition to the consistency of fellow freshman Heidi Demeo, has given the Cowgirls an opportunity to break into the top 10.

Lobos prepared to peak again with potential title run

New Mexico is not only trying to extend its streak of women’s podium finishes to four consecutive championship meets, but the Lobos are also a leading contender to capture a third team title, following victories in 2015 and 2017.

Since a 13th-place performance in 2009, New Mexico has placed in the top 10 for a decade straight, including five podium finishes.

Although the Lobos didn’t race until February and have only competed twice this winter, their impressive efforts Feb. 19 at the Battle Born Collegiate XC Challenge in Las Vegas, and again March 5 in winning a 13th straight Mountain West Conference title, have demonstrated New Mexico has the potential to produce the most tightly packed group in Monday’s 6-kilometer race.

Adva Cohen, Amelia Mazza-Downie, Gracelyn Larkin, Andrea Modin Engesaeth and Annamaria Kostarellis have produced spreads of 16 and 30 seconds in their two races, with Elise Thorner not far behind in both races as the team’s sixth runner.

If Cohen, Mazza-Downie and Larkin can all earn All-America honors, then New Mexico has the potential to knock off Arkansas, BYU, Stanford and North Carolina State and secure another championship.

Herrera, Herberg hope to conclude on historic note

Colorado senior Eduardo “Lalo” Herrera has competed at three Division 1 cross country finals, earning All-America honors in 2017 and just missing recognition again in 2018 with a 43rd-place finish.

But the Pac-12 champion has the potential to become the fifth individual winner for the Buffaloes, joining Mark Scrutton in 1982, Adam Goucher in 1998, Jorge Torres in 2002 and Dathan Ritzenhein in 2003.

Herrera will have to take down exceptional contenders in Iowa State’s Wesley Kiptoo, BYU’s Conner Mantz and any of the Northern Arizona trio of Luis Grijalva, Abdihamid Nur and Nico Young.

But his performance March 5 at the Pac-12 final, combined with a runner-up finish Feb. 5 to Kiptoo at the Florida State Winter XC Classic and placing third Feb. 19 in Las Vegas behind Nur and Young indicates that Herrera will be there with an opportunity to contend in the final kilometer Monday.

Herrera is also leading a young Colorado lineup into its first 10-kilometer competition of the season, with only four other athletes on the Buffaloes’ roster having made at least one appearance at an NCAA cross country final.

The same potential is present for Washington senior Haley Herberg, who achieved a wire-to-wire victory at the Pac-12 final.

The Huskies have never crowned a men’s or women’s individual champion, with Amy-Eloise Markovc placing second at the 2017 final in Louisville, Ky.

Washington also has an outside chance at a podium finish with Allie Schadler returning to the cross country lineup after competing Saturday in the 3,000 meters at the indoor final in Arkansas.

Herberg, who was 116th at the 2019 final, could have to contend again with Ella Donaghu and Zofia Dudek of Stanford, along with potentially Whittni Orton of BYU if she competes, as well as Mercy Chelangat of Alabama, Cailie Logue of Iowa State, Bethany Hasz of Minnesota, Mahala Norris of Air Force, Dominique Clairmonte and Hannah Steelman of North Carolina State, Anna Pataki of Portland and Adva Cohen of New Mexico. 

Wolfpack ready to mount attack

North Carolina State, much like Arkansas, is ranked top five nationally among the women’s programs competing Monday. Although both teams won their respective conference championships, neither team has competed in cross country since Oct. 30, with fellow national title contenders BYU, New Mexico and Stanford all having raced multiple times on 6-kilometer courses in the past month.

The Wolfpack, runner-up in both 1987 and 2001, has the potential to capture the program’s first championship, led by Atlantic Coast Conference winner Dominique Clairmonte, along with All-Americans Hannah Steelman and Kelsey Chmiel.

How the rest of the North Carolina State lineup performs, especially sophomores Mariah Howlett and Samantha Bush, will dictate if the Wolfpack can keep pace in their championship pursuit.

Three-time Nike Cross Nationals winner Katelyn Tuohy, a freshman who has only raced indoor track this winter, is part of North Carolina State’s championship cross country roster, but she is not expected to compete Monday after leading off the Wolfpack’s seventh-place distance medley relay Friday in Arkansas.

Long time coming

Gonzaga qualified for its first NCAA Division 1 men’s cross country final after placing runner-up Feb. 24 to BYU at the West Coast Conference Championships in Las Vegas.

The Bulldogs were the last team left out of the field in 2019, so Gonzaga is even more motivated to achieve a top-10 finish, led by James Mwaura and Yacine Guermali.

Liberty, the Atlantic Sun Conference champion, is making its debut in the women’s championship race. Adelyn Ackley, the individual conference winner, along with Calli Doan and Grace Dwyer lead the Flames, sweeping the top three spots at the March 5 final in Macon, Ga.

Northern Arizona, which finished 14th in the Division 1 women’s championship race in 2019, wasn’t allowed to travel to Stillwater in October to compete at the Oklahoma State Invitational as a result of a false positive COVID-19 test attributed to one of its student-athletes.

The Lumberjacks have been one of the most consistent teams during their three winter races, including a Big Sky Conference title Feb. 27 in Ogden, Utah.

Taryn O’Neill leads Northern Arizona, which celebrated the return of fellow junior Jessa Hanson to its lineup at the conference meet. The Lumberjacks have competed this season against BYU, New Mexico and Stanford, and won’t be intimidated racing in a championship field.

Finishing second to O’Neill at the conference final was Weber State senior Summer Allen, who will be competing at a national final for the first time in 2,670 days. Allen placed 156th at the 2013 cross country championship in Terre Haute, before taking a two-year break to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

She missed another season as a result of injury in 2016, and didn’t qualify out of the Mountain Regional in 2017 and 2018. Summer and husband Christian Allen, who placed 14th at the 2019 final at the LaVern Gibson course to earn All-America honors for the Wildcats, celebrated the birth of their first child, Miles, in February 2020, with this winter being Summer’s first season back since her pregnancy.

Allen is representing one of six women’s programs in Utah with at least one national qualifier, joining BYU, as well as Southern Utah’s Alison Pray, Utah’s Poppy Tank, Utah State’s Katie Struthers and Utah Valley’s Maddie Empey.