WSU MEN AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR
The No. 27 Washington State men's cross country team will compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Ky., Sat., Nov. 18, at the E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park...the Cougars men's team is one of 13 men's teams nationally, five of which are Pac-12 schools, to receive the at-large bid, after a seventh-place finish at the NCAA West Region Championships, a sixth-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships and a 13th-place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational...this is the third consecutive season the WSU men's cross country team, under the direction of fourth-year coach
Wayne Phipps, earned an at-large bid to compete at the NCAA Championships...this is the first time since 1977 that the WSU men's team will have competed at three consecutive NCAA Championships...men's 10,000 meters race is slated to begin at 8:45 a.m. PT...results will be posted at wsucougars.com when available.
KORIR FIRST WOMAN TO COMPETE AT NCAA CHAMPS SINCE 2009
Vallery Korir, a junior from Iten, Kenya, is one of 38 at-large women selected to compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Ky., Sat., Nov. 18, based on finishing in the top 25 in their regions...Korir was 19th at the NCAA West Region, 13th at the Pac-12 Championships and won the women's 6,000 meter race at the Nuttycombe Invitational...Korir will be the first woman to compete at the NCAA Championships since 2009...women's 6,000 meters race will begin at 7:45 a.m PT...results will be posted at wsucougars.com when available.
2016 NCAA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS:
At the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind., the No. 18 Cougars men finished 14th overall, the best team placing since 1984 when the Cougars men finished seventh...leading the team was
Michael Williams and his 30th-place finish...Williams was the first All-American since Bernard Lagat and Eric Kamau in 1998.
WSU MEN COMPETING AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Jake Finney Jr. Post Falls, Idaho (Lake City HS)
At NCAA West Region Championships finished 7th on team/114th overall...at Pac-12 Championships finished 33rd in scoring/34th overall/3rd on team...at Nuttycombe Invitational finished 4th on team/ 104th overall.
Justin Janke So. Spokane, Wash. (North Central HS)
At NCAA West Region Championships finished 4th on team/47th overall...at Pac-12 Championships finished 48th overall/6th on team...at Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitaional finished 6th on team/100th overall...at Inland Empire Championships finished 1st on team/6th overall...2016: Finished 8th at 2017 USATF XC National Junior Men's Championships...4th place at 13th Annual NACAC XC Championships and led USA Team to Gold medal.
Paul Ryan Rs-So. Moscow, Idaho (Logos HS)
At NCAA West Region Championships finished 5th on team/74th overall...at Pac-12 Championships finished 56th overall/7th on team...at Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational finished 5th on team/91st overall...at Nuttycombe Invitational finished 5th on team/147th overall...2016: Pac-12 Champs 6th on team/40th overall; NCAA Championships, 6th Cougar, 220th overall.
Chandler Teigen Jr. Anatone, Wash. (Asotin HS)
Men's team co-captain...2017 All-Region honors...at NCAA West Region Championships finished 2nd on team/20th overall...at Pac-12 Championships led the Cougars men/finished 9th overall...second team All-Pac-12 honors...at Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational finished 1st on team/19th overall...at Nuttycombe Invitational finished 2nd on team/55th overall...2016: NCAA Championships, 5th Cougar, 145th overall/116th team scoring.
Nathan Wadhwani Jr. Maple Ridge, B.C. Canada (Fox Secondary)
Men's team co-captain...at NCAA West Region Championships finished 3rd on team/41st overall...at Pac-12 Championships finished 41st in scoring/45th overall/5th on team...at Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational finished 2nd on team/38th overall...at Nuttycombe Invitational finished 3rd on team/96th overall...2016: NCAA Championships, was spiked early in race and did not finish.
Matthew Watkins Fr. Mill Creek, Wash. (Jackson HS)
At NCAA West Region Championships finished 6th on team/84th overall...at Pac-12 Championships finished 36th in scoring/37th overall/4th on team...at Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational finished 3rd on team/68th overall...at Nuttycombe Invitational finished 6th on team/158th overall.
Michael Williams Sr. Richland, Wash. (Richland HS)
2017 All-Region honors...at NCAA West Region Championships led the Cougars men/finished 12th overall...at Pac-12 Championships finished 19th overall/2nd on team...at Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational finished 8th on team/121st overall...at Nuttycombe Invitational finished 1st on team/39th overall...2016: NCAA Championships, led No. 18 team to 14th-place team finish with 30th place finish; ALL-AMERICA honors.
WSU WOMEN COMPETING AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Vallery Korir Jr. Iten, Kenya (Murray State)
At NCAA West Region Championships led the Cougars women/finished 19th overall...at Pac-12 Championships led the Cougars women/finished 13th overall...at Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational finished 1st on team/15th overall...second team All-Pac-12 honors...at Nuttycombe Invitational won the Women's Open...transferred from Murray State in January 2017...WSU record holder in 10k at 33:58.17...3000m time of 9:30.98 is seventh best in WSU all-time...5000m track time of 16:36.40 is 10th-best at WSU.
