MADISON, Wisc.- Gonzaga cross country will take on the Nuttycombe Invitational tomorrow, competing against several of the nation's best teams in one of the premier events on the cross country calendar.
Widely considered one of the premier meets in collegiate cross country, Nuttycombe typically draws most of the ranked cross country teams to put out their best lineup in a major first look at the national field. This year is no different, as 37 ranked teams will race across the men's and women's races, with 18 ranked men's teams and 19 ranked women's teams racing and expected to run their top teams. The race, a 6k race for women's teams and an 8k race for men's teams, will be ran at the Thomas Zimmer Cross Country Course, which hosted the NCAA championship last season.
The Zags will again look to move up in national rankings by taking down ranked teams, as the women's cross country team is ranked 20th nationally in the USTFCCCA coaches poll. The Zags moved up after defeating several ranked teams in Chicago two weeks ago at the lakefront invitational, and a solid performance could again increase the team in the polls. Both races will feature six of the top ten teams in the USTFCCCA polls.
The race will be streamed on Runnerspace behind a paywall, and live results will be linked on the schedule tab on GoZags.com. The women's championship race will begin at 9:50 am pacific time, while the men's championship race will run at 10:30am pacific time.
Full list of teams racing in the Nuttycombe Invitational (USTFCCCA Week 3 Rankings in order)
Women's Teams: NC State (#2), New Mexico (#5), Northern Arizona (#6), Notre Dame (#7), West Virginia (#9), Colorado (#10), Stanford (#11), Penn State (#T-14), Utah (#T-14), Iowa State (#16), Washington (#17), Northwestern (#18), Gonzaga (#20), Georgetown (#22), Michigan State (#24), Tulane (#25), Washington State (#27), Providence (#28), Wisconsin (#29), Duke (Received Votes), Minnesota (RV), Syracuse (RV), Cal Baptist (RV), Harvard, Furman, Toledo, Lipscomb, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan
Men's Teams: Iowa State (#1), New Mexico (#3), Colorado (#5), BYU (#6), Wisconsin (#7), Notre Dame (#9), Syracuse (#11), Butler (#12), NAU (#13), Cal Baptist (#15), Michigan State (#16), Tulane (#17), Stanford (#18), Washington State (#21), Georgetown (#24), Eastern Kentucky (#26), Tulsa (#27), Harvard (#28), Michigan (RV), Utah State (RV), Villanova (RV), Louisville (RV), North Carolina (RV), Lipscomb, Gonzaga, Washington, Iona, Furman, Portland, Duke, NC State, Indiana
