CMS Men's Cross Country Earns Team Qualification to Nationals

CLAREMONT, Calif. - For the 15th straight season, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's cross country team qualified to compete at the NCAA Division III championships, which will be held this Saturday in Newville, Pennsylvania.

The Stags went into last weekend's regionals ranked No. 13 in the nation, and came up with a big second-place performance to solidify their standing as an at-large contender. The Stags finished 112 points ahead of George Fox, who came in ranked No. 11, and both teams earned their way out of the region, as did Colorado College which finished fourth in the regionals after coming in ranked No. 23. 

Until recently, the top two finishers at regionals earned automatic bids, but the NCAA decreased the number of automatics and increased the number of at-large selections since 2021. CMS didn't officially clinch a bid by coming in second this weekend at Riverside, but they were able to give a strong effort to solidify their credentials. 

The Stags earned a 15th-place finish a year ago at nationals, which were held in frigid conditions in Michigan with temperatures well below freezing. Two years ago, CMS came in sixth in more moderate conditions, which will be similar to what the Stags will see in Pennsylania.

Oliver Pick led the seven-runner CMS contingent at regionals by coming in 14th place, with six Stags in all earning all-region honors. 

CMS now has two cross country programs with 15-year streaks of qualifying for nationals. The Athenas secured their automatic bid yesterday with a first-place finish.