Regionals in View
October 20, 2021 | by Taylor Pill
WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The inaugural NCCAA North Region Cross Country Championships are in full view for both Sabercats Cross Country teams, who are favorited to take home a couple of NCCAA Regional titles away from Ankeny, Iowa this weekend.
The meet will be held on the Faith Baptist Bible College campus on Saturday, October 23, with the schedule as follows:
| Date | Time | Event |
| Saturday, 10/23 | 12 p.m. | Women's 5K |
| Saturday, 10/23 | 1 p.m. | Men's 8K |
| - |
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REGIONALS IN CONTEXT
Due to the Cross Country National Championship structure, the North Region Championship has no unusual implications for NCCAA Nationals qualifying other than it presents another chance to meet the individual- and team-qualifying times, just like any other meet.
While the regional championship is not recognized by the NCCAA as an official postseason event, all-region awards, the title of "region champion", and serious bragging rights are all on the line in Ankeny this weekend. The last time a Maranatha Cross Country team took home a regional title was back in 2008, when the Women's Cross Country Team (led by runners like Lori Biastok and Laci Steffen) took home the NCCAA DII Midwest Region Championship.
Since then, the NCCAA regional cross country championships had been discontinued.
SOUND BITE
"The team's really excited to put Maranatha at the top of the North Region," said Head Coach John Warnke. "And we're excited to put Maranatha Cross Country in that sort of cultural zeitgeist of success. We're definitely going to implement a team strategy and have Jeremy [Fopma] help pace our guys at the start of the race, and we're looking to have Abby [Doak] finish first among the squads that have full teams on the women's side.
"Cross country is really about place, not about time. We've really been focusing on our targets - people to beat in order for our team to be successful - and on finding our targets in the race, sticking on them, and pushing. That's what we need to do to really be successful."
LINKS/INFORMATION
RESULTS :: MEN'S 8K MAP :: WOMEN'S 5K MAP :: DIRECTIONS
PARTICIPANTS
Below is a brief overview of the field. Most of the teams listed below are either competing as an incomplete team (and therefore are not eligible for team placements) or they at least haven't submitted a complete team score to the NCCAA National Office during the 2021 season:
| Team | Nickname | Location | Teams |
| Maranatha | Sabercats | Watertown, Wis. | M, W |
| Calvary | Warriors | Kansas City, Mo. | M* |
| Central | Saints | Moberly, Mo. | W* |
| Emmaus | Eagles | Dubuque, Iowa | M*, W |
| Faith | Eagles | Ankeny, Iowa | M*, W |
| Moody | Archers | Chicago, Ill. | W |
| North Central | Rams | Minneapolis, Minn. | M*, W* |
| Oak Hills | Wolfpack | Bemidji, Minn. | M*, W* |
| Trinity Bible | Lions | Ellendale, N.D. | W* |
*Incomplete team/No complete race results reported during the 2021 season
Barring dramatic last-minute changes to opponent squads, the Maranatha Men's Cross Country team is slated to win the regional title by default, while the Women's Team is favorited to win over Emmaus, Faith, and Moody.
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To follow the races, follow @MBUSabercats on Twitter and visit mbusabercats.com/schedule.
