TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State cross-country squads enter the Pac-12 Championships this Friday, Oct. 30 with much to prove and an opportunity to get back in the mix for the NCAA Championships.
Washington State will host the 2015 conference meet at Colfax Golf Club in Colfax, Wash. -- just 15 miles south of Pullman.
Sun Devil cross-country head coach Louie Quintana knows the talent level is there to compete with the nation's top teams in arguably the strongest conference in the country.
"We just need to believe we’re a good enough team to go to the conference meet and have a great run," Quintana said.
"Let’s not fear anything, let’s go out and be resilient if things go wrong."
While other big meets this year such as Notre Dame and Wisconsin didn't go as hoped, the past has no effect on the present or the potential for ASU to get where they want to go -- the NCAA Championships.
The field includes six ranked teams for the men's 8K race -- No. 1 Colorado, No. 3 Oregon, No. 15 UCLA, No. 20 Washington, No. 21 California and No. 23 Stanford. For the women, three top-10 teams and an additional two ranked squads highlight their 6K event, which includes No. 3 Colorado, No. 5 Oregon, No. 10 Stanford, No. 12 Washington and No. 19 Utah.
"Conference is a whole different beast," redshirt sophomore Cody Brazeal said. "In our conference, the Pac-12, it’s without question the best conference in the country. If you get even top-30 at Pac-12’s you’re a really good runner.
"We’ll talk about some things with race tactics nad how it’s going to go out because it’s going to be a whole different beast to slay. I’m looking forward to it."
The men and women can help their chances towards qualifying for the championships with wins over any of the ranked opponents.
Much like football, cross-country has a ranking system that predicts which 31 teams will make the trip to Louisville. There are releases throughout the season, and points in this system are earned with victories over top-ranked schools. The ranking system is called the Kolas Calculator -- named after its inventor Brian Kolas -- and it can be found on flotrack.org, which is a high school, collegiate and world cross-country/track and field website.
Follow the team and all they're doing leading up to Friday on Twitter (@SunDevilTFXC) and Instagram (@SunDevilTFXC). Live results, videos and photos during the races can also be found on our social media platforms.
More information can be found on the Cross-Country Pac-12 Championships website.
LAST YEAR AT PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
At last year's Pac-12 Championships, the University of Colorado defended their men's title for the fourth time while the University of Oregon took home the victory for the women.
The ASU men and women both finished in sixth last year, as former Sun Devil Shelby Houlihan took the overall victory for the women and current-redshirt senior Ryan Herson finished in 20th for the men's top finish.
TV BROADCAST
The Pac-12 Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks on a tape-delayed basis. The first airing is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. PT. Dwight Stones will serve as the analyst, Jim Watson will provide play-by-play and Lewis Johnson will be the reporter. Check local listing for channel and additional air times.
LIVE
Exclusive content on every Pac-12 men’s and women’s cross country team will be available on the Pac-12’s official website at www.pac-12.com. Hover over the ‘Events’ tab on the navigation bar and click on ‘Cross Country’ or click on this link: http://pac-12.com/cross-country/championships.