Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
NCAA Championships
Wildcats race well at NCAA Championships
11/23/2019 1:54:00 PM | Women's Cross Country, Men's Cross Country
TERRE HAUTE, IN - Weber State University's cross country individual qualifiers represented their teams and the university well at the NCAA Championship meet Saturday in Terre Haute, Indiana. Christian Allen finished 14th overall, Taylor Dillon finished 59th, and Lexie Thompson finished 103rd.
The race was held at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center. The course is challenging, with a mix of uphill and downhill sections and its simple straightaway start that stretches for nearly the first kilometer. This was the 13th time the NCAA Championships have been hosted at this course, along with the Pre-National Invitationals.Â
The women's 6K began at 9:15 am MT, with 35 degree weather and light rain. Senior Lexie Thompson ran with the best of the best, and finished 103rd overall with a time of 21:16.8. There were 254 total women in the race.Â
"Lexie moved up throughout the entire race. She was 156th at the mile, and moved well in the second half of the race to finish 103rd," said Head Women's Coach, Paul Pilkington.
Thompson qualified for the NCAA Championships with a 14th place finish, and time of 20:22, at the NCAA Mountain Regionals. She also earned All-Region honors with her finish. Thompson is the first female individual bid for the Lady Wildcats since Ellie Child in 2016.
The men's 10K began at 10:15 am MT at 35 degrees and heavy rain, though the weather didn't phase the Wildcats. Christian Allen finished 14th overall out of 253 runners to set a new highest finish record at the NCAA Championships, and earn All-American status. He led the Big Sky Conference pack and crossed the line with a time of 31:04.9. Taylor Dillon crossed the finish line with a time of 31:34.6 to earn 59th overall.Â
"I'm beyond proud of how tough both Christian and Taylor ran today and throughout this season," said Head Men's Coach, Corbin Talley. "The word that comes to mind is 'fearless'. Christian ran out of his mind. He was in 55th at 3K, and kept moving up and working his way through the pack all the way to the line. He was the top finisher from the Big Sky, and it's the highest finish in Weber State history."
"Taylor also moved very well through the race. He was 94th at 3K and started rolling past guys to finish in the top 60," said Talley. "Both of these guys did such a great job staying positive about the rain, the cold, and the muddy course. They wanted to represent their team and all the work we put in as a squad this season. Hopefully the guys back home watching the live feed were inspired to get there as a group next year."Â
Both men ran well at the NCAA Mountain Regionals to earn their individual bid to the Championships. Allen finished in 14th with a time of 30:51, and Dillon earned 24th with a time of 31:07. Both men earned All-Region honors for their finishes. This is the first time the Wildcat men have competed at the NCAA Championships since Seth Pilkington in 2007.
For a complete list of NCAA Championships results, click here.
Players Mentioned
