Grizzly men seeking to return to top at Saturday's Central Regional Championship

Top two teams in nation to go at it again in Denver

DENVER, Colo. – After dropping out of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) No. 1 ranking for the first time in 31 polls after the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championships two weeks ago, the Grizzlies will be back in action as the 2nd-ranked team in the country the now top-ranked Western State Mountaineers once again on Saturday morning for the NCAA Division II Central Regional Championships.

The meet will be hosted by Metro State, and will feature teams from the RMAC and Northern Sun (NSIC) duking it out for the six spots up for grabs at the Nov. 19 NCAA Division II National Championships in Spokane, Wash.

After opening up the season as the No. 1 team in DII and holding that spot throughout the season, the Grizzlies were beaten by a DII squad for the first time since the 2007 NCAA DII Championships on Oct. 22 when the Mountaineers claimed a 28-31 victory at the RMAC Championships.

The Grizzlies will now look to rebound by claiming their fourth straight Central Regional Championship crown on Sunday. ASC won its third straight last season in convincing fashion, as all seven runners earned all-region accolades by finishing in the top 15, and scored a 29-58 win over runner-up WSC.

Senior Nathan Sellers (La Crescenta, Calif.) continued his streak of leading the Grizzlies with a second-place individual finish, and was followed immediately by senior Matt Bond (Worcester, England).

Redshirt-freshman Tabor Stevens (Canon City, Colo.) was the third finisher for the Grizzlies, placing sixth overall and grabbing RMAC Freshman of the Year Honors.

The Grizzlies were the only team to have all seven runners earn All-RMAC honors, as each ASC runner earned either first or second team honors by virtue of finishing in the top 14. Freshman Matt Daniels (Arlington, Texas) placed ninth, followed by junior David Sanchez (Farmersville, Calif.) in 11th, junior Keegan Calmes (Wind Lake, Wis.) in 12th and junior Andrew Roberts (Boulder, Colo.) in 14th.

Saturday’s Central Regional Championship men’s race at Denver’s Washington Park will begin at Noon following the women’s race at 11 a.m.

KSPK's Bryant Johnson chatted with Freshman of the Year Stevens as the Grizzlies finished preparing for the regional meet earlier this week, and the interview can be seen on the ASC Grizzlies YouTube Channel.

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