Gophers Face Challenges at Midwest Regional

The University of Minnesota cross country teams face a stiffer fight than usual at tomorrow's NCAA Division I Midwest Regional Championships in Springfield, Missouri.

The #17-ranked Gopher women, the two-time defending Midwest Region champs, will need to beat #13-ranked Illinois, the runner-ups up at Big Tens who edged the Gophers there by three points, to win a third-straight Midwest title.

They'll likely also need to stay ahead of #18 Iowa State, which topped the Gophers at the Griak Invitational earlier in the season, to be assured of an automatic qualifying spot for the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. #30 Iowa will also compete.

Despite the tight competition, the Gophers appear to be in solid position to qualify for the 31-team NCAA Championships a week from Monday. Two teams from the region qualify automatically. The Gophers performance resume this season, should put them in position to earn an at-large bid, should they finish third or fourth.

The Gopher women have qualified for the last four NCAA championships and 10 of the last 13.

Find the official Gopher women's preview HERE.

The Gopher men, runners-up in the Midwest last year and champions in 2007, face an uphill battle to qualify for their 12th NCAA Championship in the last 14 years.

Minnesota, ranked #29 nationally, faces #2 Oklahoma State, #18 Oklahoma, #27 Iowa State at the meet. Tulsa, which was ranked earlier in the season, could also contend for a qualifying spot.

Because the Gophers have lost to the Sooners and Cyclones earlier in the season, a finish lower than third at the meet would make qualifying at large very difficult. The first 10,000 meter race of the season has a lot riding on it for the young Gophers, who plan to run three freshman/red-shirt freshman on Saturday.

The Gophers will be led by defending Midwest Regional individual champion Hassan Mead, however. The Minneapolis South alum is one of three Gophers -- Andrew Carlson and Antonio Vega are the others -- to win the Midwest. He'll try to be the first Gopher to win back-to-back titles at the race.

Find the official Gopher's men's preview HERE.