Weber State University’s men’s cross country finished the 2024 season strong and remained on a roll as they finished third in the Big Sky Championships and punched their ticket to the NCAA Mountain Regionals in Reno, Nevada.
The Wildcats were led by senior Peter Visser, who finished fourth in the race with a time of 23:22.4 while the squad tallied 68 points for an overall third-place team finish during the 10K course. They fielded a team with their top runners who also put up impressive numbers, ending with six top-21 finishes. Ty Davis finished in 14th with a recorded time of 24:16.6, Wesley Kallgren finished in 15th at 24:16.6, Taylor Knight finished in 19th with a time of 24:40.3, Evan Harris was right behind with a 24:44.6 and Hanokh Gailson finished 21st for a time of 24:46.0.
The women’s cross country team competed in the 6K course during the Big Sky Championships and placed third, scoring a total of 78 points.
They were led by junior Laurie Murphy, who placed 12th for the ‘Cats with a time of 17:25.6. Saga Hagelin finished in 15th place with a time of 17:47.5, Danielle Brow came in 17th place recording 17:51.4 and Courtney Earl came in 18th with a 17:52.0. Having four members from the women’s team finish the race in the top 18 runners helped Weber to secure a spot in the Mountain regionals along with the men.
The men’s cross country team came in 12th place at the NCAA Mountain Regionals on Nov. 15 with a recorded combined score of 327 points. Visser once again led the Wildcats by coming in with a 15th-place finish with a total time of 29:39.8.
Visser’s numbers for the Mountain Regional helped him qualify for the NCAA Championships in Madison, Wisconsin, on Nov. 23. He is only the fourth Wildcat to go to back-to-back national championships.
Kallgren finished in 59th place with a time of 30:36.3, Davis came in 80th with a recorded time of 31:27.1, Tanner Rogers finished with a 31:36.8 for 86th and Gailson finished right behind Rogers for 87th with a 31:42.8 finish.
The women’s cross country team came in 13th place with a total of 337 points during the 6K course at the NCAA Mountain Regionals. Weber was led again by Murphy, who came in 43rd place with a time of 20:50.4. Hagelin came in 55th with a time of 21:05.7, Brow finished with a 21:20.9 for 67th, Earl was 79th with a time of 21:37.6, and Trisha Davis finished with a time of 21:58.7 for 93rd.
