UCLA cross country to compete in NCAA West Regional

UCLA’s men’s and women’s cross country teams both stumbled to seventh-place finishes at the Pac-12 championships two weeks ago. The Bruins will look to improve on their placement against national competition today as they compete in the NCAA West Regional in Sacramento, Calif.

Should UCLA finish in first or second, it will automatically advance to next week’s NCAA championships. But if the Bruins fall outside the top two, they will have to rely on at-large bids to extend their season.

Getting a top-two finish will be a challenge for the Bruins, as the men go up against 31 other schools – five of which are nationally ranked – and the women face off against 37 other competitors, including seven nationally ranked teams.

While they finished seventh in the Pac-12, the Bruins are ranked lower in the West region. Both the men’s and women’s teams head into the West Regional ranked as the ninth-best team in their region.

In the tournament, the men’s team will run in a 10k race while the women compete in a 6k.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.