Bison Head to First Regional

SHAWNEE – A young, injury-plagued OBU men's cross country team heads to Kearney, Nebraska, for its first NCAA Central Regional Saturday.
 
The race is a 10-kilometer course, unlike the typical 8K teams run most of the season and OBU will have six men competing. It begins at 12:15 p.m.
 
The talent-laden regional includes seventh-ranked Augustana, No. 15 Lindenwood and No. 23 Central Missouri.
 
To gain an automatic berth, the Bison would have to break into that top three. It's a daunting task, given OBU doesn't have a place in the Central Top 10 rankings and Great American Conference champion Harding is 10^th in that group.
 
"You know, at the beginning of the season I was hoping to finish in the top half because we are so young, and that's where we are still," said OBU Coach Mark Heard.
 
OBU's top two are GAC Runner of the Year Jacob Janzen and GAC Freshman of the Year Patrick Harris. That tandem finished first and second at the GAC Meet.
 
DeAngelo Robles, Garrett Elmore, Nathan Crowson and Jarrett Ellis also will be in the field, attempting to improve OBU's perceived lot.
 
"I think our guys are a little nervous – and I'm nervous for them – running a 10K," Heard said. "Those four guys know their jobs and I think they will be motivated by how we did at the GAC Meet. They just need to not go out too fast like it's an 8K."
 
Janzen, Heard said, has been training at longer distance and could have a strong outing. Harris also has the talent to compete.
 
"Jacob has had some 90-mile weeks so he may be more ready for this," Heard said. "I'm optimistic he can get in the top 20 of this field of about 200 runners. Patrick just has the heart to get out there and he may be in the top 30."
 
Beyond the top three automatic qualifying teams, eight at-large berths are available across the nation. Unranked OBU isn't a likely candidate at this point, but the top two runners from the Central whose teams aren't qualifiers also will advance to the national meet in Illinois.
 
"I'm just excited for us to get to go to this meet for the first time and experience it and learn from the experience," Heard said. "And then bring every back again next year."
 
OBU's six-man contingent this weekend includes two juniors (Janzen and Crowson), two sophomores (Robles and Elmore) and two freshmen (Harris and Ellis).