ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- No. 1 BYU scored 81 points to place third at the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships Friday morning.
The women have finished in the top three as a team at the NCAA Mountain Regionals for the past three years. Since only the top two teams in each region automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, the Cougars will have to wait to see if they are one of 14 at-large teams chosen by the NCAA DI Cross Country Subcommittee to compete at Nationals. The final list of teams will be announced on Saturday, Nov. 14 by 3 p.m. MST on NCAA's website.
BYU fell to two top 10 teams, including the host, No. 7 New Mexico, who took first with 45 points and No. 6 Northern Arizona who placed second with 67 points, outscoring the Cougars by only 14. The last time BYU and New Mexico went head-to-head was at the Cowboy Jamboree in late September. The Cougars took first with 32 points, while the Lobos took third behind Oklahoma State with 70 points. Regionals marked the first meet this season in which BYU and Northern Arizona ran against each other.
Mountain Region Team Results
| PLACE | TEAM | SCORE |
| 1st | New Mexico | 45 |
| 2nd | Northern Arizona | 67 |
| 3rd | BYU | 81 |
| 4th | Utah | 100 |
| 5th | Colorado | 103 |
| 6th | Wyoming | 183 |
| 7th | Utah State | 214 |
| 8th | Utah Valley | 228 |
| 9th | Montana State | 248 |
| 10th | Air Force | 261 |
Senior Taylor Lovell was the first Cougar to cross the finish line, placing fourth and clocking a 19:46.7. She remained in the top 10 throughout the entire race, passing No. 9 Colorado's lead runner Sheylah Kurgat in the last 500 meters to secure the fourth spot.
Sophomore Zariel Macchia was BYU's second scorer, finishing 12th and giving a strong kick over the second half of the course, after remaining in 24th for the first 3,000-meters of the race. She was followed by Northern Arizona transfer Karrie Baloga who remained consistent and placed 17th in the race.
The last two scorers for the Cougars were senior Taylor Rohatinsky who finished 19th in her third race of the season and junior Tessa Buswell who placed 29th after coming off a win in the white race at Pre-Nationals. Lily Alder and Jenna Hutchins rounded out the seven BYU runners, finishing 49th and 52nd, respectively.
Notable BYU athletes missing from the lineup this Friday were Jane Hedengren, Lexi Goff-Thompson and Nelah Roberts.
Mountain Region Individual Results
| ATHLETE | PLACE | TIME |
| Taylor Lovell | 4th | 19:46.7 |
| Zariel Macchia | 12th | 20:23.4 |
| Karrie Baloga | 17th | 20:34.6 |
| Taylor Rohatinsky | 19th | 20:40.5 |
| Tessa Buswell | 29th | 21:03.2 |
| Lily Alder | 49th | 21:39.8 |
| Jenna Hutchins | 52nd | 21:40.4 |
Being amongst the top 25 women to cross the line, Lovell, Macchia, Baloga and Rohatinsky earned All-Mountain Region honors. This is Rohatinsky's third consecutive season receiving this honor, while Lovell and Macchia have both earned this title for the second time in their collegiate careers. This is Baloga's second top 25 finish at Mountain Regionals, her first being during the 2024 season while she was racing for Northern Arizona.
For full results, visit this website.
Up Next
If the Cougars are chosen by the NCAA as an at-large team, they will head to the LaVern Gibson cross country course in Terre Haute, Indiana to compete for the national title on Saturday, Nov. 21. The women's race will begin at 8:20 a.m. MST and the men's race will follow at 9:10 a.m. MST.