The Valley City State cross country teams are back on the road this week competing at the North Star Athletic Association Conference Championships.
 
VCSU's men and women race Friday at the NSAA Championships, which is being hosted by Viterbo University. The conference championship meets will be held at Maple Groves Venues in West Salem, Wis.
 
The women run a 6K race at 10:30 a.m., while the men run an 8K race starting at 11:30 a.m. This is the first year that the women are running a 6K race for the postseason. Previously it has been a 5K race at the NAIA level.

Live results from the races can be found at: http://www.accuracetiming.com/info
 
The Vikings have 10 runners currently schedule to compete on Friday. Rigo Garcia, Mason Brehmer, Jaxsyn Olson, Isaac Eichhorst and Garet Hoke will represent the Viking men, while Jasmine Barnes, Karly Just, Paris Mack, Emily Hatlewick and Morgan Haerer race for the women.
 
Maple Grove Venue in West Salem is comprised of primarily flat terrain with some modest elevation changes.

The awards ceremony will be held at the R.W. Beggs Gymnasium on the campus of Viterbo (900 Viterbo Drive, La Crosse, Wis.) at approximately 2 p.m.  The top 10 runners in each race will receive NSAA All-Conference recognition.  The post-race awards will also be announced at the awards ceremony.

The team winner of the conference meet in each race will represent the North Star Athletic Association at the 2023 NAIA Cross Country National Championships on Friday, Nov. 17, at Fort Vancouver Historic Site in Vancouver, Wis.

There are also four individual national qualifiers for the NAIA national meet.  Runners from the non-winning team and placed in the top 15 will earn a spot to run in the national meet.