The Arizona cross-country teams will compete for national recognition at the NCAA Championships today at the Lavern Gibson Championship Course in Terra Haute, Ind. The No. 8-ranked women will make a push to compete for the title while Lawi Lalang hopes to make his first cross-country season an undefeated one.

“I think I am ready,” Lalang said. “I want to race against the best.”

The women’s cross-country team jumped eight spots into the top 10 at No. 8 in national polls leading up to the championship. Sophomore Elvin Kibet and junior Jen Bergman earned all west regional honorees after coming in fourth and sixth at the West Regional 6,000-meter race last week.

For the men, Lalang, a freshman, was awarded the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association’s Male West Region Athlete of the Year after winning the 10,000m NCAA West Regional race with a time of 28:34. Sophomore Patrick Zacharias and for the women, junior Elizabeth Apgar, were also recognized with all-region accolades.

The women are looking to remain high in the rankings with Kibet and Bergman leading the team while on the men’s side Lalang is coming in hot with record setting wins this season at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational, the Roy Griak Invitational, and the Pac-12 Championships.