RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota School of Mines men's and women's cross country teams are off to Canyon, Texas, this weekend for the NCAA South Central Region Cross Country Meet, hosted by West Texas A&M.

The meet is slated for a 8:30 a.m. (MDT) women's start with the men's race to follow at 9:45 a.m. (MDT). The race will be run on "The Range". The Range is located on the East end of campus, across the street to the North from the First United Bank Center. Spectators are asked to park in the FUBC's North parking lot and walk across Russell Long Boulevard to the competition site.

Those finishing among the Top 25 in each race will be considered All-South Central Region performers. Teams and individuals qualify for the national championships based on their performances throughout the season as well as automatic bids in the regional meets. A total of 32 teams and 24 individuals will be selected.  The top three teams from each regional meet will automatically advance to the NCAA Championships finals (24 total teams).

The top two individuals who are not part of a qualifying team will automatically advance to the championship (16 individuals). All individuals who finish in the top five at the regional meet and are not part of a qualifying team automatically advance to the championship finals. The next eight individuals will be selected at-large. There is no limit to the number of at-large individuals that may be selected from the same region. The top individual from each region not receiving an automatic qualifying spot and not on a qualifying team, will be compared head-to-head. Place at the regional meet and strength of region are factored into the formula when comparing at-large individuals.

Members of the Hardrocker cross country teams that will be competing Saturday are: Timothy Dunham, Andrew Ferris, Joel Haas, Jacob Huber, Ryan Moen, Anders Watt, Chase Wood, Taylor Bright, Alyssa Franke, Kayla Gagen, Nadia Kaczmarz, Margaret Thompson, Adeline Wilson and Kelby Wilson.