INDIANAPOLIS — After a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Saturday morning, the Michigan Tech men’s cross country team earned one of 10 at-large teams decided on by the committee on Monday afternoon.

The Huskies join thirty-three teams selected to participate in the national championship in Seattle, Washington. The top three, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the eight regions, for a total of 24 teams.

With the at-large qualifier, the Huskies have etched their third-straight trip to the national championship. Their first appearance at the big dance was in 2019 in Sacramento, California, where the Black & Gold placed 13th. The national championship will be hosted in Seattle, Washington as part of the festival taking place Dec. 1-3. The men will race at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington on Friday, Dec. 2, at 2:15 p.m. 

The men of Michigan Tech earned the at-large qualifier much from three All-Region performances. Sophomore Drew Kolodge (31:01.05) led the Huskies placing eighth at the Midwest Regionals. Houghton native Clayton Sayen (31:26.97) placed 11th with Sam Lange (31:35.10) earning 15th-place. 

Sophomore Tucker Ringhand placed 34th overall in his first regional meet, running through the chute in 32:10.

Nick McKenzie, the Huskies’ fifth runner, improved 30 spots from last year’s meet, placing 53rd on the day, running 32:29.07.

Stephen Laparo (32:47.28) and Kyle Samluk (33:10.71) were the sixth and seventh runners for Tech, placing 65th and 84th, respectively.

In the most recent national coaches’ poll the Huskies hold down the No. 18 spot.

At the National Championships last season in St. Leo, Florida, the Huskies placed 24th. Kolodge placed 66th to be the first runner in for Michigan Tech.