LARAMIE, Wyo. – The Cowboys will put the finishing touch on an amazing season by competing in the NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championships at the Zimmer Championship Course at the University of Wisconsin. This is the first time since 1986 that the Cowboys will represent the University of Wyoming as a team at the National Championships.
 
From the beginning of the season the Cowboys have been led by junior Paul Roberts, who is the second runner to win the individual Mountain West title in school history. Roberts was named Mountain West Cross Country Athlete of the Year and first-team all-Mountain West.
 
The season started late in August for the Cowboys, who hosted their season-opening Invite in Cheyenne, Wyo. Roberts won the race and led the team to a second place finish, upsetting No. 7 Colorado and the No. 16 Air Force Falcons. The season opener showed what kind of work the Cowboys were about to put in every meeting.
 
The second good performance came almost a month later at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational were two Cowboys finished among the top 10 out of more than 140 runners. Roberts and Christopher Henry led the Cowboys to a second-place finish. The team finished ahead of a nationally-ranked No. 28 Furman squad.
 
The season was looking good for the Cowboys coming into the Pre-Nationals meet in Madison, Wis., where they had another good performance. The team placed fifth out of 35 teams, finishing ahead of six nationally-ranked teams and recording the best finish in Cowboy history at a Pre-Nationals race. Paul Roberts led the way one more time placing 12^th overall with a time of 24:08.2, with one of the best finishes for a Cowboy at a Pre-Nationals race.
 
The second to last step for the Cowboys to qualify for the NCAA Championships was the Mountain West Cross Country Championship in San Diego, Calif. Paul Roberts claimed his individual Mountain West Championship with a time of 24:34.1, three seconds faster than the second finisher, helping the Cowboys to a fourth-place finish out of eight teams. Juniors Christopher Henry and Harry Ewing were named second-team all-Mountain West, marking the first time since 2011 that the Cowboys have had multiple honorees.
 
The last meet for the Cowboys before the NCAA Championships was the NCAA Mountain Region Championships. After the meet, Roberts, Henry, and Ewing earned all-region honors by placing in the top 25, marking the first time in school history that the Cowboys have had three all-region honorees. Roberts placed 11^th overall with the second-fastest time in school history for a 10-kilometer race, 29:27.4. The Cowboys placed sixth out of 17 teams which ties for the best-ever finish at the region championships in school history, as well.
 
The Cowboys will look to a great season ending as a team by participating in the 2018 NCAA Division I Championships on Nov. 17 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course. The women's 6K will start at 10:45 a.m. (CT), and the men's 10K will begin at 11:45 a.m. (CT). On race day, follow @wyo_track on Twitter for updates.