SPOKANE, WA - As the Trinity Tigers prepare to head to Spokane, Washington on the 14th for the NCAA Regional Race, they will be steeling themselves for what could be the defining moment of their season. As the 9 runners on each side board the plane for the Evergreen State, they carry with them the hopes and support of the teammates they leave behind, each one pulling for them to return with what the season has been building to: a spot on the line at Nationals.
 
The women will get their shot at it first, with the gun going off at 1:00 Central Time. The now 30th ranked Trinity Women's team are currently ranked 6th in the region according to coaches polls coming into the weekend, and will likely need to knock off at least one of the teams ranked above them to make it out of the West Region. It is likely that 5th in the region would be enough to qualify them, but the Tigers would no doubt rather match or improve on their performance that saw them 4th in the region the year prior. To achieve this, the Trinity women will be looking to take spots from jerseys from George Fox, Whitworth, and Colorado College, a familiar foe. The results of this race will likely come down to the fourth and fifth finishers of these three teams, with NCAA algorithms predicting a separation of only 15 points between the 3rd and 5th place teams, each spot will be vital. Every point will matter as the Tigers take on the best of the west, and hope to keep their season alive. 
 
On the men's side, things took an unexpected turn in the week between competitions, and two of the Tiger's top runners have been sidelined. When the Tigers do line up to race at 2:00 PM Central Time, it will be with two new faces, Dashiell Browne (Lantana, Texas / Guyer ) and Chase Vogler (Allen, Texas / Allen ). Though thrust into this position unexpectedly, the pair are well suited to slot into this line up. Junior captain Dashiell Browne, triumphantly and now fully returned from an early season injury will provide a measure of experience to an otherwise very young team, his presence doubling the number of upperclassmen on the starting line. Chase Vogler has been on an upward trajectory since his breakout performance at OLLU, and is coming off his best collegiate performance at SAA, and will hope to keep the positive momentum going.
For both of them, the mentality will have to be 'next man up' as the Tigers attempt to turn depth into results. Ranked 6th in a tightly packed region, they will be facing opportunity and danger in equal measures, with projections showing only 22 points between 6th and 10th. It will be a game of inches for the Trinity men and every point will matter as the finishers begin to come through. 
 
From this point onwards nothing is guaranteed for either team, but, should the cards fall the way the Tigers plan them to, they will be racing once more this season, making a return trip to Carelton, Minnesota for nationals on the 21st of November. For now, however, the Tigers will have only the race in front of them.