OFFICIAL NCAA RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS – Freshman Ricardo Vargas will be the lone Cal Poly Pomona representative at the 2022 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships on Dec. 2 in University Place, Wash.
 
Despite a fourth place finish for the CPP women and a fifth place standing for the CPP men at Saturday's NCAA Division II West Regionals, neither team earned an at-large bid from the NCAA, the announcement was made Monday afternoon. It will be the first time since 2012 that both the men's and women's teams have missed Nationals the same season.
 
Vargas, meanwhile, is one of 24 individuals not with a qualifying team to advance to the NCAA Championships, and he was one of just eight individuals that captured an at-large bid. It will be the 20^th appearance all-time by an individual from Cal Poly Pomona and the first since Ruben Dominguez represented the Broncos at Nationals in 2017.
 
A freshman from Lake Arrowhead, Vargas competed in six races this fall and his winning percentage of 94.7 is on pace to be the second-highest winning percentage in a career in program history. He clocked three Top 10 finishes, including an individual title to open the season on Sept. 3 at the Redlands Invitational. He also placed seventh at the CCAA Championships on Nov. 5 and placed sixth at the NCAA West Regional this past Saturday. His average mile time in six races combined this season is 4:59.3.
 
Vargas will toe the line at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, Wash., on Friday, Dec. 2. The 10-kilometer race is set to begin at 10:00 am Pacific Time.