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NCAA Cross Country Trivia Quiz

Do you like to watch college kids run really fast over long distances? Then this quiz may be for you!

A multiple-choice quiz by Lance_the_Red. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
Lance_the_Red

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
409,994

Updated
Sep 20 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
90

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The Arkansas men's team has been one of the best in NCAA cross country history, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s. How many titles did they win during that span? Hint

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Question 2 of 10

2. In cross country, the lowest point total wins. The lowest possible score is 15 (five runners in the team finished 1-2-3-4-5). In 1981, a team total scored an amazing 17 points. What school put up this number? Hint

UTEP

Texas

Arkansas

Iowa State

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Question 3 of 10

3. Women's NCAA cross country started in 1981 and one of the most dominant teams has been Villanova. They had an impressive streak in the 1980s and 1990s. How many titles did they win during that span? Hint

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Question 4 of 10

4. In what year did the distance in NCAA D-I men's cross country change from 6 miles to 10 kilometers? Hint

1980

1993

1965

1976

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Question 5 of 10

5. Steve Prefontaine was a famous American distance runner in the early 70s, running for the University of Oregon. How many individual NCAA men's championships did he win? Hint

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Question 6 of 10

6. The distance that the women run in D-I NCAA cross country has changed -- When it began in 1981, it was 5 kilometers. In what year did it change to six kilometers? Hint

2005

1985

2000

1990

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Question 7 of 10

7. What university is home to the country's oldest consecutively-run NCAA men's cross country meet? Hint

Harvard

Oklahoma State

Indiana

Penn State

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Question 8 of 10

8. In the 1980s and '90s, Arkansas dominated men's cross country. During that same time, only one school produced three different individual champions. What school? Hint

Arkansas

UTEP

Iowa State

Arizona

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Question 9 of 10

9. Several men have won consecutive NCAA cross country championships. Who was the first to win three consecutive championships? Hint

Edward Cheserek (Oregon)

Henry Rono (Washington State)

Samuel Chelanga (Liberty)

Gerry Lindgren (Washington State)

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Question 10 of 10

10. The lowest (and best) score a team can get in cross country is 15 points. But even if a team doesn't score 15, it can still crush its opponents. In what year did that victory differential between first and second-placed teams break triple digits for the first time? Hint

1999 (Arkansas over Wisconsin)

1993 (Arkansas over BYU)

2010 (Oklahoma State over Florida State)

1980 (UTEP over Arkansas)

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The Arkansas men's team has been one of the best in NCAA cross country history, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s. How many titles did they win during that span?

Answer: 11

During this time, they won 11 times, including four straight titles from 1990-1993.

Answer: UTEP

In that year, UTEP won its fourth consecutive NCAA men's championship, and its top five runners finished at 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8. (The runners who placed 4 and 5 were running individually and didn't count towards team totals, so UTEP's score was 1+2+3+5+6=17.)

Answer: 7

The Wildcats won six in a row from 1989-1994, and added another in 1998.

4. In what year did the distance in NCAA D-I men's cross country change from 6 miles to 10 kilometers?

Answer: 1976

The race was 4 miles when it began as an NCAA event in 1938, and changed to 6 miles in 1965.

5. Steve Prefontaine was a famous American distance runner in the early 70s, running for the University of Oregon. How many individual NCAA men's championships did he win?

Answer: 3

Prefontaine won in 1970, '71, and '73. He was the subject of a movie of the same name, released in 1997. The movie recounts his amazing track and field accomplishments up until his untimely death in a car accident in 1975 at the age of just 24.

6. The distance that the women run in D-I NCAA cross country has changed -- When it began in 1981, it was 5 kilometers. In what year did it change to six kilometers?

Answer: 2000

Some prominent runners have advocated for women to run the same distance as men (10km).

7. What university is home to the country's oldest consecutively-run NCAA men's cross country meet?

Answer: Oklahoma State

The Cowboy Jamboree was first held in 1937, and is one of the few cross country courses that is actually on a college campus. The next oldest is San Diego State University's Aztec Invitational (originally the San Diego State College Cross Country Invitational), which began in 1943.

8. In the 1980s and '90s, Arkansas dominated men's cross country. During that same time, only one school produced three different individual champions. What school?

Answer: UTEP

UTEP's three individual champions all took the podium in the early '80s: Suleiman Nyambui in 1980, Matthews Motshwarateu in 1981, and Zakarie Barie in 1983. Coach Ted Banks recruited heavily in Africa and the top five runners on the famous championship team that scored 17 points in 1981 all came from Africa.

He eventually resigned in 1982 amid allegations of unscrupulous recruiting of athletes from Africa and Europe.

9. Several men have won consecutive NCAA cross country championships. Who was the first to win three consecutive championships?

Answer: Edward Cheserek (Oregon)

Both Rono and Lindgren won three titles, but they weren't consecutive-- Rono was '76, '77, '79, and Lindgren was '66, '67, '69. Cheserek won his three straight from 2013-15.

Answer: 1993 (Arkansas over BYU)

UTEP finished 94 points ahead of Arkansas in 1980, 58-152. It wasn't until 1993 when we get our first triple-digit margin, where Arkansas finished 122 points ahead of BYU, 31-153.

Source: Author Lance_the_Red

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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