There are two main common threads linking Colorado's 2004 and 2006 national champion men's cross country teams to this fall's squad — Brent Vaughn and Stephen Pifer.

They're the only two runners who will have raced at the NCAA championships as members of all three squads when the Buffs toe the line for the event in Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday.

The two fifth-year seniors hope their winning trend together continues as they take to the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course one last time.

The two runners came in together as freshmen at CU in 2003, but Pifer redshirted that season. After they were part of the 2004 title squad together, an injury caused Vaughn to redshirt in 2005, and the Buffs finished a disappointing fifth at nationals. With both back on the course last season, CU claimed the crown once again.

"We've definitely thought about it," Vaughn said. "Everyone wants to go out on top, so that would be incredible."

The championships begin with the men's raceat 10:08 a.m. Monday, with the women's race following at 10:58 (television on CSTV, 10 a.m.).

Although they lost three scorers from last year's NCAA meet, the second-ranked Buffs have rolled lately, winning titles at the Big 12 and Mountain Region meets. Sophomore Kenyon Neuman has stepped in and become part of a triumvirate of CU frontrunners along with Vaughn and Pifer.

CU will field one of a handful of men's squads powerful enough to win the title. Oregon is ranked No. 1, while Iona, UTEP and perennial power Wisconsin round out the top 5.

"Any one of those five teams that has a particularly good day is going to win it," Buffs coach Mark Wetmore said.

For Vaughn, who won the Big 12 championship three weeks ago, the race is one last chance at an individual title. After a promising fourth-place finish at the NCAAs as a sophomore in 2004, a stress reaction in his pelvis caused him to sit out the 2005 season. As a redshirt junior last year, Vaughn led the Buffs with a 12th-place finish as the team rolled to victory past second-place Wisconsin.

Still, Vaughn said he wouldn't go out too fast and risk hurting the team's score by going for his own victory.

Liberty's Josh McDougal and Northern Arizona's Lopez Lomong, both of whom broke the Terre Haute 8K course record earlier this fall, are the likely favorites on the men's side. Monday's race is a 10K on the rolling, winding grass course.

"This year my goal is to get right up in it and hopefully be in the top five again," Vaughn said. "I'd like to be there at the end, but we'll see what happens the last few kilometers. I'm not going to be stupid the first 5K, but I'm going to try to be in the race."

While notching another podium finish might take a perfect day from the 22nd-ranked CU women — who have followed a national title in 2004 with two straight runner-up performances — junior Jenny Barringer will certainly be in the hunt for the women's individual title.

Barringer placed second last year behind Texas Tech's Sally Kipyego, who also beat Barringer at the Big 12 championships and the Mountain Region race this season.

"I'm incredibly motivated to beat Sally, but it's not because she's this ominous, huge character in my running career," Barringer said. "But the NCAA championship is a really coveted prize in cross country."

Wetmore snags award

Wetmore has been named the NCAA Mountain Region Men's Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA.

This marks the 13th time he's won the award — nine times for men and four for women.

Take a look

The NCAA cross country championships will be broadcast live for the first time ever on CSTV.

The broadcast will start at 10 a.m. and will finish at 1:30 p.m. It will include interviews with athletes, including CU's Jenny Barringer, and will also be streamed live on the internet at www.ustfccca.org.