1973 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships-Cedar Herald Index

The 1973 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships were the 35th annual cross country meet to determine the team and individual national champions of NCAA Division I men's collegiate cross country running in the United States. Held on it was hosted by Washington State University at Hangman Valley Golf Course, near Spokane, Washington.

The distance for this race was , and the approximate average elevation was above sea level. The temperature during the race was .

1973 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships

The team national championship was won by the Oregon Ducks, their second title.

1973 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships

The individual championship was won by Oregon's Steve Prefontaine, with a time of 28:14.80. This was Prefontaine's third individual title in four years. Along with Gerry Lindgren (1966, 1967, and 1969) and Henry Rono (1976, 1977, and 1979), both from Washington State, Prefontaine is one of only three Division I collegiate runners with three individual titles.

1973 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships

Washington State hosted the championship again four years later in 1977, also at Hangman Valley, south of the city.

Qualification

All Division I members were eligible to qualify for the meet. In total, 22 teams and 210 individual runners contested this championship. This was the first championship after the NCAA rebranded the former University Division as Division I in 1973. On a related note, the inaugural NCAA Men's Division III Cross Country Championship was held this year at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.