Vikings, Falcons and Central's Nicole Soleim & Alexa Shindruk set for Saturday's NCAA D2 championship race...
PITTSBURGH—The end is near for the country’s Division II athletes as the NCAA Cross Country Championships will be contested Saturday at Bob O’Conner Golf Course at Schenley Park, with the men’s 10k race leading it off at 8 am (11 am, eastern time), followed by the women’s 6k at 9:15 am (12:15 pm, eastern).
Western Washington will have teams in both races, while Seattle Pacific will have a women’s squad entered Saturday.
All three squads qualified for the national championships as one of ten at-large selections based on their total body of work over the regular season.
Additionally, Central Washington will have two individuals entered in the women’s race in Nicole Soleim and Alexa Shindruk.
WWU head coach Pee Wee Halsell said, "Both teams have had a tremendous season and worked incredibly hard to get to this point. All the work in the offseason and over the summer has paid off, and now it is time for them to go out and shine and enjoy this great moment."
The Viking men, who are ranked #18 in the final regular season USTFCCCA D2 poll, are returning to the national championship meet for the first time since a streak of eight consecutive seasons from 2007-14.
The women, ranked number 14 in the final regular season USTFCCCA D2 poll, also finished 5th at the NCAA DII regional and return to nationals for the first time since a 6th-place finish in 2015.
For the #13 Seattle Pacific Falcons, they are going to the nationals for the first time since 2015, when they finished 15th. Additionally, they are in Pittsburgh without a single senior on their squad. The Falcons will toe the starting line with three juniors, led by Kate Lilly (left/photo by Paul Merca)--their top runner at the regionals--along with two sophomores, and two freshmen.
According to Central Washington coach Kevin Adkisson, “We've had success with individuals who have made it here in the past. Our region is so competitive and we know that our individuals are always going to compete well. We're looking forward to trying to compete, and get into that top 40, and receive All-American recognition. We got on the course today and it is kind of sketchy.”
“There were quite a few muddy spots and it's an up and down course. Throughout conference and regionals, we've had pretty flat courses. This one is built on a hill. It's going to be a challenging course for sure. (Nicole and Alexa) are going to have to run smart, be careful and watch out for hills. They both do a good job with kind of that patient, waiting type of race. They can work on staying out of trouble early, then when the pack spreads out they can make some moves."
Media partner Flotrack ($) is offering a live stream of the championships.
The link to live results is available here.
NOTE: The NCAA, and the sports information offices of Central Washington University, Seattle Pacific University, Western Washington University, and the USTFCCCA contributed to this report.
Western Washington will have teams in both races, while Seattle Pacific will have a women’s squad entered Saturday.
All three squads qualified for the national championships as one of ten at-large selections based on their total body of work over the regular season.
Additionally, Central Washington will have two individuals entered in the women’s race in Nicole Soleim and Alexa Shindruk.
WWU head coach Pee Wee Halsell said, "Both teams have had a tremendous season and worked incredibly hard to get to this point. All the work in the offseason and over the summer has paid off, and now it is time for them to go out and shine and enjoy this great moment."The Viking men, who are ranked #18 in the final regular season USTFCCCA D2 poll, are returning to the national championship meet for the first time since a streak of eight consecutive seasons from 2007-14.
The women, ranked number 14 in the final regular season USTFCCCA D2 poll, also finished 5th at the NCAA DII regional and return to nationals for the first time since a 6th-place finish in 2015.
For the #13 Seattle Pacific Falcons, they are going to the nationals for the first time since 2015, when they finished 15th. Additionally, they are in Pittsburgh without a single senior on their squad. The Falcons will toe the starting line with three juniors, led by Kate Lilly (left/photo by Paul Merca)--their top runner at the regionals--along with two sophomores, and two freshmen.
According to Central Washington coach Kevin Adkisson, “We've had success with individuals who have made it here in the past. Our region is so competitive and we know that our individuals are always going to compete well. We're looking forward to trying to compete, and get into that top 40, and receive All-American recognition. We got on the course today and it is kind of sketchy.”
“There were quite a few muddy spots and it's an up and down course. Throughout conference and regionals, we've had pretty flat courses. This one is built on a hill. It's going to be a challenging course for sure. (Nicole and Alexa) are going to have to run smart, be careful and watch out for hills. They both do a good job with kind of that patient, waiting type of race. They can work on staying out of trouble early, then when the pack spreads out they can make some moves."
Media partner Flotrack ($) is offering a live stream of the championships.
The link to live results is available here.
NOTE: The NCAA, and the sports information offices of Central Washington University, Seattle Pacific University, Western Washington University, and the USTFCCCA contributed to this report.
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