OAKWOOD, Ga. – Led by senior Abigail Bozarth's ninth-place finish and with freshman Melea Sangl and sophomore Olivia Evans also posting top-20 finishes, the Anderson women's cross country team qualified for the for the NCAA National Championships for the second straight year by finishing third at the 2018 NCAA Southeast Regional, which was hosted by North Georgia on the Nighthawk's Gainesville campus in Oakwood, Ga.
Queens University of Charlotte claimed the top spot, while Flagler took home the runner-up hardware. The Trojans were third, just in front of Mount Olive.
Bozarth crossed the 6k distance in a time of 22:51.14 and earned All-Southeast Region honors, while Sangl was 17th in a time of 23:19.32 and also brought home all-region accolades. Evans garnered all-region recognition by crossing the finish line in 19th place in a time of 23:24.89.
Sophomore Olivia Rish posted a time of 24:02.30 and finished 33rd, with classmate Lydia Gambrel (24:32.35) and senior Martha Coleman (24:40.92) finishing 51st and 52nd, respectively. Senior Maddie Buddenberg crossed the finish line in a time of 24:55.18 and finished 60th.
The Trojans finished as runners-up at last year's Region Championships at Wingate to become the first cross country team in school history to qualify for the NCAA National Championships.
This year's NCAA National Championships are slated for Saturday, Dec. 1 and will be hosted by Slippery Rock University at the Bob O'Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pa.