UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA. – The Anderson University men's and women's cross-country teams are getting set for the NCAA National Championships at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, WA.
"Our men are excited and ready to compete on Friday," said coach Kevin Eagle. "Our main focus is to run to our full ability and not put a major emphasis on what other runners are doing. If we do this, we will surprise a lot of people and cap off an historical season for our men!"
"With the women qualifying for nationals as recently as last year, they know what to expect this time around when it comes to the national meet," said Eagle. "Our girls are ready to perform on Friday and lay it all on the line. If each runner runs to their full ability, we should finish a lot higher than we have in year's past. At the end of the day, that is the main goal as we look to continue to grow this program from year to year."
The trip to Washington marks the first time in program history the men's team has clinched a berth in the NCAA National Championships. Meanwhile, this is the fourth trip to nationals in five years for the women. Another impressive season earned head coach Kevin Eagle USTFCCCA Women's Southeast Region Coach of the Year.
Spain Vaughan, Elliot Dotson, Daniel Similton, and Ty Nelson earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors for the men by finishing in the Top-25 at the NCAA Southeast Regional Meet on November 19th. For the women, Whitney Hanson, Jodi Ann Martin, Emily Golden, and Elise Matthews represented the Trojans on the region list.
At the opening ceremonies earlier this week, the women's cross-country team was honored with the NCAA Elite 90 Team GPA award with a cumulative grade point average of 3.89.
The NCAA National Championships are set for Friday, December 2nd in Seattle, Washington. The men's 10k will take place at 10:00 AM PT with the women's 6k following at 11:15 AM PT. Coverage can be found at www.autrojans.com.
