Nov. 8, 2007
The Patriot League Cross Country season came to a close two weeks ago with the conclusion of the Patriot League Championship on Oct. 27. This Saturday, however, the Patriot League cross country teams will compete in both team and individual qualifying races at the NCAA Regional events. American, Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy have the opportunity to compete at the Mid-Atlantic Regional in Bethlehem, Pa., while Army, Colgate and Holy Cross have the opportunity to compete at the Northeast Regional in Boston, Mass.
The American men will be looking to qualify for their fourth-consecutive NCAA Cross Country Championship as a team. The Eagles finished second at last season's Mid-Atlantic Regional, while runners Steve Hallinan (sixth) and Brendan Fennell (eighth) had top-10 individual finishes. Fennell and Hallinan finished first and second at the Patriot League Championship in October. Bucknell also sent two individual runners, one male and one female, to the NCAA Championship last fall. With Bucknell's Leanna Nastase's qualification last year, the Patriot League has had a female representative at the NCAA Championships for the past six seasons. The Bison were the last women's team to represent the League, doing so in 1999.
The Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championship provides for a maximum of 31 (five-seven person) teams and 38 individuals per gender. Eighteen teams automatically qualify to the championships races by finishing as one of the top two teams at any of the nine regional races. The remaining 13 at-large teams are selected by the NCAA Division I track and field subcommittee.
Thirty-six individuals automatically qualify to the championships races by being one of the top four regional finishers not on an advancing team. Two additional individuals are selected at-large by the committee.
Results will be available after the races on Saturday, and the full field for the 2007 NCAA Cross Country Championship will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 11. The 2007 NCAA Cross Country Championship will be held Monday, Nov. 19, on the campus of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind.
