WINNECONNE, Wisc. --- Six individual athletes from three conference schools are set to represent the ODAC in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday. A trio from Eastern Mennonite University are joined by two from Washington and Lee University and one from Roanoke College in competing in the women's six-kilometer and men's eight-kilometer races in Winneconne, Wisc.
The ODAC's contingent includes both of the 2015 individual conference champions -- EMU's Hannah Chappell-Dick and RC's Harrison Toney. Chappell-Dick will be joined by fellow Royals Kat Lehman and Alec Thibodeaux. The W&L duo of Maggie Seybold and Samantha Yates also head west for the season's final meet.
Last weekend's NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championships were one of eight regional meets competed to determine the national fields. The top two teams in the men's and women's ranks from each region automatically qualified for nationals, while an additional 16 squads earned at-large bids based on several criteria including but not limited to performance at the regional meets. The remaining 56 competitors to complete the fields of 280 runners were filled by individual runners. The top seven highest finishing individual runners from each of the eight regional meets earned a spot on the national stage. Eligible individuals are those not a part of teams earning automatic or at-large bids.
NCAA Championship Qualifiers (men and women)
NCAA Live Timing/Results (all divisions)
Live Video Streaming
Chappell-Dick, Lehman and Toney are set to make their second appearances in the national field, with Lehman and Toney both competing last season. Thibodeaux, Seybold and Yates are making their inaugural starts in the NCAA championships.
Both Chappell-Dick and Toney finished as the runners up in their respective regional races in Winchester, Va., last weekend. Chappell-Dick completed the women's six-kilometer course in 22:15.5, less than 10-seconds behind champion Elise Viox from Emory University. Toney finished the men's eight-kilometer race in 25:55.0, just over eight-seconds behind Lukas Mees from Emory.
Thibodeaux punched his ticket to Wisconsin by placing fourth in 26:00.1. Seybold and Yates crossed the finish line sixth and seventh in the women's competition, posting times of 22:42.7 and 22.43.3, respectively. Lehman chimed in ninth in 22:49.1 to secure the region's final individual qualifying spot.
The NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships begin with the women's race at 12:00 p.m. ET (11am CST). The men's run will begin at 1:00 p.m. ET (12pm CST). For more information, visit www.ncaa.com or the website of championship-host University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh at www.uwoshkoshtitans.com.
For more information on ODAC cross country, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter.