NCCAA Cross Country National Championship Preview
Point Lookout, Mo. The Judson University Men's and Women's Cross Country Teams will be participating in the NCCAA National Championships this Saturday. The Eagles come into the race looking to have similar finishes to their fifth and third-place spots from last year.
The women's team will be in the hunt for a top-five finish once again. If Head Coach Cam Knudsen can get five of his runners to put it together on the same day, then the Eagles will certainly be right in contention for a top-five finish. The women's team has four seniors; three of those runners will be making their last appearance as a Judson cross country runner: Maria Alarcon, Nayeli Cisneros, and Laysha Hernandez. Marie Mayer will be running in the NAIA Championships in Vancouver, Washington the following week.
NAIA qualifier Josphat Chumba will not participate to rest for the NAIA National Championships on the 19th. With Chumba, out, Judson will rely on six freshmen and a sophomore. The experience will allow the young Eagles team to participate in a high-stakes race and an opportunity to see how they perform under pressure. Knudsen believes that the team may have numerous personal records with Saturday's performance.
"We're really excited for the chance to compete," said Knudsen. "We're hoping to send our senior women out on a high note with a good last team performance. This is a great stage for them to have one last race together and for each other. For the men, we're looking to establish ourselves as a team to look out for in this new chapter. The men have put in a lot of work and hopefully, this is only the first national meet of many. So it should be an exciting day on both sides."
The Judson University Athletic Department wishes the Cross Country teams the best of luck this Saturday in southwest Missouri.