11/7/2012 8:51:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
Two weeks after capturing its second consecutive Summit League title, the North Dakota State women's cross country team will travel to Springfield, Mo., to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional meet hosted by Missouri State University on Friday, Nov. 9. The women's 6k race will start at noon at the MSU Cross Country Course, prior to the men's event.
The Bison are looking to improve upon last year's 13th-place team finish. North Dakota State is ranked eighth in the latest Midwest Region poll released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The top two finishing teams will receive automatic bids to the NCAA Championship Nov. 17 in Louisville, Ky. The third- and fourth-place finishing teams will likely earn at-large berths, to be announced Saturday by the NCAA. Additionally, the top four individual finishers from non-qualified teams will advance to the NCAA meet.
NDSU returns three of its top four finishers from the 2011 Midwest Regional meet held in DeKalb, Ill. Heidi Peterson led the Bison in that meet as a sophomore, taking 42nd place out of 189 competitors. Maddie McClellan and Abbi Aspengren - the No. 2 and No. 4 finishers, respectively, for the Bison last year - also return.
Redshirt freshman Brecca Wahlund has been North Dakota State's top finisher at four of five meets this season, including a runner-up finish at the Summit League Championships on Oct. 27.
As one of nine NCAA Division I regional sites, Springfield will host programs from 10 conferences including the Atlantic 10, Big 12, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Conference USA, Great West, Horizon League, Mid-American, Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley and Summit League. Those 10 conferences span across nine different states (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota).
Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Tulsa and Northwestern are the top five teams in the most recent USTFCCCA Midwest Region rankings. Iowa State has captured the last two regional crowns.
