Two Ferris State Cross Country Standouts Selected To Race In NCAA D2 National Championships
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Big Rapids, Mich. - For the first time in school history, the Ferris State University men's and women's cross country squads will have an individual qualifier compete in the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships as two Bulldogs are officially on the list of entrants for the upcoming competition.
The list of those selected to compete in the NCAA D2 Championiships set for Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh (Pa.) was announced by the NCAA and includes FSU junior women's runner Katie Etelamaki (Ishpeming/Westwood) along with senior men's runner Damien Halverson (Hesperia).
Both FSU competitors finished as all-region honorees this past weekend in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championships hosted by Hillsdale College. Etelamaki earned automatic national qualification by finishing as one of the top two runners not from an advancing team as she placed sixth overall in the women's 6K field.
Meawnwhile, Halverson was chosen as an at-large entry after finishing seventh overall this past Saturday in the men's 10K race, leading the Bulldogs in a time of 31:53.6.
This fall, both previously also earned All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) honors on Nov. 3 in the league event hosted at Calvin College's Gainey Athletic Complex in Grand Rapids. Etelamaki placed ninth overall at the league championships while Halverson finished 20th.
The list of national qualifiers was announced by the NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Cross Country Committee. In order to be eligible to participate in the championships, teams and individuals had to qualify in their respective NCAA regional competitions that were held this past weekend.
Thirty-four teams were selected to participate in each championship. The top three, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the eight regions, for a total of 24 teams. Ten additional teams were selected at-large. A minimum of 24 additional individuals were selected to participate in each championship through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process.
The championships will be held Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at Bob O'Conner Golf Course at Schenley Park as part of the Division II Fall Sports Festival. Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and SportsPITTSBURGH will serve as hosts. The men's race will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern, followed by the women's race at 12:15 p.m. Eastern.
NCAA cross country fans can watch the live streams of the NCAA cross country championships as FloTrack Pro subscribers for a monthly price of $29.99 or an annual price of $149.99. The subscription plan will include unlimited access to all FloTrack live broadcasts, video on-demand from all events, FloTrack Originals, documentaries, technique videos and more. Since there is a registration process, it is recommended that you register early to ensure you do not miss any of the action.