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KENOSHA, Wis. - For the first time since 1979, the Northern Kentucky University men’s cross country team has qualified for the NCAA Division II nationals. NKU earned a trip to Pensacola, Fla., and the nationals by placing fourth Saturday at the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region meet. Four NKU runners placed among the top 28 finishers in the 10-kilometer event as the Norse totaled 170 points. NKU posted the best finish of any Great Lakes Valley Conference team at the regional meet. Southern Indiana - which is ranked No. 23 nationally - finished fifth with a score of 177 and also qualified for the nationals, which will be held Nov. 18 at Pensacola, Fla., as part of the NCAA Division II Fall Sports Festival. Zach Koehler finished 17th with a time of 33:01 to lead NKU, while teammate Matthew Shoulta was 18th in 33:02. Brad Bullock (27th place) and Keith Knapp (28th place) also ran outstanding races for NKU, which was ranked No. 7 in the latest Great Lakes Region poll. The Norse knocked off both Lewis (No. 6 in the Great Lakes Region poll) and Hillsdale (No. 5 in the poll) on Saturday to qualify for the nationals. The top five teams in the men's event qualified for the nationals. Grand Valley State won the title by placing five runners in the top 13 finishers. Wayne (Mich.) State was second, followed by Saginaw Valley State, NKU and Southern Indiana. In the women's six-kilometer event, NKU posted an eighth-place finish with a score of 256. Julianne Hoekzema led the Norse with a 22nd-place finish with a time of 22:51. Rose Jepkirui posted a 23rd-place finish in 22:52. The eighth-place regional finish in the team standings represented the best in Norse women's cross country history. Grand Valley State also won the women's title with a score of 47. Wisconsin-Parkside was second with a total of 91 points. |
