Clarksville, Ark.-University of the Ozarks runner Nathan Rankin has qualified for the NCAA III Cross Country National Championships for the second straight year.
The junior from Plano, Texas, had a strong performance Saturday at the NCAA III Regional in Memphis finishing eighth overall running a 25:19.0 to qualify.
The NCAA III Men's Cross Country Championships will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, at E.P. Tom Sawyer Stare Park. Spalding University will serve as the host of the championship 8K race November 23. The men's race starts at 10:45 p.m. (central).
Rankin's fastest 8K time of the season is 25:14.2, a mark he ran at the Louisville Greater Classic.
Rankin placed 136th at last year's NCAA III National Championship.
2019 Team and Individual qualifiers: https://www.ncaa.com/news/cross-country-men/article/2019-11-17/2019-ncaa-division-iii-mens-and-womens-cross-country
Men's Course Map: http://gotolouisville.s3.amazonaws.com/CMS/5799/2017-mens8k_course_color.pdf
Championship Guide: http://digital.learfieldimgcollege.com/ncaa-division-iii-cross-country-championships.html
Thirty-two teams were selected to participate. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the eight regions, for a total of 16 teams. Sixteen additional teams were selected at-large.
Fifty-six individuals, the first seven student-athletes from each region who are not a part of a qualifying team, were selected to participate in each championship.
