MSU Cross Country Set for NCAA Regional

Friday, November 11

Iowa City, Iowa

TBA

Missouri State University

2016 NCAA Midwest Regional

MSU Cross Country Set for NCAA Regional

November 10, 2016 | Women's Cross Country

By: MSU Athletics Communications

NCAA Midwest Regional, Iowa City, Iowa
Date and Time	Friday, Nov. 11, 11:00 a.m.
Location	Iowa City, Iowa
Distance	6K (women)
Course	Ashton Cross Country Course
Results	Results
Meet Info	Regional Central \| Entries
MSU Info	Roster \| Season Stats/Results
Follow the Bears	Home \| Twitter

SPRINGFIELD -- Missouri State's women's cross country team will conclude its 2016 season Friday morning when the Bears compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Iowa City, Iowa.

MSU is one of 36 Division I teams and eight Missouri Valley Conference squads entered in the meet, which will be a six-kilometer course. The women's race begins at 11:00 a.m. at the Ashton Cross Country Course on the University of Iowa campus. The Ashton Course is hosting its first NCAA Regional since 2005 after hosting the Big Ten Championships in 2004 and 2014. The Bears are competing as a team for the second straight season.

Missouri State head coach Jordan Fife noted that his program has made great strides this year and hopes to end the campaign on a positive note at the NCAA regional event.

"I think we're a program that ultimately can compete at (the NCAA Regional) level, and we're taking steps to get there," Fife said. "Our message all year has been to go out and run the way we can. The only thing we control is our effort, and we have put in the work this year. If we can see the fruits of our labor and make progress in a competitive meet like this, then we have accomplished our goal."

Eighteen teams automatically qualify from regionals to the NCAA Division I Championship races -- Nov. 19 in Terre Haute, Ind. -- by finishing as one of the top two teams at any of the nine regional races. The remaining 13 at-large teams are selected by the NCAA Division I Cross Country Subcommittee. Thirty-six individuals automatically qualify to the national championships races by being one of the top four regional finishers not on an advancing team. Two additional individuals are selected at-large by the committee.

Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Minnesota are the favored women's teams in the Midwest Regional. A year ago, Missouri State was 30th in the field of 32 team entries at the Midwest Regional meet in Lawrence, Kan.

Missouri State's seven entries in Friday's race include just two upperclassmen: junior Jessica Allen -- MSU's top finisher in all five meets this season -- and senior Savannah Aleckson. The other five Bears competing are: sophomore Jade Raynor, freshman Jordyn Capra, sophomore Mercedes Robinson, freshman Renae Buschling, and freshman Danielle Bohannon.

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