INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For the first time in program history, the Oklahoma Baptist men's cross country team was selected to compete in the NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Championships.
This year's championship comes Saturday, Nov. 22 at 12:15 p.m. (EST) at Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course on the campus of University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
"This was a surprise," Bison Head Coach
Brian Whitlock said on Monday.
"Honestly, after the Central Regional Championships last weekend, I thought we had to be top-five to reach nationals. In fact, I told them team it was over (after a seventh-place finish).
"However, in looking at other regional sites later in day, there were some major upsets that opened the door for us. Going into Monday's NCAA selection, I figured we were one of about seven to eights schools up for the last four spots. I honestly thought we were among the first teams out," Whitlock said.
OBU ran really well last weekend in Joplin, Mo., but was not perfect. But that didn't matter to the NCAA Selection Committee, who ended up giving the Bison an at-large bid.
In recent weeks, OBU has made a serious push on the course. They were the runner-up in the Great American Conference Championship and then finished a program-best seventh place in an extremely competitive Central Regional on Nov. 8.
Thirty-four teams were selected to participate in each championship. The top three, 7-person teams automatically qualified from each of the eight regions, for a total of 24 teams. Ten additional teams were selected at-large.
The Bison will send
Damien Williams,
Emery Crayton,
Zachary Williams,
Levi Haynes,
James Williams,
Elijah White,
Jacob Tiger and alternate
Hudson Cunningham next weekend in Wisconsin.
