Nov. 21, 2008
AUBURN -
The No. 13 Auburn men's cross country team, along with women's individual qualifier Holly Knight, will travel to Terre Haute, Ind., for the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Monday. The women's 6K will get underway promptly at 11:08 a.m., followed by the men's 10K at 11:48 a.m. CT, on the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. CBS College Sports will broadcast Monday's championship races and NCAA.com will also offer a live webcast of the races.
"The vibe is very positive at this moment," head coach Peter Watson said. "Everyone is treating this just like any other race. We are big into routine and we are staying with what has worked all year."
Auburn's men are returning to the NCAA Championships for the first time since the 1985 season. The 2008 trip marks the fifth time that the Tiger men have sent a team to the national race. Auburn's highest placing male in NCAA Championships history was Brian Abshire at 15th in 1984, and Angela Homan placed ninth in 2004 on the women's side.
The men qualified for the national race by finishing second at the NCAA South Regional and were led by Felix Kiboiywo, Elkanah Kibet and Girma Mecheso as the top-three finishers out of 147 runners. Kiboiywo is Auburn's only regional champ and has accomplished the feat twice. All seven of the Tiger runners finished in the top 50.
Knight qualified for her first NCAA Championships by becoming the first Auburn woman to win a regional title. Knight is the first Auburn female to qualify for the NCAA Championships since Angela Homan in 2005.
"Holly is fit, she knows the training went very well this fall, her racing has been great and we are confident she is well prepared," Watson said. "Holly is a great racer and she is buzzing to get to the line and see where she is when lined up against the best cross country runners in the country."
This will be the second trip for Auburn to the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. On Oct. 18, the Tigers ran at Pre-Nationals. The men placed fifth as a team with Kiboiywo finishing second, Girma Mecheso fifth and Elkanah Kibet 11th. Knight was the women's runner-up.
"Having run at the course earlier in the year was a big advantage," Watson said. "They can visualize different areas of the course, be it a flat area or a section where the course may climb. When we talk about race strategy, the ability to visualize the course is a great asset."
A total of 31 men's and women's teams were selected for the championships. The race field will feature these 31 seven-person teams plus individual qualifiers not on a team from each of the nine regions.
A runner must finish among the top 40 in their respective race to earn All-American honors.