VANCOUVER, Wash. --- Biola University's women's cross country team is making final preparations for its third-straight appearance in the NAIA National Championship race, which is to be battled for by over 32 teams and 110 individual qualifiers on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. at the Fort Vancouver Regional Park in Vancouver, Washington.

The Eagles, ranked No. 4 in the final NAIA National Ratings, are sending seven runners--five juniors and two sophomores--to compete for the NAIA Title. The field will be full with 336 athletes in the women's race alone.

Three Biola runners will be competing in their third NAIA meet. They are Katie Thede, Erika Perez and Sarah Brooks. Junior Kelsey Gasner and sophomores Nychele Fischetti and Carissa Bowman will compete in their second meet while junior Danielle Calhoun will race in her first NAIA meet.

In the previous two NAIA appearances, the Eagles placed in the Top 15, earning 11th overall in 2007 and 12th overall in 2008. Biola has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation earlier this season and enters the meet as the No. 4 team.

Biola Head Coach Jonathan Zimmerman likened this year's women's team to a garage band.

"They came together because they like to run and compete, much like a garage band comes together because they love music," he said. "Over time, our band has really become good and they are climbing up the charts! We have no seniors, yet an experienced group heading up to the Northwest."

Festivities kicked-off on Friday with the pre-race banquet held at the Tiger Woods Center at the Nike World Headquarters in nearby Beaverton, Ore. During the banquet, six Biola cross country runners received NAIA Scholar-Athlete recognition. They were Brooks, Gasner and Perez from the women's team and Mike Morin, Ryan Richert and Evan Thibodeau on the men's team.

The top honor for the women's team went to Calhoun, who was Biola's Champions of Character Award winner, selected by the Biola coaching staff as the athlete which best represents the NAIA's Champion of Character initiative.


NAIA Cross Country Nationals Information:

Official NAIA Website | Meet Website | Course Map