LA MIRADA, Calif. --- After strong performances at the NAIA Region II Championships on Saturday, the Biola University women's cross country team and senior Brian Ball from the men's team have earned berths in the 2007 NAIA Cross Country Championships as announced Tuesday by the NAIA.
The 52nd Annual Men's & 28th Annual Women's Cross Country National Championships take place on Saturday, November 17, at the Dr. Wayne E. Dannehl Cross Country Course in Kenosha, WI.
The Eagle women's team, ranked No. 8 in the final NAIA National Ratings, finished second in the GSAC Championship meet in October and took third at the Regional Championships on Saturday. Biola finished just one point behind Cal State San Marcos and 18 behind regional champ Azusa Pacific in the meet on Saturday.
A trio of all-GSAC athletes has led the way for the women's team this season. Sophomore Kristin Schmidt finished third overall at the regional championships with freshman Katie Thede finishing close behind in seventh and senior Anna Thibodo taking 18th place in the race.
While Schmidt and Thede will be making their first trips to the NAIA Championships, it will be the fourth straight season Thibodo will run in the race–the last three coming as an individual. In 2006, Thibodo placed 64th overall in the NAIA race.
“Not only is this team one of the fastest in the nation, it probably has more depth than any program in the NAIA,” said Head Coach Jonathan Zimmerman. “We've had ten different women finish in our top seven so far this season and that certainly has made all the difference for us.”
Ball will be joining the women's team at the NAIA Championships, seeking his second-straight NAIA All-American finish. In 2006, Ball placed 26th overall despite missing the majority of the season due to injury.
Ball earned all-GSAC and all-Region honors, placing second in both races and edging out a pair of runners from Cal State San Marcos in the stretch of the regional race.
“Brian has been able to stay healthy over the past 14 months and as a result, has been able to consistently get his training in which, for a distance runner, makes all the difference,” said Zimmerman. “He truly knows that his talents are God-given and he strives to be a steward of those gifts.”
The Biola men's team ended its season with an eighth place finish in the regional race on Saturday. The Eagles squad continues to make strides in the right direction, improving on their last place finish in the GSAC race in 2006.
