Richert and Bird Qualify for Nationals at Southern California Half-Marathon

Ryan Richert placed 11th in the half-marathon to qualify for the NAIA Championships

IRVINE, Calif. --- Sophomore Ryan Richert and junior Jared Bird took advantage of their cross country training and cool temperatures to meet the NAIA qualifying standards in the marathon at the Southern California Half-Marathon on Saturday in Irvine.

The NAIA allows athletes to qualify by competing a half-marathon and the Biola pair used the rule to their advantage, punching their tickets to the 2008 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in mid-December.

Richert, who was the 2007 NAIA Marathon Runner-Up while running for Olivet Nazarene University, placed 11th overall with a personal-best time of 1:11.28. He bested the NAIA qualifying time by nearly four seconds.

Bird placed just behind him in 15th place, also running a personal-best time 1:15.04. Bird, who was in a nasty spill at the 10.5 mile mark, qualified with a provisional time, nearly three seconds under the "B" standard.

Biola's Danielle Simpson also took part in the half-marathon and recorded a personal-best time of 1:38.02, just missing out on a "B" cut time.

The NAIA National Championships will be held on May 22-24 at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, IL.

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