ELSAH, Ill. --- Biola Cross Country will begin NAIA National Championship competition for Biola Athletics on Saturday, Nov. 19 as the Eagles compete for All-American awards and national titles at the 2016 NAIA Men & Women's Cross Country National Championships.
 
Head Coach Sean Henning will take a full squad on both the men and women's side for the second year in a row. The women's 5k begins the competition at 8:30 a.m. PT and the men's 8k follows at 9:30 a.m. PT.
 
Both races will be live streamed for free courtesy the NAIA at http://naianetwork.com/.
 
Biola's women's team goes into the weekend with hopes of a podium finish. The Eagles placed third overall in the 2015 race, with Kellian Hunt winning the individual national championship, and they are ranked No. 2 heading into the meet.
 
"I think we are about as ready as we are going to be and I am proud to say that this is the best team I've ever coached," said Head Coach Sean Henning. "They are a great group of talented, hard-working, selfless ladies who are hungry to do well this week. They are in great shape and are in a really good place mentally. I think Saturday will be a really special day and I can't wait to watch them do something amazing."
 
The Eagles' biggest competition for the team title will be the defending champions, Northwest Christian, and perennial top team British Columbia. The three schools are separated by a slim margin in the national poll because they've all had stellar seasons leading up to this meet.
 
Henning brings with him this group on the women's side.
 
Lyndee Dawson (GSAC Champion)
Emily Ransom (All-GSAC)
Hannah Hunsaker (All-GSAC)
Stephanie Croy (All-GSAC)
Michelle Clark (All-GSAC)
Mandy Reyes (All-GSAC)
Kaitlin Quaid
Alternates:
Kelly Thomas
Kaili Waller
 
The men's team is ranked No. 12 after its third-place finish at the Golden State Athletic Conference meet two weekend's ago. The Eagles' hopes are high of improving on last year's 25^th-place finish in Charlotte, N.C.
 
Biola was ranked inside of the top-5 for a large chunk of the year this year, but was knocked down a bit with a small setback at the conference meet. The team is fit and feeling well heading into the meet with high hopes of being inside the top-10 or higher when all is said and done.
 
"The guys have done a terrific job of bouncing back from a conference championship that didn't go how we were hoping it would. They have come together as a group and stayed committed to each other and the goals they set at the beginning of the season," said Henning. "They are in a great spot mentally and physically and will execute our game plan very well come Saturday."
 
Henning brings with him this group on the men's side.
 
Gabe Plendcio (All-GSAC)
Miles Brubacher (All-GSAC)
Ryan Thompson (All-GSAC)
Christian Perez
Robbie Gleeson
Timmy Wilson
Jonathan O'Neil
Alternates:
Nic Nelson
Eric Marlette
 
All the action begins at 8:30 a.m. PT this coming Saturday. Tune in to watch both races for free to see how it all shakes out. You could have a chance to witness history as Biola's women's team has a chance to claim the school's first-ever team NAIA National Championship.
 
"For the women to finish where we think they can, they need to believe that they are the best team in the country. It starts on the mental side," said Henning. "For the men to finish where we think they can, they will need to do the exact same thing to be honest with you, except that they need to believe that they are a top-10 team in the country."