SACRAMENTO, Calif. --- The 2024 finale for NCAA DII Cross Country is set for Saturday in Sacramento, California and Biola will see both teams compete. The DII Cross Country National Championships will be held at Arcade Creek Park with the men's 10k race starting at 10:00 am and the women's 6k race beginning at 11:15 am.

"We are looking forward to this weekend and competing against some really great competition at NCAAs," said Head Coach Sean Henning. "The last time we were here (Arcade Creek XC Course) was 2019, so it's great to be back. It will be wet up there, but we are ready for any conditions we get."

The Eagles have been preparing for postseason action since the start of 2024, intentionally competing against top teams from across the country in the regular season. When the postseason hit, both teams were ready, nabbing top-three spots at the conference and regional levels.

"On the men's side, our goal is a top 20 finish, and hopefully putting ourselves in a position to finish in the top 15," commented Hennning. "That will require at least one runner competing for an All-American honor (top 40) and the rest of our scorers being in the low 100's at a minimum. For Jerry, Charlie, and Jacob, this is the last race in a Biola singlet. It's a bit emotional, but I'm also very excited to see them race on the biggest stage and represent Christ well. I know they will leave it all out there. They have had a huge impact on this program."

Saturday will be the first time the whole men's squad will have qualified for nationals since 2019. The team has posted strong finishes throughout 2024 and hit a season-best ranking in the national poll at No. 15 but will be entering championship weekend at No. 18.

The BU men are set to run the same group that they did at regionals, which landed in third place: Melt Von Molendorff, Charlie Bailey, Aidan Tomasini, Rouxan le Roux, Ryan Todd, Jacob Shirota, and Jerry Baltzer.

"On the women's side, we have similar goals but really want to be in the top 15," added Henning. "We believe we have two girls who can compete for all American accolades and we are hoping the rest of our scorers will be in the low 100s. We know that when we race at our best, we are one of the best teams in the country. Hopefully everything lines up for us to be in that position on Saturday!"

The Biola women's squad is in a similar position nationally, ranking at No. 16 currently, but reaching as high as No. 15 during the season. The Eagles will be racing a strong seven in Bethany Mapes, Lynette Ruiz, Jaina Kang, Hailey Wurzbach, Karis Brown, Aislin Taylor and Ellie Stetina.

2024 will continue a three-year reign for BU, as the women have completed a three-peat for the PacWest title, and will make their third-consecutive appearance at nationals. The team took on regionals in Montana two weeks ago and landed in third place to secure their spot for Saturday's big race.

Fans can watch the races here and follow the live results here with the men's race at 10:00 am and the women's race at 11:15 am on Saturday.