Princeton University Athletics
Women's Cross Country Earns At-Large Berth to NCAA Championships
November 15, 2004 | Women's Cross Country
Nov. 15, 2004
The Princeton women's cross country team, which just missed earning an automatic berth to the NCAA championship meet with a third-place finish at the Middle Atlantic regional, has received one of 13 at-large team berths to the national meet to be held next Mon., Nov. 22, at Indiana State University.
Princeton will be one of 31 teams competing at the NCAA championship meet. The top two seven-person teams from each of nine regionals qualified automatically, while 13 additional teams were selected at-large.
The Tigers finished ninth at last year's NCAA meet after earning automatic qualification with a second-place regional finish.
Junior Cack Ferrell, Princeton's top runner, finished sixth overall at Saturday's regional meet and would have qualified for the national meet as an individual even if the Tigers had not earned a team berth. Meredith Lambert was eighth overall at the regional meet, while Mia Swenson finished 13th.
Princeton also got an individual qualifier on the men's side, as senior Austin Smith will conclude a stellar season with a place in the NCAA championship meet. Smith placed fourth overall at this past Saturday's regional meet to earn that national spot.
The NCAA Division I championship meet takes place Mon., Nov. 22, at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course located at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, Ind. The women's race begins at 11 a.m., while the men run at 12:15 p.m.