EUGENE, Ore. – Back-to-Back conference titles and a No. 1 ranking in the NAIA have the NCU women's cross country team prepared and ready to achieve the ultimate goal: win the national championship.
Making their fifth consecutive trip to the NAIA championships, the Beacons are no longer content just to strive for a spot on the podium. Last season NCU finished third to claim the highest finish in school history. With a relatively similar group, the Beacon women aim even higher on Saturday.
The travel team of seven is experienced with five juniors, one sophomore and one freshman prepared to take to the course at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, N.C. Four of the scoring runners from last season are back, led by the dynamic duo of
Alyssa Harmon and
Sierra Brown the pair has ran neck-and-neck all season, never separated by more than a few seconds. Harmon, the 2014 CCC Runner of the Year held serve throughout most of the season, only to be beat out by Brown at the CCC Championship, giving Brown the 2015 CCC Runner of the Year honor. The juniors will both be looking to repeat their All-American finish from last year.
Also back for their third straight trips to the NAIA championship are juniors
Michelle Fletcher and
Shea Vallaire. Caught in the shadow of their teammates, Fletcher and Vallaire have plenty of accolades of their own, including All-CCC finishes this season. Fletcher is a two-time All-CCC honoree in cross country and track. Vallaire earned the CCC 10,000m championship last season and earned All-America honors in the event as well.
Sophomore
Rosa Schmidt rounds out the Beacon top-five and is headed back to the NAIA event for the second year in a row. Schmidt has earned All-CCC honors in each of her first two seasons.
A pair of NCU harriers make their debut treks to the NAIA event. Junior
Macie Gale has emerged as a serious threat this season, improving her personal best time by more than two and a half minutes. Freshman
Melissa Rios had the best season among a strong group of rookies and earned her way onto the national roster with a 20th-place finish at conference, despite battling a fever on race day.
NCU has a big target on their back as the favorites to win the crown. They have been ranked first or second all-season and have been unanimous atop the poll since cruising to a win over three-time defending champion University of British Columbia at the Charles Bowles Invitational on October 3.
NCU will have plenty of teams fighting to take them down, none the least of which is UBC. The Thunderbirds will look to become the first team in NAIA history to win four consecutive Women's XC championships.
Currently ranked No. 2 in the NAIA, Biola University from La Mirada, California looks to be an imposing fource. The Eagles finished 21st last season but have had a resurgence in 2015 that includes a dominant Golden State Athletic Conference championship in which their top eight runners all finished in the top-14 to earn All-conference accolades.
After winning the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference title, No. 3 Aquinas College also has the makings of a national championship contender. The Saints have four event wins under their belts, including a win at the NAIA national preview meet where they beat 22 other schools on the McAlpine Creek course.
23 teams return to the event after competing last year, including eight of the top-ten finishing schools.
No live video or updates will be available during the event from the NAIA. For the fastest access to results and breaking news surrounding the championship event, make sure to follow @GoBEACONS on Twitter and Instagram. Official results will be provided through all social media outlets and on GoBEACONS.com throughout the day.
