The Nebraska Wesleyan men’s cross country team is preparing for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships that will be held Saturday, Nov. 22 at the L.S. Ayres Athletic Complex at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind.  Jackie Spelts from the NWU women’s team also qualified and will be running in the women’s race.
Each of the two championship races will include 280 runners from colleges and universities across the U.S.  The men’s eight-kilometer race will begin at 11 a.m., with the women’s six-kilometer race to start at Noon.

The NWU men qualified for their 12th straight NCAA Championship by winning the Central Region Championship last Saturday.  The streak of 12 straight championships is the fifth longest streak in the country.  It is the 18th overall time they have qualified which is eighth among all NCAA III schools.

The Prairie Wolves are ranked 16th in the final DIII Top 25 and are hoping for a good finish at this year’s championships.  Among the top runners for the Prairie Wolves are juniors Logan Watley and Brian Copley.  Watley was 12th at the Central Regional, while Copley finished 29th.  Both runners will be making their third trip to the NCAA III Championships.  NWU’s top runner at the Central Regional, Andrew Laflin will not be able to compete at the NCAA III Championships.  Laflin found out this week that he is suffering from Subventricular Tachycardia and will have to undergo a procedure later this week.

“Our goal at the Championships is to always place higher than we are ranked,” Director of Cross Country Ted Bulling said.  “With Andrew out it will be tough, but we are going to go out there and run the best that we can.”

The best placing for the NWU men was a third place finish in 2001.  A total of 12 runners have earned All-America honors for Nebraska Wesleyan.

Jackie Spelts is the lone NWU woman that will be running on Saturday.  Spelts qualified by placing third in the Central Region to receive an automatic berth.  She has been among the top runners in every race this season and Bulling expects her to run well Saturday.

“Jackie has a great chance to place in the top 35 individually and earn All-America honors,” Bulling said.

Only eight NWU women have earned All-America honors in cross country, and no one has placed in the top 35 since Gina Morgan in 2003.

Nebraska Wesleyan Runners Competing at NCAA III Championships
Men
Brian Copley, Jr., Syracuse, Neb. (Syracuse HS)
Logan Watley, Jr., Lincoln, Neb (Christian HS)
Eric Noel, Jr., Lincoln, Neb. (North Star HS)
Andy Stilmock, So., Syracuse, Neb. (Syracuse HS)
Quinn Lewandowski, Sr., Marquette, Neb. (Aurora HS)
Neil Wolford, Jr., Hastings, Neb. (Adams Central HS)
Ryan Osberg, So., Omaha, Neb. (Millard South HS)

Women  
Jackie Spelts, Jr., Burwell, Neb. (Burwell HS)