Both the Nebraska Wesleyan University men’s and women’s cross country teams stepped up their efforts and placed in the top two at the NCAA III Central Regionals on Saturday at Oakland Acres Golf Course in Grinnell, Iowa to qualify for the NCAA III National Cross Country Championships next Saturday (Nov. 21) in Cleveland, Ohio.
The NWU men tied for first place in the men’s race, while the Prairie Wolves women placed second to earn the bid. The NWU men qualify for the NCAA Championships for the 13th straight season to mark the fifth longest streak in the nation.
For Nebraska Wesleyan, Logan Watley placed second to pace the Prairie Wolves with a time of 25:15.2. Also placing in the top 25 was sophomore Ben Paben at 20th place and junior Kyle Wagner in 27th. NWU had 116 team points to tie St. Thomas for the team title.
Senior All-American Jackie Spelts had another solid race placing third overall in a time of 21:43.7 to pace the Prairie Wolves. Two other NWU women placed in the top 25. Junior Hayley Sutter was 20th in a time of 22:45.7, while sophomore Hannah Kinberg was 23rd in a time of 22:48.6.
Carleton College won the women’s team race with 95 points, while NWU totaled 99 to finish second.
The Prairie Wolves will now prepare for the NCAA III Championships on Nov. 21 in Cleveland, Ohio.
