ONU MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS QUALIFY FOR NAIA CHAMPIONSHIPS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –  Olivet Nazarene University will send both its men's and women's cross country teams to the NAIA National Championship for the third-consecutive year under Head Coach Kyle Rago. The NAIA announced Tuesday evening the Tigers' selection to compete in the 2022 NAIA Cross Country Championship on Friday, Nov. 18 in Tallahassee, Fla.

The Tiger men were one of 14 teams selected as a qualifier Tuesday, while the ONU women were one of 12 to earn the at-large bid. ONU is the only school from the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic to earn an at-large selection on either side. They will join CCAC men's and women's champion St. Francis (Ill.) in Tallahassee next Friday.

The ONU cross country teams earned the at-large bids after impressive showings at the CCAC Championships last Saturday, with the Tiger men and women both earning runner-up places behind St. Francis (Ill.). The Tiger women tallied a mere 44 points while the men's 32 points was only four of St. Francis' 28. Taylor Vallangeon took home his second individual title at 25:06.5, besting the field by over 10 seconds. Catherine White received CCAC Freshman of the Year honors with a fourth-place finish at 18:57.9 in the women's 5K.

Both Tiger teams have qualified for the national championships for the last two seasons under Head Coach Kyle Rago. The Tiger men earned a 17th-place finish in the 2021 NAIA Championships, while the women placed 13th overall a season ago.

The 2022 NAIA Cross Country National Championships will be hosted by Visit Tallahasee at Apalachee Regional Park. The men's 8K race will begin at 8:30 a.m. EST while the women's 5K will go at 9:30 a.m. EST. See below for links to the livestream and live timings.

Click HERE for the men's 8K livestream
Click HERE for the men's 8K live timings
Click HERE for the women's 5K livestream
Click HERE for the women's 5K live timings

--ONU—

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu