KANSAS CITY, MO. (Nov. 15, 2022) - The 36 team, 78 individuals in the championship field have been announced for the 67th Annual NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship that will be held on Nov. 18. The 43rd Annual NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championships include 36 teams and 80 individuals. The event will take place in Tallahassee, Fla.

Head Coach Patrick Torres commented on the upcoming championships saying, "We may not be completely healthy on the men's side, but I still believe we will have our best team result in history this upcoming weekend. Our women's team returning to nationals is a great step forward for the program. We have great momentum, and I'm excited to watch us on the national stage." Torres received Coach of the Year honors for both the men's and women's teams at the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Cross-Country Championships.

The Saints men's cross-country team captured its eighth straight RRAC meet title to earn a berth in the championships. Jose Zarate finished in second place for the Saints with a time of 25:28.4. Diego Moran came in fourth place with a time of 26:28.1. Jayden Turrubiates marked 26:36.2 for fifth place. Kruz Malesich came in sixth place with a time of 26:49.6. Hendrick Ramirez finished in seventh place with a time of 26:57.3. JoseCarlos Hernandez came in eighth place with a time of 27:10.6, followed by Jose Saucedo for ninth place with a time of 27:13.0. All seven were named to the All-Conference Team and will compete for OLLU at the meet.

• This is the first year that the championship will be hosted in Tallahassee, Fla. The course will be located at the Apalachee Regional Park.
• The field is made up of 22 automatic qualifiers and 14 at-large berths. A team can automatically qualify by winning the conference championship meet or by being the meet runner-up (for a conference with more than one automatic qualifier). For more about automatic qualifiers CLICK HERE.
• The 14 at-large berths were determined by an oversight committee. 
• In addition to the team qualifiers and at-large bids, 78 athletes will compete as individual qualifiers. 
• The race will be broadcast for the third time this year on the NAIA Network. To access the live video stream and purchase a pass CLICK HERE.

The women's cross-country team also won its eighth conference title. Nadia Sifuentes captured her second consecutive Individual Medalist Award with a time of 19:00.8. Deandra Ibarra came in third place with a time of 19:10.9. Viridiana Zuniga finished in sixth place with a time of 20:03.4. Mia Curiel came in ninth place with a time of 20:33.4. Sierra Ramirez placed 10th with a time of 20:41.1. All five received All-Conference honors. Ibarra was named Freshman of the Year. Other finishers were Robbie Sue Espericueta, who placed 11th with a time of 20:45.9. Kennedy Vallalpando came in 12th place with a time of 20:50.2. Liliana Hernandez finished in 14th place with a time of 21:44.9 and Lindsey Broussard came in 15th place with a time of 21:49.5.

Curiel, Espericueta, Ibarra, Ramirez, Sifuentes, Villalpando and Zuniga will run for OLLU at the meet.

• This is the first year that the championship will be hosted in Tallahassee, Fla. The course will be located at the Apalachee Regional Park.
• The field is made up of 24 automatic qualifiers and 12 at-large berths. A team can automatically qualify by winning the conference championship meet or by being the meet runner-up (for a conference with more than one automatic qualifier). For more about automatic qualifiers CLICK HERE.
• The 12 at-large berths were determined by an oversight committee. 
• In addition to the team qualifiers and at-large bids, 80 athletes will compete as individual qualifiers. 
• The race will be broadcast for the third time this year on the NAIA Network. To access the live video stream and purchase a pass CLICK HERE.