Schedule
2021 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championships, Saturday, Nov. 6 | Women's 6K race begins at 10:30 a.m. CST and men's 10K race begins at 11:45 p.m. CST | Angel Mounds State Historic Site - Evansville, IN
Links
Live Results | Championship Page | Course Map | Hotel Information
Information
Tickets – All tickets will be sold at the gate on race day; prices are $10 for adults, $5 for students and admission is free for ages 2 and under.
Schedule – The course will open at 8 a.m. The National Anthem will be played at 10:14 a.m. The awards ceremony for top runners and teams will happen immediately following the conclusion of the men's race.
Awards and Qualifiers – The top 25 finishers in each race will receive All-Region honors. The top three teams in each race, and the top two individual finishers who are not on one of those top three teams earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Division II National Championship meet in St. Leo, Florida on Nov. 20. All individuals who finish in the top 5 of the race, regardless of whether or not they are on one of the three automatic qualifying teams or are among the top two individual finishers, also earn a qualifying berth. Additional teams and individuals may advance to the finals from the regional as at-large qualifiers, to be announced by the NCAA on Nov. 8.
Women's Preview
Fresh off a third-place finish at the G-MAC Championships, the Chargers face a stiff test to get one of the three automatic national qualifying spots in this weekend's race, with six teams ranked in the top 25 nationally in the field by the USTFCCCA, including G-MAC champion Cedarville (14th) and runner-up Walsh (23rd).
But thanks to that loaded field, Hillsdale still has a good chance to make it to the national meet as an at-large contender with a solid performance. At the last contested DII national championship in 2019, teams from the Midwest Region took five of the 10 at-large bids and should have a similar haul this season.
The Chargers are led by freshman Liz Wamsley, who took third at the G-MAC Championships on Oct. 23, and who will be a contender to make it as an individual if the Chargers fail to qualify as a team. Pack running will be critical to the Chargers' hopes, so strong performances from second-team All-G-MAC honorees Margaret Scheske and Gwynne Riley, as well as freshmen Vera Thompson and Abby Scherer, are crucial.
The Chargers have made seven consecutive national meets and will be looking to continue the streak this Saturday. Hillsdale comes into the meet ranked ninth in the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional poll, but in a tight battle with several teams in front and behind, making the goal achievable if the Chargers can run to their potential.
Men's Preview
A young Charger men's cross country team also faces down a tough regional looking to surprise and earn their first national meet berth as a team since 2016 this Saturday.
Seven teams from the Midwest Region are in the top 30 in the USTFCCCA poll, which means the competition up front will be crowded but also should open the door for multiple at-large bids, just like in the women's race.
The Chargers should have a decent pack, led by repeat first-team All-G-MAC honoree Adam Wier, who led Hillsdale to a fourth-place finish in the G-MAC Championship meet on Oct. 23. Key for the Chargers hopes are how a large group of freshmen and sophomores adjust to racing their first collegiate cross country 10K.
The Chargers have just three athletes on the squad who've ever ran the 10K distance on a cross country course at the collegiate level, so the success of lineup stalwarts like Alex Mitchell, Micah VanderKooi, Preston Fagerlin, Ross Kuhn and Donnie McArdle in their first experience with the longer distance will tell the tale of Hillsdale's chances to advance.