KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Press Book) The field is set for the 60th annual Men’s NAIA Cross Country Championships in Charlotte, N.C. This is the first time in history that N.C. will host the Championships. The men’s race will begin at 10:30 a.m. EST.
•Oklahoma City will look to win its third national championship in a row. The two-time defending champions ran away with the Sooner Athletic Conference meet title on Nov. 7, winning by 48 points.
•Benard Keter, of Wayland Baptist (Texas), will try to defend his individual title, as the junior ran a 24:36.40 at last year’s championships.
•2014 runner-up, Southern Oregon, has had a strong year, as the Raiders have been ranked No. 1 most of this year.
•The field is made up of 36 teams, 85 individuals, and 20 conferences/Association of Independent Institutions.
•In addition to the 23 automatic qualifiers, thirteen teams received an at-large berth. At-large berths were determined by the final regular-season Top 25 Poll, and were awarded to the highest-ranked schools who did not win their conference championship. – Carroll (Mont.), College of Idaho, Marian (Ind.), Wayland Baptist (Texas), Taylor (Ind.), Indiana Tech, Bacone (Okla.), Morningside (Iowa), Biola (Calif.), Northwest Christian (Ore.), Westmont (Calif.) and Cornerstone (Mich.).
•This is the first time in NAIA Cross Country Championships history that the race will be held in Charlotte, N.C. Fans will be able to view the highlight show no later than noon CST on Sunday, Nov. 22.
•Check naia.org after the race for a complete recap of the Men’s Championships.