The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Committee announced Sunday, March 7, the qualifiers for the 2020-21 Cross Country National Championships. The cross country championships, usually held in the Fall in late November, were postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The championships will be hosted by Oklahoma State University at their recently updated OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater on Monday, March 15. The meet will be held two days after the indoor track and field championship meet wraps up in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a three-hour drive from Stillwater.

Division I National cross country championships qualifying spots are usually handed out automatically to the top-2 team finishers and top-4 individual finishers per gender at nine regional meets, and an additional 13 team and a handful of individuals are selected as at-large qualifiers based on their regional and the season’s other meet performances. Things are much different this school year as some schools were able to compete in a few races in the Fall while focusing on the indoor track season this Winter, while others didn’t compete in cross country races until this Winter as cross country meets were held to give teams and athletes the chance to compete and show-off their ability. The spread of Covid and precautions forced some schools and conferences not to compete at all. Covid precautions allowed for some conference meets, but not regional meets, and qualification was left to the selection committee with weight given to top conference finishers and individuals and teams with victories over other strong runners and teams.

A total of 31 teams and an additional 38 individuals were selected for the championships per gender and Missouri natives, former prep athletes, or current Missouri collegians are well represented.

Name                    Year       School                  

Hometown         High School         Previous School Individual or Team qualifier

Men

Devin Meyrer    RSSr            Michigan              Wildwood, MO  Lafayette High School            Baylor,                  Individual

Kieran Wood     RSSr       Mizzou                 Cambridge, England,      Road Hills Sixth Form College                               Individual

Ben Naeger        Sr            Belmont               Ste. Genevieve, MO Ste. Genevieve High School Saint Louis Un    Individual

Wes Porter         Fr            Virginia                 Kansas City, MO Rockhurst High School                                        Team

Reed Sahadevan RSSR   Tulsa                      St. Charles, MO. Christian Brothers College (CBC HS)                     Team

Blake Selm         RSSo      Purdue                 Ballwin, MO Parkway West High School                       Team

Women

Sarah Chapman SR           Mizzou                 Maidenhead, England                   Newland’s Girls School, Previous College?                     Individual

Caitlin Klopfer   RSSR      Tulsa                      Ballwin, MO Parkway South High School                                 Team

Maddie Hill        So           Iowa State           Liberty, MO Liberty High School                                              Team