Championship Web site

DULUTH, Minn. – St. Scholastica senior #Katelyn Meger# (Sr.-Webster, Minn./New Prague) qualified for her second straight Women's Cross Country NCAA Division III National Championships last Saturday as she finished ninth overall out of 183 runners at the Central Regional meet.

Meger finished ninth at last year's regional as well; however this year she ran 17 seconds faster with a time of 22:23 seconds. Her ninth-place finish also means that she makes U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region team for a second straight year. She is the first St. Scholastica athlete in any sport to participate in two NCAA championships.

Last year at Nationals, Meger ran a school record time of 21:56, good enough for 43rd of 279 runners. The top 35 finishers get All-American status, and Meger just finished outside of that by eight spots.

The field is tough as last year's individual winner, Marie Borner of Bethel University, returns and is touted as the top contender for the title again this year.

The championships will be this Saturday, hosted by Baldwin-Wallace College (Ohio). The meet is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. local time at Highland Park Golf Course in Highland Hills, Ohio.