Fifteen years ago, this feat would have been utterly unimaginable. Here, in 2017, with competent coaching that actually appears to care about distance running in Oxford, both the men’s and women’s cross country teams are headed to the NCAA championship meet in Terre Haute. That meet will take place on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Both squads are rounding out historic seasons, with each finishing third at the SEC championships a few weeks ago. The way cross country is structured, the top two finishing teams at each regional meet automatically qualify for nationals, with the rest of the field filled out with at-large bids.