Three Judson cross country runners to compete in national championships
It has been a historic year in the women's cross country program at Judson University, as three runners will once again make history on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national cross country championships.
The event will be held at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kansas.
Seniors Sarah Miller and Jordan Wagner and sophomore Rachel Cavender are coming off an all-conference performance in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) cross country championships that earned all three the right to represent Judson University at the NAIA national meet. This is Judson's largest number of individual qualifiers in a single season in program history.
Earlier in the year, the Elgin university made history when the program was ranked in the NAIA Top 25 national rankings for the first time. The Eagles earned a ranking of No. 25 in the NAIA in October due to the strong performances the team had at the beginning of the season. At the end of the year, the Lady Eagles showed that their national attention was definitely earned by placing third in the CCAC championships, an event that was hosted by Judson University at Wing Park Golf Course in Elgin.
Head coach Tim Ciochon is in just his second year in charge of the cross country program, and the records continue to fall under his direction. "Our initial goal as a program was to build off of these three ladies to make a run for the NAIA national championships as a team," Ciochon said. "Unfortunately, we fell just short of this accomplishment, but we are still looking forward to a program first, of three individuals competing at the national championship level."
There is an interesting mix of national experience between the three ladies competing. Jordan Wagner is the only returning qualifier from the 2013 championships and brings a wealth of national experience, as she earned All-American honors in the 800m in indoor track last winter. However, Sarah Miller is no stranger to the championships as she competed there as a freshman and has also competed several times at the NAIA championship level in indoor and outdoor track. Rachel Cavender is the sole underclassmen making the trip as she makes her first trip to nationals in a season where she has shown steady improvement to prepare her for a strong national debut.
The national championship race will feature 37 teams and 84 individuals competing over a distance of five kilometers. The women's championships race will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, on the Rim Rock Farm course.
Committed to excellence, Judson University Athletics develops the character of student-athletes by providing opportunities for competition, education, relationships, and spiritual growth. Judson offers 18 different sports and is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC), and the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA).