Eldridge Advances to NCAA Champs.

Nov. 12, 2007

NORMAN, Okla. -- Jessica Eldridge of the University of Oklahoma cross country team advanced to her fourth NCAA National Championship as the NCAA announced its at-large team selections for this year's event.

Eldridge, who finished sixth in Saturday's NCAA Midwest Regional, qualified individually for the NCAA National Championship as one of the top-four finishers not on an advancing team after Iowa was selected as an at-large team. Eldridge finished the 6,000-meter race in a time of 20 minutes and 10 seconds.

The top two teams from the Midwest Regional advanced to the 2007 NCAA National Championships along with the top two teams from eight other NCAA Regionals. The remainder of the 31-team NCAA Championships field consists of 13 at-large teams selected by the NCAA Division I track and field sub-committee.

In addition to the teams that qualified for the NCAA Championships, thirty-six individuals automatically qualified for the race on the basis of finishing in the top four at their respective NCAA Regionals and not being on an advancing team. Two additional individuals were selected at-large by the committee to round out the field of 255 competitors. All individual qualifiers had to finish in the top 25 of their event.

In last year's event, Eldridge became just the sixth Sooner woman to earn All-America honors in cross country with her 18th place finish.

The 2007 NCAA Cross Country Championships are hosted by Indiana State University and are scheduled for Monday, Nov. 19, in Terre Haute, Ind.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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