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Issued: November 12, 2006

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY RECEIVES NCAA AT LARGE BID

A fourth UW-Eau Claire athletics team has received a bid to an NCAA championship this fall.

The Blugold women’s cross country team today received one of 16 at-large bids to participate in next Saturday’s NCAA Division III championship which is being hosted by Wilmington College (OH) at Voice of America Park in West Chester, Ohio.

The Blugold women placed fourth out of 38 teams in the Midwest Region meet Saturday after finishing second to perennial champion UW-La Crosse in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship two weeks ago.

The top two teams from each of eight regional meets automatically qualified for the nationals. The remainder of the 32-team field was selected at-large. In addition, 56 individuals, the first seven athletes from each region who are not a part of a qualifying team, were selected to participate in each championship.

The two Midwest Region automatic qualifiers were Washington University of Missouri and North Central College of Illinois. Three Midwest Region teams received at-large spots. Beside the Blugolds, third-place UW-La Crosse, the WIAC champion, and fifth-place University of Chicago also qualified.

This is the second year in succession and the fifth time in 14 years that the Blugolds will send a complete team to the NCAA championships. They were 23rd last year with their best finish being a national runner-up position in 1997.

Previously this fall, the Blugold women’s golf team won the WIAC championship to earn a spot in next spring’s NCAA championship; the Blugold volleyball team participated in the NCAA championships, reaching the regional final before being eliminated last night, and the women’s soccer team qualified and is still participating in the NCAA championships.

- TP -

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