Just as Grace College said goodbye to the NCCAA Men’s and Women’s basketball championships back in March, the school will get its final crack at hosting the NCCAA Cross Country National Championships for both Division I and II this Friday morning.
For the last two years, Grace has partnered with Warsaw Community High School as well as Bethel University to bring these championships to the WCHS Cross Country Course. The bid came as a result of some scheduling conflicts in Springfield Missouri, where the championships had previously been held. Springfield, which also hosts the NCAA Division II championships, will resume hosting the event next year.
Grace expects 365 runners to compete in Friday’s four races, one men’s and one women’s for both Division I and Division II. In total, 41 different schools will be represented over the course of four races, with some institutions sending both men’s and women’s teams, some sending just one, while others will have individual runners competing.
Runners and teams qualified based off of hitting certain times throughout the course of the season. For example, any individual Division I men’s runner who ran faster than a 28:01 8K, or team that combined to have a time less than 146:56 at any point this fall is eligible to compete on Saturday.
The first race on Friday morning will be the Division I women’s 5K at 9 a.m., followed by the Division II women at 9:45. The Division I men’s 8K will get started at 10:30 before the Division II men wrap things up at 11:30. Award ceremonies for all four races will be held afterwards. Fans who want to attend these races will have to pay $5 for admission.
As has been the case for every National Championship event Grace has hosted in the past, teams have been doing service projects in the community to help those in need. On Thursday night, there will be an awards ceremony and chapel service at Rodeheaver Auditorium. Teams will be bringing canned foods that will be donated.
Grace Athletic Director Chad Briscoe would like to thank Warsaw Community Schools superintendent Dr. David Hoffert, WCHS Athletic Director Matt Binkard and Assistant AD Michael Howk for their support and assistance in hosting the races at WCHS.
“We have appreciated the partnership with both Warsaw and Bethel to host these championships in our community,” Briscoe said. “Warsaw has a great course that creates a great championship experience for all runners. We hope it is a great opportunity to welcome many to Kosciusko County.”