KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Committee released its selections for the 2023 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, setting a more-than-familiar stage to MIAA athletes.
On Nov. 18, four squads and six individual athletes from the MIAA will repopulate the Tim Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin, Missouri – the course in which runners made their case for admission into the national contest.
The top three, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the eight regions, for a total of 24 teams. Ten additional teams were selected at-large. A minimum of 24 additional individuals were selected to participate in each championship through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process.
Women’s Qualifying Teams:
Pittsburg State
Following their second-consecutive MIAA championship and fifth title in six years, the Gorillas punched their ticket to nationals with a third-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Division II Central Region Cross Country Championships. This will be Pittsburg State’s sixth consecutive appearance at the national meet.
Missouri Southern
The Lions secured a spot in this year’s national contest via an at-large bid after finishing fifth at regionals. Southern, the 2023 MIAA runners-up, will make its first appearance at the national meet since 2018.
Women’s Individual Qualifiers:
Patricia Koma-Limo – Newman
Senior Jet Patricia Koma-Limo benefitted from the non-qualifying team standard as she finished 11th at the Central Region Championships. Koma-Limo will make her first appearance at a national cross country meet.
Regan Hodsden – Fort Hays State
Junior Regan Hodsden improved her finish from last year’s regional championship, running her way to a fifth-place showing and earning an at-large bid. The Tiger and 2023 individual MIAA champion will make her second appearance in as many years, with a shot at another All-American medal.
Men’s Qualifying Teams:
Pittsburg State
The Gorillas are entering their third national meet in a row after securing second place and an automatic bid at regionals. Pittsburg State is also coming off of their second MIAA championship in three years.
Northwest Missouri
Northwest Missouri is heading to its first NCAA championship meet since 2019, where it captured a fifth-place finish. The Bearcats earned their spot by stealing the final automatic bid in the region.
Men’s Individual Qualifiers:
Brian Mitei – Central Missouri
Runner-up at the MIAA Championships, sophomore Brian Mitei received an at-large bid after finishing ninth at the Central Region Championships. This will be his first national championship in his young collegiate career.
David Kibet – Washburn
David Kibet, the 2023 individual MIAA champion, led at-large bids at the regional meet, finishing fourth and just outside of the automatic qualifying ranks. The senior will make his second consecutive national appearance. He finished 54th at last year’s competition.
Donald Kibet – Washburn
Finishing third out of the men mentioned and sixth overall at the regional meet, sophomore Donald Kibet is heading back to Joplin on an at-large bid. The Ichabod will make his first appearance on the national stage.
Gidieon Kimutai – Missouri Southern
Another trip to compete against division II’s top runners for senior Gidieon Kimutai. This will be the Lion’s fourth trip to the national meet after finishing fifth at the regional meet. Kimutai finished fourth at the national meet in 2018 and fifth in 2019, both garnering All-America honors.
The NCAA will livestream the 2023 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships which take place on Saturday, Nov. 18. The women’s race will begin at 10 a.m. (CST), followed by the men’s race at 12:15 p.m. (CST).