After earning a berth for the national meet out of what is arguably the toughest region in the country, the No. 14 University of Southern Indiana women’s cross country team will toe the line at the NCAA Division II Championships Saturday at 10 a.m. in Joplin, Missouri, for the first time since 2012.
Led by sophomore Emily Roberts (Fredericktown, Ohio) and senior Jessica Reeves (Midland, Michigan), the Screaming Eagles are hopeful that a top 10 finish at the national meet is in their future.
Roberts finished fifth at the NCAA II Midwest Region Championships two weeks ago at Angel Mounds, in a field that featured last year’s individual national champion in addition to multiple track & field national champions.
Coupled with Reeves’s 16th-place finish, the Eagles finished fifth in the 30-team regional field.
USI had three of the top 30 finishers and four in the top 50 at the regional meet as senior Jamie Adkins (Owensboro, Kentucky) and sophomore Jessica Lincoln (Palatine, Illinois) finished 30th and 47th, respectively, at the regional meet.
Both Roberts and Reeves will be strong contenders to earn All-America honors Saturday, which go to the top 40 finishers.
