Wayland Baptist's women's cross country team received an at-large invitation to compete at the NAIA National Championships while the Pioneers' men's team missed…barely.
The WBU men, after finishing third at the Sooner Athletic Conference Championships behind Bacone and three-time defending national champion Oklahoma City, fell from No. 24 in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 to the equivalent of 27
th. When the at-large invitations went out to teams that didn't earn automatic bids through their conferences, Wayland came up one slot short.
"It stings a little bit," WBU coach
Brian Whitlock said. "I feel badly for the guys. They've worked hard."
Eleven teams were invited based on their spot in the Top 25, and the last team to receive a bid, Aquinas (Mich.), is ranked the equivalent of 26
th, one place in front of WBU.
"You'd kind of rather be the second team out than the first," Whitlock said.
The coach said one mistake wound up costing the Pioneers.
"It stinks because realistically at our three big meets – Arkansas, Kansas and conference – we only made one mistake. That's disappointing because I know we could go (to nationals) and finish in the top 25 and beat teams from conferences that aren't as tough as ours.
"At the end of the day we had our opportunity," he added. "I could argue we deserve to be in and I could argue on the other side we don't deserve to be in."
Two Wayland men's runners –
Eric Villagrana and
Raul Almaraz – did qualify for nationals as individuals by virtue of finishing high enough at the SAC competition. Individuals qualify by finishing in the top 15 overall and by being among the top four finishers on non-qualifying teams.
Villagrana, a freshman, finished fifth at Saturday's race in Shawnee, Okla., while Almaraz, a sophomore, was seventh.
WBU's
Jason Rowe had another tough pill to swallow as he barely missed qualifying as an individual, again by just one spot. Runners from John Brown and Southwestern Christian claimed the final two of the SAC's four individual spots. Those runners placed 10
th and 11
th in the conference race; Rowe was 12
th, missing a place at nationals by just over two seconds.
"Of all the guys I feel the worst for Jason. He's been good for our program," Whitlock said of the all-conference junior from Bastrop who was running collegiate cross country for the final time because he will be graduating in three years. Rowe did compete at nationals the last two seasons when Wayland qualified as a team.
Thirty-six teams and 86 individuals qualified on the men's side, while on the women's side 36 teams and 82 individuals made it.
That includes Wayland, which finished in second place at the SAC meet to OCU. The Pioneers, who dropped from 18
th to 20
th in the Top 25, earned the seventh of 10 at-large team invitations.
"We're happy about the girls getting in," Whitlock said. "I felt pretty good about what we did all season, especially at Kansas where we beat two ranked teams."
The Pioneers were led at conference by sophomore
Jackline Jemeli, who finished third, junior
Silvia Sosa, who finished fifth, and freshman Elisabeth Williams, who took sixth.
"We're excited to have the opportunity," Whitlock said. "The girls have worked really hard. We're going in ranked 20
th and hopefully we can improve on that."
The NAIA National Championships will be held Nov. 19 for the first time at North Farms Cross Country Course in Elsah, Ill. The women's 5-kilometer race will begin at 10:30 a.m. followed by the men's 8-kilometer race at 11:30 a.m.
For the first second-straight year, a post-race highlight show will be free to all fans at www.NAIANetwork.com. Fans will be able to view the show no later than 1 p.m. CST on Sunday, Nov. 20.
For more on the championships, go to
www.naia.org.
Men
2016 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championships - Teams
| Aquinas (Mich.) |
At-Large No. 11 |
| Bacone (Okla.) |
Sooner Athletic Conference Champion |
| Bethel (Ind.) |
At-Large No. 7 |
| Bethel (Tenn.) |
Southern States Athletic Conference Champion (Tie) |
| Biola (Calif.) |
At-Large No. 3 |
| British Columbia |
Association of Independent Institutions Champion |
| College of Idaho |
At-Large No. 1 |
| Columbia (Mo.) |
American Midwest Conference Champion |
| Cornerstone (Mich.) |
At-Large No. 10 |
| Dickinson State (N.D.) |
North Star Athletic Association Champion |
| Eastern Oregon |
At-Large No. 8 |
| Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) |
California Pacific Conference Champion |
| Indiana Tech |
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference |
| Kansas Wesleyan |
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Runner-Up |
| Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
Frontier Conference Champion |
| Marian (Ind.) |
Crossroads League Champion |
| MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
Heart of America Athletic Conference Runner-Up |
| Milligan (Tenn.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference Champion |
| Missouri Valley |
Heart of America Athletic Conference Champion |
| Northwestern (Iowa) |
Great Plains Athletic Conference Champion |
| Oklahoma City |
At-Large No. 4 |
| Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Runner-up |
| Oregon Tech |
At-Large No. 6 |
| Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) |
Red River Athletic Conference Champion |
| Rio Grande (Ohio) |
River States Athletic Conference Champion |
| SCAD Savannah (Ga.) |
The Sun Conference Champion |
| Shawnee State (Ohio) |
Mid-South Conference Champion |
| Siena Heights (Mich.) |
At-Large No. 5 |
| Southern Oregon |
Cascade Collegiate Conference Champion |
| St. Francis (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Champion |
| St. Mary (Kan.) |
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Champion |
| Taylor (Ind.) |
At-Large No. 5 |
| The Master's Calif.) |
Golden State Athletic Conference Champion |
| Westmont (Calif.) |
At-large No. 2 |
| William Carey (Miss.) |
Southern State Athletic Conference Champion (Tie) |
| William Woods (Mo.) |
American Midwest Conference Host Berth |
| Xavier (La.) |
Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Champion |
2016 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championships - Individuals
| American Midwest |
Christian Skinner |
Park (Mo.) |
| |
Tyler Alverson |
Freed-Hardeman (Mo.) |
| |
Paco Rosales |
Lindenwood (Ill.) |
| |
Ryan Zitter |
Park (Mo.) |
| A.I.I. |
Steven Juarez |
Johnson & Wales (Colo.) |
| |
Timothy Huber |
Indiana - Northwest |
| |
Joe Capuchino |
Central Christian (Kan.) |
| |
Alberto Rodriguez |
Johnson & Wales (Colo.) |
| Appalachian |
Tyler Boone |
Bryan (Tenn.) |
| |
Brien Lancaster |
Montreat (N.C.) |
| |
Tyler Barber |
Truett-McConnell (Ga.) |
| |
Jackson Helfrich |
Reinhardt (Ga.) |
| California Pacific |
Anass Zouhry |
Antelope Valley (Calif.) |
| |
Jack Evans |
Soka (Calif.) |
| |
Chafik Oussemgane |
Antelope Valley (Calif.) |
| |
Guillermo Rivas |
California Merced |
| Cascade |
Garrett Kraal |
Northwest Christian (Ore.) |
| |
TJ Wright |
Northwest Christian (Ore.) |
| Chicagoland |
Daniel Garcia |
Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) |
| |
Jonathan Kimutai |
Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) |
| |
Abel Hernandez |
St. Xavier (Ill.) |
| |
Salavador Cordova |
Purdue Northwest (Ind.) |
| |
Cody Velthuizen |
Trinity Christian (Ill.) |
| |
Jordy Arriaga |
Judson (Ill.) |
| Crossroads |
Ryan Smith |
Goshen (Ind.) |
| |
Daniel Garza |
Spring Arbor (Mich) |
| |
Steven Cranston |
Goshen (Ind.) |
| |
Ben Rankin |
Grace (Ind.) |
| Frontier |
Chance Hyatt |
Carroll (Mont.) |
| |
Benson Koech |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
| |
Baird Linke |
Carroll (Mont.) |
| |
Layne Ryerson |
Carroll (Mont.) |
| Golden State |
Zach Deatley |
Vanguard (Calif.) |
| |
Zach Hunt |
Vanguard (Calif.) |
| |
Jeronimo Brito |
Vanguard (Calif.) |
| Great Plains |
Caleb Drake |
Dordt (Iowa) |
| |
Danney Aldaba |
Midland (Neb.) |
| |
Alec DeVries |
Morningside (Iowa) |
| |
Jeremiah Panec |
Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) |
| Heart of America |
Jamal Boma |
William Penn (Iowa) |
| |
Joseph Linder |
Baker (Kan.) |
| |
Devon Colegrove |
Evangel (Mo.) |
| |
Joseph Barnes |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
| |
Colton Forster |
Mount Mercy (Iowa) |
| |
Greg Flores |
Baker (Kan.) |
| Kansas Collegiate |
Jersey Boydstun |
Southwestern (Kan.) |
| |
Jonathan Dominguez |
McPherson (Kan.) |
| |
Julio Martinez |
Bethel (Kan.) |
| |
Michael Janzer |
McPherson (Kan.) |
| |
Kris Mathur |
Friends (Kan,) |
| |
Lucas Garrett |
Sterling (Kan.) |
| Mid-South |
Adam Sandidge |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
| |
Sam Beal |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
| |
Bret Crawford |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
| |
Ben Call |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
| North Star |
Matthew Young |
Jamestown (N.D.) |
| |
Nic Ganzeveld |
Waldorf (Iowa) |
| |
Marquis Cox |
Waldorf (Iowa) |
| |
Nathan Meiners |
Waldorf (Iowa) |
| Red River |
Laben Kandie |
Wiley (Texas) |
| |
Marbeq Edgar |
Wiley (Texas) |
| |
Leonard Kiprono |
Wiley (Texas) |
| |
Gilbert Ramirez |
Southwest (N.M.) |
| River States |
Douglas Negrete |
West Virginia Tech |
| |
Salavador Campos |
Indiana East |
| |
Caleb Woodard |
Asbury (Ky.) |
| |
Blake Brooks |
Indiana East |
| Sooner |
Eric Villagrana |
Wayland Baptist (Texas) |
| |
Raul Almaraz |
Wayland Baptist (Texas) |
| |
Josh Uzelac |
John Brown (Ark.) |
| |
Gerardo Nava |
Southwestern Assemblies (Texas) |
| Southern States |
Ryan Gebelein |
Dalton State (Ga.) |
| |
Anthony Rizzi |
Loyola (La.) |
| |
David Murillo |
Dalton State (Ga.) |
| |
Leith Rawson |
Mobile (Ala.) |
| The Sun |
Trae Miller |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
| |
Gabriel Hogan |
Ave Maria (Fla.) |
| |
Nic O'Neill |
USC - Beaufort (S.C.) |
| |
Sean Trainor |
Webber State |
| Wolverine-Hoosier |
Tony Floyd |
Madonna (Mich.) |
| |
Kory Johnson |
Madonna (Mich.) |
2016 NAIA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Regular Season Top 25 Poll – (Nov. 6)
| RANK |
LAST |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 |
1 |
British Columbia (20) |
591 |
| 2 |
2 |
St. Francis (Ill.) (1) |
570 |
| 3 |
3 |
Southern Oregon |
553 |
| 4 |
4 |
Marian (Ind.) |
528 |
| 5 |
12 |
The Master's (Calif.) |
522 |
| 6 |
7 |
College of Idaho |
467 |
| 7 |
21 |
Bacone (Okla.) |
445 |
| 8 |
8 |
Westmont (Calif.) |
435 |
| 9 |
9 |
Missouri Valley |
431 |
| 10 |
10 |
Shawnee State (Ohio) |
424 |
| 11 |
11 |
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
393 |
| 12 |
5 |
Biola (Calif.) |
385 |
| 13 |
6 |
Oklahoma City |
372 |
| 14 |
13 |
SCAD Savannah (Ga.) |
324 |
| 15 |
23 |
Taylor (Ind.) |
322 |
| 16 |
20 |
Indiana Tech |
309 |
| 17 |
16 |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
299 |
| 18 |
25 |
Oregon Tech |
260 |
| 19 |
14 |
Bethel (Ind.) |
258 |
| 20 |
19 |
Saint Mary (Kan.) |
238 |
| 21 |
15 |
Eastern Oregon |
201 |
| 22 |
NR |
Seina Heights (Mich.) |
200 |
| 23 |
22 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
187 |
| 24 |
17 |
Cornerstone (Mich.) |
152 |
| 25 |
NR |
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) |
115 |
Others receiving votes: Aquinas (Mich.) 104;
Wayland Baptist (Texas) 74; Carroll (Mont.) 58; Dordt (Iowa) 53; Columbia (Mo.) 31; Milligan (Tenn.) 30; Rio Grande (Ohio) 28; Indiana Wesleyan 16; Vanguard (Calif.) 14; Northwest Christian (Ore.) 11; Madonna (Mich.) 9; Goshen (Ind.) 3; Campbellsville (Ky.) 3
Women
2016 NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championships Qualifiers – Teams
| Aquinas (Mich.) |
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Champion |
| Benedictine (Kan.) |
Hearth of America Athletic Conference Champion |
| Biola (Calif.) |
Golden State Athletic Conference Champion |
| British Columbia |
Association of Independent Institutions Champion |
| Carroll (Mont.) |
Frontier Conference Champion |
| College of Idaho |
At-Large No. 2 |
| Dickinson State (N.D.) |
North Star Athletic Association Champion |
| Dordt (Iowa) |
At-Large No. 8 |
| Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) |
California Pacific Conference Champion |
| Friends (Kan.) |
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Champion |
| Hastings (Neb.) |
At-Large No. 10 |
| Indiana Wesleyan |
At-Large No. 9 |
| Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
At-Large No. 6 |
| MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
Heart of America Athletic Conference Champion |
| Milligan (Tenn.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference Runner-Up |
| Missouri Baptist |
American Midwest Conference Champion |
| Morningside (Iowa) |
Great Plains Athletic Conference Champion |
| Northwest Christian (Ore.) |
Cascade Collegiate Conference Champion |
| Oklahoma City |
Sooner Athletic Conference Champion |
| Oregon Tech |
At-Large No. 3 |
| Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) |
Red River Athletic Conference Champion |
| Park (Mo.) |
American Midwest Conference Host Berth |
| Rio Grande (Ohio) |
River States Conference Champion |
| SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference Champion |
| SCAD Savannah (Ga.) |
The Sun Conference Champion |
| Shawnee State (Ohio) |
Mid-South Conference Champion |
| Southern Oregon |
At-Large No. 4 |
| Saint Francis (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Champion |
| Saint Mary (Kan.) |
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Runner-Up |
| Xavier |
Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Champion |
| Taylor (Ind.) |
Crossroads League Champion |
| The Master's (Calif.) |
At-Large No. 1 |
| Wayland Baptist (Texas) |
At-Large No. 7 |
| Westmont (Calif.) |
At-Large No. 5 |
| St. Xavier (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Runner-Up |
2016 Championships Qualifiers – Individuals
| American Midwest |
Naomi Payne |
Columbia (Mo.) |
| |
Emily Erdman |
Lindenwood-Bellevue (Ill.) |
| |
Janki Patel |
St. Louis Pharmacy (Mo.) |
| |
Malindi Congour |
Stephens (Mo.) |
| A.I.I. |
Samantha Barela |
Johnson & Wales (Colo.) |
| |
Jessie Faron |
Johnson & Wales (Colo.) |
| |
Alex Del Bosque |
Central Christian (Kan.) |
| |
Oliva Redman |
Johnson & Wales (Colo.) |
| Appalachian |
Ivie Nobles |
Truett-McConnell (Ga.) |
| |
Leah Chance |
Tennessee Wesleyan |
| |
Shelby Rensel |
Reinhardt (Ga.) |
| |
Rebecca Guadiana |
Point (Ga.) |
| |
Hannah Rhodes |
Tennessee Wesleyan |
| |
Mysteree Bottoroff |
Tennessee Wesleyan |
| California Pacific |
Lindsey Shoenhard |
Soka (Calif.) |
| |
Miranda Almeida |
Soka (Calif.) |
| |
Erika Ochoa |
UC Merced (Calif.) |
| |
Linden Amundsen |
Soka (Calif.) |
| Cascade |
Rachel Roelle |
Eastern Oregon |
| |
Sarah Estabrook |
Northwest (Wash.) |
| |
Amy Murphy |
Corban (Ore.) |
| Chicagoland |
Elizabeth Soper |
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
| |
Ashely Jourdan |
Trinity Christian (Ill.) |
| |
Alexa Beezhold |
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
| |
Stephanie Clarkson |
Governors State (Ill.) |
| |
Sarah Ray |
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
| |
Karyn Paisley |
St. Ambrose (Iowa) |
| Crossroads |
Aspen Dirr |
Huntington (Ind.) |
| |
Annie Winkler |
Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) |
| |
Victoria Harper |
Spring Arbor (Mich.) |
| |
Raven Arellano |
Grace (Ind.) |
| Frontier |
Baylee Green |
Great Falls (Mont.) |
| |
Mindy Kaufman |
Montana Western |
| |
Mackenzie O'Dore |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
| |
Courtney Hallock |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
| Golden State |
Kaylee Franks |
Arizona Christian |
| Great Plains |
Marissa DeWispelare |
Doane (Neb.) |
| |
Katie Bosch |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
| |
Kylee Smallfoot |
Midland (Neb.) |
| |
Emily Sievert |
Concordia (Neb.) |
| Heart of America |
Molly Pruett |
Mount Mercy (Iowa) |
| |
Katie Hoffert |
Mount Mercy (Iowa) |
| |
Maren Jeppson |
Grand View (Iowa) |
| |
Penny Fenn |
Avila (Mo.) |
| |
Kami Tabor |
Graceland (Iowa) |
| |
Andrea Ertz |
Mount Mercy (Iowa) |
| Kansas Collegiate |
Jordan Calderwood |
Ottawa (Kan.) |
| |
Justine Vogele |
Southwestern (Kan.) |
| |
Rachel Franklin |
Kansas Wesleyan |
| |
Lauren Wankum |
McPherson (Kan.) |
| |
Chisholm Branscum |
Ottawa (Kan.) |
| |
Ashley Smith |
Southwestern (Kan.) |
| Mid-South |
Madison Peace |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
| |
Nikki Coffey |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
| |
Meg McGaha |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
| |
Maureen McGaha |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
| North Star |
Amber Posner |
Jamestown (N.D.) |
| |
Allison Foster |
Jamestown (N.D.) |
| |
Christa Lysne |
Jamestown (N.D.) |
| |
Rachel Turi |
Viterbo (Wis.) |
| Red River |
Gabrielle Arsiaga |
Southwest (N.M.) |
| |
Alexandria Adams |
Southwest (N.M.) |
| |
Maureen Rono |
Wiley (Texas) |
| |
Shamona Hunt |
Wiley (Teas) |
| River States |
Katy Falkenberg |
Asbury (Ky.) |
| |
Katie Guarnaccia |
Point Park (Pa.) |
| |
Anna Shields |
Point Park (Pa.) |
| |
Brittany Sloan |
IU Kokomo (Ind.) |
| Sooner |
Destiny Garza |
SAGU (Texas) |
| |
Melissa Gonzales |
Texas Wesleyan |
| |
Sabrina Desantiago |
St. Gregory's (Okla.) |
| |
Maria Galarza |
Texas Wesleyan |
| Southern States |
Emily Poole |
Dalton State (Ga.) |
| |
Jaden Russell |
William Carey (Miss.) |
| |
Ana Karen Padilla |
Dalton State (Ga.) |
| |
Natalie Hensely |
Dalton State (Ga.) |
| The Sun |
Betsy Douglas |
USC Beaufort (S.C.) |
| |
Julia Kaster |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
| |
Sydni Ogilvie |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
| |
Megan Fitzgerald |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
| Wolverine-Hoosier |
Tiffany Rauch |
Indiana Tech |
| |
Ashley Russo |
Siena Heights |
| |
Stephanie Johnston |
Concordia (Mich.) |
| |
Karlie Gallagher |
Madonna (Mich.) |
2016 Women's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Poll – No. 5 (Nov. 6)
| RANK |
LAST |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
FINAL POINTS |
| 1 |
1 |
Northwest Christian (Ore.) (18) |
529 |
| 2 |
2 |
Biola (Calif.) |
512 |
| 3 |
3 |
British Columbia |
494 |
| 4 |
5 |
Oklahoma City |
472 |
| 5 |
4 |
Aquinas (Mich.) |
457 |
| 6 |
6 |
The Master's (Calif.) |
450 |
| 7 |
7 |
College of Idaho |
419 |
| 8 |
9 |
SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) |
406 |
| 9 |
8 |
Milligan (Tenn.) |
386 |
| 10 |
11 |
Oregon Tech |
372 |
| 11 |
10 |
Shawnee State (Ohio) |
371 |
| 12 |
12 |
Southern Oregon |
321 |
| 13 |
14 |
Taylor (Ind.) |
309 |
| 14 |
25 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
297 |
| 15 |
15 |
Westmont (Calif.) |
295 |
| 16 |
16 |
St. Francis (Ill.) |
265 |
| 17 |
20 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
246 |
| 18 |
17 |
Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
235 |
| 19 |
13 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
217 |
| 20 |
18 |
Wayland Baptist (Texas) |
209 |
| 21 |
19 |
Dordt (Iowa) |
207 |
| 22 |
23 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
166 |
| 23 |
NR |
SCAD Savannah (Ga.) |
142 |
| 24 |
NR |
Hastings (Neb.) |
129 |
| 25 |
NR |
Sienna Heights (Mich.) |
114 |
| |
|
|
|
Dropped from the Top 25: No. 21 Indiana Tech; No. 22 Benedictine (Kan.); No. 24 Southeastern (Fla.)
Others receiving votes: MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 113; Benedictine (Kan.) 76; Southeastern (Fla.) 70; Madonna (Mich.) 65; Indiana Tech 37; Doane (Neb.) 18; Tennessee Wesleyan 16; Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 15; Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 15; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 9; Mount Mercy (Iowa) 5; Arizona Christian 3; Blue Mountain (Miss.) 3
