KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The final field for the 69th annual NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship has been released as 36 teams and 80 individuals have qualified during the 2024 season. The field will prepare to race on Friday, Nov. 22, at 10:30 a.m. CT at the Columbia, Mo., Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
For the first time in 20 seasons, the University of Mobile Men's Cross Country program, led by first-year head coach Leith Rawson, has earned an automatic bid in this year's field, winning the team's first-ever SSAC Men's Cross Country Championship to claim the bid. The Rams recorded a total time of 2:10:42 in the conference championship 8k, averaging 26:08 as a team. Three of the top five finishers came from Mobile as Joe Stevens and Jacob Harned led the charge with second and third place finishes respectively with times of 25:46.46 and 25:47.03. Other crucial performances included Joey Jones, who came home fifth with a time of 25:54.40, and Preston Webb in 11th overall at 26:13.26. William Givens rounded out the team's scoring, finishing in 22nd with a time of 27:01.52.
NAIA Qualifier Notes
- 2024's national championship will be the first to take place in Columbia, Mo.
- This year's field comprises 22 automatic qualifiers and 14 at-large berths. A team may qualify with an automatic berth by winning its conference championship meet or as the runner-up in the championship meet provided the conference has 12 or more schools and the runner-up is rated in the top 30 of the final NAIA Men's Cross Country rating.
- The 14 at-large berths were determined by the final NAIA Men's Cross Country rating and reviewed by the NAIA Men's Cross Country Oversight Committee.
- In addition to the team qualifiers, 80 individuals qualified for the championship based on their scoring finish at their respective conference meet.
- The Crossroads League boasts the highest number of team qualifiers in the 2024 field with five teams: Grace (Ind.), Indiana Wesleyan, Marian (Ind.), Taylor (Ind.) and Spring Arbor (Mich.).
- The 2024 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship will be streamed live on the NAIA Channel on the Urban Edge Network for free and can be found HERE.
Team Qualifiers
| INSTITUTION |
CONFERENCE |
QUALIFYING METHOD |
| Aquinas (Mich.) |
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Bellevue (Neb.) |
North Star Athletic Association |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Campbellsville (Ky.) |
Mid-South Conference |
At-Large |
| Carroll (Mont.) |
Frontier Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| College of Idaho |
Cascade Collegiate Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Columbia (Mo.) |
American Midwest Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Cumberlands (Ky.) |
Mid-South Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Doane (Neb.) |
Great Plains Athletic Conference |
At-Large |
| Dordt (Iowa) |
Great Plains Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Eastern Oregon |
Cascade Collegiate Conference |
At-Large |
| Embry-Ridle (Ariz.) |
Great Southwest Athletic Conference |
At-Large |
| Grace (Ind.) |
Crossroads League |
At-Large |
| Haskell (Kan.) |
Continental Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Indiana Wesleyan |
Crossroads League |
At-Large |
| IU East (Ind.) |
River States Conference |
At-Large |
| Kansas Wesleyan |
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
| Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
Cascade Collegiate Conference |
At-Large |
| Marian (Ind.) |
Crossroads League |
At-Large |
| Milligan (Tenn.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Mobile (Ala.) |
Southern States Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Montreat (N.C.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference |
At-Large |
| Mount Mercy (Iowa) |
Heart of America Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Oklahoma City |
Sooner Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference |
At-Large |
| Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) |
Red River Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Rio Grande (Ohio) |
River States Conference |
At-Large |
| Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
Frontier Conference |
At-Large |
| Saint Francis (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Saint Mary (Kan.) |
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| SCAD Savannah (Ga.) |
The Sun Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Shawnee State (Ohio) |
River States Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Spring Arbor (Mich.) |
Crossroads League |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Taylor (Ind.) |
Crossroads League |
At-Large |
| The Master's (Calif.) |
Great Southwest Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| Tougaloo (Miss.) |
HBCU Athletic Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
| UC Merced (Calif.) |
California Pacific Conference |
Conference Tournament Champion |
FOLLOW THE RAMS
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About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted, and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions, and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
