Ball State University Athletics
Bishel Qualifies For NCAA Championships
November 13, 2007 | Cross Country
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Sophomore Ali Bishel has qualified to compete in the 2007 Division I Women's NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 19 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course located at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, Ind.
Bishel became eligible for the race last weekend by placing seventh at the Great Lakes Regional Championships finishing with a time of 21:00.
In order to be eligible to participate in the championships, teams and individuals had to qualify last weekend in their respective NCAA regional meets.
The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, for a total of 18 teams. Thirteen additional teams were selected at-large by the committee on Sunday.
A total of thirty-one teams were selected to participate in both the men's and women's Division I championships.
Thirty-eight individuals, the first four athletes from each region who are not a part of a qualifying team and two additional qualifiers, were selected to participate in each championship. All individual qualifiers must have finished in the top 25 in their region.
Bishel has been named to the 2007 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association Division I Women's Cross Country All-Region Team.
All-Region honors are given to an athlete who finishes in the top 25 at their respective regional meet and whose team is a member of the USTFCCCA.
The men's race will begin at noon Eastern time followed by the women's race at 12:55 p.m. Both championship races will be broadcast live on CSTV.
For more information on the 2007 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships, visit the NCAA's website at www.ncaasports.com/crosscountry.
Women's Individual Automatic Qualifiers
Great Lakes Region
Laura Neufarth Miami (Ohio)
Laura Rolf Valparaiso
Ali Bishel Ball State
Genni Gardner Butler
Middle Atlantic Region
Bridget Franek Penn State
Cheyenne Ogletree Rutgers
Rachel Papin La Salle
Sheila Reid Villanova
Midwest Region
Alex Becker Tulsa
Lisa Koll Iowa State
Jessica Eldridge Oklahoma
Grace Kemmey Iowa State
Lara Crofford Nebraska
Mountain Region
Sariah Long Weber State
Gretchen Fagley-Johnson Wyoming
Morgan Haws Weber State
Sharla Platt Southern Utah
Northeast Region
McKayla Plank Iona
Lindsay Donaldson Yale
Carmen Ballard Columbia
Smita Gupta Brown
Catherine Parker New Hampshire
South Region
Lauren Blankenship Samford
Lauren Weaver Belmont
Rachel Hannah Georgia State
Elizabeth Ambrus UAB
South Central Region
Silje Fjortoft SMU
Clerc Koenck Lamar
Christina Munoz Texas A&M
Renee Graham Lamar
Southeast Region
Emily Harrison Virginia
Tasmin Fanning Virginia Tech
Diana Jepchirchir Coastal Carolina
Janet Jesang Western Kentucky
West Region
Dana Morgan Portland
Laura Mickelson Loyola Marymount
Sarah Cocco USC
Mattie Bridgmon Eastern Washington
Women's Automatic Qualifying Team
Arkansas- South Central Region
Colorado State- Mountain Region
Duke- Southeast Region
Florida State- South Region
Georgia- South Region
Illinois- Midwest Region
Michigan- Great Lakes Region
Michigan State- Great Lakes Region
Minnesota- Midwest Region
North Carolina State- Southeast Region
Northern Arizona- Mountain Region
Oregon- West Region
Princeton- Mid-Atlantic Region
Providence- Northeast Region
Rice- South Central Region
Stanford- West Region
Stony Brook- Northeast Region
West Virginia- Mid-Atlantic Region
