NCAA Division II Release

Three Lone Star Conference programs, including West Texas A&M's men and women's teams and DBU's women's team, are headed to the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 20, after earning at-large bids announced by the NCAA. UT Permian Basin's Erik Flores received a berth as an individual qualifier.

    The WT men secured their eighth consecutive bid to the national championships. They were one of six South Central Region teams selected to compete at the national meet. The Buffs are out to improve on their program-best 10th-place team finish at the 2019 championship.

    UT Permian Basin sophomore Erik Flores earned an individual selection after finishing 21st at the regional last week and setting a school record in the 10-kilometer race. Flores is the first Falcon runner to qualify for the national championship meet and was the runner-up at the LSC Cross Country Championships.

    On the women’s side, DBU and West Texas A&M both received at-large bids to the championships, becoming the first LSC women’s teams to advance to the championship meet since 2013.

    The Lady Patriots are coming off a second-straight conference title and a sixth-place finish at the South Central championships. DBU last made an appearance at nationals in 2018 when they ranked 24th.

    WT returns to the national meet for the first time since 2013, following second- and seventh-place finishes at the conference and regional championships. This is the Lady Buffs' third DII championship appearance as a team.

    The championships will be held Nov. 20 in Saint Leo, Florida at The Abbey Course. Saint Leo University and Tampa Bay Sports Commission will serve as hosts. The women’s race will begin at 7:30 a.m. CT, followed by the men’s race at 8:45 a.m. CT.

    A live webstream of the championships will occur on www.NCAA.com from 8:30 a.m. Eastern until the conclusion of the awards ceremony.