After barely missing qualification for nationals a season ago, Auburn senior Veronica Eder punched her ticket to the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana, with a second-place finish at the NCAA South Regional on Friday. The top four finishers at the regional meet qualify for nationals. Eder finished fifth last year.
“We had a great day in Tallahassee with three great runs today,” Auburn head coach Mark Carroll said. “All three of the athletes we brought had great runs, with three personal bests and I am extremely proud of them.
“As I have said all season, Veronica worked extremely hard to qualify for the NCAA Championships,” Carroll said. “She set a goal to get to Terra Haute and she achieved it. I am very proud of how hard she worked and look forward to seeing her compete at NCAA’s.”
Eder’s second-place finish is the top finish by an Auburn female since Holly Knight finished second in 2008. The Pennsylvania native posted a personal best 20:08.60 in the women’s 6k and was named to the All-Region team.
On the men’s side, junior Wesley Pectol finished 23rd in the men’s 10k with a personal best 31:12.20 to earn All-Region honors. Junior Kevin Wyss also posted a personal best in the men’s 10k with a time of 31:20.60 to finish 28th.
Middle Tennessee State freshman Jacob Choge won the men’s meet with a time of 30:19.8. He was followed by teammate Kigen Chemadi, who posted a time of 30:22.7. University of Central Florida senior Anne-Marie Blaney finished first on the women’s side, finishing just mere seconds ahead of Eder.
Eder will advance to the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana on Nov. 18.
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