WHAC Qualifies Aquinas, four individuals for 2023 NAIA Cross Country Championships

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (NAIA Release)The final field for the 68th annual NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship has been released as 36 teams and 85 individuals have qualified. The field will prepare to race on Friday, November 17, 2023 at 11:30 a.m. PT at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Championship Course in Vancouver, Wash.

WHAC champion Aquinas received the league's automatic berth and finished ranked #22 in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll. They are the lone qualifying team from the WHAC but four individuals earned the chance to race in Vancouver. They are: Mehdi Nait Hamound (Madonna), Mohamed Salaheddine Ensaad (Madonna), Jamin Thompson (Cornerstone) and Joe Seibert (UM-Dearborn). 

Qualifier Notes

• 2023's championship will be the eighth that has taken place at Fort Vancouver
• This year's field is made-up of 23 automatic qualifiers, 12 at-large berths and one host berth. 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 12, at-large berths were determined by the final NAIA Men's Cross Country rating and reviewed by the NAIA Men's Cross Country Championship Oversight Committee.
• In addition to the team qualifiers, 85 individuals qualified for the championship based on their times throughout the year.
• The 2023 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship will be streamed live exclusively on the NAIA Network. To access the live stream or to purchase a race pass, click HERE!