Nov. 12, 2007

LUBBOCK, Texas - For the second time in school history, the Texas Tech women's cross country team will advance to the NCAA nationals in an announcement last night by the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for the ladies to compete at a national meet," head coach Jon Murray said. "Being selected as an at-large team speaks of our schedule and the competition against other teams from across the country."

The Red Raider women's squad will be one of seven Big 12 Conference teams to qualify for the NCAA meet. The Scarlet and Black team placed sixth out of 31 teams racing with 300 points at last year's nationals. Tech's top two runners, Sally Kipyego and Irene Kimaiyo, claimed the first and ninth spots in last year's contest, clocking times of 20:11.1 and 21:06.3, respectively. The pair have led the Red Raiders this season and look to continue their strong performances at the championships.

In order to be eligible to participate at the national championships, teams and individuals must qualify in their respective NCAA regions. A total of 31 teams were selected to participate in each championship. The top two seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, for a total of 18 teams. The Tech women's squad was one of the 13 additional teams that was selected for an at-large berth in the event.

The contest will be hosted by Indiana State Mon. Nov. 19, on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course located at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center. Both championship races will be broadcast live on CSTV.

For more information on individual and team qualifiers for nationals visit www.ncaasports.com.