Wayne, Neb. - The Southwest Baptist University men's and women's cross country teams had a strong showing at the NCAA Central Regional Championships on Saturday afternoon. The women finished 5th in the region, narrowly missing out on qualifying for NCAA Nationals as a team, while the men finished 13th. Individually, Elizabeth Luckel qualified for NCAA Nationals with a 5th place finish.

Luckel took home top honors for the Bearcats, earning All-Region honors with her 5th place finish in a time of 21:38.92 across the 6,000 meter race. Courtney Rogers barely missed All-Region honors with a 26th place finish in a time of 22:42.27, while Katherine Sitzes came in 31st in a time of 22:51.34. Next to cross the line for SBU was Ashley Lawson who took home 50th place in a time of 23:28.02, and Alexis Lindemann finished 68th in a time of 23:52.59. Also competing for the women were Rachel Wheeler (80th; 24:09.92) and Emily Cumpton (129th; 25:11.51). The women finished 5th as a team, collecting 174 points and missing Nationals by only 24 points.

On the men's side, Drew Cargill was the top SBU finisher with a 23rd place finish, earning All-Region honors, in a time of 32:25.40 on the 10,000 meter course. Also earning All-Region honors for SBU was Luke Karamitros who finished 24th in a time of 32:27.80. The next finisher for the Bearcats was Jonathan Murphy who took 90th in a time of 34:20.50 and Max Robinson finished 97th in a time of 34:41.10. Also competing for SBU were Josh Inman (100th; 34:43.80), Derek Showler (115th; 35:23.00), and Ryan Pate (126th; 35:52.80). As a team, the Bearcats finished 13th with 331 team points.

"The teams ran tough today," head coach Corey McElhaney stated after the races. "I could not be more proud of them. It's tough to be the first team out on the women's side, but for our program to consistently be in contention to make it to Nationals is a testament to the athletes and their dedication. Congratulations to Beth for placing higher than any girl in SBU history and for qualifying for Nationals individually."

Luckel will now compete in the NCAA National Championships on Saturday, December 6 in Louisville, Kentucky.