The Drake University men's and women's cross country teams are set to appear at the annual NCAA Midwest Regional Championships on Friday, Nov. 10 in Ames, Iowa.
The Midwest Regionals, along with the other regional championships conducted throughout the country, determine which teams and athletes qualify to compete in the NCAA Championships set to take place next weekend in Louisville, Ky. The top two teams from each region and the top four individuals not on qualifying teams from each region will advance to the NCAA Championships.
The women's 6K is set to begin at 10:45 a.m. followed by the men's 10K to begin at 11:45 a.m. Both races are scheduled to take place at the Iowa State Cross Country Course.
The men's team was led last week by freshman
Maximilian Fridrich (Salzburg, Austria) who finished fifth at the MVC Cross Country Championships with an 8K time of 25:00.9. Fridrich was also named MVC Freshman of the Year. Sophomores
Kyle Brandt (Maple Grove, Minn.) and
Matt Cozine (Mt. Prospect, Ill.) also recorded top-20 finishes. As a team the Bulldogs finished fifth at the MVC Championships, the school's best finish since 2012.
Senior
Bailee Cofer (Overland Park, Kan.) led the women's team with a 5K time of 17:59.4. Cofer finished 15
th and earned All-MVC honorable mention honors and a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team.
With nine states making up the Midwest Region, Drake will see stiff competition from a deep field vying for a potential spot in the NCAA field.
