WILIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Williams women’s cross country team under the direction of Peter Farwell has been named as one of the 16 teams across the nation to be awarded an At-Large berth in the NCAA championship race next Saturday.

Williams, as a member of NESCAC, has only been permitted to compete in the NCAA team championships since 1993, and with this year’s At-Large berth the Ephs are now a perfect 17 appearances in 17 years.

The NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee announced today the team and individual qualifiers for the 2009 Division III Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships. The Williams men were automatic qualifiers by winning the NCAA New England Regional and the women were in contention for an At-Large berth with their third place finish at the regional qualifier.

In order to be eligible to participate in the championships, teams and individuals must qualify in their respective NCAA regions.

Thirty-two teams were selected to participate in each championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the eight regions, for a total of 16 teams. Sixteen additional teams were selected at-large.

Fifty-six individuals, the first seven athletes from each region who are not a part of aqualifying team, were selected to participate in the championship.

Baldwin-Wallace College will host the championships, November 21, at Highland Hills Golf Course in Highland Hills, Ohio. The women’s race will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern time followed by the men’s race at noon Eastern time.

“We're excited about the progress of many of our team members over the past few weeks, and their performances yesterday despite missing Bret Scofield (#2 runner and co-captain) and we’re gradually bringing Meghan Shea back to full health,” stated Farwell.

“The top 6 who raced yesterday (and each received all-region honors did great) only Lauren Goldstein-Kral was a bit off feeling dizzy in final kilometer. Olga Kondratjeva and Emily Teitsworth have made rapid progress, and our two first years [Jennifer Gossels and Annie Dear] are racing remarkably well in their first collegiate season, and first experiences at the 6k distance. Ariel Williams raced great at the ECACs (4th) last week, and again with a fine kick yesterday to back up the scoring 5. We will be selecting the healthiest/fastest 7 to compete Saturday, with the 8th as alternate.”