Wilgenbusch Claims Individual Medalist at NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championship in Record-Setting Fashion
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Anna Wilgenbusch (St. Paul, Minn.) of the University of Dallas women's cross country team ran in the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championship hosted by Rhodes College on Saturday. Wilgenbusch continued her incredible season by winning the regional race and setting a new school record with a time of 21:29.3, shattering her previous record of 21:58.15 set last week at the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Championship meet. Wilgenbusch punched her ticket as an Individual Qualifier to the NCAA Division III National Championships which will be held in Louisville, Kentucky next Saturday.
Wilgenbusch edged Sara Stephenson (Washington and Lee University) by 8.2 seconds to claim the first place finish. She was in the lead at the 1,970 meter mark (6:50) and gathered an average mile of 5:45.7 as she stayed undefeated on the 2019 campaign.
Following behind Wilgenbusch and Stephenson was Katie Harris (Washington and Lee) who secured third place with a time of 21:39.4. Washington and Lee University and Emory University both automatically qualified for the NCAA DIII National Championships after finishing one and two in the team's category. The top seven individuals and top two teams advance to the national championships.
Wilgenbusch is the first UD cross country athlete to advance to the NCAA National Championships in school history. She joins Mary Peters, Diane Gowski, Debbie Wilbanks (1981), Mary Peters, Louisa Mox (1982), Frances Botello (1983), and Louisa Mox, Vicki Johnson (1984), who all qualified for Nationals. These individuals all advanced to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championships in their respected years.
Wilgenbusch now has nine career wins, which ties her with Class of 2011 Hall of Fame inductee Elena Yates for the most in program history.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Here is the �� of the finish!#WeAreUD #SCACwxc #d3xc #UDallas pic.twitter.com/ARJrLWbgvJ
— UDallas Athletics (@UDallasSports) November 16, 2019
UP NEXT
Wilgenbusch will compete in the NCAA DIII National Championships next Saturday (Nov. 23) at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
