Two SU Runners to Compete at 2009 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships

INDIANAPOLIS -- Susquehanna University will be represented by sophomore Casey Hess (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg Area) and senior Paul Thistle (Blue Bell, Pa./Wissahickon) at the 2009 NCAA Division III cross country championships, hosted by Baldwin-Wallace College at Highland Park Golf Course in Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday, Nov. 22. The women's race is a 6,000-meter event, which starts at 11 a.m., while the men run 8,000 meters, starting at 12 p.m.

Both Hess and Thistle qualified for the national championship meet thanks to their performances at this year's Division III Mideast Region championships, hosted by Muhlenberg College at Lehigh University's Goodman Campus on Nov. 14.

Hess placed fifth out of 311 runners with a Landmark Conference-record time of 21 minutes, 53.10 seconds on the 6,000-meter Lehigh course, good for all-region honors. As one of the top-seven finishers at the meet, she automatically earned a spot at the NCAA championships.

Thistle earned an at-large spot to the national meet after placing 13th out of 314 runners at the regional championships with a time of 25:28.70 on an 8,000-meter course. He too earned an all-region award.

One of the best runners in Susquehanna history, this will be Thistle's third straight appearance at the NCAA championships. In 2007, he placed 172nd out of 280 athletes with an 8,000-meter time of 26:12.00 at St. Olaf College. He moved up to 164th out of 278 at Hanover College the next year with an 8,000 time of 25:57.31.

Thirty-two teams will compete in both championship races on Nov. 22. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the NCAA's eight regional championships. Sixteen additional teams were selected at-large from around the country.

Fifty-six other individuals--the first seven athletes from each region who were not part of a qualifying team--were also selected to compete for the individual championship. That equates to 32 full teams and 280 total runners. Susquehanna will not be eligible for the team championship.

Thistle and Hess each won Landmark individual titles this season. For Thistle, the individual championship was his third in a row. He helped lead the Crusaders to their third straight conference team title as well, making Susquehanna the first school to ever win three Landmark championships in the same sport.

Thistle's best 8,000-meter time this year is a career-best 25:25.00, recorded in the Brown section of Lehigh University's Paul Short Run on Oct. 2.

Hess' best 6,000-meter time this season is also a career-best. It came at the regional championships (21:53.10).