Ronan O’Neill of Southern Wesleyan Advances to NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Championship With Record Day at Southeast Regional
Final Results
OAKWOOD, Ga. – Ronan O’Neill of Southern Wesleyan advanced to the 2023 NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Championship with a strong finish at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Southeast Regional hosted by the University of North Georgia at the University of North Georgia Cross Country Course on Saturday, Nov. 4.
The regional meet is a qualifying event for the championship finals. The top three teams at each of the eight regional championships will automatically advance to the championship finals while 10 at-large teams will be selected by the NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Committee for a total of 34 teams.
In addition to team qualifications, the top two individuals who are not part of a qualifying team will automatically advance to the championship finals. All individuals who finish in the top five at the regional meet and are not part of a qualifying team will earn a bid to the championship finals and eight individuals will be selected as at-large qualifiers.
Just a couple of weeks after claiming the first Conference Carolinas individual title in men's cross country in Southern Wesleyan history, O’Neill became the first Warrior to advance to the national finals after securing an 11th place finish with a 10K time of 30:01.9. In advancing to the national finals, O’Neill broke every school record in the race. His 5K split was 14:45, while his 8K split was 24:02. He posted an 8K time of 24:45.9 in winning the individual title at the 2023 Conference Carolinas Men's Cross Country Championship.
O’Neill was one of two from Conference Carolinas in the top-20 individually with North Greenville's Hayden Goode finishing 17th with a time of 30:25.5. Conference Carolinas men's team champion UNC Pembroke was the tops among men's teams in the conference at the regional with a seventh-place finish. Lees-McRae was just one spot behind in eighth place.
Conference Carolinas Runner and Freshman of the Year Moureen Kimaiyo of UNC Pembroke was the top finisher individually in the women's 6K with a time of 22:24.0. The time earned her a 14th-place finish. Teammate Jackline Kosgei was not far behind in 26th place with a time of 22:54.8. Four Conference Carolinas women's runners finished in the top-40 individually with Converse's Ruth Spijker in 33rd place with a time of 23:01.2 and North Greenville's Cecily Anderton in 38th with a time of 23:08.7.
Conference Carolinas champion Converse was the top team in the women's 6K with a sixth-place finish.
The 2023 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship finals will be held on Saturday, Nov. 18 at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin, Missouri. The official qualifiers will be released on Monday, Nov. 6 at 5 p.m.