Nov. 13, 2011

NCAA Championship Home

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy senior Jess Palacio has received a bid to compete in the 2011 NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship, it was announced by the NCAA on Sunday evening. The NCAA Championship will be held on Monday, Nov. 21 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course on the campus on Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind.

Palacio received a bid by virtue of finishing as one of the top-four runners not associated with a NCAA Championship-qualifying team at yesterday's Mid-Atlantic regional. Palacio, who placed 12th, did not initially qualify because only the top two teams - Villanova and Georgetown - received the region's automatic bids. But once the NCAA awarded at-large bids to the region's third and fourth-place teams - West Virginia and Penn State - on Sunday night, Palacio's finish in Saturday's race qualified her for a berth in the national championship event.

Palacio joins Amy Watson (2008) Melissa Foon (2000), Rebecca Cline (1997), Jackie Hayes (1995) and Kerry O'Neill (1992) as Navy runners that have earned bids to the NCAA Championship.

In winning the Patriot League individual title this season, Palacio became the first three-time, First-Team All-Patriot League honoree in Navy history. The Sun Valley, Nev., native has been Navy's top finisher in all six meets in which she has competed this season. She has claimed four individual titles in 2011 and has a total of nine in her career.

The NCAA Women's Championship will begin at approximately 12:58 p.m. on Nov. 21 and will be streamed live on NCAA.com.