McLean County Times

Illinois Wesleyan University senior has been selected to compete at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships for the third consecutive year. The announcement was made after qualifiers were released on Sunday, November 16.

The national championship event is scheduled to take place at Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Saturday, November 22, with the race starting at 11 a.m. ET.

Crabtree’s season included four wins and a record five CCIW Runner of the Week honors. She began her campaign with a victory at the Titan Opener and then set a school record time of 21:32.3 at the Division I Redbird Invite. This performance earned her recognition as U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Athlete of the Week, making her the first athlete from Illinois Wesleyan to receive this honor.

At the Spartanburg Pre-National meet held at this year's national championship site on September 20, Crabtree took first place. During the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships, she broke her own school record and tied a CCIW Championship meet record with a time of 21:05.1, which secured her second league championship title.

Most recently, Crabtree finished seventh at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship, earning all-region honors and recording the highest regional finish in program history.

She is now recognized as the first Illinois Wesleyan athlete to qualify for three consecutive NCAA Division III National Championships. In previous appearances, she finished 144th in Terre Haute last season and 105th in 2023 when competing alongside a teammate.

Crabtree will represent Illinois Wesleyan University at this year’s NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in Spartanburg on November 22. The race begins at 11 a.m. ET.

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