Friday, November 15
Rock Hill, S.C.
10:30 AM ET
Liberty University
at
NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships
Adelyn Fairley
NCAA Qualifier Fairley Leads Liberty to 5th-Place SE Region Finish
11/15/2024 3:06:00 PM | Cross Country
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Liberty's Adelyn Fairley punched her ticket to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships with an eighth-place individual showing at Friday's NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships. Her effort helped the Lady Flames match their best-ever team regional finish (fifth place), while the men's squad recorded its highest finish (eighth place) since 2018, the last time this meet took place at Winthrop Farm.
Fairley was joined on the women's all-region team by freshman teammate Allie Zealand (20th place). The duo helped Liberty come in fifth of 34 women's squads with 162 points, putting the Lady Flames in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships (Nov. 23 in Madison, Wis.) The team will learn whether or not it has qualified to the national meet for the second time in program history on the selection show, Saturday at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.
The only four teams to top the Lady Flames on Friday were ACC units, topped by No. 17 NC State, which earned its eighth straight Southeast Region title with 60 points. Liberty finished ahead of No. 22 Furman (eighth place), boosting its season total to five victories over nationally-ranked foes.
Nicholas Kiprotich crossed the line 27th, leading four Flames inside the top 50 in the men's 10K (the first time four Liberty men placed among the region's top 50 since 2007). Liberty totaled 250 points for eighth place out of 33 men's teams. Up front, No. 13 Virginia was a surprise regional champion with 79 points.
Women's Team Results (34 Total Teams):
1) No. 17 NC State – 60
2) No. 15 Virginia – 85
3) No. 13 North Carolina – 119
4) Wake Forest – 126
5) Liberty – 162
6) Clemson – 178
7) Louisville – 187
8) No. 22 Furman – 208
9) Virginia Tech – 269
10) High Point – 272
Men's Team Results (33 Total Teams):
1) No. 13 Virginia – 79
2) No. 11 North Carolina – 85
3) No. 24 Eastern Kentucky – 105
4) Virginia Tech – 128
5) No. 5 Wake Forest – 134
6) No. 22 Furman – 141
7) NC State – 218
8) Liberty – 250
9) Duke – 268
10) Kentucky – 279
Liberty Women's All-Region Finishers
Adelyn Fairley (8th place), Allie Zealand (20th place)
Race Reactions
The 2024 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will take place on Nov. 23 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis. Both races will be televised live on ESPNU, beginning with the women's 6K at 10:20 a.m. Eastern.
The full field of team and individual qualifiers will be announced on NCAA.com Saturday at 5 p.m.
Fairley was joined on the women's all-region team by freshman teammate Allie Zealand (20th place). The duo helped Liberty come in fifth of 34 women's squads with 162 points, putting the Lady Flames in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships (Nov. 23 in Madison, Wis.) The team will learn whether or not it has qualified to the national meet for the second time in program history on the selection show, Saturday at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.
The only four teams to top the Lady Flames on Friday were ACC units, topped by No. 17 NC State, which earned its eighth straight Southeast Region title with 60 points. Liberty finished ahead of No. 22 Furman (eighth place), boosting its season total to five victories over nationally-ranked foes.
Nicholas Kiprotich crossed the line 27th, leading four Flames inside the top 50 in the men's 10K (the first time four Liberty men placed among the region's top 50 since 2007). Liberty totaled 250 points for eighth place out of 33 men's teams. Up front, No. 13 Virginia was a surprise regional champion with 79 points.
Women's Team Results (34 Total Teams):
1) No. 17 NC State – 60
2) No. 15 Virginia – 85
3) No. 13 North Carolina – 119
4) Wake Forest – 126
5) Liberty – 162
6) Clemson – 178
7) Louisville – 187
8) No. 22 Furman – 208
9) Virginia Tech – 269
10) High Point – 272
Men's Team Results (33 Total Teams):
1) No. 13 Virginia – 79
2) No. 11 North Carolina – 85
3) No. 24 Eastern Kentucky – 105
4) Virginia Tech – 128
5) No. 5 Wake Forest – 134
6) No. 22 Furman – 141
7) NC State – 218
8) Liberty – 250
9) Duke – 268
10) Kentucky – 279
Liberty Women's All-Region Finishers
Adelyn Fairley (8th place), Allie Zealand (20th place)
Race Reactions
- The Lady Flames' only other fifth-place regional finish came in 2021.
- The Liberty women's squad made a major move upwards in the regional standings from 2023, when it finished 16th.
- Fairley (20:40.3 for 8th place), who was part of the only previous Liberty women's squad to reach the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships (2020, contested in spring 2021), will join two members of the Lady Flames' current coaching staff as the lone Liberty women ever to race twice at the national championship. Heather (Sagan) Zealand made it in 2000 and 2001 and Calli Doan ran at both the 2020 and 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
- Fairley joins recently inducted Liberty Athletics Hall of Famer Jennifer Klugh (2010, 2011 and 2012) as the only Lady Flames ever to make a trio of all-region teams for cross country. Fairley previously placed 14th at this meet in 2021 and took 22nd in 2023.
- This is only the third time that multiple Lady Flames have made the all-region team in the same season. Heather (Sagan) Zealand and Samantha Pelletier both made it in 2001, while Doan and Fairley each collected all-region medals in 2021.
- Allie Zealand (21:08.5 for 20th place) is just the third Lady Flame ever to earn all-region distinction as a freshman (also Pelletier in 2001 and Ednah Kurgat in 2015). She was the fifth fastest freshman in Friday's race.
- Ava Gordon (21:25.5 for 31st place, previous best – 60th place in 2022), Katrina Schlenker (21:56.1 for 57th place, previous best – 105th place in 2023), Marie Hostetler (22:06.0 for 69th place, previous best – 86th place in 2022) and Molly Lashley (22:06.5 for 70th place, previous best – 86th place in the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Regional for Delaware) all notched their best career regional finishes on Friday for the Lady Flames.
- The last time four Liberty men's runners notched top-50 performances at the NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships (2007), Josh McDougal, Jordan McDougal, Jarvis Jelen and Josh Edmonds led the Flames to fifth place.
- The Flames made a steady climb in the men's team standings on Friday, going from 19th place at 1.6K to 15th at 3.2K to 10th at 5K to eighth at the finish line.
- Although Kiprotich (30:40.5 for 27th place) fell short in his bid to return to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships for the second straight year, he paced the Flames for the third year in a row at this meet. The senior previously placed 16th at the 2022 NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships and took 17th in 2023.
- Nathan Moore (30:58.5 for 33rd place) served as the Flames' No. 2 finisher, one year after failing to finish at this event.
- Tristian Merchant (31:00.1 for 35th place), Andrew Schultz (32:29.6 for 108th place) and Will Jefferson (33:18.6 for 151st place) all completed their first collegiate 10Ks on Friday.
- Schultz was the 23rd-fastest freshman in Friday's men's 10K.
- Jack Cottrell (31:19.8 for 49th place) improved on his previous best regional placement of 52nd from the 2022 championship.
The 2024 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will take place on Nov. 23 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis. Both races will be televised live on ESPNU, beginning with the women's 6K at 10:20 a.m. Eastern.
The full field of team and individual qualifiers will be announced on NCAA.com Saturday at 5 p.m.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Coach Zealand & Ryann Aycock Give An Update On The Cross Country Season
Wednesday, September 17
Emma Unger: Every Step of the Way
Wednesday, May 14
Follow the Leader: Lance Bingham
Tuesday, May 13
Beau Backes: Following God's Calling in Two Worlds
Friday, May 02