Saturday, November 23
Madison, Wis.
10:20 AM ET/9:20 AM CT
Liberty University
at
NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships
Adelyn Fairley battles toward the finish line. (Photo by Isaac Wasserman)
Fairley Finishes 77th at NCAA XC Championships
11/23/2024 11:29:00 AM | Cross Country
MADISON, Wis. – Liberty's Adelyn Fairley punctuated an incredible collegiate cross country career by placing 77th in the women's 6K, Saturday at the 2024 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. She crossed the finish line in 20:26.0 on a chilly morning at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course.
Making her second career appearance at this event, Fairley steadily moved up through the 255-member field. The redshirt senior from Mears, Mich., sat in 175th place at the 2K checkpoint before improving to 125th at the halfway mark, 108th at 4K, 89th at 5K and 77th at the finish line.
Fairley ended up about 20 seconds behind the 40th and final All-American finisher in the race (Oklahoma's Leah Jeruto – 20:04.6) and just over a minute behind individual national champion Doris Lemngole of Alabama (19:21.0).
Fairley, who previously represented Liberty at the spring 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, joins two of her coaches as the only Lady Flames ever to race twice at this event. Head Coach Heather (Sagan) Zealand competed in 2000 and 2001, while assistant coach Calli Doan raced in spring 2021 and fall 2021.
Fairley's fifth and final collegiate cross country season was a successful and memorable one. She helped Liberty claim its first CUSA team championship with an individual runner-up finish, earned her fifth career all-conference honor (three ASUN, two CUSA) and collected her third all-region medal with an eighth-place showing. Both Fairley's five all-conference awards and three all-region notations tied program all-time records.
Up Next
With the 2024 cross country season now complete, Liberty will turn its attention to indoor track & field. The 2024-25 campaign will get started with the Liberty Kickoff, Dec. 5-6 at the newly renovated Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.
Fairley will be part of a group of Liberty distance runners traveling to Boston for the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on Dec. 7.
Making her second career appearance at this event, Fairley steadily moved up through the 255-member field. The redshirt senior from Mears, Mich., sat in 175th place at the 2K checkpoint before improving to 125th at the halfway mark, 108th at 4K, 89th at 5K and 77th at the finish line.
Fairley ended up about 20 seconds behind the 40th and final All-American finisher in the race (Oklahoma's Leah Jeruto – 20:04.6) and just over a minute behind individual national champion Doris Lemngole of Alabama (19:21.0).
Fairley, who previously represented Liberty at the spring 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, joins two of her coaches as the only Lady Flames ever to race twice at this event. Head Coach Heather (Sagan) Zealand competed in 2000 and 2001, while assistant coach Calli Doan raced in spring 2021 and fall 2021.
Fairley's fifth and final collegiate cross country season was a successful and memorable one. She helped Liberty claim its first CUSA team championship with an individual runner-up finish, earned her fifth career all-conference honor (three ASUN, two CUSA) and collected her third all-region medal with an eighth-place showing. Both Fairley's five all-conference awards and three all-region notations tied program all-time records.
Up Next
With the 2024 cross country season now complete, Liberty will turn its attention to indoor track & field. The 2024-25 campaign will get started with the Liberty Kickoff, Dec. 5-6 at the newly renovated Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.
Fairley will be part of a group of Liberty distance runners traveling to Boston for the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on Dec. 7.
Players Mentioned
/ 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