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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University men's cross country team is ranked No. 29 in the pre-NCAA Championships national poll released by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) this week.
 
EKU finished fourth at the NCAA Southeast Regional last Friday in Louisville and earned an at-large bid to the Big Dance. It is the Colonels' fourth consecutive trip to the NCAAs. They are the only Southeast Region team and one of only 16 teams nationally to qualify for the national championships each of the last four years.
 
EKU was led at regionals by senior Ole Hesselbjerg. The steeplechase All-American finished fifth out of 231 runners with a 10K time of 30:19.0.
 
Junior Amos Kosgey and sophomore Ambrose Maritim rounded out Eastern's strong top-three at the meet. Kosgey placed 10^th in 30:26.8 while Maritim was 16^th in 30:35.8.
 
Eastern will head to Terre Haute ranked ahead of No. 30 Texas and just behind the likes of No. 25 Indiana, No. 26 New Mexico, No. 27 Colorado State and No. 29 Florida State.
 
Defending national champion Colorado is the favorite to win the men's race this Saturday.
 
Women's senior Ann Eason also qualified for the NCAA Championships as an at-large individual, finishing 16^th at regionals with a 6K time of 20:43.8. The Lexington native is only the second EKU woman and seventh Ohio Valley Conference ever to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Eason was a second team All-American in the outdoor 5,000 meters in 2012 in Eugene.
 
The national championships will be held this Saturday, Nov. 22, at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. The women's 6K race will begin at 12:00 p.m. ET followed by the men's 10K race at approximately 1:00 p.m. ET.
 
A live webcast of the championships will be available on NCAA.com from 12:00 p.m. ET until the conclusion of the awards ceremony.