Cross Country's Stephanie Aldea Qualifies for NCAA National Championships
Nov. 17, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS--The NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee announced Sunday freshman Stephanie Aldea will join 37 other individuals who qualified for the 2008 Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. Nov. 24. The meet will take place at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course located at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center. Aldea qualified after finishing 19th in the 6K race at the South Central Regional on Nov. 15, with a time of 21:31.83. "At the beginning of the season Coach Burrell and I thought that she might have a realistic chance to qualify for nationals, but we took it one week at a time. Going into the meet, we felt that she was going to be one of six girls competing for the four individual qualifying spots. Fortunately for Stephanie, she was able to fight off a surging Elizabeth Slaughter (Texas A&M) at the finish line and qualify for Nationals," head coach Ryan Turner said. Aldea becomes the first female individual to qualify in the program's history since 1994 when Christy Bench finished ninth at the District VI Regional to qualify for the NCAA Championships where she finished 94th. Only four female individuals have qualified for nationals in the program's history, including two team qualifications in 1983 and 1984. "There is not a more deserving person then Stephanie (Aldea). She's a team centered individual, thinking of others before herself. It is nice to see her rewarded for such a great season. Our entire staff and team couldn't be happier for Stephanie and this opportunity. We're proud that she represents the University of Houston with class," Turner said. At the Johnny Morriss Invitational, Aldea started the year off with a first-place finish. She finished in the Top Five of every race this season, until finishing ninth at the Conference USA Championships. There, she was the first female in the program's history to be named C-USA Freshman of the Year. She also received All Conference First Team honors for her finish.
She was also named a member of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Region Team, for her Top 25 finish at the regional. Under cold and windy conditions, the women finished the South Central Regional in 10th place with 281 points. The men took 13th. Thirty-one men's teams and 33 women's teams represent the South Central Region. The NCAA Championships will begin with the women's race at approximately 11:00 p.m. (CT), followed by the men's race at 11:48 p.m. Both championship races will be broadcast live on CBS College Sports Network and streamed online via NCAA.com. Women's South Central Regional Finishes
Men's South Central Regional Individual Finishes |
