Eastern Michigan Athletics
EMU's Andy Payne Qualifies for NCAA Cross Country Championships
3/7/2021 12:38:00 PM | Men's XC, Women's XC
Payne will represent the Eagles in Stillwater, Okla., March 15
NCAA Release
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University's cross country program saw one harrier qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in junior Andy Payne (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington), announced the NCAA, today, March 7. The men's 10K championship race will take place in Stillwater, Okla. on March 15, hosted by Oklahoma State University. The women's 6K race will begin at 12:50 P.M. EST while the men are expected to begin at 1:40 P.M. EST.
"We're excited for Andy," said Director/Head Coach Sue Parks. "He had a great showing at the MAC meet despite falling early in the race and he's continued to make progress during the indoor season. His hard work has paid off and this will be a great opportunity for him."
For Payne, he is the first Eagle from the men's team to earn a trip to the championships since 2017 when former Eagle Hlynur Andresson did. Meanwhile, last season the women's team saw another former Eagle in Natalie Cizmas qualify for the title race, finishing 88th.
In the fall, Payne finished runner-up at the Mid-American Conference 8K race with a time of 24:00.3 despite the fall during the beginning of the event. For his efforts, he was named a First Team All-MAC selection for the second time. Most recently, the Ohio product and his track & field teammates captured the 2021 Indoor MAC Championships in Mount Pleasant, Mich., Feb. 26-27.
At the conference meet, Payne placed third in the 5000m run in 14:19.71 as sophomore Toby Gualter (Tawa, New Zealand-Tawa College) (2nd - 14:18.80) and junior Chris Devaney (New Plymouth, New Zealand-New Plymouth) (1st - 14:17.81) helped sweep the podium. The Worthington, Ohio native also notched a fourth-place finish in the 3000m run with an 8:22.74 clip.
Joining Payne from the MAC on the men's side will be conference title-winner Josh Park from Ohio. For the women, conference champion Kailee Perry of Bowling Green State and Ashley Tutt of Northern Illinois will make the trip to the Sooner State.
This year, fans will be able to watch the NCAA Championships live on ESPNU or the ESPN App. Coverage of the races will begin at 12:30 P.M. EST
For updates on all things Eastern Michigan cross country and track and field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram, @EMUXC_TF, and Twitter, @EMUXC_TF.
Players Mentioned
