XC Preview: KCAC Championships

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The men's and women's cross country teams are set to compete on Saturday in their first ever Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday in North Newton, Kan.

Hosted by Bethel College, the meet will be held on the Bethel College cross country course located just north of the campus, immediately south of the I-135 North Newton exit.

The women's 5-kilometer race will begin at 10:15 a.m. with the men's 8-kilometer race scheduled to follow at 11:15 a.m. A formal presentation of awards will take place at approximately 12 p.m., immediately north of the finish line. Both races will be streamed live on Bethel's Digital Network, while the awards ceremony will be streamed on the KCAC Facebook page.

Saturday's meet, in addition to determining the 2018 KCAC Champions, will also be the qualifying meet for the NAIA National Cross-Country Championships. The team winner of both the women's and men's team races will automatically qualify for the 39th Annual Women's and 63rd Annual Men's NAIA National Cross-Country Championships to be held Friday, Nov. 16 on the Seminole Valley Cross-Country Course at Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

In addition to the qualifying team(s), the top six individual finishers (or 4, if less than 12 teams score) who finish in the KCAC's top 20 (top 15, if less than 12 teams score) not on a qualifying team will also qualify for the NAIA National meet.

WOMEN'S PREVIEW | Watch Live

The Eagles enter Saturday's race with a lot of momentum after a strong showing at the NAIA Mid-States Classic, where they earned a tenth place finish overall while posting their best average time of the season.

Behind veteran runners Penny Fenn and Tenka Stringer, the Eagles are poised to make the most out of their first ever KCAC Championship race.

"I really like where this group is at right now," Head Coach Je'Kel Smith said of his women's team. "We have improved in each of our races this season, and our style fits well on the course. The girls put in the work, and I'm excited to see how things turn out on Saturday morning."

Avila is currently ranked fifth in the latest KCAC Standings released by the NAIA on Oct. 22.

MEN'S PREVIEW | Watch Live

The Eagles enter Saturday's KCAC Championship race at full strength for the first time this season, and will look to finish with a team score for the first time in 2018. In all previous meets this season, the Eagles have not run with the full allotment needed to demand a team score.

Heading into the weekend, the Eagles have been led this season by freshman Thomas Bettis, who has consistently finished with the best times this season. Bettis had his best time of the season, 29:06.7, at the Muthama-Rogers Invitational back on September 22.

Avila enters Saturday's cross country championships ranked tenth in the KCAC in the latest rankings.