Central College Women's cross country

Berry joins Central senior Adam Wolf of Corning, who earned a spot in the men’s field for the national meet which will be staged at Voice of America Park in West Chester, Ohio. The 8,000-meter men’s race begins at 10 a.m. (Central Time) with the 6,000-meter women’s race at 11 a.m. Wilmington College (Ohio) is the meet host.

The men’s and women’s fields each include 32 full squads as well as 56 at-large individuals. Both Central runners qualified on the basis of their showings in the NCAA Division III Central Regional Championship at Northfield, Minn. Saturday, but Berry’s status wasn’t assured until final team selections were announced Sunday.

Berry placed 13th, turning in a career-best time of 23:05.47 despite competing on a course frozen following an eight-inch snowfall Friday. Wolf was eighth in the men’s field in 25:53.05. Both runners received all-Central Region honors.

It marks the eighth time that Central has been represented at the NCAA women’s meet. The Dutch also were represented twice at AIAW national meets prior to the start of NCAA women’s competition in 1981. Berry is just the second Central women’s runner to reach the national meet since 1990. Beth Cunningham finished 20th in 2004.

The Central men will also be represented nationally for the eighth time. Wolf is the first Central men’s national competitor since 1994 when Andy Goodman finished 21st. Prior to that, the Dutch last cracked the men’s field since 1983.

It’s the first time ever that Central has had both men’s and women’s qualifiers in the same year. The top 35 runners in each field will receive all-America distinction. Central women have received all-America honors eight times and the men have done so twice.