KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the 3rd consecutive year, the Lions will be running at the national meet. Announced by the NAIA on Monday, both Soka Cross Country teams have individual runners qualified for the 2024 NAIA Cross Country National Championships.

On the men's side, 36 teams and 80 individuals have qualified. On the women's, 35 teams and 82 individuals have qualified.
 
The Lions will travel to Columbia, Mo., for the races on Nov. 22. The men will run at 8:30 a.m. PT followed by the women at 9:30 a.m. PT. The NAIA will stream the race for free and live results will be available.
 
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY QUALIFIERS
Andre Souza
Jordan Bravo
Naoki Kasai
 
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY QUALIFIERS
Yuko Hashimoto
Naylah Oliveira Santos

"I'm excited for all 5 our our runners to get the opportunity to put their hard work from this season to the test one more time! They have all invested a lot of time and effort into this moment and it's time to see how well they can do," said head coach Patrick Boivin. "For Yuko, Naylah, and Naoki it will be a great experience to be a part of their first national championship in XC, and for Andre and Jordan it will be a chance to build on their performances from their previous championships!"



NOTES

• Jordan Bravo is qualifying for the third consecutive season, Andre Souza is qualifying for the second straight season.
• Naoki Kasai, Yuko Hashimoto, and Naylah Santos are first time qualifiers for the championship race. 
• The 2024 championship will be the first to take place in Columbia, Mo.
• This year's women's cross country field comprises 23 automatic qualifiers, one host berth and 11 at-large berths. A team may qualify with an automatic berth by winning its conference championship meet or as the runner-up in the championship meet provided the conference has 12 or more schools and the runner-up is rated in the top 30 of the final NAIA Women's Cross Country rating.
• In addition to the team qualifiers, 82 individuals qualified for the women's cross country championship based on their scoring finish at their respective conference meet. 
• The Crossroads League boasts the highest number of team qualifiers in the 2024 field with five teams: Grace (Ind.), Indiana Wesleyan, Marian (Ind.), Taylor (Ind.) and Goshen (Ind.).
• This year's men's cross country field comprises 22 automatic qualifiers and 14 at-large berths. A team may qualify with an automatic berth by winning its conference championship meet or as the runner-up in the championship meet provided the conference has 12 or more schools and the runner-up is rated in the top 30 of the final NAIA Men's Cross Country rating.
• The at-large berths were determined by the final NAIA Men's and Women's Cross Country rating and reviewed by the NAIA Men's Cross and Women's Country Oversight Committee.
• In addition to the team qualifiers, 80 individuals qualified for the men's cross country championship based on their scoring finish at their respective conference meet. 

 
NAIA RELEASE (W)

NAIA RELEASE (M)