Cross country runners qualify for Division II Cross Country Championships
Photo by Don Adams
Sophomore Najwa Chouati runs in a GLVC Dual Meet against Maryville on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020.
November 17, 2021
Lindenwood cross country runners Najwa Chouati and Louis Moreau qualified for the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship.
The men and women’s teams participated in the Midwest Regionals this past weekend held in Angel Mounds Park, in Evansville, Indiana, after ranking ninth and sixth in the GLVC. The men’s team finished 21st out of 30 teams and the women’s team finished 16th out of 30 teams. Chouati and Moreau qualified individually and both earned All-Region honors.
Chouati finished with a time of 20:55 in the 6.000 meters race, which earned her fifth place in regionals.
“I am very happy to have qualified for the nationals, it has been my goal since joining the team and I have worked very hard to achieve it,” Chouati said. “I wish I had tried harder in my previous years at Lindenwood, but right now I am very excited to go to my first nationals. ”
Chouati was also named Female Student-Athlete of the Week for the second time this semester. To go along with this, she broke the school record that she had already broken two weeks prior when she earned her first mention as Female Student-Athlete of the Week.
“I’ve never focused on becoming the Female Student-Athlete of the Week, my goal has always been going to nationals, but I have to thank my coaches and the university for giving me such an honor,” Chouati said. “I’m about to graduate and I’m happy with what I did and what I gave to Lindenwood.”
Moreau finished 15th with a time of 30:57 in the 10.000 meters race.
“Our region championship is the most competitive of the nation, so they usually take between four to six teams to nationals and in between five to eight individuals,” Chouati said. “I got fifth, so I was already qualified for nationals, but Louis finished 15th so for that reason he had to wait for the NCAA to choose the teams that were going to go to nationals individually, so in the end he got qualified as well. ”
Cross country nationals will take place in Saint Leo, Florida, on Saturday, Nov. 20. Chouati will run at 8:30 a.m. and Moreau will run at 9:30 a.m.
