MANKATO, Minn. – No. 24 ranked Minnesota State women's cross country was announced as a team qualifier for the NCAA Division II Championships on Monday (Nov. 10). The Mavericks will be one of 34 teams to compete in the event, set to take place on Saturday, November 22 at 10 a.m. CT in Kenosha, Wisconsin at Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course.
 
A live webstream of the championships will occur on www.NCAA.com from 10 a.m. CT until the conclusion of the awards ceremony. 
 
The Mavericks placed fourth at the NCAA Central Region Championships in Joplin, Missouri at Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course. Junior Ashley Overgaauw led the squad with a seventh place individual finish. Overgaauw and senior Alexi MacDonald were named USTFCCCA All-Region.
 
The top three, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the eight regions, for a total of 24 teams. Ten additional teams were selected at-large. A minimum of 24 additional individuals were selected to participate in each championship through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process.
 
Minnesota State women's cross country qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2022. That season, the Mavericks placed third at the NCAA Central Region Championships and 16^th at the NCAA Championships in Seattle, Washington. Prior to 2022, the last time MSU women's cross country qualified was in 1995 (MSU placed fourth at the national championship meet that year).
 
The Mavericks are currently ranked No. 4 in the Central Region behind Winona State, Pittsburg State and Nebraska-Kearney. Currently No. 24 in the nation, the Mavericks have been ranked as high as No. 13 this season under head coach Jen Blue (26^th season). Grand Valley State is the top ranked team in the nation and favored to win the NCAA Division II Championship.