NCAA Championships Homepage

WINONA, Minn. — It's been a weekend to remember for Saint Mary's University of Minnesota's Jovan Newsum (Glendale Heights, Ill.).
 
The Cardinal sophomore kicked off the weekend by running the fastest eight-kilometer time in school history—posting a time of 25:40 at the NCAA Central Regional to finish 25th overall and help the Saint Mary's men's cross country team to a 15th-place finish in the 27-team field.
 
But that was just the beginning.
 
On Sunday, Newsum found out that his time and place finish not only earned him All-Region honors, but also qualified him for the NCAA Division III National Championships this Saturday in Mason, Ohio.
 
"Both Jovan and I were pretty speechless when we found out," said coach Ward Berndt, noting that Newsum is the first male in program history to qualify to compete on the national stage. "We both left the meet Saturday knowing there was a chance (he would get into the field), we just weren't sure."
 
Until Berndt got the news on Sunday that Newsum was one of the seven athletes from the Central Regional who was not part of a national championship-qualifying team.
 
"I'm so happy for Jovan," Berndt said. "He's worked so hard and has really come into his own this season."
 
Thirty-two teams were selected to participate in both the men's and women's championships. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the eight regions, for a total of 16 teams. Sixteen additional teams were selected at-large.
 
Fifty-six individuals—the first seven athletes from each region who were not part of a qualifying team—were selected to participate in each championship.
 
Wilmington (Ohio) College and the Warren County Convention and Visitor's Bureau are co-hosting the championships. The men's and women's races will take place on Saturday at the Golf Center at King's Island in Mason, Ohio. The men's race will begin at 10 a.m., followed by the women's race at 11:30 a.m.