By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State’s Regan Hodsden has qualified to compete in the 2023 NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country Championships, announced Monday (Nov. 6) by the NCAA office. Hodsden will be making her second trip to the national meet after earning All-American status last season.
The Mitchell, Neb. native is the third individual overall and the first-such female to make multiple trips to the national meet during the Dr. Jason McCullough era (2005-present). This is the ninth time Fort Hays State has sent a competitor to the national cross country meet during that time. She placed 40th out of 263 runners at the national championships last fall, completing the six-kilometer trek in 21:20.8.
Hodsden earned her spot in the 2023 race after finishing fifth at the NCAA DII Central Region Championships last weekend (Nov. 4). All runners finishing in the top five at each of the eight regional sites automatically earn access to the national meet. A total of 27 individuals were selected to run this year in addition to the 34 teams that will compete.
Hodsden has finished in the top five at each of her four races this fall, including three first-place finishes. She was the 2023 MIAA individual champion, picking up All-MIAA honors for the second year in a row. She also earned All-Region status each of the last two seasons to go along with her All-America honors in the fall of 2022. She earned four All-MIAA honors in her first season on the FHSU track and field team, including one conference title in the outdoor 5,000m run. She also earned NJCAA All-American honors during her time at Colby Community College.
Missouri Southern will host the national championships for a fifth time at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course on Saturday, November 18. The women’s six-kilometer championship race is set to begin at 10 a.m. Hodsden will compete with 15 other runners from the MIAA, with both Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State selected to compete as a team and Newman’s Patricia Koma-Limo also chosen to run as an individual.