By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State senior Robbie Schmidt has been selected to compete at the 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, announced Monday (Nov. 8). It is Schmidt’s second trip to the national championships after competing with the rest of the Tigers in 2019, the last time the national race was held.
This year’s national championships are being held at The Abbey Course at Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Fla. on Saturday, November 20. The men’s 10-kilometer race is slated to begin at 9:45 a.m. (8:45 a.m. CT). Live video and results will be available via NCAA.com.
The Topeka, Kan. native earned his spot in the national championships after placing 12th out of 207 runners at the loaded Central Region Championships last weekend. The central region will send five teams and four individuals to the Tampa suburb, while the full field will consist of 34 teams and 27 individuals for approximately 265 runners.
Schmidt was the top finisher for the Tigers at the 2019 championships when he finished 125th with a time of 31:49.5, helping Fort Hays State to a 29th-place finish as a team.
The fifth-year senior has been an anchor in the Tiger lineup all season, finishing in the top 10 at each race in the regular season. He earned All-MIAA honors after placing sixth at the league championships and won the opening race of the year in Kearney.
This is the sixth time that the Tigers have sent at least one runner to the national championships over the last nine competitive seasons and the seventh-such occurrence during Dr. Jason McCullough‘s tenure as head coach.