The 2011 Emory University men's and women's cross country teams head into the homestretch of the season on Saturday (Nov. 12) when they take part in the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championships.  This year's competitions will be held on the campus of Texas Lutheran University.  The women's 6K race will begin at 9:00 am (CDT) while the men's 8K event is slated for a 10:00 am start. 

There are eight regional championships being conducted around the country with the top two men's and women's teams from each regional earning automatic bids to the NCAA National Championships on Saturday, Nov. 19, in Winneconne, Wisconsin.  In addition, there will be 16 at-large teams selected for both the men's and women's championships.

The Emory women's team has enjoyed considerable success over the years at the NCAA Regionals, logging first-place efforts in 16 of the past 20 seasons.  In 2010, the Eagles finished second out of 25 teams just four points behind first-place Rhodes College.  Tess Gallegos highlighted the Emory effort, claiming first place in the 191-runner field with a 6k time of 21:51.  Her effort marked the fifth time that an Emory runner had captured the top spot in the event and the first since 2006.  Her performance enabled her to claim the South/Southeast Runner of the Year Award.  All of Emory's scorers earned all-region acclaim including current members Melanie Frank, Sara Gelb and Sabrina Jeppson.  In addition, Calley Edwards also brought home all-region kudos.   Heading into this weekend's action, Emory is ranked 22^nd nationally and first in the region.  In the Eagles' most recent performance, they posted a third-place at the University Athletic Association Championships (Oct. 29) in Chicago.

 Last year, the Emory's men's team saw a three-year streak of advancing to the national championships snapped following a fifth-place finish out of 23 squads at the Regionals.  The Eagles, ranked No. 1 in the region, had two runners race to all-region recognition, including current harrier Stephen Ellwood who crossed the finish line in 32^nd place out of 164 entries.   At the recently held UAA Championships, Emory finished eighth.