Three Eagles Qualify for NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Championship

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The field is set for the NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship in Tallahassee, Fla., as 36 teams converge on Apalachee Regional Park in search of the 2025 Red Banner. 

The championship will air on NAIA Network and Urban Edge Network, with links, including URLs, mobile apps, and smart TV information, at NAIA.org/watch. The women's race is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET. Awards will air at approximately 11 a.m. ET. 

Last year's national champion, The Master's (Calif.), is in the field as an automatic qualifier from the Great Southwest Conference, along with last season's individual champion, Jaynie Halterman, running for top-ranked Taylor (Ind.), as the Trojans earned the automatic bid from the Crossroads League.

Among the qualifying teams, 24 collected automatic bids through conference qualification, and 12 at-large selections were determined by the final edition of the 2025 NAIA Women's Cross Country Top 25 Coaches' Rating, reviewed by the rating's Oversight Committee.

84 Individual Qualifiers also made the field, based on scoring finishes in conference meets. Later this week, check NAIA.org for a full preview of the 46th-Annual NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship.

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Three Texas A&M University–Texarkana women's cross country runners have earned their spots among the 84 individual qualifiers headed to Tallahassee, Fla., for the 2025 NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship.

Senior Zalenka Brannan returns to the national stage after representing the Eagles at last year's championship in Columbia, Mo. Brannan was the first Eagle to punch her ticket, placing fourth at the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Championship with a 6K personal best of 23:10.7.

Sophomore Kayla Reeves will also make back-to-back appearances at Nationals, earning her spot with a sixth-place finish at the RRAC Championship and a 6K PR of 23:58.0.

Junior Dana Ruiz became the third Eagle to qualify after rounding out the team's top-10 finishers with a ninth-place performance at the conference meet. Ruiz owns a 6K PR of 25:19.1.

Stay tuned to @TAMUT_Athletics for Nationals coverage, updates, and more!