Saturday, November 23
Madison, Wis.
10:20 AM ET/9:20 AM CT
Liberty University
at
NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships
Fairley Ready for NCAA Division I XC Championships, Saturday in Wisconsin
11/21/2024 11:24:00 AM | Cross Country
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty redshirt senior Adelyn Fairley will close out her collegiate cross country career on the sport's biggest stage. She will race in the 2024 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, Saturday at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis.
The women's 6K will begin at 10:20 a.m. Eastern and will air live, commercial-free, on ESPNU.
A native of Mears, Mich., Fairley punched her ticket to Wisconsin by placing a career-best eighth at the NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships, Nov. 15 in Rock Hill, S.C. She is the first Lady Flame to reach the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships since former teammate and current assistant coach Calli Doan qualified in 2021.
Fairley will be making her second NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships appearance. The native of Mears, Mich., was part of Liberty's first-ever women's team to qualify for the event, competing in the 2020 NCAA meet (contested in spring 2021) in Stillwater, Okla.
Fairley finished a team-best 66th that day. On Saturday, she will aim for a top 40 finish, which would earn her first career All-America honor. The Lady Flames' only NCAA Division I women's cross country All-Americans to date are Ednah Kurgat (12th place in 2015) and Doan (28th place in 2021).
Fairley raced at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course on Oct. 19, crossing the line a team-leading 47th in the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals women's "A" 6K race in 20:12.7. Her fastest 6K of the season was a 20:07.6 at the CUSA Championship, and Fairley's personal best of 20:04.9 dates back to the 2021 Pre-Nationals in Tallahassee, Fla. Only Doan (19:50.6 at the 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships) has run faster in program history.
Fairley's final collegiate cross country season has already been one for the record books. She helped Liberty claim its first CUSA team championship with an individual runner-up finish, earned her fifth career all-conference honor (three ASUN, two CUSA) and collected her third all-region medal. Both Fairley's five all-conference awards and three all-region notations tied program all-time records.
On Saturday, Fairley will join two of her coaches as the only Lady Flames ever to make two appearances at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. CUSA Women's Coach of the Year Heather Zealand qualified in 2000 and 2001, while assistant coach Doan raced in 2020 and 2021.
This will mark the second time the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships have been contested in Madison. Liberty's Azaria Kirwa placed 81st at the snow-covered Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in 2018.
The women's 6K will begin at 10:20 a.m. Eastern and will air live, commercial-free, on ESPNU.
A native of Mears, Mich., Fairley punched her ticket to Wisconsin by placing a career-best eighth at the NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships, Nov. 15 in Rock Hill, S.C. She is the first Lady Flame to reach the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships since former teammate and current assistant coach Calli Doan qualified in 2021.
Fairley will be making her second NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships appearance. The native of Mears, Mich., was part of Liberty's first-ever women's team to qualify for the event, competing in the 2020 NCAA meet (contested in spring 2021) in Stillwater, Okla.
Fairley finished a team-best 66th that day. On Saturday, she will aim for a top 40 finish, which would earn her first career All-America honor. The Lady Flames' only NCAA Division I women's cross country All-Americans to date are Ednah Kurgat (12th place in 2015) and Doan (28th place in 2021).
Fairley raced at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course on Oct. 19, crossing the line a team-leading 47th in the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals women's "A" 6K race in 20:12.7. Her fastest 6K of the season was a 20:07.6 at the CUSA Championship, and Fairley's personal best of 20:04.9 dates back to the 2021 Pre-Nationals in Tallahassee, Fla. Only Doan (19:50.6 at the 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships) has run faster in program history.
Fairley's final collegiate cross country season has already been one for the record books. She helped Liberty claim its first CUSA team championship with an individual runner-up finish, earned her fifth career all-conference honor (three ASUN, two CUSA) and collected her third all-region medal. Both Fairley's five all-conference awards and three all-region notations tied program all-time records.
On Saturday, Fairley will join two of her coaches as the only Lady Flames ever to make two appearances at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. CUSA Women's Coach of the Year Heather Zealand qualified in 2000 and 2001, while assistant coach Doan raced in 2020 and 2021.
This will mark the second time the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships have been contested in Madison. Liberty's Azaria Kirwa placed 81st at the snow-covered Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in 2018.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
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