Ellingson makes first trip to Nationals

INDIANOLA, Iowa – For the first time in nearly 20 years a Simpson women's cross country runner will participate in the NCAA Championship.

Junior Catie Ellingson earned one of 52 individual bids to the 2009 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships after the Indianola-native captured all-region honors with an 11th-place finish at the Central Region Championships last Saturday at Grinnell.

Ellingson becomes Simpson's national qualifier since Chris Wickering made the championship field in 1991. She ran a season-best time on the 6-kilometer course, crossing the finish line in 22:27.

The championships will be held Saturday, Nov. 21 at Highland Hills Golf Course in Cleveland, Ohio, with Baldwin-Wallace College serving as the host. The women's race is set to get underway at 10 a.m. CST.

Earlier this season, Ellingson claimed the highest finish by a Simpson runner at the Iowa Conference Championships since 2005 when she placed second at the conference meet, her fourth top-five finish of the season. The second-place finish also gave Ellingson all-conference honors for the third time in her three-year career.