AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Augusta State women’s cross country squad will make its first-ever NCAA Championships appearance this weekend in Slippery Rock, Pa.

The Jaguars arrived in northwest Pennsylvania late Thursday afternoon to temperatures in the 20’s and the threat of snow showers on Friday and Saturday. The forecasted high temperature for Saturday afternoon’s NCAA Championships is 28 degrees. Slippery Rock University is the host institution for the event.

Live streaming of the event will be available at the Championship Central link on the official website of ASU Athletics – www.aug.edu/athletics. 

In its fifth season under head coach Adam Ward, the Jags earned a trip to the NCAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 8 when they finished second in the NCAA Southeast Regional in Wingate, N.C. The No. 2-ranked team in the final region poll, ASU finished behind only Lees-McRae in the regional while senior Jenafer Forward paced the Jags, finishing seventh out of 155 runners.

With their finish, they became the fourth ASU athletic program to earn a berth to the NCAA’s highest level of competition, joining the Jaguar men’s golf team (10 appearances in the NCAA Championships) and the men’s and women’s basketball teams (one appearance each in the Elite Eight).

ASU gained valuable experience last month in the pre-national meet on the same Slippery Rock course that is the host venue, finishing 10th out of 29 teams. Forward led the way for ASU, crossing the line 29th.