Garcia becomes Chadron State's first national cross country qualifier

Chadron State College senior Alejandro Garcia of Pine Bluffs will be competing in the NCAA Division II National Cross Country Championships at St. Leo, Florida, on Saturday, Nov. 19.

Garcia earned the berth by claiming the third of the three at-large slots that are awarded to runners whose teams did not qualify for the national event during the South Central Regional Championships in Denver on Saturday, Nov. 5.

Overall, Garcia finished 21st among the 193 men during the 10 kilometer race in Washington Park. His time was 32 minutes and 21 seconds. Two years ago when the regional finals were...