Kent State University
NCAA Championships
Ba Aims for Strong Finish at NCAA Cross Country Championships
11/17/2023 11:50:00 AM | Cross Country
For the second year in a row, Kent State junior Baidy Ba will run at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Hosted by the University of Virginia, the 2023 edition will take place on Saturday, Nov. 18 at Panorama Farms Cross Country Course located in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Live coverage of the meet begins at 10 a.m. on ESPNU. The starting gun for the women's 6K race is scheduled for 10:20 a.m., while Ba will head to the starting line for the men's 10K race at 11:10 a.m.
Road Back to Panorama Farms
Ba earned his spot at the national meet as the No. 3 finisher from a non-qualifying team at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships last Friday. He placed 13th overall and broke his own Kent State cross country 10k record with a time of 30:02.4.
The Columbia, Maryland native posted top-4 finishes in each of his first five races of the season prior to the Great Lakes Regional. Ba placed fourth at the Mid-American Conference Championships on Oct. 28 to become the first Golden Flash to earn back-to-back All-MAC First Team honors since Michael Heller in 2011 and 2012. He crossed the finish line in 24:12.1 for the best showing by a Kent State runner since Heller took third in 2012.
Ba's only victory of the season came at the host site at XC23 Pre-Nationals meet on Oct. 14. He made his move on the downhill with about 500 meters remaining, surging ahead of the leader to win in 24:06.7.
Kent State at the NCAA Championships
The Golden Flashes have competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championships twice as a team (1974, 1975) in addition to 21 individual qualifications. Ba recorded a time of 30:26.1 to place 126th in his championship debut last season and is the sixth runner in program history to qualify for multiple national meets.
The top 40 finishers on Saturday will earn All-America accolades. Kent State boasts seven All-Americans in program history, the last being Jim Loveless in 1991.
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