JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 13, 2021) – Lindsey Stallworth (Knoxville, Tenn.) got the news she was waiting for. 

A day after finishing eighth at the NCAA South Regional, Stallworth earned a qualifying spot in the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championship, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 20 from Appalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla. 

The NCAA announced the official field on Saturday evening and Stallworth made her way into the field after No. 11 Alabama received an at-large bid. Alabama’s Mercy Chelangat won the South Regional with a time of 19:34.74 on Friday, but with her team now getting a slot into the championship, Stallworth posted the fourth top time from a non-qualifying team in the field. Stallworth finished with a personal best 6K time of 19:59.84 on Friday. 

Stallworth made her NCAA Championship debut in 2020 as she won the Southern Conference Championship and then earned All-American honors after finishing 38th overall with a time of 20:58.5. The Knoxville native became the first Buccaneer female cross country runner to earn All-American honors. 

Next Saturday’s Championship will be televised on ESPNU and the ESPN App.