CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The nation's top runners will embark on the Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina for the running of the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships this Saturday, November 22. The men's 8,000-meter race is set to begin at 9:00 a.m. (CT) with the women's 6,000-meter race to follow at 10:00 a.m. (CT).
To be eligible to participate in the championships, teams and individuals must qualify in their respective NCAA regions. The top team in each of the ten regions earned an automatic qualifying bid, leaving room for 22 at-large teams bids to make up the 32-team field. Seventy (70) individuals, the first seven student-athletes from each region who are not part of a qualifying team, were also selected to participate in each championship.
Winning the men’s Midwest Regional last weekend, Wartburg College, earned an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Championships. The women’s team from Wartburg and the Loras College men qualified for the championships by receiving an at-large bid Sunday afternoon earlier this week.
The A-R-C saw seven individuals qualify for the championships. On the women's side, the Central is sending a trio of runners to the championships with Teah Miller, Peyton Steffen, and Maddy Stevens ready to make some noise on the course. The A-R-C Runner of the Year, Keelee Leitzen of Loras, will also join the Central trio in South Carolina. On the men's side, the leauge will be represented by Central's Jack Brown and William Wadsley as well as University of Dubuque's Anthony Carney.
The live web stream of the championships will occur on www.NCAA.com beginning at 9:00 a.m. (CT) until the conclusion of the awards ceremony. Hosting this year is Converse University.
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About the American Rivers Conference
Nationally respected for excellence in NCAA Division III athletics, the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) has a tradition dating back to its founding in 1922 as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association and adopted its current name in 2018 to reflect its strong Iowa roots and growing regional footprint. The A-R-C is a collaborative community that champions the holistic development of student-athletes, uniting member institutions in a shared commitment to academic achievement, athletic distinction, and leadership.
The A-R-C is home to nine full-time member institutions: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College. Luther College has announced its departure from the conference, effective at the conclusion of the 2025–26 academic year.
