WACO, TX -- McNeese State's Joshua Sawe and David Rooney finished among the top 10 runners in the NCAA South Central regional cross country meet Saturday at the Cotton Wood Country Club and earned berths in the national championship meet.
Sawe ran fifth and Rooney eight in the 10,000 meter race, leading the Cowboys to a sixth place finish.
The Cowgirls, with Tinette Burger leading the way with a 25th place showing, finished 10th in the women's run.
It's the first time since the late 1970s that a McNeese runner has qualified for the nationals which will take place the last of the month in Terre Haute, IN.
"They really did a good job," McNeese head coach Brendon Gilroy said of the effort by Sawe and Rooney and of his entire men's team.
Sawe was the second Southland Conference runner to finish the race, posting a 30:49.1 clocking. Dorian Utley of Arkansas was the champion at 30:24.6 and Lamar's Francis Kasagula ran second at 30:28.4.
Rooney posted a 31:02.l1 for his eighth place showing and other Cowboy finishes had Jonathan Koenck running 32:53.8 for 41st, Jarrett LeBlanc 32:57.6 for 47th, Winn Koenck 34:36.1 for 9th and Ryan Barrow 35:04.6 for 105.
Arkansas won the team title with 47 points and was followed by Texas with 74, Lamar 83, Texas A&m 89, Stephen F. Austin 159 and McNeese State 185.
In the women's race, SMU was the champion with 43 points while Texas A&M Corpus Christi led the SLC contingent with a sixth place showing on 199 points. SFA was eighth with 233 points and the Cowgirls scored 300 points for 10th place.
Silje Fjortoft of SMU won the women's title at 20:29.7 while TAM-Corpus Christi's Anne Ronoh was the SLC leader with a sixth place finish.
Burger ran 21:55.7 for her 25th place. Other finishes for the Cowgirls had Amy Guinn in 54th at 23:03.4, Alvy Garragher in 61st at 23:07.1, Candice McCormick in 77th at 23:27.2 and Aisling Casey in 87th at 23:53.3.