LUBBOCK, Texas (Nov. 13, 2020) – In a cross country season that has been anything but predictable,
Kenya Bailey and
Caroline Schwab have continued pressing forward and as the campaign nears its end, they are being rewarded for their perseverance.
The roommates and good friends will represent Oklahoma Christian on Saturday morning in the Division II XC National Invitational, to be run at Chaparral Ridge Cross Country Course on the Lubbock Christian campus. Race time for the 6,000-meter event will be 10:15 a.m.
The race, which has drawn 11 teams and 17 individual runners from four NCAA Division II leagues, was scheduled after the NCAA cancelled its fall sports championship events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite that, eight Division II conferences decided to compete this season and the Lone Star Conference, Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and Gulf South Conference will have representatives in west Texas.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing Kenya and Carol race again," OC coach
Wade Miller said. "This will be our fifth race (this season) with them, so that will be more of a normal number of races. That's a good thing. Any time they can extend their season and be able to qualify, that provides good reinforcement that they worked hard and the sacrifices were worth it – especially this year, without really knowing if we were going to have any opportunities."
Bailey, a junior from Ponca City, Okla., earned All-LSC honors for a second straight year with a seventh-place finish on Halloween in the LSC Championship race in San Angelo, Texas. She ran a career-best 6,000-meter time of 22:42.3 in that event.
Miller believes Bailey is capable of finishing in the top 25 in a field that will be stacked with runners from the RMAC, Division II's toughest cross country league.
"She finished seventh in the Lone Star and it would be nice for her to move up on a few of those girls," Miller said. "There will be some quality teams there from other conferences, but I think she might be able to sneak in there (to the top 25). She always does a good job of putting herself in position to compete really well. I'm interested to see how that plays out."
Schwab, a junior from Andover, Kan., has been a pleasant surprise this season for the Eagles, steadily improving with each race. She also ran a career-best 6,000-meter time of 24:04.5 in the LSC Championship and her 30th-place finish earned her a spot in the National Invitational.
"Carol has had a really strong season," Miller said. "She has done a good job progressing meet after meet, and throughout her career, as well. She has gradually just improved over time. That's a credit to her character, to stay committed."
