MEADVILLE, Pa. – After a scintillating performance this past Saturday, the Allegheny men's cross country team extended its season by one week while qualifying for the NCAA Division III Championships as a team for the seventh consecutive season. In addition, sophomore Kristina Martin received an individual at-large berth to this weekend's national championship meet.

The Gators, ranked No. 18 in the final regular-season national poll, received one of the coveted at-large bids to nationals after finishing third overall at the NCAA Mid-East Regional. Junior Bobby Over was the individual champion, while Allegheny created a buzz at the meet by placing three runners in the top 11.

“It is a testament of our program and the men on our team here at Allegheny that even though we graduated five of our top seven runners last year we are making our way back up to the top of Division III cross country,” said head coach Brent Wilkerson. “With a better finish in the region this year we are headed into the national meet with a lot of confidence and a chip on our shoulder to prove what we are capable of.”

Last season, the Gators entered the NCAA Championships ranked second in the country, but stumbled to a 15th-place finish. Allegheny's highest finish at the national meet is third, which the team achieved in both 2006 and 2009.

Sophomore Kristina Martin will be joining the men's team in Wisconsin as an individual after securing the highest finish for an Allegheny runner at the regional meet since Scarlett Graham finished ninth in 2005.

“Kristina has been a clutch runner all year,” added Wilkerson. “She will be the first Gator in the women's program in to attend the NCAA Championships in five years and we couldn't be happier. As Kristina's coach I have seen how diligent she has been with her training and she deserves every bit of success she is awarded.”

The beautiful Lake Breeze Golf Course, located in Winneconne, Wis., will play host to the 2011 Division III Cross Country Championship. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh will serve as the host institution.The women's 6,000-meter race will begin at 11 a.m. local time, while the men's championship race will start at noon.

Championship information is available at http://www.ncaa.com/