Doan Qualifies for NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships

For the second season in a row, Liberty’s Calli Doan will race at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. She qualified as an individual this time around, thanks to her impressive fourth-place finish at Friday’s NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships in Louisville, Ky.

The 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships are slated for Nov. 20 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla. The women’s 6K will begin at 10:20 a.m. and will be televised live on ESPNU.

Doan previously helped the Lady Flames qualify for the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships (contested in March 2021) as a team. The native of Apex, N.C., came in 85^th overall as Liberty placed 26^th in the team competition.

Doan will join Coach Heather (Sagan) Zealand as the only Lady Flames to make multiple appearances at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Zealand qualified as an individual in 2000 and 2001.

Doan’s fourth-place showing at the NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships continued an impressive season which has seen her place inside the top seven at all five races. It was also the second-best placement ever by a Lady Flame at the regional meet, trailing only Ednah Kurgat’s regional runner-up showing in 2015.

Two weeks ago, Doan raced to an individual title at the ASUN Cross Country Championships with a 5K program-record time of 16:57.4. Her effort helped the Lady Flames capture their second straight ASUN team title.

Doan’s last race in Tallahassee was a successful one. She placed seventh at the FSU XC Invite/Pre-Nationals on Oct. 15, posting the second-fastest 6K time in program history at 20:05.0.