LAKELAND, Fla. – Saint Leo women's cross country, ranked third in the South Region, qualified for the 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships after placing third at the South Regional on the 6K course at Holloway Park in Lakeland.
 
Saint Leo saw four runners inside the top-25 of the 120 field and earn All-South Region honors in Paige Patterson, Ashley Lindeman, Tania Jarreau, and Sintayehu Vissa. Patterson led the group on the day with an eighth-place finish in a time of 22:23.89.
 
Lindeman followed in 15^th place at 22:43.37 ahead of Jarreau in 19^th (22:59.05) and Vissa in 22^nd (23:01.59).
 
Aoife Mahony, Kathrin Halter and Amanda Bohm rounded out the group on the course for the Green and Gold. Mahony took 43rd (23:42.28) as Halter crossed the line in a time of 24:13.28 for 52nd place and Bohm crossed at 25:35.53 for 88th.
 
The Lions were one of three teams that qualified for nationals, joining Lee (first, 41 points) and Sunshine State Conference foe Tampa (second, 62 points). The Lions tallied 101 points and finished ahead of Florida Southern (125 points) for the final spot out of the South Regional. Saint Leo qualifies for the national championship after a year off with its previous trip in 2017.
 
Up Next
Saint Leo will travel to Sacramento, Calif. to participate in the 2019 NCAA DII Cross Country National Championship at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex.

 
For the latest news, updates, and information on Saint Leo men's and women's cross country and track sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.