WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue cross country senior Curt Eckstein and junior Emma Tate both qualified for the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships, as the field was announced on Saturday evening.
Eckstein and Tate will run at the national championship meet on Saturday, November 20, in Tallahassee, Florida.
An All-American in 2019, Eckstein will make his fourth NCAA Cross Country Championships appearance, while Tate is the first Boilermaker woman to qualify since 2017.
“We are super excited for both Curt and Emma,” Purdue coach John Oliver said. “Emma has been resilient in her work ethic. Her progress over the last three years is a great testament to her and the direction this women’s program is headed. Curt kept his head up after a tough early season and conference race. He continually has focused on his effort and what he can do in the moment. He is a great example for our men’s program.”
At Friday’s NCAA Great Lakes Regional in Evansville, Indiana, Eckstein was 14th overall. With a career-best 10k time of 30:07.1, he finished less than 1.50 seconds ahead of the next two fastest finishers to secure 14th place. The senior moved up four spots in the final 4,000 meters to earn his second-best Great Lakes finish.
Tate was 25th overall and ran the 6k course in 20.29.8 to earn the top-25 finish by 4.0 seconds. Her final 2,000 meters saw her move up five places to secure the 25th-place showing, and her 6k time is a personal-best by more than 40 seconds.
Eckstein earned All-Region honors for the fourth time in his career and Tate was recognized for the first time at the regional event.
For more on the Purdue cross country and track & field and program, visit PurdueSports.com/CrossCountry and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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