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FORT VANCOUVER, WA -- Looking for his fourth consecutive top-50 finish, Ryan Meyer leads a contingent of three Owls runners at the 2012 NAIA Cross Country National Championship. Meyer returns to the meet for the fourth time in his career after dominating the American Midwest Conference championship meet and qualifying as an individual on the men's side. He is joined by Courtney Henderson and Abby Baker on the women's side. The women's 5K race is set for a 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. CST) start, with the men's 8K race scheduled to get underway at 11:45 a.m. (1 p.m. CST).

Meyer is a four-time All-AMC selection and has been on this stage before. In each of his three previous trips to the national championships, he finished in the top 50, improving his time on the course with each visit. He posted a time of 25:58 as a freshman, knocking four seconds off the mark as a sophomore before just missing the 25-minute mark as a junior. His time of 25:10 in last year's event was good for 44th in the 312-runner field.

Henderson posted a time of 20:19 on the 5K course in 2011, and will be looking to improve her pace in 2012. It is the first career qualification for Baker, who narrowly missed earning AMC Freshman of the Year honors following her fourth-place finish.