Amir Ado Qualifies for the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.- Washington State cross country junior Amir Ado earned an at-large bid into the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida. The 10,000m race will take place Nov. 20, at the Apalachee Regional Park and will air live on ESPN U.

Ado earned a bid into the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships for the first time in his career after a stellar performance at the 2021 NCAA West Regionals in Sacramento, California.
The Spokane, Washington native earned all-region honors after placing 13th overall at the West Regionals. Ado finished the 10,000m race with a time of 30:02.9.

"Amir is such a tough competitor and he has worked extremely hard to accomplish this goal," said WSU cross country head coach Wayne Phipps. "I am so proud of Amir and excited for him. He is very fit and very ready for nationals."

Ado becomes the first WSU men's runner to compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships since the men's team ran at the 2017 championships in Louisville, Kentucky. The junior has dominated this season for the Cougs, as he has finished inside the top-20 in all three races he finished. Ado's best finish of the season came back on Sept. 23 at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, where he recorded a time of 23:34.8 to finish 12th overall.

Ado is the first WSU men's runner to earn multiple all-region honors since John Whelan earned the distinction back in 2015 and 2016. Ado has competed in the Pac-12 Championships and the NCAA West Regionals three times each and has finished inside the top-40 in each race. His best finish at either event was this year's West Regional, when he finished 13th overall.

The NCAA Cross Country Championships will be held in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday, November 20th at the Apalachee Regional Park. Florida State hosting is the event and fans can watch the event on ESPNU or on the ESPN app. The women's 6,000m race begins at 7:20 a.m. PT and the men's 10,000m race starts at 8:10 a.m. PT.

For more information on the Washington State cross country program, follow @WSUCougarXCTF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.