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Ado Headed to 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships

Nov 17, 2021

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  – Washington State men's cross country junior Amir Ado will head to Tallahassee, Florida this Saturday, Nov. 20, to compete in the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships.

The Course / Race Starting Times
The 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships will take place this Saturday at the Apalachee Regional Park, hosted by Florida State. The men's 10,000m race beginning at 8:10 a.m. PT.

About Amir Ado 2021 Season
Ado earned an at-large 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. Ado finished the 10,000m race with a time of 30:02.9.

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.

Coach Phipps on Ado 
"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."

2021 NCAA Cross Country Men's Field
In the men's race, 31 teams including four Pac-12 teams will compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. A total of 38 individual runners qualified, including Ado. 

Automatic Qualifying Teams: Alabama, Arkansas, BYU, Furman, Georgetown, Harvard, Iowa State, Northern, Arizona, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Princeton, Stanford, Syracuse, Texas, Wake Forest, Washington, Wisconsin.

At-Large Teams: Air Force, Butler, Colorado, Florida State, Gonzaga, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Portland, Southern Utah, Tulsa.

Live Results
Fans can follow all the action at the NCAA Cross Country Championships by via live.pttiming.com for live results. Fans can watch the action live on ESPNU and the ESPN app beginning at 7:00 a.m. PT.

Last Time Out
At the 2021 NCAA West Regional Amir Ado 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. 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.

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