Daigle Punches Ticket To NCAA Championships With Third-Place Finish

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Louisiana's Sophie Daigle clocked a personal-best time in the 6K and became the first Women's Cross Country runner in school history to qualify for the NCAA Championships after finishing third overall at the NCAA South Central Regional on Friday at the Dale Watts Cross Country Course.

The senior posted a time of 20:22.2 to set a personal-best after clocking a time of 20:59.3 on the same course nearly four weeks ago.

Daigle finished behind Arkansas' Isabel Van Camp and Gracie Morris of TCU in the field of 179 runners to qualify for the NCAA Championships, scheduled for Nov. 19 in Stillwater, Okla.

The Donaldsonville, La., native kept up with the lead pack sitting in 15^th place after the first 2-kilometers in the race before making her push at the 4.1-kilometer mark, moving up 11 spots into fourth. In a lead pack which featured Van Camp and Morris, Daigle was able to overtake both Mia Cochran of Arkansas and Abilene Christian's Irene Rono over the final stretch to post her fifth top-10 finish of the season.

Daigle helped Louisiana to a 19^th-place performance on the women's side as the Ragin' Cajuns finished with 523 points. Haley Salsbury placed 78^th for Louisiana with a personal-best time of 22:26.3 with Brooke Spalitta finishing 123^rd after crossing the finish line in 23:22.3.

Caroline Spalitta posted a time of 24:41.1 to finish 161^st overall for Louisiana with Meredith Hebert posting a time of 25:15.0 to finish 167^th.

Baptiste Depril-Dupre, Braden Scalisi and John Walker McDonald each finished in the top-100 as Louisiana finished 22^nd overall in the men's 10K event. Depril-Dupre recorded a time of 33:21.5 to finish 77^th in the field with Scalisi finishing two spots back after crossing the finish line in 33:23.5.

McDonald placed 95^th overall for Louisiana after posting a time of 33:46.2 with Samuel Avants finishing 113^th and setting a personal-best time (34:03.6). Peyton Chaisson (34:17.2) was 120^th overall for the Ragin' Cajuns with Mason Haley placing 151^st (35:52.1).

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Daigle Punches Ticket To NCAA Championships With Third-Place Finish

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Players Mentioned

Samuel Avants

Peyton Chiasson

Sophie Daigle

Baptiste Depril-Dupre

Mason Haley

Meredith Hebert

John Walker McDonald

Haley Salsbury

Braden Scalisi

Brooke Spalitta

Caroline Spalitta