GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University senior Nicole McMillen will compete at the NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country Championship Saturday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
McMillen is the first Pioneer to run at nationals since Amanda Musick participated for the third time in her career in 2004, and she joins Sue Lewis (2001) as the only other Tusculum runners to compete at the national championship.
McMillen, a native of Pickering, Ontario, has competed in just two cross country races in her Tusculum career due to her spot as a starting defender on the Tusculum women's soccer team. Last season, McMillen joined the first-year Tusculum track and field program and finished fourth in the 5,000 meters at the South Atlantic Conference Indoor Championship.
With the Tusculum soccer season over, McMillen was entered in the SAC Cross Country Championship on Nov. 3 and finished fifth overall with a time of 22:26.2 in her first collegiate race. She went to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional on Nov. 17 and placed fifth overall in a time of 22:29.19, earning her a trip to nationals and first-team All-Region status.
The NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country Championship will be held at the Bob O'Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park in downtown Pittsburgh. In all, 34 teams were selected to participate in the championship, along with 28 at-large qualifiers for a total of 266 runners in the field.
The meet will begin at 12:15 p.m. Saturday, following the conclusion of the men's 10,000-meter championship race which will start at 11 a.m.