COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Cross Country is set to send two student-athletes to the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Monday, March 15 in Stillwater, Oklahoma as announced by the NCAA on Sunday. Seniors Kieran Wood (Cambridge, England) and Sarah Chapman (Maidenhead, England) both earned individual bids to the championship race, as one of the top 38 individuals selected through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process. 

Mizzou returns to the course after wrapping up the season with the SEC Championships back in October of 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA pushed fall championships into the spring. 

Both Wood and Chapman earned All-SEC first team honors in the fall following top-5 finishes at the SEC Championships. Chapman took home the bronze medal after finishing the 6K in a time of 19:58.9, setting a new personal record. Wood finished the 8K men's race in a time of 23:37.2, good for a fourth-place finish.  

At the 2020 Gans Creek Classic, Wood and Chapman both notched first-place finishes, shattering both of the previous course records along the way. For her record breaking performance, Chapman was named USTFCCCA Division I Women's National Runner of the Week and SEC Women's Co-Runner of the Week. Wood and Chaman also placed fourth and second, respectively, at the Commodore Classic. 

Last season, Chapman earned a spot in the NCAA Midwest Regional, where she placed 17th, but didn't qualify for the NCAA Championships. Wood also qualified for the 2018 NCAA Midwest Regional, where he finished in 19th. This year will mark Chapmann's and Wood's first appearance in the NCAA Championships. 

For the second consecutive season, Mizzou has qualified individual runners for the championship race. Last year, redshirt senior Thomas George (Gloucester, U.K.) finished 120th overall. Chapman will also be the first Mizzou female runner to qualify for the championships since Karissa Schweizer last did so in 2017. 

The Tigers will travel to Oklahoma State University, the site of the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships, on Monday, March 15. The action is set to begin at 11:50 a.m. CT with the women's race and will close out with the men's race at 12:40 p.m. CT. The event will be broadcast live on ESPNU. 

For all the latest on Mizzou Cross Country, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouTFXC).