TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Arina Kleshchukova cemented her spot as one of the best distance runners in the nation as she represented New Orleans with a 155
th-place finish at the NCAA Division I National Championships at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course on Saturday.
The Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan native posted a time of 21:42.0 which was better than 99 athletes that competed at the meet.
Kleshchukova used her signature surge at the end of the race that saw her move from 234
th at the 2000-meter mark to 190
th at the 4000-meter split to her finish of 155
th. She was the first Privateer in program history to advance to the national championships.
"We are extremely proud of the cross country campaign Arina has put together this season for New Orleans," distance coach
Brock Moreaux said. "She was assigned a hefty role of being an ambassador for a program that had a tough time being competitive on the conference level, much less the national level, and she has exceeded all of our expectations.
"Today was all about gaining some valuable experience and enjoying the opportunity to compete at the largest stage in cross country," Moreaux added. "As an individual who was not even considered a threat at one point, she did a great job of competing today and making her presence known. The fun part is that this is only the beginning. She is ready for a small break, but just as eager to get back to work and prepare for the indoor and outdoor track seasons. Congratulations Arina, Privateer Nation is proud!"
The race puts a bow on one of the best cross country seasons in school history. Kleshchukova won four of her seven races which included the individual title at the Southland Conference Championships. She also finished second overall at the Florida State Invitational and 10
th at the South Central Regional, which punched her ticket to NCAAs.
The standout junior was named the Southland Athlete of the Year to go with four weekly conference Athlete of the Week awards.
