UK’s Tori Herman ticketed a spot in the NCAA Cross Country Championships after finishing third overall in the women’s 6K on Friday. 

Coming into Friday’s meet ranking third in the region, the UK women finished third, tallying 103 total points, while the men completed a ninth place finish with a score of 246. 

While the top-two finishing teams at the regional automatically earn a spot at the NCAA Championships, the selection committee will choose who will fill the 13 remaining slots. Finishing third, the UK women make a strong case to be selected to compete in Tallahassee next Saturday, Nov. 20. 

The results for the UK runners in Friday’s meet are as follows:

Men’s Finishers: 

Ethan Kern—30:08.0, 29th 

Matt Duvall—30:29.6, 39th 

Jackson Watts—30:51.9, 57th 

Aaron Withrow—30:51.9, 58th 

Dylan Allen—31:03.9, 68th 

Harper Moore – 31:14.5, 80th 

Jake Allen – 31:52.1, 108th 

Women’s Finishers: 

Tori Herman—20:09.4, 3rd 

Perri Bockrath—20:21.1, 9th 

Jenna Gearing—20:27.3, 11th 

Kaitlyn Lacy—21:05.3, 31st 

Kaylie Kenne—21:28.7, 51st 

Rachel Boice – 21:39.8, 57th 

Sophie Carrier – 22:07.7, 78th 

The women’s showing was historic for the team, as their third-place finish and points scored is their best since 2016. Herman had a career-best performance in her fastest 6K to date, clocking a time of 20:09.40. Herman, Bockrath, and Gearing all received All-Region honors for their top-25 finishes from the US T&F and XC Coaches Association.

For the men, Ethan Kern led with a 29th-place finish, completing his race with a 30:08.00 time. Matt Duval followed closely behind, finishing 39th (30:29.60). October’s SEC Freshman of the Month Jackson Watts completed his best finish of the season, coming in at 57th with a time of 30:51.8.

The NCAA Championships official field will be released Saturday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. E.T to determine if any other Cats will join Herman in Tallahassee next weekend. That list will be posted on NCAA.com.