Men's Cross Country | 11/13/2016 12:36:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY – Senior Jon Pelzar (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) and junior James Bailey (Danvers, MA/Danvers) of the RIT men's cross country team, will represent the university at the 2016 NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championship on Saturday, Nov. 19. The championship race will begin at 12 p.m. at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
 
Both men qualified after spectacular finishes at the 2016 NCAA Atlantic Region Championship hosted by Rowan University on Saturday, Nov. 12. Bailey placed fifth overall out of 326 runners with a time of 24:28.3, while Pelzar was right behind in ninth, recording a time of 24:43.3. Both men earned 2016 All-Atlantic Region honors for their performances.
 
Pelzar has enjoyed a tremendous season for the Tigers in 2016, with four top-10 finishes. He earned All-Liberty League first team honors after placing sixth at the league championship on Oct. 29. Pelzar also placed third at the season-opening Cardinal Early Season Invitational hosted by St. John Fisher on Sept. 2. He is a two-time RIT Male Athlete of the Week.
 
Bailey has four top-10 finishes for the Tigers in 2016, including a victory in the season-opening Cardinal Early Season Invitational hosted by St. John Fisher on Sept. 2. He was also fourth at the Yellowjacket Invitational, hosted by the University of Rochester on Sept. 17 and eighth at the Liberty League Championship on Oct. 29, earning Liberty League Second Team accolades.
 
A six-time RIT Male Athlete of the Week, Bailey was also an All-Liberty League first team selection in 2015 and All-Atlantic Region performer.

Thirty-two teams will participate in the women's championship. The top two teams automatically qualified from each of the eight NCAA Regional Championships, for a total of 16 teams. Sixteen additional teams were selected at-large. Fifty-six individuals, the first seven student-athletes from each region who are not a part of a qualifying team, were selected to participate in each championship. Bailey was the top individual qualifier and Pelzar, the third qualifier from the Atlantic Region.