UK Cross Country’s Katy Kunc 41st at NCAA Championships

Kunc Interview | Results | Photos

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky cross country’s Katy Kunc ran a 6,000-meter personal best time of 20:12.60 to finish 41st at the NCAA Championships on Saturday at EP “Tom” Sawyer Park.
 

Kunc finished on the unlucky end of a photo finish alongside Baylor’s Anna West. The Kentucky senior placed .03 seconds shy of a second-consecutive cross country All-America honor.

“I got out well,” Kunc said. “I was in a good group for the first part of it. I got stuck in some muddy spots and towards the end I kind of just gave it all I had. Unfortunately I got 41st, but it was still a good year – good season.”
 
She placed 33rd in a 6k time of 20:20.30 at the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana.

She went on to win the SEC title in the 3k steeplechase in outdoor track and field, and earn Second Team All-America honors in that event, placing 11th in her first NCAA final.
 
Kunc was named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and earned the SEC bronze medal earlier this autumn.
 
Thirty-one teams were selected to participate in each championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, for a total of 18 teams. Thirteen additional teams were selected at-large.

Northern Arizona won the men’s team title, and Syracuse’s Justyn Knight won the men’s individual race.

New Mexico won the women’s team title and Lobo Ednah Kurgat claimed the women’s individual championship.
 
Thirty-eight individuals were selected to participate in each championship through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process. All individual qualifiers finished in the top 25 in their regions.
 
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