INDIANAPOLIS – Tim Barry will continue his Suffolk men's cross country career at the 2023 NCAA Division III Championships as the senior captain qualified for the national event as an at-large athlete.
In order to be eligible to participate in the championships, teams and individuals had to qualify in their respective NCAA regional competitions that were held yesterday, Saturday, Nov. 11.
Thirty-two teams were selected to participate in the championships – the top seven-person team automatically qualified from each of the 10 regions with 22 squads selected via at-large bids. Additionally, 70 individuals, the first seven student-athletes from the 10 regions who are not a part of a qualifying team, were chosen to participate on the championship course as well.
Barry earned his ticket through as individual at-large following his 13th-place performance at the 2023 NCAA DIII East Regionals yesterday at Hopkinton Fair Grounds. The Westborough, Massachusetts, native stayed with the top runners in the regional throughout the entire 8k run and came through the finisher's chute in a personal-best to take 13th in the 229-competitor field.
Barry is the second-ever Suffolk male runner to make the trip to nationals, first since Matyas Csiki-Fejer did so in 2021. He is the third student-athlete in blue-and-gold to compete at NCAA Cross Country Championships, joining Csiki-Fejer and Emily Manfra. Both Csiki-Fejer and Manfra represented the Rams at NCAAs twice in their careers. He will be joined on the national course by fellow Commonwealth Coast Conference student-athlete, Nathan Tassey of Roger Williams.
The All-New England honoree has a quick turnaround to prep for the national championship run, which is set for this Saturday, Nov. 18 in at Big Spring High School in Newville, Pennsylvania. The men's race will begin at 11.a.m. A live web stream of the championships will occur on NCAA.com beginning at race time.