Manfra, Csiki-Fejer Make NCAA DIII Cross Country Field

Manfra, Csiki-Fejer Make NCAA DIII Cross Country Field
Posted: Nov 17, 2019

INADIANAPOLIS – Emily Manfra and Matyas Csiki-Fejer were among the student-athletes to hear their names announced by the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Track & Field and Cross Country Committee as the Suffolk cross country members qualified individually for the 2019 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships, per a release Sunday afternoon. 

In order to be eligible to participate in the championships, teams and individuals must qualify in their respective NCAA regions.  

Thirty-two teams were selected to participate in each championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the eight regions, 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. That's how Manfra and Csiki-Fejer punched their tickets to Louisville, Kentucky. 

Manfra put together the best-ever showing of a Suffolk student-athlete at the regional event Saturday afternoon. The Stoneham, Massachusetts, local clocked in a 6K time of 21:47.3 to finish 14th overall in the field of 380. Her 14th place finish upstage her 17th-spot a year ago and helped the Rams to a 28th-place team performance, the best in program history. Manfra will be making her second trip to the national stage after making history as the first-ever Suffolk student-athlete to do so in cross country last season.   

Csiki-Fejer, meanwhile, made history of his own as the first Rams' male runner to compete in the national race. He secured his spot among the DIII's best-of-the-best with a 19th-place showing at Bowdoin Saturday with a sub-26:00.0 8K, clocking in at 25:29.5 to claim 19th out of 384.  

The pair have a quick turnaround time with nationals set to take off on Saturday, Nov. 23. Spalding University and the Louisville Sports Commission have championship hosting rights at the Tom Sawyer State Park. The men's race will begin at 10:45 a.m., followed by the women's event at 11:45 a.m.