Men's XC Goes Dancing

?? TICKET PUNCHED!

The Purdue men's cross country team is headed to the #NCAAXC Championships for the first time since 1986. ??#BoilerUp ???????? pic.twitter.com/Y9qG3kioIG

— Purdue Track & Field / Cross Country (@PurdueTrackXC) November 10, 2018

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 15 nationally ranked Purdue men's cross country team punched its ticket to the NCAA Championships, announced Saturday by the NCAA selection committee. The championship is set for Saturday, November 17 in Madison, Wisconsin.

This marks Purdue's first trip to the NCAA Championships in 33 years and its 13th appearance in program history.

The advancement comes on the heels of Purdue's best finish at NCAA Great Lakes Regionals in over 23 years. While the Boilermakers did not receive one of the two automatic qualifying positions (first or second-place), the Boilermakers' fourth-place performance with 121 points was enough for the selection committee's nod.

Jaret Carpenter is set to enter the race as the Great Lakes Regional victor, having secured a meet-winning time of 31:09.6. Carpenter, who steadily moved forward throughout the race, was able to make the pass into first during the final stretch and out-run Detroit Mercy's Ben Kendell by three seconds at the finish line.

The Boilermakers competed twice this season at Wisconsin's Thomas Zimmer Championship course with the Nuttycombe Invite and Pre-Nationals where the men finished ninth and seventh, respectively.

Seventy-one percent of the Boilermakers competing at Regionals finished in the top-45, including a pair of top-10 finishes by Carpenter and Curt Eckstein, who came in eighth overall.

The NCAA Championships will be streamed on FloTrack beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Purdue has previously finished as high as fourth in the NCAA Championships in 1941 and 1947.