Hirsch, Birdsong Set to Run at National Meet
LA CROSSE, Wis. – The NAIA Women's and Men's Cross Country Championships are set for Friday, November 17 at 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM in Vancouver, Wash. at Fort Vancouver Historical Course. Anya Hirsch and Connor Birdsong will be representing the V-Hawks at the national meet.
"I am both very proud and excited for Anya and Connor this weekend," said Head Coach Marcia Taddy. "They have put in the hard work over the season and have rightfully so earned their spot to compete at the national meet."
Hirsch punched her ticket to nationals at the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) conference meet, by taking third with a time of 23:32.40. Dickinson State (ND) won the team title, so the top four finishers not from DSU earned individual qualifications for the championship Meet. Hirch's mark was her personal best 6,000-meter time, and the eighth best time in program history.
"It's never easy to have a new coach for your last season," continued Taddy "Anya has really come on strong with nice PR's this season and learning to trust her fitness with the hard work she's put in. It's been a joy to get to know her, I wish we had more time together!"
This is Hirsch's second year running at the national meet, as she was a member of the 2022 Viterbo Conference Championship team. She recorded a time of 19:38.8 in the 5k, finishing 197th.
Birdsong also took third at the NSAA Championship meet, with a time of 26:06.8 in the 8k. Dickinson State also won the Men's NSAA title. This was his second-best time of the year. His personal best was 26:00.7 at the Seminole Valley Stampede, the second-best time in Viterbo history.
Taddy said about Connor: "Connor has been a full-circle story for me. I coached him first when we were both together at UWL, I was a graduate student and he was an undergraduate on the team. Now as a graduate student at Viterbo, we got one more semester together. It's great to see Connor attack workouts and show up to the line as a wiser competitor to reach PR's. He really has put together aggressive races at the end of the season."
"My first season with the Viterbo cross country teams has been very rewarding and truly enjoyable as I've gotten to know all my student-athletes. Both the men's and women's teams are young and I can tell they will do great things. I'm looking forward to helping them develop as athletes to reach their potentials."
For live results of the Championship Races, click here.