Just as Cinderella found her Prince Charming, the Missouri Southern women’s cross country team found its stride and its first trip to the national championship meet.

Patty Vavra, head coach, said at the beginning of the season the team set the goal of going to the national meet and thought it was a “pretty lofty goal.”

The NCAA Division II Championships will be held Nov. 22 in Raleigh, N.C.

“They have a lot to be proud of and rightfully so, they’ve had a great season – really a Cinderella season,” Vavra said. “A bunch of young ladies that came into the season we didn’t expect to have the great finish to the year we’re having right now. We came from a point in time were we thought this is somewhat of a pretty lofty goal to this is a real possibility that we can achieve.”

Southern has never had a women’s cross country team go to the national competition. It has had individuals go in the past, the most recent was in 1998 with Sonia Eudy.

On Nov. 8, the cross country team placed second behind Pittsburg State University with 70 points. PSU finished the race with 58 points. Missouri Southern had three individuals who received All-Regional honors. These racers include: senior Jen Noelken (with a time of 22:05.10), junior Ashley Caffey (22:21.25) and sophomore Megan Russell (23:00.57).

“What has been done so well (this season) is sometimes very difficult to do,” Vavra said. “They have been very unselfish, and they have figured out what each one of their roles are. They have been happy to fill that role week-in and week-out.”

She said as the season progressed she stopped thinking that a trip to nationals was no longer a lofty goal, but one that could be reached. Noelken said she is still in shock after placing second in the regional meet.

“It’s exciting (placing second in regionals), it’s hard to put in words,” Noelken said. “We’ve been working on it all season.”

The team has two weeks off before the meet.

“We’re trying to go in there and let whatever happens happen,” Noelken said.

Vavra said she believes the placing was a moral booster for the team.

“Sometimes at the end of the season you wonder if they have one more race in their legs,” she said. “I’ve asked that question to myself about them from the stampede in. They made a believer out of me, I would definitely say that they would have one more race and they would find a way to get it done.”