RESULTS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The first appearance at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships for both the runner, Katie Camarena, and the school, Portland State, ended with Camarena finishing the women's 6k course at Florida State's Apalachee Regional Park 70th overall in 20:17.0.
 
Camarena's finish in 70th means she placed in the top third of the nation, as 250 total runners competed at the NCAA meet Saturday.
 
Viewers on ESPNU could see a flash of green sprinting off the starting line from the outside right. That was Camarena, who had to fire off the line to avoid getting swallowed up by the most talented crowd she had ever raced against.
 
Camarena, who sprinted into the lead pack and then cruised until the finish at the Big Sky Championships and NCAA West Regional, had to take a different tactic Saturday. After placing fourth at the Big Sky meet and fifth at the NCAA West Regional, Camarena was 65th by the first split of the race at 1,170 meters. She remained around that zone for the remainder of the race, dropping as low as 77th at the 4k split before kicking past seven of the best runners in the nation over the final two kilometers.
 
Saturday's race put the finishing touches on the best individual season in the history of the Portland State cross country program. In one year at Portland State after transferring from UC Santa Barbara, Camarena either became or accomplished the:

• First national qualifier in program history
• First USTFCCCA All-Region honoree
• Best individual finish at Big Sky Championships (4th)
• Best individual finish at NCAA West Regional (5th)
• 4k school record (at Viking Rust Buster, Sept. 3)
• 5k school record (at Big Sky Championships, Oct. 29)
• 6k school record (at Santa Clara Bronco Invitational, Oct. 16)

 
Camarena's and the Vikings' attention now turns to the indoor track season, where Camarena will aim to make nationals once again. The current plan is for Camarena to open up her indoor season at Boston University's Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on Dec. 4. That's when she'll make her first attempt at a time that will see her return to the national stage once again.
 
 
NCAA Championships
Apalachee Regional Park
Tallahassee, Fla.
Nov. 20, 2021
 
Women's 6k (out of 250):
70. Katie Camarena, 20:17.0.