INDIANAPOLIS — The University of San Francisco will send its women's cross country team to the NCAA Division I National Championship for the sixth time in program history. The NCAA announced Sunday the Dons' selection to compete in the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championship on March 15 in Stillwater, Okla.
 
The Dons were one of 31 teams selected Sunday, alongside fellow West Coast Conference members BYU and Portland. The championship will be hosted by Oklahoma State University at the OSU Cross Country Course. The championship will be televised on ESPNU, with the women's race starting at 9:50 a.m. PDT and live coverage starting at 9:30 a.m. PDT.

"I'm really proud of these women, especially knowing the sacrifice and determination it took to get back to the national championship," said San Francisco interim head cross country and track & field coach Tim Riley. We couldn't have done it without the support of our athletic administration and the USF community, so thank you, Dons!"
 
San Francisco last sent a full team to the NCAA Championship in 2017. There, the Dons finished runner-up for the national championship. In 2019, Aoibhe Richardson earned All-American honors running at the national championship as an individual. USF also sent its full women's team to the NCAA national championship in 2011, '13, '15 and '16.
 
With limited competitions this season to evaluate performance, the selection committee had to rely on the strong showings that the Dons had in their two meets. USF beat nationally ranked Oregon and Oregon State while finishing second at the Oregon Cross Country Open on Feb. 5. Then at the WCC Championship on Feb. 24, the Dons finished third behind nationally ranked BYU and Portland in a close, competitive race.