Two STU student-athletes qualify for NAIA Championships

Sports Sunday, December 3, 2017

St. Thomas University student-athletes Sarah Bomkamp and Susana Gutierrez have qualified for the 2017 NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championships at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Washington. 

Bomkamp and Gutierrez, both First-Team All-Conference performers, were two of 92 individuals to qualify for the event which also features 36 teams.

The two Bobcat runners earned their spot in the National Championships after strong seasons capped off by impressive performances at the Sun Conference Championships where STU finished runner up as a team.

Bomkamp, a junior from Greensboro, N.C. and a two-time Sun Conference Runner of the Week this season, ran a 19:13.0 in the Sun Conference Championships 5K race held last weekend in Ave Maria, Florida. 

Gutierrez, a sophomore from St. Brendan High School in Miami., finished seventh at the conference championships with a 5K time of 19:22.6.

Bomkamp and Gutierrez become the first Women's Cross Country runners from St. Thomas University to qualify for the NAIA National Championships since Guadalupe "Lupe" Merlos in 2003.