TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Stanford freshmen Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau and Charlie Perry earned berths on the U.S. under-20 national team after their performances at the USATF Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Apalachee Regional Park.
Beaudoin-Rousseau placed third and Perry fourth in the men's junior race, each covering 8 kilometers (4.97 miles) in 24:43, just four seconds behind winner Shuaib Aljabaly of Wisconsin.
By finishing among the top six, the Stanford pair qualified to represent the U.S. at the NACAC Championships on Feb. 16 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and the IAAF World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, on March 30.
Beaudoin-Rousseau from Sunnyvale and a graduate of San Jose's Bellarmine College Prep, was the only Stanford freshman in its NCAA Championships lineup. He placed 33rd in the Pac-12 Championships and 174th at NCAA's. Perry, from Superior, Colorado, was wearing the Stanford singlet for the first time.
Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau (left) and Charlie Perry (right) sprint to the line. Photo by Robert Thomas.
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USATF Championships
At Apalachee Regional Park
Men
Junior (8K, 4.97 miles)
1, Shuaib Aljabaly (Wisconsin) 24:39; 3, Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau (Stanford) 24:43; 4, Charlie Perry (Stanford) 24:43.
Open (10K, 6.21 miles)
1, Shadrack Kipchirchir (Nike) 28:53; 23, Garrett Heath (Brooks Beasts TC) 30:20.
Women
Open (10K, 6.21 miles)
1, Shelby Houlihan (Nike Bowerman TC) 32:47; 16, Jessica Tonn (unattached) 34:24; 34, Aisling Cuffe (Saucony) 36:04.