MEQUON, Wis. – The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) officially announced the qualifiers for the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Championships on Sunday afternoon, and Concordia University Wisconsin junior Emma Ahrens has earned her spot among the nation's elite.

Ahrens qualifies as an individual for the first time in her career, adding her name to a select group of CUW runners to reach the national stage. She becomes the fifth athlete in program history to compete at the NCAA Championships, joining Amanda Kuca (2003, 2004, 2005) and Ainara Sainz de Rozas (2024).

"It is still so surreal to me," said Ahrens. "It's been a dream that I've been working toward for years. Everyone around me has played a role leading up to this moment, and it has been incredible to reflect and share this journey with them."

Ahrens, a junior from Stephens City, Virginia, secured her bid on Saturday by finishing eighth at the NCAA North Region Championships, earning All-Region honors with a personal-best time of 22:06.2. She was one of 70 individual qualifiers selected for the national field.

The 2025 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships are set for November 22 at the Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The women's 6,000-meter national championship race is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. ET.