INDIANAPOLIS -- Bates men's cross country received the 10th team invitation to the NCAA Division III Championships in program history on Sunday, a day after placing fourth at the NCAA East Regionals. 

In his first season as a head coach, Curtis Johnson and the Bobcats will compete for the national championship this Saturday at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky. 

For the third straight season, and for the fourth time ever, Bates' women's and men's teams both received at-large invitations. The men's race will begin at 11am Eastern, followed by the women's race at noon. Spalding University and the Louisville Sports Commission are hosting the championships.

Although this is Bates' third straight trip to nationals, only two NCAA Championship veterans will be racing, in senior Jackson Donahue (Princeton, N.J.) and junior Eli Boesch Dining (Concord, N.H.). Donahue has led Bates in every race this season, picking up All-NESCAC and All-Region honors along the way. Boesch Dining, consistently one of Bates' top two or three runners throughout his two seasons as a Bobcat, was unable to finish yesterday's race due to illness but will also make the trip. 

Bates will also be represented by, listed in order of their finish yesterday, sophomore Sam Kartsonis (Harriton, Pa.), sophomore Ned Farrington (Cohasset, Mass.), junior Ryan Smith (Westport, Conn.), senior John Mieszczanski (Chelmsford, Mass.), and sophomore Victor Kering (Eldoret, Kenya). Sophomore Colin Thoman (Westport, N.Y.) will also join the team as the alternate.

Previous team trips to the Division III Championships netted the Bates men a 12th-place finish out of 39 teams in 1975; sixth place among 52 teams in 1977; 10th-place finish out of 24 teams in 1999; 19th place out of 24 in 2004; seventh place out of 32 in 2011; a program-best sixth place out of 32 in 2012; 24th place out of 32 in 2013; 26th place out of 32 in 2018; and 32nd place in 2019. No NCAA Championships were held in 2020 due to COVID-19.

A live webstream of the championships will occur on www.NCAA.com beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern until the conclusion of the awards ceremony.