VERONA, Wisc. — Junior Vera Sjöberg represented the Boston University cross country team at the 2024 NCAA Cross Country National Championships on Saturday, placing 42nd of 255 runners at the meet.

The Stockholm, Sweden native finished the 6K at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in 20:05.0, and her 42nd-place finish was just .4 seconds away from earning All-America status. It's the best finish a Terrier has had at the NCAA Championship meet since 2008, when Andrea Walkonen took 27^th at the race in Terre Haute, Indiana.

In a crowded field, Sjöberg opened the first kilometer in 123^rd, but moved up in each successive kilometer, eventually reaching 42^nd at the finish line of the 6K course.

Sjöberg was the only runner from the Patriot League to qualify for the championship meet after finishing seventh at the NCAA Northeast Regionals. She was the first Terrier to race in the meet since Andrea Claeson raced to a 161^st-place finish at Oklahoma State in 2021.

Now she moves onto the indoor track & field season and gears up for the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Track & Tennis Center.