LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Palm Beach Atlantic women's cross country team has clinched their first National berth in program history after a stellar finish in the NCAA South Region Championship meet earlier this morning. The 'Fish ended the meet in second place out of 16 teams in the DII South Region. 

Reigning Sunshine State Conference Runner of the Year Madelyn Rodriguez led the way for PBA in this meet. She earned another top five finish with a time of 21:41. All-SSC runner Laura Georgelin was not far behind her, earning a ninth place finish with a time of 21:52. Johanna Wistokat from Christian Brothers University took home the South Region individual trophy, crossing the finish line at 21:21. Lee University swept the championships this morning, earning the overall team win after their men's team earned themselves a win previously. 

The top three teams in this championship meet clinch a berth to the NCAA DII National meet held in Seattle. In addition to Lee and PBA, fellow SSC member Tampa will be competing in Nationals. 

For PBA, reigning SSC individual champion Dune Costes finished in 12th place,  Allison Seng finished in 18th place, and Sadie Nordmeyer ended her race in 40th place to cap off another dominant outing for the Sailfish. 

PBA will now prepare to head to Seattle for the DII National Meet.