CALIFORNIA (Nov. 21) – California (PA) junior Jonathan Thrush will be competing at the 2024 NCAA National Championships on Saturday, Nov. 23, at Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento, California.

Thrush earned an individual qualifier for the NCAA National Championships for the second time in his career. He will be competing in a field of 350-plus runners over the 10,000-meter race with the top-40 finishers earning All-America honors.

A 5-foot-10 junior, Thrush placed ninth overall at the NCAA Atlantic Region Championships on Nov. 9 to become the first men's cross country runner to earn multiple individual qualifiers since Aaron Dinzeo accomplished the feat three times from 2011-14. He also finished in 11th place at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships on Oct. 26 while racing for the first time in six weeks.

Thrush previously competed at the 2022 NCAA National Championships, which were held 40 miles south of Seattle as part of the NCAA Division II Festival. The Cal cross country program – men's and women's – will be represented at the NCAA National Championships for the 10th time in the last 16 years. The Vulcans have featured seven different individual qualifiers and three team qualifiers during that span.

The race is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. EST and the field returns seven of the top-10 runners from last season, including defending-national champion William Amponsah of West Texas A&M. Amponsah also won the 10,000 meters at last spring's NCAA Championships.