Payoff has arrived for the American Athletic Conference champion SMU Mustangs cross country team, which qualified for the NCAA Championships in Waco Friday.

This is the first time since 2009 that SMU will be represented iat the national championship, and it was not an easy road to qualify for, having been matched up against 19 other schools in the South Central Regionals.

SMU placed second in a stacked field that included the likes of regional champion University of Arkansas, University of Texas, Texas A&M; University and Baylor University.

“It was a team effort today,” Head Coach Cathy Casey said to SMU Athletics. “We knew we had it in us, we just had to go out there and prove it.”

Barely edging out the Aggies, SMU cemented its spot with a great run by sophomore Tova Magnusson’s 20:49.7 time in the 6K race, good enough for 12th place in the field of 140.

Other standouts include first-years Agnes Sjostrom’s 21:10.4, and sophomore Shanoah Souza’s 21:15.6, earning them 21st and 23rd place respectively.

“I was really proud of all our athletes,” Casey said. “This was our goal all season and to achieve it makes me really proud.”

Coach Casey and her team will hope to make their mark again in Terre Haute, Ind. Saturday when they have a shot at turning this great season into a dream season.