TWO Worcestershire athletes have been picked to represent British Athletics at the European Cross Country Championships later this month.

Jenny Nesbitt and Alice Wright are in the under 23 women’s squad who will be competing at Hyères in France on December 13.

Worcester Athletic Club’s David Walker coaches the pair who have been named in a 36-strong squad.

Nesbitt, 20, is a sports and social science student at the University of Bath.

It continues a remarkable return to competition for Nesbitt, who was a UK champion at under 17 level but had her career put on hold for two years after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP).

Nesbitt fought back to fitness and, after beating Paula Radcliffe in the 2014 Worcester City 10k, was a reserve for last year’s European Cross Country Championships.

She claimed her first senior victory at the British Athletics Cross Challenge in March and was third in the women’s race at the Worcester City 10k after beating her time from last year.

Nesbitt booked her place in the British squad with a fine performance at the European Trials in Liverpool, finishing 21st in 28:47.

Wright has just guided the University of New Mexico to an historic maiden National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women’s cross-country title in Kentucky, USA.

The 21-year-old was fifth in the women’s race and led a quartet of Brits representing New Mexico’s Lobos team in Division One.

Wright, in her third year studying at the Albuquerque-based university, finished in 19 minutes 53.15 seconds as the Lobos blew past their rivals to tally just 49 points — the lowest since 1982.

Wright, who is from Abberley, has had an excellent year, winning a bronze medal during the summer’s European Under 23 Championships.