WESTFIELD – MIT, the No. 1-ranked team nationally, placed four runners in the top 12 to capture the New England Division III Women’s Cross Country Regional championship Saturday at Stanley Park.
MIT scored 58 points, followed by NESCAC rivals Williams (75) and Middlebury (89). Bates finished fourth with 145 points and Amherst was fifth with 190 points.
MIT and Williams teams earned automatic berths to next Saturday’s NCAA national championships and Middlebury, Bates and Amherst are strong contenders to receive invitations to the NCAA meet.
MIT was led by Elaine McVay (5th, 21:43.53), Brooke Johnson (8th, 21:48.09), Nicole Zeinstra (10th, 22:00.08), and Katilin Allen (12th, 22:04.09.). Martina de Geus also earned All-New England honors for MIT by placing 23rd.
Senior Keri Lambert of Amherst College crossed the finish line first in 20:48.94 on the 6,000 meters course. Middlebury’s Addie Tousley (21:07.13) finished second followed by Williams’ Kaleigh Kenny (21:29.91) and Adrienne Straight (21:38.10).
MIT’s strength up front was too much as Williams’ third best runner – Brianne Mirecki – placed 17th and Middlebury’s second best runner – Lucy Whipps – finished 13th.
The Westfield State women finished 14th for the second straight season led by sophomore Amy Trainque, who earned All-New England honors by placing 26th with a personal best time of 22:18.48. She finished 38th during her freshman year.
“Amy ran well,” said Westfield head coach Bill Devine. “Coming out of the woods she was in the 30s (places) but she finished strong.”
Senior Rachael Cardin finished 76th for the Owls, followed by freshman Ashlynne Xiarhos (95th) and sophomore Victoria VanAlstine-Tauer (107th).
A total of 366 runners and 51 full teams ran in the regional.
MEN CRACK TOP 20: Middlebury College placed five runners in the top 26 to edge NESCAC rivals Bowdoin, Bates, Williams and Tufts for the team championship in the hotly contested New England Division III Men’s Cross Country Regional at Stanley Park on Saturday, Nov. 10.
Middlebury scored 91 points to nudge Bowdoin (101), Bates (105), Williams (113) and Tufts (114) for the team title. The top two teams automatically advance to the NCAA national championships and the other three squads are strong contenders to earn national berths.
Senior Jacks Davies placed a close third with a time of 24:51.56 on the 8,000 meters course to lead Middlebury. Davies was edged in an exciting finish by the Bowdoin junior tandem of Coby Horowitz (24:51.36) and Samuel Seekins (24:51.45).
Nate Sans and Patrick Hebble placed 18th and 19th, respectively, for Middlebury, while their teammates Kevin Wood (25th) and Greg Krathwohol (26th) rounded out the scoring and earned All-New England honors by placing in the top 35.
Middlebury’s depth up front was the key as Bowdoin’s third thru fifth runners finished 20th, 37th, and 41st. Bates placed four runners in the top 23 and five in the top 32 but its top individual was Mike Martin, who placed 12th in 25:11.21.
A total of 351 runners and 50 full teams ran in the regionals. Westfield placed 19th led by senior Anthony Frissora (93rd place), freshman Tim Shea (108th), and freshman Justin Connolly (115th).
