WEEKEND REVIEW: 2019 NCAA DIII Cross Country Regional Championships

The hunt for automatic berths into the 2019 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships is on!

From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: NCAA DIII Regional Championships Central

By the end of the day, we’ll know which 32 teams (16 men’s and 16 women’s) earned a trip through the express lane to Louisville, Kentucky. That’s right: The top-2 men’s and women’s teams at each of the eight regional championship sites automatically advance to compete at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park next Saturday, November 23.

Keep reading below for our recap of one of the most exciting days of the year!

NOTE: Regions are listed alphabetically, not in sequential order of completion.

CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS

Men’s Story

No. 9 SUNY Geneseo returned to the top, winning with 30 points over defending champ No. 15 RPI (57). No. 23 St. Lawrence (136), No. 28 Ithaca (137) and No. 27 SUNY Oneonta (166) rounded out the top-5.

The Knights, whose three-year winning streak was snapped last year, placed four runners in the top-6, led by Sean McAneny, who was runner-up by less than a second to individual winner Noah Falasco of RPI (25:13.3).

Women’s Story

No. 8 SUNY Geneseo won its fifth-straight regional title with 68 points to hold off No. 14 RPI (83). No. 26 Ithaca (102), No. 20 Rochester (122) and No. 33 Vassar (168) rounded out the top-5.

The Knights were led by individual runner-up Genny Corcoran and won victory on the strength of its No. 4 and No. 5 runners, each the best in the field.

Parley Hannan of Ithaca won the individual title by seven seconds over Corcoran in 21:01.2.

CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS

Men’s Story

No. 7 Wartburg held off No. 19 Carleton down the stretch to win its second regional title in a row. The winning Knights totaled 52 points, compared the runner-up Knights’ 56 points.

Wartburg saw its advantage dwindle throughout the competition as it led by 139 points at the 1 mile split, 91 points at the 3K split, 34 points at the 5K split and just five points at the 4 mile split. Ultimately it was the strong running of its No. 4 and No. 5 runners that got the job done.

No. 26 St. Olaf was the clear third-place team, while No. 25 St. Thomas (Minn.) and RV Luther rounded out the top-5.

Matthew Wilkinson of Carleton won the individual title in 24:56.8, nearly 25 seconds ahead of runner-up Joe Freiburger of Wartburg.

Women’s Story

No. 6 Carleton led from the gun and was able to hold off No. 13 Wartburg to win its third regional title in a row. The winning Knights totaled 57 points compared to the runner-up Knights’ 59.

Depth proved critical for Carleton as it put five runners in the top-20. Amanda Mosborg and Clara Mayfield led the way in third place and fifth place, respectively.

It was a close race for third place between Loras and No. 16 St. Thomas (Minn.), but eventually the Duhawks flew to the spot with 125 points behind Kassie Rosenbum’s individual title. The Tommies finished with 129, while No. 24 St. Olaf rounded out the top-5 with 131 points.

CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS

Men’s Story

No. 11 Calvin won its fourth-straight regional title with 43 points over No. 15 Otterbein (64). No. 18 John Carroll (90), No. 20 Case Western Reserve (112) and Trine (162) rounded out the top-5.

The Knights were led by Jonathan Ellis and Tyler Johnson, whose 2-3 finish led all five scorers in the top-20.

Chase Hampton of Otterbein won the individual title 24:02.20, just a second ahead of Ellis.

Women’s Story

No. 21 John Carroll won its first regional title since at least 2005 in a nail-biter, turning back defending champ No. 23 Baldwin Wallace, 83-84. No. 12 Oberlin (110), No. 27 Hope (139) and No. 34 Allegheny (Pa.) (156) rounded out the top-5.

The Blue Streaks were led by Cameron Bujaucius, who finished third to top a 3-9-16-25-30 finish. Baldwin Wallace, led by fourth-place finisher Kelly Brennan, countered with a fivesome of 4-10-14-19-37.

Evie Bultemeyer of Trine won the individual title by 12 seconds in 20:58.12 over Micah Hanish of Allegheny.

CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS

Men’s Story

No. 4 Carnegie Mellon repeated as regional champions, holding off No. 6 Johns Hopkins, 55-76. No. 22 Haverford (120), Elizabethtown (129) and No. 32 Dickinson (213) rounded out the top-5.

The Tartans were led by Matthew Karee in fifth place, but followed with a tight 11-12-13-14 as no other squad could put as many as three in the top-15.

Patrick Watson of Stevenson moved up from third place last year to take the individual title by 16 seconds in 24:24.4 over Jared Pangallozzi of Johns Hopkins.

Women’s Story

No. 1 Johns Hopkins won its 12th-straight regional title with 88 points, as No. 5 Dickinson (98) followed close behind. No. 25 Carnegie Mellon (138), Haverford (162) and Swarthmore (200) finished out the top-5.

The Blue Jays were led by freshman Katharine Priu as Johns Hopkins finished with two in the top-4 but the only squad with all five scorers in the top-40.

Isabel Cardi of Dickinson dominated the individual race, winning top honors by over 50 seconds over Priu.

CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS

Men’s Story

North Central (Ill.) won its third regional title in a row – and its 11th in the past 12 years – thanks to a dominating performance at Lake Breeze Golf Club. The top-ranked Cardinals put six of their seven runners in the top-15 – and had a spread of just 22 seconds between their top-5 runners – as they totaled 47 points, 42 fewer than runner-up No. 13 UW-La Crosse.

The Eagles were a clear runner-up as No. 8 Washington (Mo.) finished 10 points behind them in third place. No. 10 UChicago ended up fourth and No. 31 UW-Stout rounded out the top-5.

Ryan Cutter of UChicago won the individual title in 24:31.6, a full four seconds ahead of David Fassbender of UW-Whitewater.

Women’s Story

No. 2 Washington (Mo.) cruised to its fifth regional title in the past six years behind Paige Lawler’s victory. Lawler gave the Bears the all-important low stick as they totaled just 37 points, 29 fewer than No. 7 UChicago.

WashU put six runners in the top-15 as Lawler crossed first in 21:53.0, 20 seconds ahead of runner-up Lexie Tremble of UW-Eau Claire. Lawler was joined in the top-10 by teammates Sophie Watterson (4th) and Katie Snodgrass (7th).

The Maroons were the clear runner-up in the team standings as they finished with 66 points. No. 15 UW-La Crosse (116), No. 11 UW-Eau Claire and No. 29 Wheaton (Ill.) (167) rounded out the top-5.

CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS

Men’s Story

No. 2 Williams won its first regional title since 2015 and made it look easy in the process. The Ephs put six runners in the top-10 as they totaled just 24 points, 69 fewer than surprise runner-up No. 24 Colby.

Aidan Ryan and Ryan Cox went 1-2 for Williams as the former finished in 24:51.56, nearly four full seconds ahead of the latter in 24:55.40. Kenneth Marshall (6th), Elias Lindgren (7th), Nick Gannon (8th) and William McGovern (9th) also finished in the top-10 for the Ephs.

Colby was the only other team with two runners in the top-10 and was rewarded with a huge upset. The Mules went 3-5-23-30-32 for 93 points.

No. 12 MIT (107), No. 17 Amherst (137) and No. 28 Bates (167) rounded out the top-5 teams.

Women’s Story

No. 4 Williams won its first regional title since 2015 in a top-5 battle against No. 3 MIT. The Ephs pulled away late to score 64 points, 20 fewer than the runner-up Engineers.

Williams didn’t have a runner in the top-5, but put three in the top-10: Eva Borton finished eighth, Sarah Tully finished ninth and Brianna Bourne took home 10th place.

MIT was led by individual champion Izzi Gengaro, who won by one second over Danielle Page of Tufts. Gengaro crossed the finish line in 21:19.10.

Speaking of the ninth-ranked Jumbos, they finished third in the team standings with 156 points, while No. 18 Bates (176) and No. 22 Middlebury (209) rounded out the top-5.

CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS

Men’s Story

No. 30 Emory won its first regional title since 2015, scoring 41 points to beat No. 14 Berea (Ky.) by 53 points. Washington and Lee (116), Lynchburg (139) and Rhodes (188) rounded out the top-5.

The Eagles made quick work of the competition as they put four runners in the top-11, led by individual champion Jack Whetstone. It was a convincing victory for Whetstone as he won by more than 16 seconds over Maximillian Sparks of Lynchburg.

Women’s Story

No. 19 Washington and Lee captured its first regional title since at least 2005, scoring 36 points, 49 fewer than runner-up No. 28 Emory. No. 35 Centre (101), Trinity (Texas) (160) and Christopher Newport (217) rounded out the top-5.

The Generals were led by Sara Stephenson and Katie Harris, who finished second and third, respectively, behind individual champion Anna Wilgenbusch of Dallas. Katie Bearup also finished in the top-10 individually for Washington and Lee, placing eighth.

CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS

Men’s Story

Pomona-Pitzer exacted some revenge to win its third regional title in a row. The fifth-ranked Sagehens handily defeated third-ranked rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, just a few weeks after they fell to them at the SCIAC Championships.

Ethan Widlansky led Pomona-Pitzer as he won the individual title in 25:00.7, nearly 14 seconds ahead of Tucker Cargile of Redlands. Widlansky wasn’t the only Sagehen in the top-10 as he was joined by Owen Keiser (6th), Hugo Ward (8th) and Ethan Ashby (10th).

No. 34 UC Santa Cruz finished in third place, while Occidental and Colorado College rounded out the top-5.

Women’s Story

No. 10 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps rolled to its third regional title in a row as it scored 52 points, 15 fewer than runner-up No. 17 Pomona-Pitzer. Occidental (106) finished third, while Redlands (132) and Whitman (170) rounded out the top-5.

The Athenas were paced by three runners in the top-10: Riley Harmon finished fourth, Abbey Johnson finished eighth and Olivia Gleason took 10th place.

Whitney Rich of Whitman won the individual title in 21:12.0, 17 seconds ahead of Lila Cardillo of Pomona-Pitzer.