Meet Recap: 2024 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships

Champions were crowned on Saturday at the 2024 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships!

The meet was held at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.

From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: Meets & Results | USTFCCCA Scoreboard
Related: National Championships Central | Rankings & Polls Central

Top-ranked squads prevailed as titles went to the UW-La Crosse men for the first time since 2005 and the MIT women, which captured its first-ever crown.

Men’s 8k Race

Have yourself a day, UW-La Crosse!

The Eagles didn’t come to play at the NCAA DIII National Championships, winning the team title with an impressive 77 points. Brothers Grant and Aidan Matthai led the way for the team, placing third and fifth to earn All-American honors. Two other Eagles would earn All-American honors, placing 16th and 20th respectively. UW-La Crosse won the team title by 96 points, proving why the No. 1-ranked team is deserving of the national title.

Wartburg (173) had a strong race as well, taking home team runner-up honors. Led by sophomore Isaiah Hammerand, the Knights would cross the finish line with three All-Americans. This is the second time in three years the Knights have finished runner-up at the national meet after finishing runner-up to MIT in 2022.

Pomona-Pitzer (182) and UW-Whitewater (219) rounded out the podium. The defending champion Sagehens put up a strong fight for third, finishing just nine points behind Wartburg. Cameron Hatler and Quinn White packed together during the second-half of the race and finished eighth and 11th, respectively.

UW-Whitewater saw senior Christian Patzka put on an astounding kick to move from fourth to first in the final 1.5k of the race to finish in 24:01.6. This is his first national title after finishing runner-up two years in a row. Two other Warhawks earned All-American honors, with Gunner Schlender and Dan Anderson taking 12th and 22nd, respectively. UW-Whitewater was ranked No. 8 coming into the meet, so it’s safe to say they beat expectations.

Women’s 6k Race

MIT wins its first national title in program history!

The Engineers led from the gun. After falling to second at the 5k mark, they were able to rise up and take back the lead. MIT won the team title with 128 points, narrowly beating UChicago, which placed runner-up with 138 points.

MIT placed its top-3 in the top-40, solidifying them as All-Americans. Junior Kate Sanderson led the charge for the Engineers, placing 16th in a time of 21:26.2.

UChicago had four runners earn All-American status, helping the Maroons finish runner-up. Senior Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel stuck with the front pack for the entire race, finishing fifth in a time of 21:09.9.

The final two podium teams were Williams and NYU. The Ephs upset their No. 6 ranking coming into the meet, holding onto third place throughout the entire race. Kate Tuttle was the first freshman across the line, finishing in eighth with a time of 21:12.9. The Violets had a strong showing as well, moving up two places after the first kilometer. Junior Janie Cooper and sophomore Lucy Gott were the two All-Americans for NYU.

Faith Duncan of Wilmington (Ohio) dominated the race from the start and took home the individual title in a time of 20:16.5. Duncan won by 41.7 seconds, dominating the entire field.

Vassar’s Haley Schoenegge finished runner-up in a time of 20:58.2. Penelope Greene (SUNY Geneseo), Jules Bleskoski (RPI), and Battleson-Gunkel rounded out the top-5 in the individual field.