Women’s cross country wins NCAA Midwest Regional Championships
UAA Champions. NCAA Midwest Regional Champions. NCAA Champions?
The third-ranked Washington University women’s cross country team won the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship in Oshkosh, Wis., on Saturday morning to secure an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship meet. Senior Tyler Mulkin led the Lady Bears with her third-place finish in 21:27 as Wash. U. placed four runners in the top 10. The men’s squad finished in seventh place with 227 points.
“I felt great the whole race,” said Mulkin. “But as soon as I finished, I turned around to see all of my teammates finish right behind me. It was truly a team performance.”
Senior Kate Pentak followed Mulkin with her fifth-place finish in 21:36, while fellow classmate Tricia Frisella placed ninth in a time of 21:53. Senior Lisa Sudmeier and freshman Taryn Surtees finished 10th and 14th with times of 21:54 and 21:57, respectively.
The squad totaled a team score of 41 points to secure its third-straight NCAA Regional victory.
“Our top-five spread was 30 seconds and our fifth-place finisher was 14th, which is totally unheard of,” said Mulkin. “We all had great days.”
On the men’s side, senior Jesse McDaniel led the Bears with his 17th-place finish in a time of 24:50. McDaniel, ranked eight among runners not associated with an NCAA qualifying team, must wait to hear whether he has been selected to run as an individual participant in the NCAA Championships.
Freshman Skyler Moots finished 41st overall with his time of 25:22, while senior Jeff Bayers crossed the finish line in 25:24, which was good for 46th place. Brandon Brown and Dave Spandorfer also scored for Wash. U. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse won the men’s competition with 70 points.
“The men’s team is young, and we have been battling injuries all season,” said Head Coach Jeff Stiles in a press release after the meet. “From the beginning of the year, guys I thought would be in the top-seven, I would say at least five of them have been injured. If we had been healthy, I think that we could have been on the edge of qualifying for nationals.”
The Lady Bears will attempt to win their first NCAA Championship, which is hosted by St. Olaf College, in Northfield, Minn. on Nov. 17. Last season, the women’s squad finished fourth in the national competition.
“If we ran like we did at regionals, we have a very, very good chance to win nationals,” said Mulkin. “You never know what’s going to happen, but we have really high hopes for next week.”
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