Behind junior Kevin Sparks, the Washington University men’s cross-country team placed fifth at the Division III NCAA Championships Saturday in Terre Haute, Ind., marking its fourth straight top 10 national finish. Sparks finished fourth among 280 runners to claim men’s All-America honors. He completed the 8K course in 24.37.00.

Saturday afternoon saw no thunderstorms like the last time the Washington University cross-country team raced in Oshkosh, Wis., yet the day was bittersweet. With a third-place finish, the men’s team advanced to this Saturday’s NCAA championships in Terre Haute, Ind.

Two individual titles and one team title highlighted the Washington University cross-country program’s performance at the University Athletic Association Championship Saturday in Rochester, N.Y. Junior Kevin Sparks finished first overall and led the men’s team to its third consecutive conference championship.

Heavy rain and lightning may not seem conducive to long-distance running, but facing those conditions Saturday in Oskhosh, Wis., the Washington University cross-country team scored a breakthrough performance. Sophomore Lucy Cheadle finished third out of 500 runners on the women’s side, and five Wash. U.

Racing against a field full of state schools in Saturday’s Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic may have pushed the Washington University cross-country teams out of their normal top-three perch, but it also provided the experience of racing against elite competition. As one of nine non-Division I squads in a pool of 31, the No.

Washington University cross-country head coach Jeff Stiles has referred to the 2011 cross-country team as “the best team in school history.” And with the women’s team winning its first national championship ever and the men’s team finishing in third place at nationals, it’s tough to argue with that assessment. So how do they follow that up in 2012?

The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named Washington University cross-country head coach Jeff Stiles the 2011 Division III Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year last week.

One year ago, the women’s cross-country team was thrilled just to be on the podium. Coming into the NCAA championship meet as the nation’s eighth-ranked team, the Bears leapfrogged over supposedly superior teams to finish second overall.

The Washington University women’s cross country team won an NCAA Division III National Championship for the first time in program history on Saturday, while the men’s team finished a best-ever third place.

By finishing in the top two of their respective races at the NCAA Midwest Regional Saturday, the Washington University men’s and women’s cross-country teams clinched berths in the NCAA championship meet on Nov. 19. The No. 2 women’s team cruised to first place in a field of 38 on the 6K course in Rock Island, Ill. Seniors Erica Jackey and Liz Phillips (21:53.