Emily Konkus is a senior athlete on Washington University’s women’s cross country team. Konkus serves as one of the co-captains of the team, and was the highest-place finisher for the team at the UAA Championships — one of many collegiate career highlights for the athlete.

WashU’s men’s cross country team and women’s cross country team kicked off the first UAA conference championships of the fall, building anticipation for further postseason competition.

The No. 14 WashU men finished behind only No. 1 Wartburg College and upset rival No. 9 North Central College, in their best team performance of the year, while the No. 4 women came in second to No. 3 Wartburg and ahead of No. 7 University of Chicago.

Head coach Jeff Stiles had nothing but praise for both of the teams after their thorough wins, commending their performance as “phenomenal.” 

In the days leading up to the championship, Student Life interviewed graduate student Kiera Olson, who has been one of several key scorers for the Bears this fall.

Despite often flying under the radar, WashU’s men’s and women’s cross country teams have been the school’s most consistent teams in recent years.

Without in-person competitions to justify pushing themselves to their limit every day, Washington University cross-country head coach Jeff Stiles has used virtual meets to give athletes an opportunity to run a personal best. 

In front of a Louisville, Ky. crowd that featured 100 Washington University student athletes and at least 50 alumni, the cross country team capped its season with two final four finishes in the national championships on Saturday, as the No. 1 women’s team came second and the No. 10 men’s team finished fourth.

Over the last five years, the following has become nearly habitual for the No. 2 Washington University women’s cross country team: They go to University Athletic Association (UAA) championships, they win UAA championships and they come home from UAA championships.

The women defeated two-time defending champion Johns Hopkins by a single point to capture the second NCAA championship in program history. Junior Paige Lawler, graduate student Wayne, junior Sophie Watterson, senior Lisa Gorham and senior Molly Shepherd composed the group that brought the title back to Wash. U.