2025 D3 XC Regional Preview
The 2025 D3 XC Regional Preview is here! We put together some of D3GD’s brightest minds to bring you over 15k words about regional championships all around the country. All ten regions are covered! Ctl + F to find your favorite region, or just read the whole thing while you head to the course.
East Region
Hopkinton, NH / Hopkinton State Fairgrounds
Men’s Race: 11AM ET
Women’s Race: 12PM ET
Men’s Preview
Matchups are not convoluted in the East Region: #4 Tufts and #8 MIT hope to put each other in the dirt for the one coveted Automatic Qualifier (AQ) place. An at-large bid for the second team is all but guaranteed, but it would sure be nice to take the bragging rights and momentum leading into the NCAA meet. Two tiers down, #32 Bates and Colby (the latter unranked but a probable #33 if we did extend the rankings) are absolutely stoked about the even divide of the NESCAC teams into the East and Mid-East regions. Two weeks ago they ran well enough but were still relatively trounced in the NESCAC, placing 6th and 7th out of 11. Those places wouldn’t fly in a regional meet. Lucky for them they are now the 3rd and 4th ranked teams in the East region, with the 2-5 placing NESCAC teams (Williams / Amherst / Wesleyan / Middlebury) off to the Mideast. They stand a fighting chance. Since they were only 10 points apart at NESCACs, it’s truly just them, their merits and their courage that will deliver either of these teams an at-large bid. And depending on how they run and the whims of the USTFCCCA selection committee, WPI could either be the first team out or out by several places, barring something special from them this Saturday.
I wanted to start with #8 MIT because even though the NEWMAC isn’t as strong as the NESCAC, going 1-2-3 is awesome at any conference. Tim Neumann (Sr.), Yichen Sun (Jr.) and Renne Cooper (So.) cleaned house. More impressive yet, those three were only separated by 6 seconds, and put 18 seconds on the entire rest of the conference except for WPI standout Everett Mosher (Sr.), who couldn’t break the trio but hung on for a second off third place. The MIT three have traded places throughout the season and on Saturday their order doesn’t matter, their overall spread does: to stand a chance of grabbing the title they have got to collectively push down Tufts’ 3-4-5 scorers. MIT has excellent depth: their 8th man was ahead of every other NEWMAC team’s 2nd two weeks ago. This is both a strength, and complicating. Freshmen Sam Hansen and Dylan Fiegener burst on the scene at NEWMACs as their 5th and 6th scorers. If they put Hansen, Fiegener, and Jacob Cobb (Sr.) in at regionals, they still leave 3 runners off the squad who ran 25:05-25:12 at Conn. Who to put faith in?
#4 Tufts can go man for man with MIT’s three, and as it currently looks, put 5 solidly ahead of MIT’s 4th. Two weeks ago they gave the entire NESCAC, perhaps the strongest conference in D3, a colossal smacking. Jonah Reisner (Jr.) has been back in a big way after resting at Conn and led 5 Jumbos in the top 11. (Notable: Reisner sat out at Conn College, and Tufts still placed 2nd barely behind #3 Johns Hopkins.) Harris Gulbransen (Jr.), Cullen McCaleb (Sr.), and Calvin Cummings (Sr.) were lights out and pushed #7 Williams’ 2nd man down to 8th place, and Amokrane Aouchiche (Sr.) sealed the deal in 11th. That’s a top 5 that can compete with just about anyone. In particular, senior McCaleb deserves recognition for the senior campaign he’s having and for lifting the team up to this caliber; he never placed higher than 61st at XC NESCACs. He was just 6th two weekends ago. Tufts looks incredibly strong right now, and so the only puzzle I don’t quite understand with them is how they beat #7 Williams soundly at conference AND at Conn, yet lost in a squeaker to them at their meet before Conn, the KSC Invitational. It appears both teams ran mostly full squads there. (Getting into the weeds: Williams’ #2 at KSC was Rick Yanashita (Sr.) and he did NOT run NESCACs - but he did run Conn and was Williams’ #1 there, yet Tufts still smacked them. How did that happen at KSC?) Given MIT is the team ranked right behind Williams, it’s not unreasonable to postulate an upset by the smallest of margins happening again….
#32 Bates versus Colby is going to be a fantastic battle. This is when D3 is at its most fun and cutthroat. These are good, storied programs that have floated on the periphery of the rankings all season, and they will hoot, holler, and throw mud at each other for that 3rd place finish, which is several magnitudes more promising for an at-large selection than 4th. I would bet a laughably meager amount of money that this region and these two teams will be where the cutoff lies for USTFCCCA’s final at-large selections. It all depends on who shows up exactly when they need to. Colby beat Bates at Conn, but Bates beat Colby at NESCACs. Colby’s #1 Chris Gould (Sr.) barely won out over Bates’ #1 Nathaniel Aronson (So.) at NESCACs. Colby put 3 ahead of Bates’ 1 at Conn, but Bates worked together and put their 5th in front of Colby’s 3rd at conference. An absolute toss up. It will be said that based on their performances all season, Colby just had a really bad day at conference. But momentum is also a real thing, and Bates has a bit more.
Top 6 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (3)
1) Tufts (Q)
2) MIT (q)
3) Colby (q)
4) Bates
5) WPI
6) Babson
Individuals:
Tyler Bolaske (Keene State)
Everett Mosher (Sr. / WPI)
Nathaniel Aronson (Bates)
Seamus McDonough (Bowdoin)
Nick Yacoub (Babson)
Jack Crum (Bates)
Drew O’Reilly (WPI)
CB’s Predictions:
1- Jonah Reisner (Jr. / Tufts)
2- Yichen Sun (Jr. / MIT)
3- Harris Gulbransen (Jr. /Tufts)
4- Amokrane Aouchiche (Sr. / Tufts)
5- Renne Cooper (So. / MIT)
6- Tim Neumann (Sr. / MIT)
7- Cullen McCaleb Sr. / Tufts)
8 - Everett Mosher (Sr. / WPI)
9- Chris Gould (Sr. / Colby)
10 - Landon Hering (So. / MIT)
Women’s Preview
The class of the field, #2 MIT looks to cruise along with minimal stress and even less magnanimity for their opposition. What happened at the NEWMAC two weeks ago was nothing short of tyranny: the Engineers put 7 in the top 10 and scored 24 points. They have 7 runners firing on all cylinders, led consistently by seniors Kate Sanderson, Rujuta Sane, and Gillian Roeder. As half of the top heavy NESCAC teams head to the Mideast regional, I truly see few scenarios where this MIT three doesn’t all land in the top 5. And it’s quite possible Liv Girand (Jr.), their consistent #4, snags 5th overall. Lexi Fernandez (Sr.), absent from Conn, is another veteran that turned up the dial at conference and placed 4th for the team and 6th overall, ahead of Roeder. Variability within a team’s top runners with minimal impact to the overall scoring is a huge asset. It doesn’t quite matter who places where for them - all that’s probable is 5 Engineers in the top 10. A regional meet is not to be taken lightly, no matter how good you are. But MIT’s anxiety should be much lower than most heading into this weekend. They have the firepower and they have the experience - they won last year in a hotly contested race with Tufts, and they return literally everyone from that squad - the lone senior last year was Gillian Roeder and ope, she’s back for a 5th year. This team has bigger prizes ahead at NCAAs.
#19 Tufts, fourth at NESCAC’s two weeks ago and miraculously whisked away from the top 3 for this weekend, has one simple and reasonable mission: make sure they’re 2nd. MIT is probably too far ahead and #29 Bowdoin, though still nationally ranked, is a team that Tufts put 7 ahead of their 2nd at NESCACs. With little competition in their immediate vicinity, Tufts focuses on executing on the day and playing to their strengths. No qualms about their senior leader - Elizabeth Donahue (Sr.) has led the Jumbos every race this season. Just as notable, she has a history of running well at the East Region: 2nd overall last year. She leads a very young, jazzed group, many of which are running in the post-season for the first time. Deirdre Flanagan (So.) and Katya Henisz (Jr.) are a metronome 2 and 3 for Tufts; Samara McVey (So.) a strong 4th at Conn. Zui Chinchalkar (Fr.) came out of nowhere at NESCACs and placed 5th for them; Lexi Dean (Sr.) was a fantastic 3rd for the team earlier in the season at the KSC Invitational yet had an off day at conference. Zoe Margioles (So.) has been around 4th for the team this season, but has the experience to rise to the occasion at this meet as she was 8th overall and 2nd for Tufts last year here. So, even with some ambiguity as to their final lineup on Saturday, the core remains: a team with an experienced leader and a 1-7 spread averaging just over 40 seconds all season.
#29 Bowdoin arrives at the line fighting their own battle, against USTFCCCA and the selection committee. On Saturday they need to prove that they squarely earned 3rd place and deserve the 2nd at-large bid. One way they can do that is whittling the gap from their 1st to 5th; at Conn it was 1:19 and at NESCACs it was 1:18. Laura White (Fr.), the freshman frontrunner is learning on the go, but that hasn’t stopped her from consistently soaring 40 seconds ahead of the rest of her team. Something working in Bowdoin’s favor (pending on a 3rd place finish….) is that they stormed ahead of Brandeis, #30 St. Olaf, and #31 Coast Guard back at Conn. Not by much, but by enough: places matter. It means that if they can hold onto 3rd, it’s very probable they go. They have to fight off Brandeis and Colby: there was a time earlier in the season when both teams were ranked by D3GD. Brandeis in particular is a real threat to upset Bowdoin, as they came very close at Conn, and beat ranked St. Olaf and Coast Guard in the process, which could strengthen their case for nationals even with a fourth place finish. If Bowdoin fends off Brandeis, then all is well with these #29-32 ranked teams…. and IF Brandeis pulls off an upset, it may just totally mess up the others’ prospects, and send Brandeis comfortably to nationals.
While the NESCAC’s frontrunners are also the team leaders and will square up at the Mideast Region, the NEWMAC has two individuals that can put a sledgehammer to MIT’s imposing cohesion. Most notably, Yasmine Defne Dadikhi: (Sr. / Emerson) 9th at this meet last year, better than ever this year, and 3rd at NEWMACs putting a rift between MIT’s #1 Sanderson and #2 Sane. And in a quieter conference, Naomi Cass (Jr. / Bridgewater State) ran unopposed in the MASCAC and cleared everyone by 34 seconds. The point of reference for her prowess is that she put 11 seconds on Tufts’ #1 Donahue in their last matchup at Conn. With Cass 6th last year at the East region and sharper looking this time around, it’s a solid bet that she’ll at least match her last finish.
Top 6 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (4)
1) MIT (Q)
2) Tufts (q)
3) Bowdoin (q)
4) Brandeis (q)
5) Suffolk
6) Bates
Individuals:
Yasmine Defne Dadikhi (Emerson)
Naomi Cass (Bridgewater State)
Catherine Mongan (Colby)
Leah White (Bates)
Ella Whinney (Wellesley)
Sofia Moukaddem (Suffolk)
Emily Brydges (Wellesley)
CB’s Predictions:
1- Kate Sanderson (Sr. / MIT)
2- Yasmine Defne Dadikhi (Sr. / Emerson)
3- Gillian Roeder (Sr. / MIT)
4- Rujuta Sane (Sr. / MIT)
5- Naomi Cass (Jr. / Bridgewater State)
6- Liv Girand (Jr. / MIT)
7- Catherine Mongan (Jr. / Colby)
8- Leah White (Jr. / Bates)
9 - Elizabeth Donahue (Sr. / Tufts)
10 - Lexi Fernandez (Sr. / MIT)
Great Lakes Region
Louisville, KY / E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park
Men’s Race: 10AM ET
Women’s Race: 11AM ET
Bring your windbreakers in preparation for some Great Lakes gales. This is, of course, a joke since the Great Lakes championship will take place 265 miles away from the nearest Great Lake in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Great Lakes region is a historically competitive region, but appears to be in a bit of a rebuilding year in 2025, particularly on the men’s side. Known for producing the cross country national champion in three out of the past four years (Wilmington’s Faith Duncan on the women’s side in 2024 and JCU’s Alex Phillip on the men’s side in 2021 and 2022), this region is now focused on creating a new identity for itself–one that sees new programs like Hope men and Trine women stepping into the spotlight.
Men’s Preview
The men’s Great Lakes regional race is one in which truly anything can happen. No. 17 Hope is the only ranked team in this region with notable cross-region wins, which means a regional victory may be the only way to guarantee advancing to nationals. If any team beats Hope, there is a chance this region might advance more than one team to nationals, but beating Hope will prove to be a tall task.
Just two weekends ago, Hope took down men’s distance Goliaths Calvin at the MIAA championships, ending a 37-year winning streak that was the second longest ongoing streak in D3. Led by sophomore Logan Begeman, the Dutchmen loaded 12 athletes into the top 20, comfortably coming away with a 22-point-total victory, 44 points ahead of runners-up Trine. Look for Hope to display similar dominance this weekend in Louisville and be the favorites for the Great Lakes crown.
Behind Hope, there is no clear runner-up. Teams like Otterbein and Mount Union from the OAC, Case Western from the UAA, Rose-Hulman from the HCAC, Trine from the MIAA, and John Carroll from the NCAC have been swapping wins and losses all season long, making predictions tricky.
John Carroll, the Great Lakes regional victors from 2021-2023, posted a statement win two weekends ago in their first year in the NCAC, claiming the top three individual finishes with their trio of Nate Julien, Sam Su, and Ian Paul. The Blue Streaks have struggled in previous races this season, however, placing fifth at Oberlin behind regional competitors Case Western, Kenyon, and Baldwin Wallace, and fourth at Louisville behind former conference rivals Otterbein and Mount Union. If the JCU from conference lines up Saturday and you sprinkle in a little former OAC rivalry, we could see the former regional champs close to the top again.
Otterbein comes off of a strong conference victory at OACs, in which they buried rivals Mount Union and Baldwin Wallace with a 40-point-total victory. They perhaps come to the starting line with the best resume behind Hope, and have experience winning on this course from the Louisville Classic in early October. The only stain on their record is a 24th place finish at Augustana behind regional rivals Trine, Rose-Hulman, and Mount Union, but they did prove last weekend that they can put enough bodies in front of Mount Union to come out on top. Navigating a more crowded race efficiently will be key for the Cardinals.
Mount Union, on the other hand, will be seeking conference revenge, which could be enough to propel both teams to the top of the results. They smoked Trine on this course earlier in the year, but Trine responded at Augustana to come out as the top Great Lakes team behind Hope. Could Trine pull this off again?
The Rose-Hulman Engineers have had a somewhat quiet season against regionally ranked teams, but they come off of an HCAC victory to add to a sneaky list of other accomplishments this season. On interregional weekend, they beat Otterbein at Augustana, and at Paul Short, were 36 points ahead of Emory, who just beat Case Western at UAAs. Having proven that this team can run well in big races, don’t be surprised to see Rose-Hulman in the top 5. Case Western will put up a strong fight after a disappointing conference result and come to the fight with a victory against JCU at Oberlin to encourage them.
There are quite literally millions of possible outcomes for the top 10 teams in this men’s Great Lakes race, but we will leave that math to the statisticians. Though several teams come forth with strong resumes, almost all of them have also shown weakness. On the right day, up-and-coming teams like Kenyon and Baldwin Wallace have been scratching the surface of big-stage performances all year and could surprise many this weekend.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (1)
Hope (Q)
Otterbein
Trine
Rose-Hulman
Mount Union
With a high chance of only one team advancing, individual qualifiers will need to be as close to the front of this race as possible. The regional title could be anyone’s for the taking. Look for OAC champion and Great Lakes leader at Augustana Payne Ratliff of Otterbein, Oberlin runner-up Jacob Slater of Case Western, JCU NCAC-leading trio Julien, Su, and Paul, seventh place finisher at Louisville Classic Gavin Byerly of Manchester, and Paul Short regional leader Joshua Pohle of Rose-Hulman to make up the front pack with Hope leaders Begeman, Aiden Moore, and Carston Cole. Other names with strong seasons and notable wins this season are Mount Union’s Stephen Ulrich, Ohio Northern’s Jacob Clouse, Trine’s Blake Overmyer, and Baldwin Wallace’s Dillon Hach.
Individual qualifiers:
Payne Ratliff (Otterbein)
Jacob Slater (Case Western)
Gavin Byerly (Manchester)
Nate Julien (JCU)
Joshua Pohle (Rose-Hulman)
Stephen Ulrich (Mount Union)
Sam Su (JCU)
Women’s Preview
Compared to the men’s race, the women’s race will be deep with four ranked teams lining up: No. 7 Trine, No. 26 Hope, No. 27 Calvin, and No. 32 Ohio Wesleyan. Trine has been one of the highlights of the season (and has been one of Emily’s favorite picks from the beginning), continuing to impress as the stakes rise. They started October with a runner-up finish at Louisville amidst big-school talent, followed it up with a runner-up finish at Augustana ahead of (at the time) No. 7 UChicago, and, just two weekends ago, won the program’s first ever MIAA conference title. They will be the favorites headed into the weekend, especially considering that the major teams they have to beat from this weekend are none other than MIAA competitors Hope and Calvin.
Trine is led by Sidney Swick, who could be a top-5 contender at nationals. Swick was the irrefutable MIAA champion, winning by almost 30 seconds over Hope’s Molly Durow. Before that, she was runner-up at Augustana behind RPI fourth-place XC All-American Jules Bleskoski, and before that, she was fourth on the same Louisville course as regionals amidst several D1 competitors. Swick will be the favorite for the regional crown this weekend. She will be joined by second low stick Bailey Puckett, who was third at MIAAs, 14th at Augustana, and 20th at Louisville and will be looking to stay as close to Swick as possible this weekend. Quartet Chloe Goodrich, Eleanor Young, Courtney Study, and Grace Dubsky will look to try to round out Trine’s scoring pack.
After the automatic qualifier, several teams have a case for an at-large bid, though many lack strong victories on their resumes to completely guarantee their spot at nationals. Earlier in the year, No. 26 Hope defeated North team No. 30 St. Olaf at Blugold, while No. 27 Calvin beat West region team No. 25 Santa Cruz, but these victories don’t necessarily guarantee a bid. A strong regional performance will be key for these teams to secure a trip to South Carolina.
Because of this matchup, this race might look like an MIAA rematch between Hope and Calvin in the hunt to solidify their spot at nationals. Calvin beat Hope at Augustana, but Hope responded with a narrow one-point victory at MIAAs. Durow was a valuable low stick for Hope at conference, and the trio of Mary England, Taylor Mitchell, and Dylan Ballin were the finishing touches with their 11-13th place finishes. Calvin has a not-so-secret weapon in steeplechase national champion and low stick Sophie Bull and will need to get their fourth and fifth runners closer to Hope’s if they want a shot at beating them this weekend.
The question then becomes: can anyone break up these three MIAA teams? Ohio Wesleyan moved to No. 32 after conference following their first-in-history NCAC title to knock off No. 30 DePauw. At Augustana, DePauw tied scores with Hope, narrowly losing in a tiebreaker. Their performance indicated they have what it takes to hang up front, though they struggled to replicate this showing at conference. John Carroll took second to OWU at NCACs and beat DePauw twice in the month of October: once at Louisville and again at conference. If DePauw can race with Hope, and JCU can beat DePauw but not OWU, do both JCU and OWU have a shot at Hope? If so, only one of these teams is likely to make a case for nationals. OWU’s conference victory makes a case for a fringe spot at nationals should they be able to replicate their performance, especially if they can beat either Hope or Calvin. However, a 17th place finish at Conn College where they beat zero ranked teams does not help them much.
Enter: Case Western. Though they come off of a somewhat disappointing 7th place finish at UAAs, they beat JCU (who beat DePauw, who tied Hope) at Oberlin on interregional weekend. With the UAA being one of the most competitive conferences in the country and having built in cross-regional competition, Case Western’s loss to Brandeis does not necessarily diminish their merit. They were eight points behind Brandeis, who beat No. 23 Amherst, No. 30 St. Olaf, and No. 31 Coast Guard at Conn College. If Brandeis goes from the East and Case can put some separation on their Great Lakes foes, they could just catch a ride to nationals. They’ve been running all year until UAAs without Lauren Iagnemma, who was fourth at regionals and 36th at nationals last year. Though Iagnemma’s 64th place finish at UAAs was modest, two more weeks of focused training and her veteran experience could help her propel the Spartans toward Spartanburg.
Does your head hurt yet? Ours does, too. What you really need to know is that the outcome at this regional meet will be paramount to teams making it to nationals. There is no going back now, only forward, and the better a team executes this coming weekend, the better their odds.
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (4)
Trine (Q)
Hope (q)
Calvin (q)
Case Western (q)
OWU
If I were an individual trying to make it to nationals out of this region (which I was at some point in time), I would not count on four teams making it with such a competitive team lineup from second to seventh place. I would park myself in the top seven individuals and hang on. Obviously the more teams that make it, the deeper the committee will go with individuals. Aside from frontrunners of the above teams like Trine’s Swick and Puckett, Hope’s Durow, Calvin’s Bull, and OWU’s Zoe Ward, look out for several individuals with lots of momentum from this season heading into this weekend.
Mount Union’s Savannah Dennison just won OAC champs and was 15th at Louisville Classic, Kenyon’s Anna Brown comes off of an NCAC runner-up finish and was third at Oberlin, Chesnee Miller of Manchester was HCAC champ and 8th place at Oberlin, and Wittenberg’s Maddi Clark and Emma Hawk were 22nd on this course at the Louisville Classic and fourth at conference, respectively. Look for names from last year like Centre’s Sophie Bouldin (seventh) and Case Western’s Iagnemma (fourth) to bring their experience with them this weekend, too.
Individual qualifiers:
Zoe Ward (OWU)
Savannah Dennison (Mount Union)
Anna Brown (Kenyon)
Chesnee Miller (Manchester)
Maddi Clark (Wittenberg)
Gracie West (Centre)
Sophie Bouldin (Centre)
Metro
Logan Township, NJ / DREAM Park
Men’s Race: 11AM ET
Women’s Race: 12PM ET
The goal is simple.
Win and you’re in.
With an autoqualifying spot on the line to represent the Metro Region at the big dance, expect fireworks. The Metro is gonna be boomin’.
On the men’s side TCNJ will look for their first national bid since 2016 but face a Haverford team looking to get back to the top step of the region after losing their streak of national appearances broken last year. The reigning champions Moravian Greyhound DAWGS are rounding into form though and they aren’t going down without a fight, and Swarthmore’s mid-season dominance makes this battle extra interesting.
On the women’s side, it’s the same question from last year. Will there be a FIFTH unique champion on the women’s side this year? The reigning champs Rowan will be hoping the streak stops at four as they look to retain their title and book their trip to South Carolina. Swarthmore heads into this weekend with hopes of this being yes as they’ll fight for their first nationals bid in team history. 2023 Champions TCNJ will look to reclaim the top spot of the Metro after a close championship race last year. In a region where 1-3 was separated by just 18 points, the path is going to be tough!
Men’s Preview
Until conference weekend, Swarthmore was leading the men’s metro region in wins. They were the leading team in the Paul Short white race and at Rowan on interregional weekend, but fell to Haverford with their third place finish at Centennials. Led by duo Matthew Fleming and Cohen Manges, this team’s strength is in their pack. Though Haverford put two in front of their one at Rowan, it was Swarthmore’s 1-4 between Haverford’s 2 and three that really gave them the advantage. Their fifth was just close enough to seal the deal. With no majorly low sticks, keeping this pack tight and getting their frontrunners closer to Haverford’s will be key, as this was their biggest challenge at conference. They could run into similar challenges with this race being larger, but less competitive up front than a race like Paul Short.
If we’re going by recency, Haverford comes in with some good momentum. Though they struggled in the middle of the season at Paul Short and Rowan, they turned up the heat at conference to beat Swarthmore by 11 points. They have a veteran and a rookie leading them up front with senior Micah Lachman and freshman Simon Lane, and the key to a Haverford victory will be what happens after this duo. Their spread improved from 1:41 at Rowan to 68 seconds at conference, but that big of a gap could be a liability on the big stage. They will need to replicate their conference performance and then some to secure the AQ.
No. 30 TCNJ turned heads at Conn College when they beat ranked West coast team CMS by a sizable 35-point margin. They carried this momentum into conference weekend, when they captured an NJAC title in dominating fashion with seven athletes in the top 10. They were led by Brandon Chen, who took the NJAC individual title in 24:56. Look for Chen to contend for the regional title as well, as he led the Metro at Conn with his 25th place finish. TCNJ’s strength lies in their pack, particularly in their 3-6 runners, who poured across the finish line in just 21 seconds at conference. They struggled at Paul Short, allowing 1:23 to elapse from 1-5, but Chen also had an off race, fading to their fifth scorer. Propelling Chen higher up in the race would have knocked almost 200 points off of their score, but it still would not have been enough to catch Swarthmore. Assuming Chen runs like he did at conference, the battle between the Lions and the Swarthmore Garnets is going to come down to single points. Every place matters.
Moravian won this region last year, but lost a handful of valuable seniors. Still, now-seniors Cole Frank and Bryan Kerchner stepped up at Landmarks to help them comfortably win the conference title. So far this year, Moravian has beaten Rowan, Haverford, and TCNJ (though not Swarthmore) at Paul Shot, and they finished seventh at Rowan where the difference between third place Haverford and seventh place Moravian was just 8 points. Expect this weekend’s results to be just as close. Moravian will be determined to be back ahead of Haverford and defend their spot as regional champs.
Rowan is the other team to watch in this race. Though consistently showing separation behind the above teams, they have also managed to build up some separation from the rest of their metro competitors. Look for them to round out the top five.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (1)
TCNJ (Q)
Swarthmore
Haverford
Moravian
Rowan
In the individual race, expect a duel between TCNJ’s Chen and Haverford’s Lachman. Rowan’s Matthew Conway was not far behind Chen at conference, and Moravian’s Frank was seconds off the win at Landmark. Watch for these athletes to be in the front pack, knowing every place counts in a region where it’s likely only one team advances. They will be joined by several others having standout seasons:
Individuals:
Micah Lachman (Haverford)
Matthew Conway (Rowan)
Cole Frank (Moravian)
Simon Lane (Haverford)
Bryan Kerchner (Moravian)
Matthew Fleming (Swarthmore)
Joey Wilson (DeSales)
Women’s Preview
It’s set to be a tight battle for this year’s automatic qualifier this weekend. This region has been well acquainted with each other with plenty of action throughout the season. In a smaller regional stage the opportunity presents itself for teams to even the score a bit.
Rowan has been the team to beat this season. They’ve yet to lose to any regional rivals this season and can compete across a multitude of race situations. At Paul Short they finished 93 points clear of their closest regional rival. The Profs were victorious in a close dual at NJACs finishing 41-46 to TCNJ. Senior Gabriella Pagano has been battling with some of the best in the division, finishing ahead of All-Americans at Paul Short. Pagano should be at the head of this region but for Rowan to win this region they will need to keep their 2-5 split close.
NJAC rivals TCNJ have closed the gap in this Metro battle throughout the season. The Lions were just five points from claiming the title at NJACs. Led by junior Naesha Gadie, TCNJ’s strength lies with a combination of a low stick up front and a tight 2-5. 15 seconds separated their 2-5 at conference and a deeper field could prove to be what evens the score this weekend. This is a young squad that features three freshmen in their line up and are trending in the right direction. It’s going to be a close one.
Swarthmore will have aspirations of reaching the promised land this weekend. After a close battle with Rowan last year and tying a program best 2nd at the 2024 Metro Championships, this team will be fighting to earn their first national bid in program history. The battle plan for this team is good ol’ fashioned pack running. With a 38 second 1-5 split the fight for a national bid will be amongst the chase pack. While a lack of a true low stick may have them vulnerable in a place like Paul Short, a smaller arena could be just what this team needs to surprise some people.
The battle for top five in this region will be between Haverford, Stockton, and Moravian. Haverford has traded wins with Swarthmore, Stockton, and Moravian throughout the year. Stockton has kept it pretty close with Haverford throughout the year and is coming off a third place finish at NJACs. Both of these teams feature a pretty close 1-5 split and it could be a dual meet between them in the chase packs to see who comes out victorious. Moravian will have a front runner with Senior Tara Smurla. The Landmark Conference Champion will help the greyhounds a healthy amount with some low points up front but the key will be in the chase packs. If they can keep it close they could upset some teams.
Rowan (Q)
TCNJ
Swarthmore
Haverford
Stockton
Rowan’s Gabriella Pagano will look to carry the momentum of a fantastic season thus far into a regional title. She’s held her own with some of the best the division has to offer and has been on a different level this season. The defending regional champion Tara Smurla will have something to say this weekend as she takes the momentum of a Landmark Conference title into this weekend. A 34 second win is definitely something to give confidence as she faces a tough field up front.
Individual spots will be up for grabs as it may take finishing within the top 10 to get yourself a ticket to nationals. We’ll have plenty of teams representing on the individual front with Widener’s Kathryn Long, DeSales’s Ellie Kozich, Ramapo’s Dale Leonard, Ursinus’s Mia Sederis, and Montclair State’s Abigail Churchill amongst those looking to earn a trip to the national meet.
Individuals:
Tara Smurla (Moravian)
Dale Leonard (Ramapo)
Ellie Kozich (DeSales)
Naesha Gadie (TCNJ)
Kathryn Long (Widener)
Mia Sederis (Ursinus)
Abigail Churchill (Montclair St)
Mid-Atlantic Region
Newville, PA / Big Spring High School
Men’s Race: 11AM ET
Women’s Race: 12PM ET
Two years ago, the nation traveled to Big Spring High School in Pennsylvania to run up a killer hill toward a water tower in an epic battle toward D3 glory. This year, the Mid-Atlantic regional championships will be held on the same course. The headlining duel will be between Johns Hopkins and Carnegie Mellon on both sides, but there are several other programs steadily on the rise to watch out for in this region, too.
Men’s Preview
Johns Hopkins men, who have never made the national podium, are having arguably the best year in program history. Ranked No. 3 in the D3GD rankings, their season-long resume includes a runner-up finish at the D1 Virginia Invitational, a D3 best finish at Paul Short, a Conn College victory, and a Centennial conference title. They have not lost to a D3 program yet this year. Looking to maintain their winning streak under the leadership of national contender Emmanuel Leblond, the Blue Jays are in a great position heading into the weekend. Behind Leblond at conference, they packed eight athletes into 26 seconds, showcasing an incredible display of depth. The key this weekend will be to keep their packs tight in a larger race in their last big effort before nationals.
No. 16 Carnegie Mellon will look to punch their ticket this weekend as well and is sure to put themselves up front early. Third at UAAs and first at Rowan, the Tartans have already displayed that they are on a different level than the majority of their regional competitors. Led by 25th place All-American and three-time XC national qualifier Ryan Podnar, CMU will easily navigate the Pennsylvania hills they have become accustomed to in their final tune-up before the big dance.
Behind CMU, No. 22 Lebanon Valley is on a come-up that could surprise many this weekend. They were sixth at Paul Short ahead of (now) eighth ranked MIT, won the Aubrey Shenk Invitational on interregional weekend, and, just two weeks ago captured the MAC title. Led by Rory Lieberman, the MAC individual champion, the Flying Dutchmen had less than a minute separating their first and fifth scorer. Though a victory over Johns Hopkins may be out of reach, LVC is sure to have their sites on Carnegie Mellon, a regional weekend upset salivating in their mouths like dogs at the dinner table.
After that, the top five is somewhat open. Dickinson is perhaps the favorite for fourth after their 13th place finish at Paul Short many points ahead of Messiah. Messiah was MAC runner-up ahead of Misericordia and finished fourth at Rowan ahead of Salisbury. However, Salisbury was only three points back and will be on a mission following their runner up C2C finish two weeks ago in sunny-rather-than-snowy-like-the-east-coast California. It could be any team’s race, and the course’s challenging hills and backwoods will likely be a tactical factor.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (3)
Johns Hopkins (Q)
Carnegie Mellon (q)
Lebanon Valley (q)
Dickinson
Messiah
Leblond is the overwhelming favorite for the title and the question with almost 99% certainty becomes not if he will win but how hard the Hopkins standout will run. Look for CMU’s Podnar to either go with him or lead a chase pack with LVC’s Lieberman and Hopkins freshman Anthony Clark also in the mix. With the overwhelming majority of last year’s top finishers graduating seniors, look for new faces to rise to the top. Some names to follow include:
Individual predictions:
Louka Fetter (Messiah)
Trey Rhinehart (Misericordia)
Luke Knestout (Dickinson)
Dom Flitcraft (Washington & Jefferson)
Derick Blair (Susquehanna)
Derek Kendig (Elizabethtown)
Jack Sears (McDaniel)
Women’s Preview
Johns Hopkins women have a history of cross country excellence. They haven’t lost a regional title since 2007–perhaps before some freshmen on the team were even born–and in that time, they’ve also captured eight national titles as a program. Surely, they will have their sights on a title once more in 2025, but first, they must perform at regionals. Hot off of a perfect score at conference where they swept the top six places, the Blue Jays are rearing to go. Led most of the year by sophomore Carter Brotherton, this roster is packed with talent. Brotherton was a 25th-place All-American last year and is joined by fellow sophomore and conference runner-up Storrie Kulynych-Irvin, 3k All-American Adriana Catalano, and freshman standout Mia Kotler, who, according to Coach Van Allen, ran her best race of the year two weekends ago at conference before being directed the wrong way on the course with 600m to go on her way to the win. With course marshalls on their A-game for regionals, watch for Kotler to be on a mission to repeat her performance to help her team snag the auto qualifier.
The Blue Jays’ biggest threat to securing a 16th consecutive regional crown comes from No. 8 Carnegie Mellon, who has had a dominant and somewhat overshadowed season this year. CMU is fresh off of a UAA runner-up finish sandwiched between two national podium teams from 2024: NYU (UAA champs, 4th at nationals in 2024) and UChicago (3rd at UAAs, 2nd at nationals in 2024). Before that, the Tartans posted a sweeping victory at Rowan led by Chloe Bonson on interregional weekend and were second in the Paul Short white race behind NYU. In fact, NYU is the only program this team has lost to head-to-head all year, and they will be looking for reasons to keep it that way this weekend. Look for Bonson to be a contender for the regional victory following her UAA runner-up finish–Bonson has only lost two five other D3 athletes all year.
Behind these two standout teams, look for rallies from teams Lebanon Valley, Washington & Jefferson, and Geneva. Lebanon Valley had a great showing at Paul Short, placing 17th and well ahead of many of their regional competitors. Washington & Jefferson and Geneva both come off of their first ever conference titles from the PAC Championships after tying for first with 59 points, so watch for an intense and exciting rematch between these teams this coming weekend. Geneva has a strong leading duo in Hailey Carroll and Carmen Medvit.
May the strongest at the water tower persist!
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)
Johns Hopkins (Q)
Carnegie Mellon (q)
Lebanon Valley
Washington & Jefferson
Geneva
In the individual race, look for a pair or more of Blue Jays up front in Brotherton and Kotler as well as Bonson, who will want to put a Tartan on top of the podium. W&J’s Claire Anderson is a seasoned vet on this course, having run it for nationals in 2023 and won on it earlier this year at the Long-Short Invitational in September. Anderson was the regional champion last year and went on to become a 23rd-place All-American. Look for her to repeat this honor. Other potential individuals looking to punch their tickets include Misericordia freshman and MAC champion Madison Hedglin, Geneva duo Carroll and Medvit, PAC runner-up Grace Neubert of St. Vincent, C2C runner-up Anna Bodmer of Salisbury, and Dickinson home crowd favorite Liza Barbash.
Individual predictions:
Claire Anderson (Washington & Jefferson)
Hailey Carroll (Geneva)
Madison Hedglin (Misericordia)
Carmen Medvit (Geneva)
Anna Bodmer (Salisbury)
Grace Neubert (St. Vincent)
Liza Barbash (Dickinson)
Mideast Region
Canton, NY / Ronald Hoffmann Cross Country Course
Men’s Race: 11AM ET
Women’s Race: 12PM ET
If you’re old enough to remember this being the New England region, thank you for reading. If you didn’t realize the Mideast region took away another opportunity for cross country runners to say they ran for a New England liberal arts college, well I’m sorry to be delivering this news.
This year teams will head to St. Lawrence University to run on the Ronald C. Hoffmann Cross Country Course to earn their spot in the 2025 D3 XC National championship.
Men’s Preview
The Men get things started at 11am ET in a winner take all matchup. Win as a team and you’re heading to South Carolina.
Per the D3 Glory Days Rankings, here’s how the field stacks up:
7 - Williams
9 - RPI
12 - Amherst
25 - Wesleyan
26 - Middlebury
Team Preview
Williams has yet to lose to a team in the region so far this season. They had a close encounter with RPI at their Purple Valley invite earlier this year. Williams has been solid all year with a runner-up performance at NESCACs, fifth place at Conn College, and another Little 3 championship. Eli Welch’s sophomore breakout campaign has given a spark to the Ephs. Williams flashed greatness at the Conn College invite where they put three runners in the top 10, all within one second of each other. However, their four and five fell back into the 50s inflating their team score.
Consistency for the Ephs is what can propel them into the trophy conversation. This is a strong team that is relying on a group of sophomores to carry them. They have the experience from 2023 XC All-American, Nikhil DeNatale, to guide them. Their 1-5 split at NESCACs was 53s. If they can get into the 40s range their chances at taking the region are strong.
RPI has the depth and pack running to make a run at defending their Mideast regional title. They boasted a 35s split at Augustana Interregional while moving up through the field the entire race. RPI returns Jack Loughery, Justin Cascio, and Tobin Durham who all finished Top 10 last year. Bringing that type of experience to the line on Saturday should give a calming feeling to the rest of the team. One of those “you got it” nods to each other before the gun rings out. The depth of RPI fuels this team. They put 10 in the top 12 and 15 in the top 20 at the Liberty Leagues to cruise to a conference victory.
This team typically heads to Conn College to see where they stack up against their regional foes, but heading to Augustana this year gives them a mysterious vibe. Running in the Gold race at Paul Short didn’t give too much data as to how they could perform against this region. However, seeing their pack running bodes well for this team to try for a repeat. Their 14s split at Liberty Leagues should send a shiver down the spine of not just this region but the rest of the country. What RPI is missing this year is a front runner. Their No. 1 at Augustana finished 25th. If they can get their No. 1 in the top 10 and the pack follows, they’ll be hard to beat.
Amherst comes in a question mark. They looked incredible at Paul Short but have since rested some of their guys to make our lives difficult trying to figure out who this team is. Harrison Dow and Stan Craig could contend as the best duo in the region. A key for Amherst will be to get Henry Dennen rolling. He’s a 14:19 5ker and finished 28th at last year’s regional.
Not that anyone wants to put pressure on freshmen, but Carter Bengtson was fifth at Paul Short where Amherst was clicking. If he can regain that form and be a front runner for the Mammoths, not only does that bode well for 2025 but for the future. Amherst is the dark horse top team here. They have the guys, they have the potential, now it’s a matter of putting it all together. Well, that’s cliche because that could be true for a lot of these teams. But for Amherst, we haven't seen them at 100% since Paul Short. Toeing the line with that lineup on Saturday should give them confidence to contend for the win.
The kings of mystery gets awarded to Wesleyan. They sat the majority of their team at one of the biggest interregional meets in the country, and it’s yet to be seen if it’s worth it. Someone ask Noah Mahoney what he did to be the only varsity guy to run Conn College. Whether they did it to game the system or truly rest their guys for the postseason, it’s time for them to come onto the stage. They had a nice 36s split at NESCACs to take down Middlebury to finish fourth.
Their only out of region win at Paul Short was against Colorado College. They’ll need that 36s split used again at St. Lawrence. Liam Calhoun was their top guy at Paul Short and slipped a bit back at the NESCAC meet. He’s shown he can front run after his win at Little 3s and boasts a 14:14 5k PB. The Cardinals go as Liam goes. Get him in the top 10 with a 36s split behind him, and the Cardinals solidify themselves as a national bound team.
Middlebury comes in as the fifth ranked team in the region. After a seventh place finish taking down strong teams from other regions, they backed it up with a fifth place finish at NESCAC. They’re the fourth NESCAC team we’re talking about as well, which just shows the competition in the conference. They’re led by Benjamin Hughes who nabbed a top 10 finish at Paul Short and was 19th at Conn College. Their spread went from 53s at Conn College down to 45s at NESCACs. If they can continue this trend they could have a chance to get redemption against Wesleyan.
Their resume has wins over Lynchburg, TCNJ, St. Olaf, and Colorado College, which should help them move onto South Carolina with a fifth place finish. A key for them is having Ethan Sholk and Cameron Miles to continue running together as their third and fourth. A short spread in the middle of their lineup gives breathing room for the rest of their guys to do their thing. Get Hughes up front with a sub 40s split and Middlebury will be happy with how they run Saturday.
Team Predictions:
RPI (Q)
Williams (q)
Amherst (q)
Weselyan (q)
Middlebury (q)
Men’s Individual
Outside of the guys mentioned on the teams, here are a few individuals to look for on Saturday.
The list starts with Nathan Tassey of Roger Williams. The fourth place finisher from last year is looking to get redemption from track after being DQ’d for stepping off the track in the final 120m. He’s flown mostly under the radar this year. His only big race came at Paul Short where Will Shuflit was able to take him down. Since then, he won his conference meet in convincing fashion and helped Roger Williams get the win. Tassey is a big time racer and will be at the front controlling the race. He’ll ensure he gets to South Carolina with ease yet with confidence.
Nick Lyndaker will look to defend his home turf Saturday. The indoor mile champion gets the home field advantage running on his home course for the very last time. Lyndaker took down the RPI squad to win the Liberty Leagues and will look to fix his off day he had at Conn College where he finished 70th. If he’s still with the leaders with 800m to go, look for him to unleash his mile speed to get himself the win and/or a trip to South Carolina.
Sean Miller of Vassar has had a quietly good season with a fifth place finish at Liberty Leagues, 10th at Conn College, and 14th at Paul Short. Not bad for a 1:51 800m runner! He’ll look to prove that 800m runners can mix it up on the grass. He was 16th last year where he went on to finish 150th in the nation. However, after setting a PB in every track event last season, he appears to be a stronger runner.
Individual Predictions:
Nathan Tassey (Roger Williams)
Nick Lyndaker (St. Lawrence)
Sean Miller (Vassar)
Paul Hobbs (Coast Guard)
Brendan Fant (Coast Guard)
Patrick Russell (St. Lawrence)
Max Freeze (Vassar)
Women’s Preview
An hour later, the women take their turn on the course to earn a spot on the starting line in South Carolina.
Per the D3 Glory Days Rankings, here’s how the field shakes out
1 - Williams
10 - Middlebury
13 - Conn College
22 - Vassar
23 - Amherst
28 - Wesleyan
31 - Coast Guard
The big question is can the Mideast send seven teams to the national championship? With seven ranked right now and a history of being a deep region, it’s still possible. They sent seven last year, so here we go!
Williams comes in ranked No. 1 in the country and is clicking on all cylinders. They went to Conn College and took down the reigning champs without Kate Tuttle! The Ephs plugged Tuttle into the NESCAC lineup and they made a statement against the No. 10 Middlebury. Their 1-4 practically held hands across the line finish just one and a half seconds apart. Charlene Peng sealed the NESCAC team win after she came across the line 12 seconds later. 14s split and a 32-69 win over Middlebury.
Expect to see the same tactic this weekend as they should move to South Carolina without much trouble. They know the true championship is next weekend and have the history to back it up. Their last national title came in 2015 and they were just on the podium last year finishing third. They return three All-Americans in Tuttle, Tamar Byl-Brann, and Kate Swann. This crew understands the task at hand this weekend. Momentum is on their side and they’ll carry it over to South Carolina.
Middlebury has the ace that everyone is looking for. Audrey MacLean has run a near perfect season thus far claiming back to back wins at Conn College and NESCACs. She has an interesting battle ahead of her this weekend. She’ll race off against Jules Bleskoski which could preview the national meet, but also has to ensure she’s the low stick for her team. There could be a scenario where she packs it up with first-year Claire Palmer to help her through her first regional meet. However, I’m not the coach and that could be a terrible suggestion. They are, though, the best duo in the region and could do some damage if they work together up front.
When you have a potential national champion on your team, you can afford to have a large 1-5 split as you're essentially scoring four runners. However, looking at their 2-5 split could cause some concerns. At Conn College interregional, Palmer was 11th running 21:07 and their fifth was 76th running 22:27. An 80s spread 2-5 and two weeks later it dropped ever so slightly to 79 seconds. Are we being nit-picky, sure. Middlebury is a great team but if they want to challenge for a win and be a top five team at nationals, here’s their recipe for success.
How will Conn College run not on their home course?! After two meets on their home course, it’s time for the Camels to travel. (Also do you think everyone abbreviated Connecticut College to Conn College because it’s a long name or they don’t really know how to spell Connecticut?) Anyways, this preview is getting long enough and we don’t need anymore fluff. The Camels are coming off a third place finish at NESCACs where they were led by Grace McDonough. The outdoor 5k runner-up is having a great year highlighted by her runner-up performance at NESCACs and an eighth place finish at her home interregional.
McDonough and her teammate, Kiera Tallas will be working up front to give the Camels two low sticks to work with in this intense team battle. Just 14s apart at NESCACs, look for them to run together for the majority of this race to help feed off their energy. As a whole, Conn College is running an 83s split 1-5. Which helped them finish just 12 points behind Middlebury at NESCACs. This is a team that should be confident heading into the regional meet and with a tighter 1-5 spread, could see themselves fighting for the runner-up spot.
Vassar and Amherst are similar teams in our minds right now. Both have superstars that aren’t running what they were last year, but that doens’t mean they can’t return to last year’s form. Last year’s runner-up Haley Schoengegge isn’t having the season many would expect. Finishing 10th, 10th, and 17th at Pre Nats, Paul Short, and Conn College, the 3x D3 champion has been on the outside looking in at most of these races. For Amherst, Hannah Stephenson hasn’t started a race since Paul Short where she finished third. But here’s the thing, both teams have been solid without their stars running to what they know they can do. The exciting thing for both teams is if Schoenegge catches fire and Stephenson returns to the lineup, this helps both of their cases to move onto the national championship.
Vassar should feel confident with their out of region wins against Wartburg, Colorado College, Bowdoin, Brandeis, and St. Olaf. However, for Amherst, they really haven’t beaten anyone out of the region besides Brandeis. They didn’t run their whole squad at Conn College so that nullifies any benefit of the doubt (side eye emoji), meaning they could be vulnerable if they fall outside the top 5 in the team standings.
Wesleyan and Coast Guard tied each other at Paul Short so they’ll get a paragraph together. Their only out of region win was against Brandeis at Paul Short and Coast Guard took down Ohio Wesleyan at Conn College. If we’re building resumes off wins against other regions, these teams need to get themselves into the top five to have a shot. Coast Guard’s Claire Semerod finished 12th at the Conn College invite but waited over two minutes to see her fifth runner cross the line. That type of spread could really hurt them in a big race like regionals. They trimmed it down at NEWMACs where the gap was under two minutes.
As for Wesleyan, we don’t have a lot of information about them. They rested their varsity at Conn College and they raced NESCACs for the first time since Paul Short. They were led by Chase Cerrell who finished 15th and their spread was 70s. They’re going to need to use that spread to move away from Coast Guard and solidify themselves a spot at Nationals.
Team Predictions
Williams (Q)
Middlebury (q)
Conn College (q)
Vassar (q)
Amherst (q)
Wesleyan
Coast Guard
Individuals to look for:
Jules Bleskoski will go head to head against Audrey MacLean this weekend. She’s been virtually unchallenged this season winning by large margins in all her races. How will she handle this weekend knowing the end goal is next weekend? If she plays the race like Augustana, she’ll be with the pack through the mile then take off. Get ready for a Bleskoski vs MacLean matchup!
Haley Oliver of RIC has put together a nice season. She was sixth at the KSC Invite, just two seconds back from Kate Tuttle. She’s coming off a dominating win at her conference meet and seems poised to head back to the national meet. She was 20th in the region last year and will use that experience to help again this year.
Anna Weygang of Salve Regina will look to earn her spot at the national championship. She beat Oliver when they went head to head at the WNE Golden Bear Invite and just finished 12th at NEWMACs. She was 72nd last year but with a new outdoor 5k PB, she looks ready to punch her ticket.
Individual Predictions
Jules Bleskoski (RPI)
Claire Semerod (Coast Guard)
Haley Oliver (RIC)
Chase Cerrell (Wesleyan)
Anna Weygang (Salve Regina)
Paige Jaenicke (Trinity)
Charlotte Blake (St. Lawrence)
Midwest Region
Waverly, IA / Max Cross Country Course
Men’s Race: 11AM CT
Women’s Race: 12PM CT
The Midwest’s best teams will converge in Waverly, Iowa for the Midwest Regional meet. This regional competition, headlined with powerhouse programs and top individuals, will be one for the ages as there are podium and individual favorites that could turn the tide of who the best in the region is.
Men’s Preview
The gun fires off for the men at 11 a.m. as the hunt for the Midwest crown begins. According to our own rankings, there are five men’s teams in the top national rankings with three alone in the top eleven.
The Knights of Wartburg look to take the Midwest team title after having a clean sweep at the American Rivers Conference meet. With 15 points, Wartburg looks to carry its dominance into a very similar meet which features the likes of U. Chicago, North Central, Wash U, and Loras. Wartburg carries a leading man in Isaiah Hammerand, and with seasoned veterans Eli Larson, Lance Sobaski, Jack Kinzer, and Tyler Schermerhorn, this team looks ahead to fill the top regional honors en route to the national meet.
Do not count out other teams to shock the Midwest. Both U. Chicago and North Central have had very similar seasons. As U. Chicago was sixth at last year’s regional meet, the men look to qualify as a team after beating North Central at the Augustana Interregional while also being runner-ups to NYU at the UAA Conference meet. What Chicago may lack in a specific lowstick, they make up for with having a close spread and a pack mentality which hangs onto the edge of teams and strikes at the perfect time.
North Central comes hot off keeping their 51-year CCIW team title streak alive. This momentum propels the team to let D3 know that they are the same powerful force they have always been, and they are here to stay. The Cardinals, led by frontrunner BJ Sorg, leads with a stern attitude that is akin to many other North Central greats. This mentality carries over into the rest of the team to make the long red line burn brighter than ever as the Cardinals look to cement themselves as one of the Midwest’s strongest teams.
Wash U and Loras have both had very similar seasons and both look to make some surprises and round out the top five teams. While both are ranked nationally, Wash U bested the Duhawks at the Augustana Interregional and finished fourth at the UAA championships. Meanwhile, Loras finished as runner-ups at the ARC meet. Individually, Loras is led by Isaac Bourne who has made himself known as a sleeper individual that is always near the top. Wash U is led by a group that shifts places with each other, yet are always consistent.
On the individual side, the Midwest has Wartburg’s very own ARC Champion in Hammerand, who ran 23:44 to win the title. This big performance, along with other top races, will put Hammerand on the radar of not just the region, but the nation. Sorg also will look to mix it up with the top teams to break up Wartburg’s power pack. Sorg, who won the Pre Nats title and was runner-up at CCIW’s to Carthage’s Jacob Curulewski, will be a leader for the Cardinals to try to best U. Chicago. One Midwest title favorite is that of Mr. 23:57 himself, Isaac vanWestrienen, who won the Augustana Interregional along with his conference title in 23:57. vanWestrienen looks to rear the Ram horns once again as he vies for a regional and national title.
With Wartburg headlining this battle on the team front, it will be more of a question on if anyone can split this pack up in a big way and shake up the region. This race will be a great team battle for second between U. Chicago and North Central, but do not count out Wash U and Loras to be out of the fight. Overall, the Midwest will stand out with top individuals and teams who look for the spots to qualify and race in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (5)
Wartburg (Q)
U. Chicago (q)
North Central (q)
Wash U (q)
Loras (q)
Individual Qualifiers
Isaac vanWestrienen (Cornell College)
Jacob Bach (Cornell College)
Anthony Carney (Dubuque)
William Wadsley (Central College)
Jack Brown (Central College)
James Johnson (Simpson)
Lance Miller (Knox)
Women’s Preview
The women will follow up the men with a very similar race on the team front. With three teams ranked nationally, the women will look to make their mark in the Midwest with an incredible fight for a team title and at-large bids.
The women of U. Chicago are at the top of the bill and look to take the Midwest title, much like they did last year. U. Chicago was third at the UAA Conference meet, the second time this year they beat rival Wash U after the Augustana Interregional. While U. Chicago is the returning favorite in the region led by freshman phenom Katja Dunayevich, Wash U also has a strong low stick in sophomore Lucinda Laughlin. Both of these young talents look to have a head-to-head battle for the individual crown.
This up front battle between both the top runners along with their supporting teammates will be a great battle as Wartburg looks to snag the third best spot in the region. Wartburg finished third at last year’s regional meet and they will look to have a similar team performance. Wartburg’s top five took the American Rivers Conference team title over Central College after having six finishers in the top ten. Although U. Chicago and Wash U both headline this region, the women of Wartburg are not to be messed with as this is a pack that looks to battle until the very end.
On the individual side of the Midwest, the women have a plethora of strong individuals. Keelee Leitzen from Loras won the individual ARC title and has been consistent all season as she looks ahead to prove along with Dunayevich that the young talent is here to stay. Peyton Steffen of Central College is a consistent veteran who has finished no less than sixth so far this season and looks to continue that low stick for the Dutch. After finishing as runner-up in the ARC, expect Steffen to be in the mix headed into this weekend. The battle between Laughlin and Dunayevich will continue as Laughlin edged out Dunayevich at Augustana. This battle will stay fierce and only get more intense once you mix in the best from the American Rivers Conference including Haley Meyer, the veteran from Wartburg who led the knights to the ARC title, and the CCIW, like Illinois Wesleyan’s Adriana Crabtree, another contender for the regional crown after she won Pre-Nats and was the CCIW champion by over a minute and a half.
With a similar team battle on both sides of the region along with experienced and talented individuals, the Midwest will be one of the premier results to refresh this coming weekend.
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (3)
U. Chicago (Q)
Wash U (q)
Wartburg (q)
Central College
Loras
Individual Qualifiers
Adriana Crabtree (Illinois Wesleyan)
Keelee Leitzen (Loras)
Peyton Steffen (Central College)
Maddy Stevens (Central College)
Lidia Dahlman (Cornell College)
Hannah Roark (Grinnell)
Kyra Cordes (Central College)
Niagara Region
Rochester, NY / Genesee Valley Park
Men’s Race: 10:30AM ET
Women’s Race: 11:30AM ET
The existence of the Niagara region is the reason why most people don’t realize it’s actually a six-hour drive from NYC to Buffalo. The Niagara region will not be heading to Buffalo, but to another familiar upstate city down I-90 and Lake Ontario’s southern shore in Rochester.
Men’s Preview
The men’s Niagara regional championship race will be a battle for the ages between No. 5 SUNY Geneseo and No. 6 NYU. The best part? They’ll do it all again at nationals, where either team has a chance to make the podium. The question this week becomes: how hard do these teams run at regionals knowing they have another big 8k in just one week? Here’s the breakdown:
We’ve said it before and we will say it again: SUNY G is playing games with us by not flashing all of their cards at once. They sat most of their varsity over conference weekend, clearly preparing for something big this weekend and next (and they still won handily with just 24 points). The quartet of Ryan Hagan, Emerson Comer, Pierce Young, and Collin Brown will have nearly month-long fresh legs and are preparing to peak at the right time for the Knights. At Conn College, each of these athletes bested NYU’s corresponding scorer by several places. Their major weak spot was keeping their fifth runner close to the pack, allowing NYU to sneak their final scorer into the gap, almost giving them the win. In the end, the Knights beat the Violets by just four points.
NYU also comes off of a conference victory, but one that presented much more of a challenge, as the men’s UAA has four nationally ranked teams, including No. 10 UChicago. Led in a stunning freshman victory by Theo Udelson-Nee, NYU packed six into the top 14 to take an easy 27-point-total win. With two weeks of recovery, the Violets should be ready to bring their A-game against Geneseo. Though both teams raced at Paul Short at the beginning of the month, they were in different races. NYU won the white race, while Geneseo was the second D3 team in the gold race. Scoring the meet out with all D3 results still showed NYU ahead of SUNYG, showing they’ve got the chops to make a splash this weekend and will perhaps be on the hunt for some Conn College revenge. Whether that revenge is planned for this weekend or reserved for nationals, however, is something we will have to watch to find out.
Both teams are almost sure to advance to nationals as the only two teams out of this region. The battle for third, though not likely to advance, will still be exciting. Hosts RIT are the favorite behind SUNYG and NYU. Their season resume includes a win at the Highlander Invitational, a fifth place finish at Oberlin, and a third place finish at Liberty Leagues. Led by Derick Koen, who will likely be making a push to qualify to nationals as an individual, watch out for orange jerseys to mix it up with purple and navy.
Rochester and Hamilton will also be in the mix. Used to running in ultra-competitive conference meets, Rochester was seventh at UAAs and Hamilton was ninth at NESCACs. Both teams will rely on this experience when they show up on the big stage Saturday.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)
SUNY Geneseo (Q)
NYU (q)
RIT
Rochester
Hamilton
The individual title will likely go to a Knight or a Violet, though the race for the crown could be interesting. Geneseo’s Hagan comes in as the favorite after his 22nd place finish at Paul Short, the second best D3 finish behind Emannuel Leblond, amidst big school talent. Others in the mix include NYU’s Jeffrey Chen and Udelson-Nee as well as Geneseo’s Comer. Assuming all of these athletes make it through with their teams, watch for these athletes looking to punch their tickets as individuals this weekend:
Individual qualifiers:
Derrick Koen (RIT)
James Catania (Rochester)
Jackson Burger (RIT)
Bennett Melita (Utica)
Liam Sakakeeny (Rochester)
Amos Bixler (Houghton)
Jace Stuart (St. John Fisher)
Women’s Preview
It’s the middle of November and I still don’t believe we have seen what the NYU Violets are truly capable of. They seem to get better every weekend, and most recently posted a sweeping UAA victory over five nationally ranked teams with a point total of 25. Led by former Emory Eagle Ashlyn Pallota, who took the UAA crown, the Violets add back to the mix Grace Rowley and Stella Kuttner, neither of whom have raced since the first race of the season and finished conference weekend in the Violets’ top five. With all five scorers comfortably in the top ten and a 51-second split, NYU will be hard to catch this weekend, even if they run on partial steam.
Their biggest threat (though hardly a threat as both teams should be comfortably through to nationals) is SUNY Geneseo, who, unlike the men, raced their varsity at conference, sweeping first through third place and landing ten athletes in the top 17 at Empire 8s. Led by trio Ann Brennan, Ari Reback, and Sierra Doody, this team brings lots of championship experience to the start line and will be ready to prove it when the gun goes off. Look for this team to land comfortably in this region’s top two.
Behind them, look for Ithaca to bring forth a strong roster coming off of their fourth place finish at Liberty Leagues two weekends ago. Led by freshman Lola Gitlin, the Bombers have a mean 2-4 trio consisting of Jessica Goode, Hannah Pawlowski, and Logan Brasacchio, who finished within 14 seconds of one another at conference. Hosts RIT will also run like they have something to prove at home. They’ll get a second look at Ithaca after coming up 18 points shy of beating them at conference. Look also for a tense rematch between RIT and SUNYAC champs Cortland State, who tied at Harry F. Anderson earlier in the year (with RIT winning the tiebreaker).
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)
NYU (Q)
SUNY Geneseo (q)
Ithaca
RIT
Cortland State
Pallota comes off of a strong UAA victory, which perhaps makes her the favorite individual this weekend. If anyone should overtake her, it will likely come from someone in a matching jersey, such as Josephine Dziedzic, who has been running strong all year, or Rowley, who has clearly lost no fitness in her season-long absence. From Geneseo’s roster, look for Brennan to stick a nose up front and try to shake up the results. Other individuals to watch are:
Individual qualifiers:
Kathryn Arbegast (RIT)
Melissa Innocent (Cortland State)
Hannah Reichard (Oswego State)
Elena Gaffney (Oswego State)
Elizabeth Lucason (Morrisville State)
Kyra Pellegrino (Oswego State)
Taylor Harris (Hamilton)
(Don’t miss the rematch between Cortland’s Innocent and Oswego’s Reichard, who were separated by one tenth of a second for the SUNYAC win two weekends ago!)
North Region
Colfax, WI / Whitetail Golf Course
Men’s Race: 12PM CT
Women’s Race: 1PM CT
Men’s Preview
Ope, the North has done it again. It’s another slugfest featuring the most ranked teams in one region. It pains me as a MIAC graduate to say that the WIAC has been heaps and bounds better this year; this race is simply the WIAC conference meet re-run with a St. Olaf and Mo Bati expansion pack. So many teams are good - so many nationally ranked - but not everyone will make it through. #1 UW-La Crosse ironically faces less stress than the others; they know they just need to run fine and as usual. Nothing short of a colossal implosion would land them anywhere but 1st. Grant Matthai, Aidan Matthai, Jayden Zywicki, and Joey Sullivan (Srs. / UW-La Crosse) lead the charge for the #1 ranked team in the country. All four were in the top 11 at regionals last year and they surely will work together to improve upon that, using their group front pack mojo to outrun the lone wolf top dogs from other schools. The WIAC is senior heavy. Everyone wants a storybook ending. And the senior representatives from their schools–Caden Schneider (Sr. / UW-Platteville), Dan Anderson (Sr. / UW-Whitewater), Jack Hesse-Withbroe (UW-Eau Claire), and Cameron Cullen (Sr. / UW-Oshkosh)--all bear the weight of leading a team whose qualifying prospects are precarious and with a margin of error. Throw in Kevin Turlington (Sr. / St. Olaf) and that is five nationally ranked teams led by a standout senior that don’t just want, but need, to break up UW-La Crosse’s top four for a precious point that could decide at-large teams.
I was particularly impressed with #14 UW-Stevens Point, who put 7 in front of every other team’s 5th (except La Crosse, of course) at WIACs. That versatility is immensely helpful when the field is large and the points get stretched. Led by Logan Murphy, who was fifth at Blugold, and Mateo Alvarado-Venegas, who was their top scorer at WIACs, look for them to pack up in a similar way this weekend. #13 UW-Platteville had better low sticks than Stevens Point at conference, led by Schneider and Zach Sporaa (Jr.), and the best statistic to argue for the Pioneers over the Pointers is that at WIACs, most of Platteville’s runners maintained or moved up through the race, while all the Stevens Point scorers held on to or lost some ground.
#20 St. Olaf’s Turlington beat every WIAC runner back at Blugold and has been a metronome of consistency, and the Oles look somewhat more stable than in the early season with Ignatius Fitzgerald (Sr.) back on the starting line and Gael Manzur-Strandlund (Sr.) finally turning the heat back up at MIACs. UW-Eau Claire was way closer to nationally ranked teams #28 UW-Whitewater and #29 UW-Oshkosh at WIACs than they were to the rest of the unranked teams. But they will need to summon something special for this year for them to leapfrog Whitewater and Oshkosh and face a better chance of qualifying… not to mislead that teams 4-6 at this meet are guaranteed at all to be selected.
But the question mark of the meet doesn’t come from the WIAC. The emphatic Mo Bati (Sr. / Augsburg) is finally stepping into the light after racing locally all season. He is undefeated this AND last year in all XC races except to Christian Patzka in the final 200 meters of the 2024 NCAA meet. And Patzka isn’t around anymore. It’s foolish to assume that Bati, who has run more miles and at a much faster average pace than he did last year, is not preparing to go lights out and make a statement. Perhaps equally important is that last year at this regional race, which Mo won, the front pack including the Matthai twins, Patzka, and Gunner Schlender from Whitewater, let Mo go, saving their energy for nationals and crossing the line at this meet all together while Mo didn’t give a hoot about politics and won by ten seconds. That very well might be the WIAC coaches’ orders to their top guns again: fight for points, but don’t redline just to beat Bati.
Top 6 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (6)
1) UW-La Crosse (Q)
2) UW-Stevens Point (q)
3) UW-Platteville (q)
4) St. Olaf (q)
5) UW-Whitewater (q)
6) UW-Oshkosh (q)
Individuals:
Mo Bati (Augsburg)
Jacob Curulewski (Carthage)
Jack Hesse-Withbroe (UWEC)
Gabe Nichols (Carleton)
Cole Stencel (St. John’s)
Isaiah Lubner (Concordia)
Julian Van-Antwerp (UW-Stout)
CB’s Predictions:
1- Mo Bati (Sr. / Augsburg)
2- Grant Matthai (Sr. / UW-La Crosse)
3- Aidan Matthai (Sr. / UW-La Crosse)
4- Kevin Turlington (Sr. / St. Olaf)
5- Dan Anderson (Sr. / UW-Whitewater)
6- Jacob Curulewski (Sr. / Carthage)
7- Jayden Zywicki (Sr. / UW-La Crosse)
8 - Caden Schneider (Sr. / UW-Platteville)
9- D̶a̶r̶t̶h̶ Chuck Vater (So. / UW-La Crosse)
10 - Jack Hesse-Withbroe (Sr. / UW-Eau Claire)
Women’s Preview
#6 UW-La Crosse hasn’t always been in the driver’s seat in this region, but they are absolutely enjoying the fruits of their combined labor this year. They scored a remarkable 21 points at WIACs, and what’s even more lethal is that their 9th runner was ahead of every other WIAC team’s 2nd. Brooklyn Luebke (Sr.), Lily Higgins (Jr.), and Lucy Duchac (Jr.) have persistently led every race for them, which includes thwacking University of St. Thomas (D1) at Joe Piane. Beyond this trio it’s hard to guess who their exact regional lineup will be; they have so many options. (Example: Madison Twarling (So.) was 5th for them at Augie, but their 11th at conference. Decisions…) Lax’s B squads on both the women’s and men’s side could potentially qualify for nationals on their own. So their main competition in Colfax comes from across state lines–the Eagles and #12 Carleton have yet to officially race each other’s full teams. (Both teams competed at the St. Olaf Invite in September, but Lax didn’t race their varsity.)
Carleton has had at least one or two phenomenal low sticks for what seems like forever, and right as Hannah Preisser (Sr.) was preparing her swan song All-American XC campaign, enter Claire Vukovics (Fr. / Carleton). The freshman sniped the MIAC title from Preisser in the last kilometer. This was no small feat - Preisser was 7th at NCAAs last year. Where Vukovics is sensational, Preisser is consistent and experienced - the former faded at their previous race at Conn College and the latter put 30 seconds on her. Even though UWL has so many All-American caliber runners, if Vukovics can keep the momentum going, I think it’ll be hard for anyone to stop her and Preisser from going 1-2. As for their team performance - it depends almost squarely on more freshmen. Lauren Tittel, Amelia Campbell, and Nicole Peterson (all Fr.) weren’t afraid of their first college race with real stakes at MIACs, and sealed the deal for Carleton as their 4th, 5th and 6th runners placing 9th, 11th, and 15th overall (what a young squad!). Though UW-La Crosse still gets the vote of confidence this time around with their experience, it may very well be a different story next year.
#21 UW-Eau Claire probably doesn’t feel exactly confident with an at-large bid, but fortunately for them they have put a lot of distance on all the other vying teams in the regular season. Molly Heidorn (Jr.), somewhat capricious in performances this season, ran well in the first meet that truly mattered and stormed away to win WIACs. By ten seconds. Their 2-5 were separated by 23 seconds, but it’d be safer if their #2 Ryann Wagner (Sr.) or #3 Keeley Behr (Sr.) whittled off any of the 42 seconds that separated Heidorn and Wagner at conference.
#30 St. Olaf is doing their best to hold on for dear life in the national rankings. Lauren Walda (Sr. / St. Olaf) was 5th at MIACs two weeks ago, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she matches that place this weekend. 800 ace Isabel Wyatt (Sr.) has been further back than usual this season; just two more good races are needed in her career before getting back to her true event. That may be the difference in whether Walda and Wyatt represent St. Olaf at nationals, or the whole team.
Faith Wehrman (Fr. / Stevens Point) was 2nd behind Vukovics back at Blugold but did not race conference. Her presence or lack thereof is THE matter for UW-Stevens Point; it’ll steer their mindset between going in with hopes of snagging a 4th or 5th place finish and at least forcing USTFCCCA to discuss them, or just doing the best they can given the circumstances. UW-River Falls was ahead of Stevens Point at conference and it’s probable they will squeak in front of them again if Wehrman does not run. Laina Viere (Jr. / UW-River Falls) has put up solid fights against WIAC top runners not affiliated with Lax. And squarely ahead of both of those teams yet behind UW-Eau Claire, UW-Whitewater had an objectively good day at WIACs finishing third. Katie Erb (Sr.) and Payton Scoggin (Sr.) are a respectable 1-2. The odds are lower that one of these teams ultimately qualifies for nationals, but not impossible. A North region preview is not complete without mentioning Concordia’s Ainara Sainz de Rozas, who ran her first collegiate 5k in over 20:30 and, just last spring, was a fourth-place 5k All-American in a stunning time of 16:32. Sainz de Rozas started her season strong, but unfortunately has not raced since mid-September. If she is able to race this weekend, she will surely be a massive threat. At the very least, every name bolded in this paragraph should absolutely (if they run) earn an individual bid to represent their team.
Top 6 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (4)
1) UW-La Crosse (Q)
2) Carleton (q)
3) UW-Eau Claire (q)
4) St. Olaf (q)
5) UW-River Falls
6) UW-Oshkosh
Individuals:
Molly Liston (Gustavus Adolphus)
Mya Slavin (Saint Mary’s)
Ainara Sainz de Rozas (Concordia)
Faith Wehrman (UW-Stevens Point)
Claudia Lasiowski (UW-Stout)
Ingrid Norquist (Macalester)
Laina Viere (UW-River Falls)
CB’s Predictions:
1- Hannah Preisser (Sr. / Carleton)
2- Claire Vukovics (Fr. / Carleton)
3- Lily Duchac (Sr. / UW-La Crosse)
4- Molly Heidorn (Jr. / UW-Eau Claire)
5- Brooklyn Luebke (Sr. / UW-La Crosse)
6- Molly Liston (Sr. / Gustavus Adolphus)
7- Lily Higgins (Jr. / UW-La Crosse)
8- Aliya Larsen (Sr. / Carleton)
9- Mya Slavin (So. / Saint Mary’s)
10- Milana Pisto (Fr. / UW-La Crosse)
South Region
Salem, VA / Green Hill Park
Men’s Race: 10PM ET
Women’s Race: 11AM ET
Men’s Preview
All eyes for the South Region will gaze upon Green Hill Park in Salem, Virginia. This region, home to ODAC rivals the Hornets of Lynchburg and the Generals of Washington and Lee, headline the meet after being ranked 18th and 21st respectively.
The team battle for the South Region title could play out in a number of ways. Looking back on the tactical ODAC Championship Meet, in which Washington and Lee won by a mere six points, the Generals were led by the duo of Sam Daunt and Robert Cooper taking 1-2 overall. The duo put a gap over Lynchburg’s 1-2 duo of Alex Jordan and Jonathan Cobb. Both teams have similar up front scoring power, yet this season Washington and Lee have had the upper hand against the Hornets, with ODACs being the closest they have been to W&L thus far. The real question is, will this gap finally crossover and fall into Lynchburg’s favor for the South Region title?
Emory has been a quiet yet consistent team in the South while competing at the UAA Conference meet, where they were fifth. The Eagles are led by a close top duo in Ryan Van de Berghe and John Urciuoli who both have placed in the top of most major meets this season, such as their conference meet as well as Rowan’s Interregional Border Battle. These two, along with the rest of the Eagles, will look to mix things up and try to split up the two aforementioned South Region powerhouses.
Pfeiffer and Roanoke both look to remain close to Emory as Pfeiffer comes off of a victory at the USA South Athletic Conference meet, while Roanoke will have home field advantage at regionals and come off a third place finish at ODACs.
Considering the who’s who of the South Region’s individuals were previously mentioned, it will be a battle with major point implications for teams. The top individuals in the region are those who are on the top teams. This will make for a very interesting battle between Washington and Lee’s Daunt and Cooper versus Lynchburg’s Jordan and Cobb. As every point matters, each team’s duo must produce a performance worthy of not only themselves, but for their teams as well.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)
Washington and Lee (Q)
Lynchburg (q)
Emory
Roanoke
Pfeiffer
Individual Qualifiers
Zachary Benner (Oglethorpe)
Ashton Deriso (Oglethorpe)
Ryan Van de Berge (Emory)
John Urciuoli (Emory)
Sawyer Helms (Pfeiffer)
Keenan Smith (Berry)
Nathaniel Orban (Roanoke)
Women’s Preview
The women’s side is very similar to the men as the region has a mirrored ranking, with the exception of Emory being ranked nationally alongside South favorites No. 15 Washington and Lee. The real question is by how much will W&L’s women win by
This question comes after a double take when looking at the ODAC results as the women of Washington and Lee, led by front-runner Olivia Warr, who won with 21 points overall. This victory came with taking an impressive eight spots in the top ten finishers. This team has been on a tear all season and will only look to continue to ride that momentum by taking the South Region crown. Warr could come away with a repeat victory in the South, much like she did for the individual regional title last year.
Washington and Lee’s closest competition? That would be Emory, as the Eagles are nationally ranked No. 18 and ready to fight for an at-large bid. This team was led by Madison Tiaffay at the UAA Conference meet as she finished fifteenth overall and led Emory to their fifth place finish. Coming from the tough competition of the UAA, Emory looks to take that experience to the south and use it to their advantage.
In 2024, Washington and Lee won over Emory, 38-49 en route to an eighth place finish at nationals, and you can expect a similar result as W&L is having another good season. Just don’t count out Emory quite yet!
For the individuals on the women’s side, there is a significant amount of change as competitors have emerged after the ODAC Championships. Olivia Morra of Bridgewater (Va.) and Madison Chorney of Shenandoah, along with her teammate Amy Olesky, have all shown that they can compete at the top of the conference, and soon, the South Region, too. Although there will be more individuals mixed in, this will be the “Washington and Lee” show, and the next episode features some special guests from all over the South.
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)
Washington and Lee (Q)
Emory (q)
Southern Virginia
Lynchburg
Rhodes
Individual Qualifiers
Adelynn Carpenter (Lynchburg)
Elena Gentry (Rhodes)
Olivia Sobkowicz (Catholic)
Anna Cantrell (Rhodes)
Delaney Bundy (Meredith)
Lily Hoffman (Mary Washington)
Sarah Dake (Christopher Newport)
West Region
Claremont, CA / Pomona College Campus Course
Men’s Race: 9AM PT
Women’s Race: 10AM PT
The reigning regional champions will look to extend their streaks on home turf this weekend as teams head to Claremont, Calif. for the West Region Championship. Both the Pomona-Pitzer men and CMS women have won the region seven years running and would love to make it eight straight this weekend. With temperatures dropping, expect fast times in a region that boasts strong teams looking to punch their tickets to nationals.
With some tight turns and narrow sections through “The Wash,” positioning will be key. Too conservative and you find yourself swallowed up by the field. Expect some aggressive moves up front from the contenders to seal their positions to the big dance.
Men’s Preview
The contenders on the men’s side are fairly familiar with each other at this point. The Sixth Street Rivalry is alive and well with Pomona-Pitzer and CMS. The Sagehens may have held control over the west region but the rest of the west region will look to stop that streak at 7. It’ll be a tough task, though; Pomona-Pitzer has shown year after year that come championship season they’re ready to rock.
The defending champions feature some new faces in the starting lineup but are led by a seasoned veteran in senior Jack Stein. The 2024 All-American put up a program best at UCR earlier this season, finishing 6th in 23:45. The rest of the squad? Well they have wins over regional rivals CMS, Colorado College, and UC Santa Cruz. Hot off an impressive performance at the SCIAC Championships where they placed 5 in the top 10, the streak may move to 8 this weekend.
CMS enters the regional championship with a young team that has been steadily putting together solid performances throughout the season. They kept it close with Pomona-Pitzer early in the season only losing by 15 points in a UCR field that featured D1 competition. They have a slight blemish midseason with their performance at Conn College but they’ve rebounded well at SCIAC Championships. They have the talent to put up a fight up front with Junior Hayden Beauchemin leading the Stags with a runner up finish at conference. There’s a lot of potential with this young squad and with plenty of experience on the regional course they should feel pretty comfortable on this stage.
With one of the nation’s best up front in Will Shuflit, Colorado College has their eyes set on returning to the national meet. The Tigers had a tough day at Paul Short earlier in the season but have been trending upwards since then. Their trip to Augustana proved to be fruitful as they took some key wins over ranked opponents including regional rival UC Santa Cruz. The Tigers are hot off a 16 point score at the SCAC Championships, but even more impressive was their 2-5 split of just under 7 seconds. Shuflit will look to contend for the win but the key for this team will be in that pack. If they’re running on all cylinders, this team will surprise some folks, and after just narrowly missing a nationals bid in 2024, this team has some fire. I would not want to be around track All-American Rabbit Barnes down that final stretch, I’ll tell you that much.
Another team that will have some fire heading into this weekend is the Banana Slugs of UC Santa Cruz. Led by senior Luke Holland, the slugs came away with key wins over ranked out-of-region teams at Augustana. After a comfortable win at C2Cs, they’ll look to take this momentum to avenge some interregional losses earlier in the year. The key for this weekend will lie in keeping the 2-5 spread low. With a united Slug squad, you could see more west coast representation in South Carolina.
For fifth in the region, look out for George Fox, La Verne, and Redlands. George Fox is coming off a victorious Northwest Conference race. Junior Caden Hildenbrand leads this Bruins team and has put together a pretty solid season thus far. This is a pretty young team so expect to see some of these faces again next year too. It’s going to be a battle of 3-4-5s between La Verne and Redlands this weekend. La Verne came off victorious over their rival at SCIACs by just 9 points with conference honors for Finn McClure and Zyeir Shabete. Redlands has firepower up front with Stian Asper and David Huggins. A larger field will change the game here, who will stand victorious?
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (4)
Pomona-Pitzer (Q)
CMS (q)
Colorado College (q)
UC Santa Cruz (q)
George Fox
On the individual front, look for a battle between Colorado College’s Will Shuflit, Pomona-Pitzer’s Jack Stein, and UC Santa Cruz’s Luke Holland. The trio faced each other earlier this season at Augustana with Shuflit taking top west region honors just behind national contenders Isaac vanWestrienen and Grant Matthai, his only losses to D3 competition this year. His win at Paul Short over Nathan Tassey is one of the most impressive performances of the year. He’ll look to keep that momentum going to try and win his first regional title. Stein and Holland will be plenty to handle here, though. Stein has the benefit of it being his backyard and his result at UCR shows what he can do on the hard-packed dirt. Holland is not one to sleep on; his 14:15 5K PR is just behind Shuflit, and he’s got the wheels to put it together. Either way, this will be a lot of fun to watch play out.
Just like the women’s race, the battle for individual qualifications will be fought amongst the chase pack. Redland’s Stian Asper impressed at SCIAC Championships with his 3rd place finish, just behind CMS’s Hayden Beauchemin. He was 20 seconds clear of 4th place and can be one of those looking to bridge the gap between the trio up front and the chase pack. Up-north Puget Sound’s Cian Monaghan and Whitworth’s London Haley have been trading wins over each other. Monaghan had the upper hand in his victory at the Northwest Conference Championships. Look for a rematch of these two. Occidental’s Jack Elfenbaum was 4th at SCIAC Championships and has to be returning back to Claremont with some confidence here. Whitman’s Jack McManus and Lewis & Clark’s Quinn Higgins are also two that will be in the running for these individual qualifiers. Two x factors for qualification here are St. Thomas (TX) freshman Elijah Emerson and Lewis & Clark’s Evan Markelz. Emerson has put together some impressive performances earlier in the season and can be one to watch for one of the final qualifying spots. Markelz finished 10th here last year but has raced sparingly all season. If he’s back to form he’s going to be dangerous.
Individual Qualifiers:
Stian Asper (Redlands)
Cian Monaghan (Puget Sound)
London Haley (Whitworth)
Jack Elfenbaum (Occidental)
Jack McManus (Whitman)
Quinn Higgins (Lewis & Clark)
Elijah Emerson (St. Thomas (TX))
Women’s Preview
After a close battle in 2024 that was decided by a single point, No. 5 ranked CMS comes in with an impressive team of returners and newcomers with podium ambitions. Led by defending regional champion Riley Capuano and All-American Elle Marsyla, the Athenas have put together an impressive resume this season. CMS kicked off the season with back-to-back wins to kick off the season and their lone losses to D3 competition are to teams ranked 1, 2, and 4 in the D3 Glory Days Cross Country Rankings. With a 20-second 1-5 split expect to see a pack of Athenas leading the race on Saturday.
The West Region will look to replicate 2024 where they sent five teams to the national championships. This year, the West features 5 ranked teams with an additional team that has been ranked by the coaches’ poll. The West is deep this year and those final spots may come down to the wire. With a lot of parity between teams 2-6 this year and a smaller field to work with it’s sure to be spicy.
No. 16 Colorado College has put together a respectable resume this year trading wins with outerregional competition at Paul Short and Augustana. They’re fresh off an impressive 15-point score at the SCAC championships and will look to ride that momentum into another national bid. They’re sure to have two low sticks with Alison Mueller-Hickler and Charlie Flint leading the charge and a tight 3-6 pack that’s been finishing close together.
No. 25 UC Santa Cruz presents an interesting unknown for this weekend. They’ve had an impressive 1-2 punch with Kenzie Seymour and Elena Stanciu. Stanciu has had a great sophomore campaign with a top 10 finish at Augustana and a 10+ second victory at the C2C Conference Championships. The miler seems to be right at home on the grass, and the hard California surface of Claremont could prove advantageous here. Seymour, who finished 21st at the 2024 national championships, was listed as a DNF at Augustana and did not start at C2Cs. At full strength the Banana Slugs have a win over No. 20 Pomona-Pitzer. There’s reason to be optimistic about this team though, as they have plenty of firepower and had no problems winning a 5th straight C2C Championship. Assuming Seymour is in the lineup there’s a lot of potential for the Slugs to make waves here. She is currently listed on the meet entries this weekend.
No. 20 Pomona-Pitzer is coming off an impressive runner up performance at the SCIAC Championships where they placed 5 runners in the top 15. Senior Joya Terdiman capitalized on home field advantage by placing 4th overall. The Sagehens held their own against some of the country’s best at Augustana earlier this year, placing ahead of regional rivals Trinity (TX) and UC Santa Cruz. The women return to a familiar course for regionals and will look to replicate that performance in order to punch another ticket to the big dance.
No. 24 Trinity (TX) will have their eyes on earning their first ticket to nationals since 2017 this weekend. With a solid midseason performance at the Louisville Classic and victories over ranked Hope and UC Santa Cruz, the Tigers have been consistent all season. Senior Gianna Keena has shown that she can compete with some of the best women of the division and a close 2-6 could be the key to a trip to Spartanburg.
Want some extra spice to your regional dish? Well a certain team from Newberg, Oregon may have what you’re looking for. Yes, we’re talking about the Bruins of George Fox. This is a fairly young squad led by only one senior. Graduate student Emily Foote has consistently put herself in the action up front and will look to do the same this weekend. Looking over the meet entries the Bruins will be without last year’s leader Breanna Schmitt who finished 6th at regionals in 2024. While it may have been a tough day at Paul Short for the Bruins, they have been consistent against regional foes.This is a young team, with only one senior in their lineup. They’ll look to play spoiler this weekend.
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (5)
CMS (Q)
Colorado College (q)
UC Santa Cruz (q)
Pomona-Pitzer (q)
Trinity (TX) (q)
In the individual battle expect to see a pack of Athenas leading the charge. Last year featured three CMS women in the top 9 and with a podium level team this year, you may see a bit more cardinal and gold up front. The question will be whether the Athenas take a controlled approach with sights set on the podium. Riley Capuano is the reigning regional champion, but her teammates Elle Marsyla, Hope Dragseth, Sadie Drucker, and Sara Wexler have shown they can compete up front as well. Like we said, expect a lot of cardinal and gold up front.
The rest of the region will look to spoil the CMS parade this weekend as we have some talented women looking to be the one to take their first regional title. The Colorado College duo of Alison Mueller-Hickler and Charlie Flint are sure to make their presence known in the front of the field. George Fox’s Emily Foote has been mixing it up with some D1 competition up north throughout the season and has held her own. She’s used to good competition, and she’ll look to use that experience in Claremont. Elena Stanciu has finished well against some of the best in the division, watch for her to also be up front.
As mentioned earlier, the appearance (or not) of Kenzie Seymour and Breanna Schmitt could put a wrench into things up at the front. Seymour and Schmitt finished 3rd and 6th respectively and are ones to watch for if they toe the line Saturday morning.
This year many of the top individual contenders are running for likely qualifying teams so expect to see some individual qualifiers amongst the chase packs. Chapman’s Brenda Daza was the SCIACs individual qualifier contender here, finishing 7th at conference. There will be a battle over the final individual qualifier spots with many of these women rehashing battles from earlier this season. Up north you have George Fox’s Hope Bridge, Whitworth duo Lily Jones and Kezlie Thygesen, and Whitman’s Ella Harrington. Bridge took top honors earlier in the season but traded losses with Jones, Thygesen, and Harrington at conference. Down south we have a battle between Cal Lutheran’s Summer Gelman, Occidental’s Jenna LeNay, Cal Tech’s Viginia Pistilli, and La Verne’s Ryleigh LaRue. After an early loss to LeNay midseason she’s really come into form, coming out victorious over this group at conference. It’s gonna be a toss up for some of these last qualifiers, you’ll want to keep your eyes on this race.
Individual Qualifiers
Emily Foote (George Fox)
Brenda Daza (Chapman)
Hope Bridge (George Fox)
Lily Jones (Whitworth)
Kezlie Thygesen (Whitworth)
Ella Harrington (Whitman)
Summer Gelman (Cal Lutheran)