2024 D3 XC Regional Preview
East
The 2023 Edition of the East Region Championship provided us a repeat of the previous year with MIT securing both men’s and women’s crowns. The MIT men have taken home the gold every year since moving to the East region. They will hope to make it a fourth come this Saturday. To achieve that, they will need to overcome a big challenger. Or should we say, a Jumbo one…
On the women’s side, the No. 1 nationally ranked Engineers will look to continue an impressive season and remain undefeated against Division 3 competition. MIT has proved week in and week out that they’re the real deal. This weekend they will look to chalk up another win to the resume. Last year MIT finished with an outrageous 27 points. Can they best that?
Women
In the women’s race, MIT is in the driver’s seat to repeat and punch their ticket to Nationals. Aside from a close loss to Division 1 Dartmouth in mid-September, this squad has taken care of all challengers and is not letting off the gas. They made waves at Pre-Nats with their dominant win by 80+ points over some of the best talent Division 3 has to offer. Two weeks later they followed that up with a win at the Conn College Invite in a field that included 11 ranked teams. They easily cruised through the NEWMAC Championships, adding another title to their streak of now 17 straight conference championships, with just 16 points.
Up front it’s been Lexi Fernandez and Kate Sanderson swapping roles as top scorers for the Engineers. It’s hard to say that they’re the frontrunners for this team, though. Over the course of the season the finishing positions 1-9 have been interchangeable. Look out for a combination of Sanderson, Fernandez, Christina Crow, Gillian Roeder, Heather Jensen, Rujuta Sane, and Liv Girand to be in the front pack this weekend.
No. 16 ranked Tufts will look to try and keep the score close to book their ticket to Terre Haute this weekend. This looks to be a squad that is really settling into rhythm this championship season. They were just 5 points off of No. 13 ranked Amherst at the NESCAC Championships. They are led by junior Elizabeth Donahue who’s found herself consistently in the front packs all season. Expect her to be one up front looking to lead Tufts to a qualifying bid.
Over on the individual side, Gordon’s Rachel Brennan will look to improve upon her third place finish at the 2023 East Region Championships. She’s had an impressive season thus far with top 10 finishes at Pre-Nationals and Conn College. Her only loss to an East Region athlete was to Kate Sanderson at Pre-Nats. She will look to even the score against MIT this weekend to win the East Region Title. She’ll also face a returning cast from last year who will also look to take the crown. Look out for Clark’s Ruby Krasnow, Wellesley’s Ella Whinney, Bridgewater State’s Naomi Cass, Emerson’s Yasmin Defne-Dadikhi, Bates’s Phoebe Pohl, and Colby’s Catherine Mongan in that front pack.
With the depth of MIT and the strength of the individual’s in this region, the race up front is sure to be riveting!
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)
MIT (Q)
Tufts (q)
Bates
Bowdoin
Suffolk
Individual qualifiers:
Rachel Brennan (Gordon)
Ruby Krasnow (Clark (Mass.))
Ella Whinney (Wellesley)
Naomi Cass (Bridgewater St.)
Amalia Doroni (Suffolk)
Phoebe Pohl (Bates)
Catherine Mongan (Colby)
Men
6.6 Miles.
6.6 geographical miles is all that separate Tufts and MIT. In the rankings? It’s even closer.
The men’s race will feature a battle that will pit two Greater Boston schools against each other for East Region supremacy.
In one corner we have the No. 19 ranked Tufts Jumbos. Following a sixth place finish at the Conn College Invitational, the Jumbos finished a close fourth at the NESCAC Championship, with just 9 points separating 1-4. This close finish should have them excited and hungry to see what’s possible for this team. Depth is the name of the game for this team as they boasted as low as a 14 second 1-5 split this season at Conn College and a 36 second 1-7 split at the NESCAC Championship. We’ve seen impressive performances from Calvin Cummings, Alex Freidman, Luke Brennan, Amokrane Aouchiche, and Jonah Reisner throughout this season and they will need every bit of them to be on their game this weekend. With what we’ve seen this season, there could be a sea of blue finishing one after another. The Jumbos will hope to ride that wave to break MIT’s streak at 3.This squad is running hot right now; they must be excited heading into this weekend. They’ve beaten MIT once this season, can they do it again?
In the other corner we have the No. 20 ranked defending champion MIT Engineers. They are led by senior Sam Coutts who has had an impressive season thus far, finishing 12th in a Pre-Nationals field that featured much of the All-American type talent he’ll be sure to face up front at nationals. Coutts has been their consistent low stick all season and will look to try to set the team up for success before the herd of Jumbos comes roaring down the stretch. Coutts may not be alone here though as seniors Samir Armin and Pablo Arroyo have shown this season that they can contend near the front pack. The key to success here will be for the trio of seniors to be rocking up front and for their 4-7 to keep it tight with any Tufts runner they see. This squad did feature a 3-7 split of 8 seconds. If they tighten that up closer to their front runners, a fourth title may be in the cards. With Tufts looking to be peaking at the right time, the chase to four will be a Jumbo affair.
Is the title destined for Medford or Cambridge this weekend?
On the individual side we’ll have a couple of athletes looking to play spoiler for the top two ranked teams. Expect a collection of Jumbos and Engineers to make their presence known in the opening stages. Babson’s Anthony Rodriguez has shown to be one to watch this season, taking second at the Conn College Invitational. He will look to avenge his loss to Sam Coutts at their conference meet to try and secure the title. Bowdoin’s Will Goddard comes in as the top returner from 2023’s edition with his eighth place finish. He finished fifth amongst a strong field at the Conn College Invitational and is always one that will mix it up with the top packs. Keene State’s Jake Velazquez, WPI’s Avi Bissoondial, Colby’s Chris Gould, Bates’s Arthurt Mottur, and Babson’s Julian Ivarra will be amongst the front pack looking to try and win and punch their ticket to the big dance.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)
Tufts (Q)
MIT (q)
Bowdoin
Bates
WPI
Individual qualifiers:
Anthony Rodriguez (Babson)
Will Goddard (Bowdoin)
Jake Velazquez (Keene State)
Avi Bissoondial (WPI)
Chris Gould (Colby)
Arthur Mottur (Bates)
Julian Ivarra (Babson)
Great Lakes
Women
How can last year’s Great Lakes regional be topped? There was a photo finish between Meghan Owens of Centre and Lauren Iagnemma of Case Western and a tie for the regional title between DePauw and Calvin. What will be in store this weekend in Shelbyville, Indiana at the Blue River Park?
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Calvin and DePauw look to be ready to battle once more this year as they come in as the top ranked teams. They went head to head at Augie where Calvin was able to take down the tigers by a convincing margin. Since then, they each went on to win their own conference meet. For DePauw, it was their first ever NCAC title in program history. For Calvin, it was their first title since 2014. Both teams are running with momentum and looking to snag the regional title.
The key for this title will come down to Calvin and DePauw’s pack. Sophie Bull and Jenna Allman are a fierce duo for the Knights but are equalled by DePauw’s Lily Monnett and Sophie Porter. At the Augie Interregional, DePauw put six runners in front of Calvin’s fifth, but Calvin already laid down the damage. Their third and fourth were well in front of DePauw’s third to cancel any sort of depth DePauw showed. Plus, their duo of Bull and Allman outscored DePauw 15-25. Calvin seems to be in the driver’s seat right now. However, they show some vulnerability. The gap from their first runner to their fourth at conference was 66s. Add another 20s to that and that’s their spread 1-5. 86 seconds will be a difficult spread to have and come away with a win at the regional level. DePauw’s 1-5 spread was 67s at NCACs. So the key for both teams is getting their packs closer to their lead runners.
John Carroll and Trine will be the next two teams fighting for a spot at the national meet. They could try to contend with DePauw and Calvin but lack the up front fire power the other two teams have. They’ve both had a strong season thus far and are showing up when the season’s starting to matter. Trine turned heads at the Augie Interregional when they beat Wartburg and Eau-Claire. They followed that up by pushing Calvin at the MIAA meet but ultimately lost the battle. Trine ran well together with a 45s pack at Augie, but that fell back a lot at the MIAA when it went to 83s. They’ll have to tighten that up if they want to overtake John Carroll.
Which leads me to John Carroll. JCU is coming off their final season in the OAC where they won the title. They opted to go to Mike Woods out East for their interregional competition. While they didn't get any big wins, they showed they can run with the big teams after placing 16 points behind RPI. Led by Annie Higgins, JCU had a 42s spread 1-5 at OAC. Higgins finished third and will need to be the low stick for the Streaks at the regional. JCU needs to show they can run with Calvin and DePauw. Without a big win at Paul Short or Mike Woods, it’s going to be a tough decision for the committee on how many teams come out of the Great Lakes.
On the individual side, we’ll get to see Faith Duncan and Paige Anderson go head to head. Duncan is fresh off her sub-20 performance which makes her the third D3 woman in history to go under this barrier. Anderson is coming off a conference win of her own at the MIAA. She was also runner-up at the Augie Interregional earlier this year. With nationals just a week away, it’ll be interesting to see how hard Duncan and Anderson push this. Duncan looks to be the national favorite and Anderson can get into the top 10. Will we see another sub-20 performance or a more conservative effort out of Duncan?
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (4)
DePauw (Q)
Calvin (q)
John Carroll (q)
Trine (q)
Ohio Northern
Individual Qualifiers
Faith Duncan (Wilmington)
Paige Anderson (Kalamazoo)
Lauren Iagnemma (Case Western)
Sarah Scarborough (Otterbein)
Ashley Novak (Case Western)
Zoe Ward (Ohio Wesleyan)
AnnaSophia Gower (Ohio Northern)
Men
It’s going to be very important to be a top two team in the Great Lakes region this year. John Carroll is coming in as the top ranked team and was 23rd in our previous rankings. John Carroll has two wins over CMS and Moravian which should help them no matter where they finish. They’re coming off an OAC win and have been trending in the right direction all year. They had a 48s spread at Mike Woods and a 40s spread at OACs. They had a four head monster separated by just 9s at OAC that featured Barrett Scheatzle, Dominic Delmoro, Tommy Naiman, and Ryan Champa. If they can repeat that feat at regionals, things will be a-okay for the Streaks. Any improvement from their fifth runner will be huge for them to win this title.
Calvin is coming off their 37th straight MIAA title, but they cut it close. They held off their conference rivals Hope, but just by one point! Talk about nerve-racking. The Knights got a win at the Augie Interregional taking down Augie in the process as well as Stout and UChicago. Similar to what has been mentioned about their women’s team, they’re going to be dependent on their fifth. At the interregional, Luke Witvliet led the Knights with his 13th place finish. However, their fifth was well back in 154th. They were 80s total 1-5. That type of spread is what Hope almost took advantage of and could be exploited in a bigger race setting. Calvin cut their 1-5 spread down to 65s at the conference meet to hold off Hope. Having Witvliet be a low stick for them will be a big advantage.
Hope is running with momentum right now after almost taking down Calvin. Their 37s spread will place nicely in a big field but they are asking a lot from their first year who’s been in their top 5. If Hope can run together as a pack and pick off folks late, Hope could be in a good position moving forward.
Wilmington will look for an individual sweep with Noah Tobin looking to claim his first regional title. Under the mentorship of Simon Heys, Tobin has blossomed into a contender this year. He’s coming off an OAC win and will look to ride that momentum this weekend. He’ll have a slew of contenders to deal with like Connor Havens of Manchester (HCAC champ) and Brayden Curnutt of Wabash. Look for Tobin to be relaxed early and charge late to claim the regional win.
Top 5 Men Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (3)
John Carroll (Q)
Hope (q)
Calvin (q)
Mount Union
Case Western
Individual Qualifiers
Noah Tobin (Wilmington)
Connor Havens (Manchester)
Brayden Curnutt (Wabash)
Aidan Nathan (Case Western)
Conor Kolka (Wittenberg)
Drew Robertson (Wooster)
Max Van-Huis (Trine)
Metro
Teams from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania will come together to test some interesting storylines coming out of the Metro regional championships:
Will there be a fourth unique champion on the women’s side this year?
Will it be 31 straight national qualifiers for Haverford men, or will the Moravian Greyhound dawgs have their day?
Could it take being in the top 7 overall for individuals to advance out of this region?
Women
The race is on for an automatic qualifier to the national meet in the women’s Metro regional championship meet. With no clear favorite and no teams from this region currently ranked, athletes know that the only way to punch their ticket to Cross Country Town, USA is to win.
Rowan and Swarthmore are the current favorites, with the nod going slightly to Rowan after their defeat of Swarthmore at home at the Interregional Border Battle. Swarthmore previously beat Rowan at Paul Short, but Rowan ran without typical scorer Allyson Wernik. Rowan is led up front by a trio that is constantly switching leads in Gabriella Pagano, Mia Guerra, and Anna Sasse, leading the way for a strong line up. To capture the win, the Profs will need to beat Swarthmore at as many scoring positions as possible. Led by Olivia Montini, Swarthmore has a chance of stealing the win, but will have to close the gap between their fourth and fifth runner to post a good fight.
If either Rowan or Swarthmore win, they will be the fourth unique women’s team winner of the Metro region since its genesis in 2021. However, look for teams TCNJ, Stockton, and Widener to be waiting in the wings for an upset.
The individual tactics of this race will be interesting because, with the prospect of just one team advancing, it’s entirely possible that individuals will have to place in the top 7 of the championship to guarantee a trip to nationals. The best strategy is to park one’s self in or just off the lead pack and hang on as long as possible.
Look for Moravian’s Tara Smurla, Cairne’s Clarisse Hayden, DeSales’s Ellie Kozich, and duos Gabriella Nye and Kathryn Long from Widener and Elizabeth Page and Olivia Montini from Swarthmore to lead the charge and gun for an individual qualifying spot.
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (1)
1. Rowan (Q)
2. Swarthmore
3. TCNJ
4. Stockton
5. Widener
Individual Qualifiers
1. Tara Smurla (Moravian)
2. Ania Wong (Swarthmore)
3. Gabriella Nye (Widener)
4. Elizabeth Page (Swarthmore)
5. Ellie Kozich (DeSales)
6. Kathryn Long (Widener)
7. Olivia Montini (Swarthmore).
Men
Haverford men have the second largest national showing in D3 history. Their 40 national qualifications is second only to North Central, who has made the national meet a whopping 50 times. Haverford hasn’t missed a national meet since 1992.
In 2021, following the national realignment, Haverford joined the newly formed Metro region, and, for three straight years, they have dominated it. No one but Haverford has ever won this regional championship. This year, however, the Metro could see a new victor and an end to the infamous Haverford nationals streak.
No. 29 Moravian men have been on a steady tear this season, starting with an eleventh place finish at Paul Short, their first big meet of the year. They went on to capture a fifth place finish at Mike Woods ahead of Mount Union, who had previously beat them at Paul Short, and Brockport State, who was previously nationally ranked. They are coming off of a perfect score at Landmark Conference Championships and now find themselves in prime position to take the regional title.
Not only was their sweeping Landmark victory impressive for its placing, but the Greyhounds posted a seven-second spread. Now that’s a pack. Though unlikely to sweep the region with national talents Peter LaRochelle and Reza Eshghi from Haverford in the mix, the team from Moravian and their 7-second pack will be tough to beat.
The biggest challengers will come from Rowan and Haverford. Rowan just beat Haverford by 17 points at home on interregional weekend, but lost to Moravian at Paul Short, which is why we have them predicted second. They ran with a 35-second pack time to win NJACs two weekends ago. Haverford took runner-up to Johns Hopkins at Centennials, but has been struggling with their pack time. They have strong frontrunners in XC All-American LaRochelle and Eshghi, but then have a significant dropoff. They will need to be firing on all cylinders to defend their regional title and nationals streak.
Results from this region could get messy should Rowan, Haverford, or other challengers like Swarthmore or TCNJ, take the win over ranked Moravian. The selection committee could choose to take two teams depending on what happens across the nation, but the case for this is not super strong. Regardless, individuals are not going to want to take any risks and be as close to the front as possible. LaRochelle and Eshghi will likely lead the charge, but watch out for Rowan’s Joshua Cason, Swarthmore’s Cohen Manges, Rutgers-Camden’s Jacob Dinerman, Stockton’s Erik Ackerman, and Widener’s Thomas Flear, all of whom are likely to be in the mix for a spot on the nationals starting line.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (1)
1. Moravian (Q)
2. Rowan
3. Haverford
4. Swarthmore
5. TCNJ
Individual Qualifiers
1. Peter LaRochelle (Haverford)
2. Reza Eshghi (Haverford)
3. Joshua Cason (Rowan)
4. Cohen Manges (Swarthmore)
5. Colin Patterson (Rowan)
6. Erik Ackerman (Stockton)
7. Thomas Flear (Widener)
Mid-Atlantic
Maryland, Pennsylvania, and one lone West Virginia school come together to form the Mid-Atlantic region, which will hold its regional championship in Lock Haven, Penn. Both the men and the women’s races will see epic battles between Mid-Atlantic powerhouses Johns Hopkins and Carnegie Mellon for a chance at regional crown glory as well as a spot on the startline at nationals.
Women
No. 3 Johns Hopkins will be in action this weekend in the first step toward making the national podium. At eight national titles, Johns Hopkins has won more national championships than any other women’s teams in D3 history. They flew somewhat under the radar this season, first running as the solo D3 team in the Gold race at Paul Short, then posting a 102-point victory at Rowan as the only nationally ranked team, and finally, winning the Centennial Conference Championship with a perfect score of 15. All these performances indicate to us that the Blue Jays are good, but the question is how good?
They haven’t posted a 1-5 split over one minute all season, and, for the past two meets in a row, posted a split under 30 seconds. Plus, they have a low stick in freshman standout Carter Brotherton and a wild card in Missouri A&T transfer Emma Puetz, who hasn’t raced since McNichols but holds a 5k PR of 17:27. The odds for Hopkins look strong. They will face No. 11 Carnegie Mellon, who was runner-up to No. 10 SUNY Geneseo at Mike Woods and sixth at UAAs behind four top-10 nationally ranked teams. CMU will be the highest ranked team that Hopkins has faced since they finished behind UChicago and NYU at McNichols in mid-September, giving them a nice tune-up before nationals.
CMU brings forth a strong lineup led by duo Orit Shiang and Ananya Devpura. Their pack time of 35 seconds at UAAs was their best yet, indicating they are trending the right way at the right time. Their best hope of snatching the victory from Johns Hopkins is to pack up behind the leaders and hope they can place all of their scorers ahead of Hopkins’s final scorers.
Other teams to watch out of this region include Centennial conference runners-up Gettysburg, Presidents AC runners-up Grove City, and the Dickinson Red Devils.
The individuals in this race will make the team battle interesting as the Mid-Atlantic's best race for their spot on the nationals starting line. Watch out for Gettysburg frontrunners Kathryn Hopkins and Gabrielle Thiry, Coast-to-Coast runner-up Salisbury’s Rachel Roberts, Misericordia’s Grace Gallagher, and Grove City’s Lydia Bennett, Washington & Jefferson’s Claire Anderson, and St. Vincent’s Grace Neubert, who went 1-3 at Presidents AC.
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)
1. Johns Hopkins (Q)
2. Carnegie Mellon (q)
3. Gettysburg
4. Grove City
5. Dickinson
Individual Qualifiers
1. Kathryn Hopkins (Gettysburg)
2. Lydia Bennett (Grove City)
3. Claire Anderson (Washington & Jefferson)
4. Grace Neubert (St. Vincent)
5. Gabrielle Thiry (Gettysburg)
6. Grace Gallagher (Misericordia)
7. Rachel Roberts (Salisbury)
Men
Paul Short/Pre-Nats weekend marked the first big weekend in D3 XC when people really got excited about what the season could hold. One of the highlights of the weekend was the men’s Paul Short Gold race, where nationally ranked teams RPI, Carnegie Mellon, and Johns Hopkins battled it out amidst a field of 374 top athletes. Johns Hopkins was the top D3 team, followed by RPI, and then Carnegie Mellon. This weekend, we finally get to see a Paul Short rematch between No. 8 Johns Hopkins and No. 9 Carnegie Mellon.
On interregional weekend, JHU struggled without their No. 2 runner Lucas Rackers, falling to third behind Lynchburg and Washington & Lee, who ran a standout race. They followed it up with an almost sweeping victory at Centennials (if not for Haverford All-American Peter LaRochelle, whose runner-up finish broke up JHU’s pack of 6) to build some good momentum heading into this weekend. Carnegie Mellon comes off of a runner-up finish at UAAs, falling to No. 10 NYU. If they return with a vengeance like Hopkins did from Rowan, they could just nab the automatic qualifier.
Led by UAA champion Matthew Coyle, the Tartans have strong potential with their team of 3k All-American Colin McLaughlin, Ryan Podnar, Eamon Brady, Anthony Toskin, and Aleksei Seletskiy. Led by national contender Emmanuel Leblond, the Blue Jays also have an impressive pack in Rackers, Rowan Cassidy, freshman Brady Ott, Kenny Wanlass, and Connor Oiler. Leblond is the favorite to take the regional title, so the key to a Blue Jay success is to keep their second runner as close as possible to him. If they let too many Tartans through, they may have to concede the victory.
Look for Dickinson and Lebanon Valley, who finished several places behind CMU at Mike Woods to finish in the top four, and the team from Marywood to also try to stake their claim to a top finish.
Several individuals will race for glory and attempt to break up the flurry of Hopkins blue and CMU red up front. Look out for Lebanon Valley duo Rory Lieberman and Matthew Santana, who won the Mid-Atlantic championship before the Mid-Atlantic championship (Middle Atlantic Conference Championships), Marywood’s Jack Baronski, Dickinson’s Brock Overlander, and Geneva’s Kevin Arseneaux, St. Vincent’s Tim Patterson, and Washington & Jefferson’s Dom Flitcraft, who went 1-3, respectively, at Presidents AC.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)
1. Johns Hopkins (Q)
2. Carnegie Mellon (q)
3. Dickinson
4. Lebanon Valley
5. Marywood
Individual Qualifiers
1. Rory Lieberman (Lebanon Valley)
2. Dom Flitcraft (Washington & Jefferson)
3. Tim Patterson (St. Vincent)
4. Brock Overlander (Dickinson)
5. Matthew Santana (Lebanon Valley)
6. Jack Baronski (Marywood)
7. Kevin Arseneaux (Geneva)
Midwest
The Midwest region heads to Rock Island this weekend in hopes to continue their streak of sending top teams to the national meet. With a forecast showing a high of 58 and sun, get ready for some big performances to secure a spot in Terre Haute.
Women
The women kick things off at 11:00am CST to tackle the 6k course. 31 teams toe the line with dreams of making it to the national championship.
The field will be headlined by UChicago and WashU. This will be the fifth time these conference foes face off! The season series favors Chicago 3-1 with the only win from WashU coming at the Augie Interregional. The Midwest has faltered just a tad with the team depth and we expect the regional title to come down to UChicago or WashU.
A big question for Chicago is: will Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel be racing? They have had an up and down season without their star. They won the UAAs over a deep field without her, which should give them confidence once she returns to the line-up. Chicago had an impressive 20s spread at UAAs and put their top five within the top 12. When the field had four top 10 teams (according to D3GD rankings) that performance is super impressive. Elisabeth Camic has stepped up the two previous races for the Maroons to be their top runner. At UAAs she was flanked by fellow seniors Anna Watson and Laura Baeyens. Keeping a tight pack will be key for Chicago. While the field is larger than UAAs, it lacks the depth UAAs had. I’d expect the game plan to be to pack it up and try to make the win as easy as possible. Don’t be surprised if you see UChicago’s top seven all receiving All-Region honors and within the top 20.
This Chicago team is experienced to know that not winning a regional doesn't impact what happens at nationals. After losing the Midwest region last year to Wartburg, Chicago went on to get a trophy by finishing third - 11 spots better than Wartburg.
However, WashU will hope to challenge for the team win. They got their lone win over UChicago just about a month ago at the Augie Interregional. Speaking with Jillian Heth after the race, that was the type of result they were hoping for. They know they should be in the conversation come November and this Saturday is a great opportunity to start that conversation. Despite a third place team finish at UAAs, there were many aspects of the race that WashU should be excited about. First, Jillian Heth put herself into the top 10. From the splits, it appears she put herself in good position early. They’ll look for her to get a low stick this weekend. They already had a 22s 1-5 spread at the UAAs but after Heth, their pack was just 11s apart. Keeping this tight pack together will be key for the Bears in November. Similar to Chicago, the Bears just need to advance with as much ease as possible. The big test comes next weekend in Terre Haute.
On the individual front, look for Deyanneira Colon Maldonado of Aurora to be up in the lead pack. If Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel isn’t in the race, Colon Maldonado has a great shot at winning the regional title. She was third at Augie, fourth at Pre Nats, and looks to be building off her track season where she finished fourth in the 1500m. She was ninth in the region last year and went on to become an All-American finishing 29th.
We anticipate a large pack of individuals vying for a berth. As of right now, it’s looking like just UChicago and WashU would be the only teams selected if they finish 1-2. Individuals to look for are Augustana's Emma Odle, the duo from Central College: Addy Parrott and Peyton Steffen, Simpson’s Teghan Booth, Illinois Wesleyan’s Adriana Crabtree and Wartburg’s Ellie Meyer. This crew has national meet experience and will look to use that this weekend. Parrott was 38th last year.
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)
UChicago (Q)
WashU (q)
Wartburg
Central
Wheaton
Individual qualifiers:
Deyanneira Colon Maldonado (Aurora)
Emma Odle (Augustana)
Addy Parrott (Central)
Peyton Steffen (Central)
Teghan Booth (Simpson)
Adriana Crabtree (Illinois Wesleyan)
Ellie Meyer (Wartburg)
Men
A thrilling battle on the women’s side will be met with equal excitement on the men's side. Fans will be running around the golf course to see Wartburg vs. North Central for the second time this season. In their first meeting, Wartburg took care of business fairly easily. They took down North Central 41-144. NCC was without their third runner, but even then, the team battle was still out of reach from North Central. Add in WashU, Loras, and Augie and we have quite the team battle on our hands.
Wartburg looks like a serious title threat this season. They’re relaxed, running with confidence, and most importantly, having fun with it. They seemingly can beat anyone with any strategy. We saw at Augie, they had a controlled start with their pack up front and then Isaiah Hammerand went to the front and hammered. They went 1-6 at the ARC meet by running together. They have a 41s gap 1-5 but can have a few low sticks up there. At the Augie Interregional, they scored 41 points and put their top five in the top 20. With Hammerand in the conversation for top 5 at nationals, Wartburg can showcase their firepower this weekend. With another decisive win over NCC, they’ll head to Terre Haute with a lot of confidence that they can win.
Noah caught up with NCC after the Augie Interregional. They weren’t too pleased with the result and know they can do better in November. Since then, they won their 50th straight CCIW title. Their body of work this season has been impressive and have stayed with our top 7 all year. Their top three of Emerald Svienty, BJ Sorg, and Matthew Jett could run with any top three in the nation. Getting their four and five to close the gap will be key for them this November. Svienty is coming off the CCIW win and looks to be regaining last year’s form when they placed third overall at nationals. A key for NCC will be the low stick Svienty can provide this November. If Sorg can run with Svienty and break up Wartburg’s pack, they can have a shot at cutting into the gap Wartburg has created.
WashU will be in the battle for third this weekend. A strength for the Bears is their own one-two punch in Cullen Capuano and Matthew Hornung. Hornung made a big jump to run with Capuano at UAAs to finish third and fourth. However, they almost have a minute spread one through five. Their three, four, and five will need to close the gap a bit to get them closer to NCC. They were 38 points behind NCC at Augie and look to make some progress on that this weekend. WashU is a top 20 team and should feel safe earning a bid to the national meet with a third place finish.
The last two teams looking to get a bid this weekend are Loras and Augustana. Both had big wins over UW-Stout, Hope, and UChicago at the Augie Interregional meet. They’ve been ranked by D3GD and USTFCCCA. From what we can tell, both should make it if they finish fourth and fifth. If UChicago upsets them then it’ll be interesting to see if they get in with UChicago. Both Loras and Augie are looking for a fifth. At the Interregional, Loras’s fifth finished 135th and Augie’s 186th. They’re going to need big races out of those guys in order to ensure no one slips by them. Alex Gazarek was Augie’s fifth at the interregional and had a huge race at CCIW to be their fourth running 25:18. However, their fifth was still too far back. For Loras, Jack Beehler also ran a new personal best at conference running 25:34 to be their fifth. That’s a good sign of improvement for Loras as they look to get back to nationals.
UChicago has a shot at upsetting Loras or Augie, or even both. They were led by Sanju Patel and Liam Eifert at UAAs but their inconsistency at Pre Nats and Augie lead to some concern. They were 53 points behind WashU at UAAs, a gap that could increase with the bigger field. They’ll need to pull out all the stops to get in front of Augie or Loras.
On the individual side, Isaac vanWestrienen of Cornell College will not only be challenging for the regional win, but should be leading the way for individual qualifiers. He’s coming off a MWC win running 24:15 and has experience qualifying after finishing 16th in the region and going on to finish 65th at nationals.
Predictions based on teams qualifying:
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (5)
Wartburg (Q)
North Central (q)
WashU (q)
Augustana (q)
Loras (q)
Individual qualifiers:
Isaac vanWestrienen (Cornell)
Sanju Patel (UChicago)
Liam Eifert (UChicago)
Bradyn Olmstead (Millikin)
Nick Fisch (Illinois Wesleyan)
Lance Miller (Knox)
Sam Elsen (Wheaton)
Mideast
Women
For the women’s individual title, we think it will be a race with Middlebury’s Audrey MacLean, Vassar’s Haley Schoenegge, and RPI’s Jules Bleskoski. That said, keep a tab on Wesleyan’s Stephanie Ager, who will likely make her case as well. MacLean and Schoenegge’s track speed will no doubt be threats, but Bleskowski has only begun with her XC career, so her untapped potential will be an x factor.
From a team perspective, Williams looks to be the favorite for the title. They’ve racked up several team victories en route to this point, including the NESCAC championship. That said, Amherst will be right up there and probably has the best shot at contending with them for that title (they beat Williams at Little 3 earlier in the year and were Paul Short White race champions).
The REAL hard part will be advancing. Expect the battle between 2 through 5 will be close. There is no wiggle room for failure or any vulnerabilities as there are 7 nationally ranked teams in the mix.
With that in mind, there’s an opportunity for a non-NESCAC school to break up the parade, especially with Vassar and RPI. Both teams have strength up front, particularly with their number one runners, but the postseason can amplify vulnerabilities, and Vassar took advantage of that over RPI in their conference championship. Ultimately, we could see a “deserving” team that won’t advance.
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (7)
Williams (Q)
Amherst (q)
Middlebury (q)
Wesleyan (q)
Vassar (q)
Conn College (q)
RPI (q)
Individual Qualifiers
Paige Phillips (Coast Guard)
Claire Semerod (Coast Guard)
Catherine Dacey (Union)
Charlotte Blake (St Lawrence)
Pria Parker (Smith)
Lyda Martin (Smith)
Haley Oliver (RIC)
Men
In the men’s team race, this will also be a relitigation of NESCAC rivalries. The hard part will be winning in this case. If you can believe it, we are talking about airtight margins. Williams held off Amherst by a single point at the NESCAC championship and there were ten points separating them and third place, Middlebury. And to make it even more intense, expect RPI to bring the pack running that they have been developing all season. At Paul Short, RPI showed the ability to make up a lot of ground in the second half of the race. Don’t be surprised if they take the wheel in the final kilometers.
In the men’s individual race, Nathan Tassey looks to be the favorite as he is currently undefeated and has shown himself to handle the big stage well as we saw at the John McNichols Invite. Look for Chuckie Namiot to be a contender as he has won all but one race this season. Let’s also keep an eye on Conn College’s Matt Scardigno and RPI’s 1-4 pack in the chase for the title.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (4)
RPI (Q)
Williams (q)
Amherst (q)
Middlebury (q)
Wesleyan (q)
Individual Qualifiers
Nathan Tassey (Roger Williams)
Nicholas Lyndaker (St. Lawrence)
Matt Scardigno (Connecticut College)
Ryan Russell (Union)
Sean Miller (Vassar)
Benjamin Neff (Union)
Jose Magana (Vassar)
Niagara
The state of New York truly has a little bit of everything, from Great Lakes shorelines, to the continent’s largest waterfall, to mountain ranges, to the most populous city in the U.S. As such, it comes as no surprise that the fourth largest state in the US by population would be split into three separate regions: Niagara, Mideast, and Metro.
The Niagara region might have some of the strangest boundaries to come out of the 2021 regional realignment, spanning:
As far north as Oswego, NY on the coast of Lake Ontario (but not so far north as to include Ontario-bordering Canton, whose surrounding schools are in the Mideast region)
As far south as NYU in Greenwich Village, Manhattan (but not so far south as to cross the Brooklyn Bridge and include Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, part of the Metro region)
As far east as SUNY Maritime in the Bronx (but not so far as to cross Little Neck Bay to the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY, part of the Metro region)
As far west as PSU-Behrend, the lone Pennsylvania school in the Niagara region, probably owing to its 110-mile distance down the Lake Ontario shore from Niagara Falls, making North America’s largest waterfall by volume a perfect weekend trip for Behrend students.
Regardless of which part in the Niagara region D3 schools complete their daily training, all will come together in Fredonia, NY for a shot to secure their spot at the NCAA national meet. One is guaranteed to advance, few others will wait at the mercy of USTFCCCA, and the rest will celebrate the end of another season of cross country in the books.
Here are some of the headlining performances to watch for in the Niagara region this weekend.
Women
The women’s race is sure to be exciting up front in a head-to-head battle between No. 4 NYU and No. 10 SUNY Geneseo. Last year, SUNYG secured the auto-qualifier with a 1-4 sweep, led by Penelope Greene. The Knights return all of their scoring squad from last year except for Rachel Hirschkind, the 24th-place cross country All-American. They’ve had a somewhat bumpy season up until now, having lost to four teams at Paul Short in early October in their first look at nationally ranked teams. The Knights did, however, bounce back to win their home meet against RPI, who previously beat them at Paul Short, and are coming off of a perfect-score victory at Empire 8s in their first year in the league, so they seem to be trending in the right direction at the right time.
Consistently, their third through fifth runners have maintained a tight pack, but remain at a distance from their first and second. Their No. 2 runner Lily Fowler-Conner closed the gap on Greene from Mike Woods to conference and will need to keep her in sight this weekend to produce another low-stick for the Knights. The key for this team at nationals will be to continue closing the gap from two to three.
NYU, on the other hand, comes off of a highly-competitive conference meet where they faced No. 5 UChicago, No. 6 WashU, and No. 8 Emory. They ended up second to UChicago by 22 points, struggling to keep their pack condensed. The biggest gaps existed from 1-2 and 4-5, but this team does have some top athletes currently sidelined, which, health pending, could help close this gap should they be able to run full strength this coming weekend.
With such a stacked postseason lineup, the most important thing for the Violets is to survive and advance, not necessarily to post an impressive regional outcome. Last year, they conceded the regional victory to Geneseo before going on to place second in the nation behind Carleton. Both teams bring forth strong lineups and both are almost guaranteed a trip to Terre Haute, barring any major disasters, so their battle this weekend will be close and might even be a little tactical.
On the individual front, Greene once again returns as the favorite. Last year, she was third in the nation and has carried that same momentum into this season, having only lost to three individuals total this season. Look for teammate Fowler-Conner, NYU rival competitor Janie Cooper, and Hamilton freshman sensation Keira Rogan to join up front and be individuals to watch in contention for the regional crown.
Other individuals looking to punch their ticket to nationals this weekend include RIT’s Sierra Danieu, who has never made a national meet, but has had a breakout season, including two first-place finishes and an 11th place overall and top Niagara region finish at Liberty Leagues. Danieu’s teammate, Kathryn Arbegast, has also built some strong momentum, highlighted by her 8th place finish at the Yellowjacket Invitational, and will look to follow Danieu to a national-qualifying finish.
Ithaca duo Jessica Goode and Kyla Eisman will look to employ similar tactics, and Cortland State’s Melissa Innocent will look to carry momentum from a SUNYAC victory. Hamilton’s Lily Murphy, who unfortunately appears to be battling some health issues per her Strava, could be a strong contender as well, should she be able to compete this weekend. Though it appears injuries have prevented her from postseason competition in the past, we hope to see her make a strong return.
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)
NYU (Q)
SUNY Geneseo (q)
Hamilton
Ithaca
Rochester
Individual Qualifiers
Keira Rogan (Hamilton)
Sierra Danieu (RIT)
Jessica Goode (Ithaca)
Melissa Innocent (Cortland St.)
Kathryn Arbegast (RIT)
Ellie Ponko (Rochester)
Noelle Linenfelser (Houghton)
Men
The men’s race will be a treat to watch, as we will see a six-weeks-in-the-making rematch from Paul Short between No. 4 SUNY Geneseo and No. 10 NYU. In the Paul Short men’s White race, Geneseo nabbed the victory by a narrow 14 points. In fact, the Knights’ varsity team hasn’t lost head-to-head to a D3 program all season, forcing us to beg the question: will we see them on the podium in two weekends? Geneseo hasn’t seen a spread larger than 40 seconds all year, and their season-high 40-second spread was accomplished without their typical frontrunner Ryan Hagan. Though we might be getting ahead of ourselves just a little, a pack time this tight could be what it takes to rival top programs La Crosse, Wartburg, and Pomona-Pitzer. As such, some tactics may come into play this weekend as the Geneseo Knights prepare for the big dance.
NYU comes off some huge momentum after capturing the program’s first UAA title since 2009. En route, they beat No. 9 Carnegie Mellon, as well as No. 17 WashU and No. 22 Emory, indicating their ability to dominate some of the top teams in the nation. Led by Ryan Tobin, who took UAA runner-up, the Violets posted a 23-second spread to beat CMU by 17 points. They’ve been knocking time off of their pack each week and have been under 30 seconds two major races in a row. Whether attributed to an increase in team bonding time or just the natural late-season fitness gains that comes with the postseason, the Violets are starting to figure things out. One last look at top team Geneseo before nationals will be their perfect sharpener.
Look for Geneseo trio Hagan, Charlie Wilson, and Alex Hillyard, NYU’s Tobin, Rochester’s James Catania, and Brockport State’s Jonathan Zavala to lead the race. Zavala will hope to lead the way to a national qualifying performance for Brockport, who has had a strong season, however, a team seventh place finish at Mike Woods likely hurts their qualifying odds in the eyes of the selection committee. They will have to post a strong performance this weekend and await results from across the country to see if they have enough to receive one of the coveted 32 at-large bids.
Other individuals to watch include Utica’s Bennett Melita, who took fifth at Empire 8s, Hamilton’s Alexander Badami, RIT’s Derrick Koen, SUNYAC champion Jonthomas Bierman, and Brockport’s Jared Smith, who punched his ticket to nationals last year.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)
SUNY Geneseo (Q)
NYU (q)
Brockport St.
Hamilton
Rochester
Individual Qualifiers
James Catania (Rochester)
Jonathan Zavala (Brockport St.)
Bennett Melita (Utica)
Alexander Badami (Hamilton)
Derrick Koen (RIT)
Patrick Klinger (Brockport St.)
Jared Smith (Brockport St.)
North
Women
UW-La Crosse and St. Olaf women will have a solid battle for the regional crown, but UW-La Crosse will likely edge out the Oles. Fresh off another WIAC title, the UW-La Crosse women are a common fixture at the national meet. Given the history of the program and consistent results they put up, it is hard not to see them taking the regional title. As stated, St. Olaf should come away with a runner-up finish with a little bit of a tighter pack than their MIAC constituents Carleton, last year's national champions. While the defending champs are having a solid year, they have not ranked higher than 10th all season*. However, a good amount of pieces from last year’s team are still there, and we shouldn’t be surprised if they close out the season on a high note and out-place their ranking.
The big story of the women’s side is going to come from another likely at-large qualifying team. The UW-Stout women have been a team on the rise over the last few years and they are ready to dance at the national meet. Led by a strong top three, the Blue Devils should place within the top four teams and become the first UW-Stout women’s team to qualify in program history.
Look for Hannah Preisser of Carleton to lead the field and take the individual title. Preisser has yet to lose to D3 competition this season. Preisser will likely be going to nationals with the team, so here are some people we think you should be looking out for to take the individual qualifying spots: Amelia Lehman of UW-Oshkosh, Cristyn Oliver of Lawrence, Keeley Behr of UW-Eau Claire, Molly Liston of Gustavus Adolphus, Ari De La Cerda of UW-Whitewater, Ainara Saiz De Rozas of Concordia Wisc., and Hannah Fliss of UW-Platteville.
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (4)
UW-La Crosse (Q)
St. Olaf (q)
Carleton (q)
UW-Stout (q)
UW-Eau Claire
Individual Qualifiers
Amelia Lehman (UW-Oshkosh)
Cristyn Oliver (Lawrence)
Keeley Behr (UW-Eau Claire)
Molly Liston (Gustavus Adolphus)
Ari De La Cerda (UW-Whitewater)
Ainara Sainz De Rozas (Concordia Wisc.)
Hannah Fliss (UW-Platteville)
*USTFCCCA Rankings
Men
The men’s race in the North should be boring, at least up front, and that’s not a bad thing! Since 2021, UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater have gone 1-2, and that should be no different this year. The UW-La Crosse Eagles should take the crown with the Warhawks of UW-Whitewater placing second. UW-La Crosse has an unmatchable depth on their team that is hard to beat. They will likely substitute a few runners out of their regional squad at the national meet like they have done historically.
St. Olaf should place third and lock up another at-large bid. Along with UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater, the Oles are likely looking to take care of business by doing what they need to do to advance to Terre Haute without leaving too much on the course. This brings us to UW-Eau Claire. The Blugolds have had a solid season and should take another at-large bid getting them back to the national meet after not qualifying the last two seasons. MSOE is another program having a standout year and one to watch.
People may look to this region as a pre-national meet on the men’s side. Grant Matthai, Christian Patzka, and Gunner Schlender will be near the front, and they are going to be more worried about nationals instead of an individual regional title. Joining them up front should be Mohammed Bati of Augsburg, who could be your individual winner and a potential spoiler next week.
Along with Bati, be on the lookout for Caden Schneider of UW-Platteville, Calvin Boone of St. Scholastica, Logan Murphy of UW-Stevens Point, Craig Hundley and Jacob Curulewski of Carthage, and Gabe Nichols of Carleton to lock in individual qualifying spots. Hundley has returned back to Carthage from a brief stint at Whitewater and made his season debut with a bang at the CCIW. His presence for Carthage could shake things up in the team placing.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (5)
UW-La Crosse (Q)
UW-Whitewater (q)
St. Olaf (q)
UW-Eau Claire (q)
MSOE (q)
Individual Qualifiers
Mohammed Bati (Augsburg)
Caden Schneider (UW-Platteville)
Calvin Boone (St. Scholastica)
Logan Murphy (UW-Stevens Point)
Jacob Curulewski (Carthage)
Craig Hundley (Carthage)
Gabe Nichols (Carleton)
South
Since the south lacks a high concentration of D3 schools compared to the north and northeast and Kentucky for some odd reason not explained by geography has moved to the Great Lakes, the South region is comprised of more states than any other region. Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Washington D.C. will all come together in Clinton, Miss. for the South Regional Championships. The forecast calls for sun and a high of 70 degrees, which will likely be a stark contrast to the weather to come in Indiana the following week.
Though this region has long been dominated by south powerhouses Lynchburg and Emory, this year, a new contender arises on both sides: the Generals from Washington & Lee. Here’s what to watch for out of the south region this coming weekend.
Women
No. 8 Emory is the team to watch. They come off of a fourth place finish at the highly competitive UAA conference meet, led by the 1-2 punch from Brigid Hanley and Liesl Scherrer, who took down a strong field of NYU and UChicago runners. In fact, Hanley and Scherrer might be the strongest duo in women’s D3 XC right now, deserving of the D3GD “Pocket Ace” title we have awarded to duos in the past. Look for them to run strong up front in attempts to lead their team to an automatic qualifying win.
The Eagles have had a strong year. Most notably, they were Paul Short runners up to Amherst mid-season ahead of several top-ranked teams. With two low sticks in Hanley and Scherrer, the biggest challenge will be keeping their 3-5 as close as possible, not allowing too many scorers from challengers Lynchburg and Washington & Lee to sneak through.
Lynchburg will be a notable rival. Expect frontrunner Kayla Werner to hang up front with Hanley and Scherrer, ready to take the regional title should either Eagle falter. Werner beat Hanley at Paul Short, and will bring this confidence with her to the starting line. She is joined in company by ODAC runner-up Allison Dell, newcomer Adelynn Carpenter, sister Kristen Werner, Hannah Edwards, and Delaney Saulsbury. This crew will need to keep Werner in sight for the best chance at a top finish.
The come-up team from Washington & Lee will perhaps be the most formidable opponent to both Lynchburg and Emory. They come off of a somewhat surprising ODAC upset victory over Lynchburg following their impressive fourth place finish at Conn College behind ranked MIT, NYU, and Williams. They beat Amherst, who upset everyone at Paul Short by clinching the win in the White race. Led by ODAC champion Olivia Warr, W&L’s 2-5 have a solid pack time. At Conn College, they were separated by 36 seconds. In their ODAC win, they placed 9 in the top 20 and had a 2-5 pack time of 26 seconds.
Emory has an advantage by having Scherrer up with Hanley to give them two low sticks. However, depth like that of Washington and Lee’s could be lethal to teams without a tight pack from their 3-5.
Other teams you can expect to see gunning for top-5 finishes are SAA champs Berry and third place ODAC finishers Bridgewater, who know what to expect out of Lynchburg and W&L after racing them two weekends ago.
Individual qualifiers could run deep in this field with three teams stacking up the front of the race. Look for Catholic’s Kate Inglis, who was ninth overall at Rowan, and Bridgewater’s Taylor Myers, who was third at ODACs, to make their way toward the front early. Berry Anna duo Anna Ayers and Anna Rose, Bridgewater’s Mackenzie Young, and Mary Washington’s Lily Hoffman are also ones to watch.
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (3)
Emory (Q)
Washington & Lee (q)
Lynchburg (q)
Berry
Bridgewater
Individual Qualifiers
Taylor Myers (Bridgewater)
Kate Inglis (Catholic)
Anna Ayers (Berry)
Mackenzie Young (Bridgewater)
Anna Rose (Berry)
Emily Smeds (Bridgewater)
Lily Hoffman (Mary Washington)
Men
No. 11 Lynchburg could be on their way toward something special starting this weekend. Known arguably as America’s best D3 middle distance squad, this group of MidDs is covering 8k at blazing fast times because they know the faster they run, the faster they get to track season.
The Hornets’ most recent accomplishment was securing their fourth consecutive ODAC title. The squad of Chasen Hunt, Tor Hotung-Davidsen, Cooper Hurst, and Sam Llaneza led the way, sweeping first through fourth en route to victory. (Speaking of Mid-D talent, 800m specialist Hotung-Davidsen darn near beat Hunt in an almost-upset for the ODAC crown. After missing his entire outdoor season last year, it was nice to see the 1:49 half miler come within less of a second of the 14:00 5ker.) The name of the game for Lynchburg this coming weekend will be to survive and advance. A strong regional performance is the first step toward a shot at a top finish at nationals.
No. 13 Washington & Lee will take the start line with Lynchburg for the second race in a row following their runner-up finish at ODACs. The Generals bring forth a strong trio up front in Keaton Rush, Row Sterne, and Robert Cooper, who all finished ahead of Lynchburg’s fifth, but they will need a strong performance from their fourth and fifth runners to stay as close to Lynchburg as possible. They will face No. 22 Emory, who comes off of a fourth place finish at UAAs and should advance to nationals as the third team from this region, barring any disaster. The Eagles’ UAA pack time of 30 seconds works in their favor, though they will need their frontrunners to hang tough in the front of this race. Other teams to watch for are SAA top two squads Berry and Oglethorpe.
Similarly to the women’s race, individual qualifiers in this race could run deep. Oglethorpe’s Ashton Deriso and Zachary Benner, Berry’s Tucker Wright, Randolph’s Tanner Cochran, EMU’s Bellamy Immanuel, Southern Virginia’s Kaelen Ruder, and Pfeiffer’s Sawyer Helms have all consistently been top South region finishers and are ones to watch.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (3)
Lynchburg (Q)
Washington & Lee (q)
Emory (q)
Berry
Oglethorpe
Individual Qualifiers
Ashton Deriso (Oglethorpe)
Tucker Wright (Berry)
Zachary Benner (Oglethorpe)
Tanner Cochran (Randolph)
Bellamy Immanuel (Eastern Mennonite)
Kaelen Ruder (Southern Virginia)
Sawyer Helms (Pfeiffer)
West
After years of competing in either California or Washington for a bid to the national meet, the D3 West Regional Cross Country Championships are returning to Oregon! The last time the meet was hosted by Lewis and Clark in Estacada, Oregon was in 2007. This weekend, on November 23rd, teams will compete rain or shine (knowing Oregon, it will most likely be in the rain AND the mud) at Milo McIver State Park to see who receives the automatic bid to the national meet.
The West Region is historically deep, often sending multiple at-large teams to the national championships. In 2023 on both the men's and women's side, we saw THREE additional at-large teams qualify. In 2024, the depth of California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, and Colorado teams is once again on full display.
Women
The women's competition promises a preview of the national meet, with No. 2 Colorado College, No.15 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer, No. 25 UC Santa Cruz, and No. 28 George Fox all vying for glory. The women's side also has a deep individual battle, with at least five women capable of placing top 15 at the national meet.
No. 2 ranked Colorado College enters as the clear favorite, still undefeated against D3 competition this season. Their dominance starts up front with the dynamic duo of Isabel Olson and Sydney Rankin, who placed 1st and 4th respectively at the Augustana Interregional. With Mueller-Hickler and Singer both notching top-20 finishes at Augustana, and their fifth runner closing the gap in recent races, the Tigers look nearly unstoppable.
However, defending West Region champions Claremont-Mudd-Scripps won't give up their crown without a fight. The Athenas have their own formidable front-running duo in Riley Capuano and Sadie Drucker, who went 1-2 at the recent SCIAC championships. Capuano, who was third at this meet last year and finished 11th at XC nationals in 2023, knows what it takes to perform on the big stage. But for CMS to have a shot at the upset, they'll need exceptional performances from Angela Gushue and Revere Schmidt to counter Colorado College's depth. They will also need a breakthrough performance from their fifth runner, who has been rotating all season - if they can close the nearly one-minute gap from fourth to fifth that we saw at SCAICs, they might just have a chance of surprising the Tigers.
Although all eyes are on the Colorado College-CMS battle, this region is too deep for certainties. No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer brings a tight pack led by Mira Terdiman and Katie Cline, while No. 25 UC Santa Cruz features breakthrough star Kenzie Seymour, who stunned the D3 world with a second-place finish at Pre-Nationals. No. 28 George Fox, led by sophomore Breanna Schmitt (9th at Pre-Nats), rounds out our top five team predictions.
The individual race is equally compelling. Olson enters as the favorite after her breakthrough win at Augustana, but she'll face stiff competition from teammate Rankin, fresh off her SCAC Conference title. Capuano will be hungry to improve on last year's third-place finish and continue CMS's tradition of individual champions (her former teammate Natalie Bitteti won by over 20 seconds in 2023). Meanwhile, Seymour from UC Santa Cruz (second at Pre-Nats) and Lewis & Clark's Riley Buese (6th at Pre-Nats and recent conference champion) could play spoiler. Will Colorado College claim their first-ever individual regional title? Can Seymour turn her Pre-Nationals performance into regional gold? Or will Capuano keep the individual crown with CMS? We'll find out Saturday on what promises to be an exciting morning on the womens side in Estacada!
Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (5)
Colorado College (Q)
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (q)
Pomona-Pitzer (q)
UC Santa Cruz (q)
George Fox (q)
Individual Qualifiers:
Riley Buese (Lewis & Clark)
Annika Carlson (Chapman)
Jenna LeNay (Occidental)
Chloe Bullock (Redlands)
Breanna Steele (Southwestern)
Abby Staley (Whitworth)
Kylah Holland (Harden Simmons)
Men
Pomona-Pitzer men have dominated the West Region for as many years as we can count. Last year, they claimed victory with an impressive 45 points, more than doubling the score of runner-up CMS (93 points). This weekend, they look poised to continue their regional dominance.
The defending champions are led by senior Cameron Hatler, who took 3rd at D3 Pre-Nationals and looks to improve on last year's 11th place regional finish. The Sagehens' depth is simply overwhelming - sophomore Quinn White and junior Jack Stein (13th at regionals last year) form a formidable 2-3 punch, while seniors Owen Kobett and Peter Neid round out a top 5 that could all finish in the top 15. It’s hard to imagine anyone challenging PP for the automatic qualifier.
The battle for second place between No.24 CMS and No.16 George Fox will determine who gets the best shot at an at-large bid to nationals. CMS has been steadily improving all season, and though they haven't managed to take down Pomona-Pitzer yet, they kept things close at the PP Invite. The Stags should have gained more confidence after SCAICs, where Adam Sage claimed an impressive individual victory over PP's Cameron Hatler. With Oliver Pick backing up Sage, CMS could be peaking at just the right time.
George Fox turned heads early in the season with a stunning third-place finish at D3 Pre-Nationals, but they've been something of a mystery since then. After a mid-season stumble at the Lewis & Clark Invite and no major competitions since Pre-Nats, it's hard to know exactly what to expect from the Bruins. However, their dominant performance at the Northwest Conference Championships - where they scored just 28 points and put six runners in the top 14 - suggests they're rounding back into form. Led by Austin Gappa, who placed 8th at Pre-Nats, the Bruins certainly have a shot at that second place spot.
Unranked teams like UC Santa Cruz, led by conference champion Luke Holland, and Colorado College, led by Will Shufflit, could shake things up in the team battle. The depth of talent also suggests we could see some surprising individual qualifiers emerge, depending on how many teams are chosen in the at-large bid selection.
While Pomona-Pitzer might have the team title locked up, the individual race promises plenty of drama. PP's Cameron Hatler enters as the favorite after placing 3rd at D3 Pre-Nationals, but he'll face serious challenges from Colorado College sophomore Will Shuflit and CMS senior Adam Sage. Shuflit has made massive strides this season, placing 6th at the competitive Augustana invite after finishing 30th at regionals last year, while Sage recently proved he can challenge Hatler by upsetting him for the SCIAC title.
Behind this leading trio, several other runners could shake up the podium spots: Trinity's Will Salony (17th at Augustana, 9th at last year's regionals), Puget Sound’s Austin Gappa (8th at Pre-Nats and Northwest Conference champion), Puget Sound’s Ben Kerr (10th at last years regionals and 2nd to Gappa at NCC Conference), Lewis & Clark's Evan Markelz (14th at Pre-Nats, 19th at regionals last year), and UC Santa Cruz's Luke Holland (recent Coast to Coast conference champion) all have the potential to make moves at the front of the race.
Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (3)
Pomona-Pitzer (Q)
George Fox (q)
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (q)
Colorado College
UC Santa Cruz
Individual Qualifiers:
Will Shuflit (Colorado College)
Will Salony (Trinity)
Ben Kerr (Puget Sound)
Evan Markelz (Lewis & Clark)
Stian Asper (Redlands)
Luke Holland (UC-Santa Cruz)
Alex Peters (Whitworth)