On Saturday, November 12th the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams wrapped up their season at the NCAA Atlantic Cross Country Regional Championship in Glassboro, NJ.
These races, hosted by Rowan University, marked the first time any Houghton team or individual has competed in an NCAA Championship event.
Head coach, Patrick Hager said, “The opportunity to compete in the NCAA Regional means a chance to run with the best in NCAA Division III. This meet is the only way to qualify for the NCAA National Championship race.”
Last year, both cross country teams finished out their season at the NCCAA National Championship. “While the NCCAA is a great organization to be a part of, the NCAA is bigger and more competitive,” said Hager.
Reflecting on the races, Hager said, “The women ran the best race since I’ve been coach here. They went out a little fast, but finished well. Every single one of them set a personal record (PR) in the 6k race and they were able to beat a conference opponent, St. John Fisher, who beat them at the Empire 8 Championship.”
He continued, “The men had a bit of a rough day. They are young, and the season wore on them a bit. But, we can’t overlook what a good experience it was for them. Even with a tough race, a few of the men were able to pull through with PR’s.”
Ella Hotchkiss ‘16 finished first for the women in a time of 23:51.8. Behind her was a strong pack of Shelby Langlois ‘20, Gwen Stokes ‘20, and Rachel Hummel ‘17 who all finished within 22 seconds of each other.
“For Hotchkiss and Karah Ashley ‘16, this was their last collegiate cross country race,” said Hager.“ It was great to see them both PR by around 1:30, what an ending for both of them.”
Hotchkiss attributes her success to her coaches and teammates. “I had no idea what would happen going into this season, now that it’s over I cannot believe the outcomes.”
In the men’s 8k race, Daniel Burdo ‘20 finished first for the Highlanders in a time of 27:36.8, a big PR. He was followed close behind by Cory McCarty ‘17 who finished in 27:43.6. Both McCarty as well as Daniel Schulz ‘17, who finished fourth for the team, finished with their best times of the season.
Ashley said, “We had a lot of freshman on our team this year. It was great to see so many of them compete at this high level meet. Of the 14 who competed at Regionals eight of them were freshman. They really stepped up and helped us accomplish what we did at this race.”
In his reflection, Schultz said, “All the hard work put into this season, guided by our Coach, led us to the success we had this past weekend. We have a lot of teammates that came and gave it their all every race, and this race was certainly an example of that.”
McCarty credited the men for running their fastest average time of the year, although they did not receive many PR’s overall. For McCarty, “The best part of the season was how close the team grew. I am extremely proud of this young team and the potential they have.”
He continued, “As we move into our track season, I’m excited to see our team grow significantly more as Christians, students, and athletes.”
NCAA Atlantic Cross Country Regional Championship hosted 303 runners. The Houghton women finished 26 of 49 teams, and the men finished 31 of 51 teams.
For the NCAA competition, the top seven runners from each team were allowed to compete. This is the first year Houghton has been eligible for post-conference NCAA competition.