At Lehigh University this past Saturday Georgetown’s men’s and women’s cross-country teams ran in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. In the meet, where the top two teams automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, the Hoya men placed first while the women took home third.
The No. 7 men’s team cruised their way to a first place finish, successfully defending their Mid-Atlantic Regional title in the 10K race. Their 45 points were less than half of second-place, and No. 27, American’s 93 points.
Sophomore Matt Debole, who finished third at the Big East Championships with a school record of 24:13 on the six-mile course, did not run for Georgetown. Yet five Hoyas still finished in the top 20, all within one minute of each other, to pace Georgetown’s effort.
Senior Fleet Hower’s time of 30:03.8 topped all runners. Senior Charlie Millioen finished fourth, while sophomore Daniel Nunn rounded out the top 10. First-year Mike Krisch and senior Chris Esselborn weren’t far behind with 13th and 17th place finishes. Junior Andre LaBoy also put in a respectable showing, coming in 26th.
“I was pleased especially with how we ran without Matt Debole,” Head Coach Patrick Henner said of his squad. “Charlie Millioen stepped up, and Daniel Nunn had his best race of the season.”
With the first place finish, the men earned a spot at Nationals at Indiana State University. And the team likes its chances next Monday, Nov. 21.
“The guys are looking good in practice,” Henner added. “If we run good races across the board, we can be in the top ten.”
In the women’s 6K race, the No. 29 Hoyas came in third with 103 points, only five behind second-place Villanova. Princeton’s 64 points won the meet. The current Mondo National Poll placed Princeton and Villanova at 13th and 23rd respectively.
Despite the strong effort, third place was not enough for an automatic ticket to the national meet, although Infield’s fifth place finish qualified her individually.
Sophomore Maggie Infeld led the Hoyas, finishing fifth in a time of 20:43.4. Junior Elizabeth Maloy and Erin Henry both finished in the top 20 at 15th and 17th. Sophomore Joanna Rodgers crossed the line in 30th place while Junior Sabine Knothe came in 36th to top off the Hoyas’ scoring.
“I think it was our best race all year,” Head Coach Ron Helmer said. “Although I would have liked to be five points better and get an automatic bid.”
The women received one of 13 at-large bids to the national race in Terre Haute, Ind. Even though they realize the stiff competition they will face, the Hoyas are looking forward to prove that they belong.
“They just have to understand what our challenge is,” Coach Helmer said of the women. “If we have seven go out and do their very best, we will be very surprised at who we can beat.”
