SHELBYVILLE, IN - All 17 North Coast Athletic Conference cross country teams competed at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional in Shelbyville, Indiana, hosted by Franklin College on Saturday, November 16.

On the women’s side, DePauw earned the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional title after earning 91 points and finishing just three points ahead of runner-up Calvin. In 2023, DePauw finished second to Calvin after the programs tied and had to use tiebreakers to determine the eventual champion. Wittenberg finished fourth (165), while Ohio Wesleyan finished seventh (224). Oberlin and Wooster placed 20th and 21st after earning 592 and 601 points, respectively. Rounding out NCAC competitors were Denison in 24th (664), Kenyon in 26th (719) and Hiram in 31st (902).
 
DePauw’s senior Sophie Porter (Westfield, IN/Westfield) was the top-NCAC finisher for the women. Porter finished sixth in regional competition with a time of 22:04.46. Ohio Wesleyan sophomore Zoe Ward (Columbus, OH/Worthington Christian) was the conference’s second-highest finisher, placing ninth with a time of 22:10.02 to finish one second ahead of DePauw senior Lily Monnett (Cloverdale, IN/Cloverdale) who placed 10th (22:11.01). Wittenberg senior Megan Keys (Dublin, OH/Jerome) finished inside the top-15 after completing the course in 22:24.49 to take 14th. DePauw senior Brynn Urban (Fishers, IN/Fishers) and Wittenberg sophomore Maddi Clark (Mentor, OH/Mentor) placed 16th and 17th with times of 22:33.24 and 22:25.20, respectively.
 
On the men’s side, Wittenberg placed seventh to lead all NCAC teams with 243 points. DePauw followed in ninth (243), while Oberlin finished 15th (435). Wooster claimed 18th place (468) followed by Kenyon in 20th (535), and Wabash in 21st (586). Rounding out the NCAC teams were Denison in 26th (721), Ohio Wesleyan in 27th (746), and Hiram in 42nd (1320).
 
Wabash senior Brayden Curnutt (Kokomo, IN/Western) was named the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Champion after placing first with a time of 24:36.83, which was nearly nine seconds faster than the runner-up. Wittenberg senior Conor Kolka (Dexter, MI/Dexter) placed sixth with a time of 24:57.54 while Oberlin senior Walter Moak (Charlottesville, VA/Western Albemarle) rounded out the top-10 with a time of 25:06.08. Wooster senior Drew Robertson (Bébalem, Chad/Rift Valley Academy (Kenya)) placed 12th after completing the 8,000-meter run in 25:12.37 while DePauw senior Matt Vennemann (Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence Central) placed 19th with a time of 25:30.63.

The top team from each of the 10 regional championships advance to the Division III Championships; the NCAA will announce the 22 at-large teams for the Championships on Sunday, November 17. The top seven individuals from each region not on a qualifying team will also advance to the championships.

The 2024 NCAA Division III Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships will be held at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology serving as the host. The races will be November 23, with the women's 6K beginning at 11:00 a.m. and the men's 8K scheduled for 12:00 p.m.