OWU's Ward, JCU's Su Led NCAC at DIII Cross Country Regionals

LOUISVILLE, KY - All 17 North Coast Athletic Conference cross country teams were represented at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional in Louisville, Kentucky,  hosted by Spalding University on Saturday, November 15.

On the men's side, John Carroll placed third to lead all NCAC teams with 130 points. Kenyon followed in 10th (336), while Oberlin finished 14th (405), Denison placed 18th (474) and DePauw took 20th (505). Rounding out the NCAC teams were Wabash in 25th (652), Wooster in 26th (663), and Ohio Wesleyan in 30th (878). The Wittenberg men only had four student-athletes compete in the regional race and did not accumulate a team score.
 
Individually, John Carroll sophomore Sam Su (Akron, OH/Woodridge) was the top-NCAC finisher, crossing the line in 23:26.39 for 13th place. Blue Streak senior teammate Ian Paul (Massillon, OH/Canton Central Catholic) finished just three spots back in 25:32.47 for 16th. Oberlin senior Liam Newman (Wenatchee, WA/Wenatchee) placed 19th in 25:38.84 followed closely by Kenyon sophomore Charlie Blackmer (Libertyville, IL/Vernon Hills) who crossed in 25:40.45 for 20th, while John Carroll junior Phil Coury (Westlake, OH/St. Edward) was the final NCAC finisher in the top-25 as he placed 23rd in 25:42.88.
 
On the women's side, John Carroll finished fourth after tallying 135 points and was closely followed by Ohio Wesleyan in fifth with 152 points and DePauw in seventh with 193 points. Kenyon placed 16th (471), while Wittenberg (501) and Denison (524) followed in 17th and 18th. Rounding out the NCAC competition were Oberlin in 22nd (594) and Wooster in 27th (776).
 
Ohio Wesleyan junior Zoe Ward (Columbus, OH/Worthington Christian) led all NCAC runners, crossing the line in 22:08.26 for third place, just 1.25 seconds behind the runner-up. John Carroll senior Abby Schroff (Lewis Center, OH/Olentangy Orange) followed in 10th at 22:28.75, while Wittenberg junior Maddi Clark (Mentor, OH/Mentor) placed 12th in 22:30.64. The Blue Streak duo of sophomore Anne Rea (Akron, OH/Akron St. Vincent/St. Mary) and senior Morgan Dobos (Copley, OH/Revere) finished 15th (22:36.97) and 16th (22:37.55), respectively. Closing out the NCAC runners in the top 25 were DePauw senior Grace Thomas (Valparaiso, IN/Valparaiso) in 22nd (22:42.93), and Ohio Wesleyan juniors Sophie Cotts (Granville, OH/Granville) and Brianna Montgomery (Gibsonburg, OH/Gibsonburg) in 23rd (22:46.22) and 24th (22:50.22).

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 16. The top seven individuals from each region not on a qualifying team will also advance to the championships.

The 2025 NCAA Division III Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships will be held at Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina with Converse University, Limestone University and OneSpartanburg, Inc. serving as the hosts. The races will be November 22, with the men's 8K beginning at 10:00 a.m. and the women's 6K scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

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