John Carroll Leads NCAC at DIII Cross Country Regionals

EAST LANSING, MI - All 17 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) cross country teams were represented at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional in East Lansing, Michigan, hosted by the University of Olivet and the Lansing Sports Commission on Saturday, November 14.

In the women’s 6k, John Carroll finished third after totaling 120 points, just ahead of fourth-place Ohio Wesleyan at 139 points. DePauw (273) and Denison (287) finished back-to-back in ninth and 10th, respectively, as did Kenyon (410) and Oberlin (453) in 14th and 15th, respectively. Wittenberg (665) placed 24th, while Wooster (781) rounded out the NCAC field in 27th.
 
John Carroll junior Anne Rea (Akron, OH/Akron/St. Vincent/St. Mary), the 2026 conference Runner of the Year, paced all NCAC runners in the women’s race and placed third overall with a time of 22:02.1, just 0.1 seconds behind the runner-up and just over 10 seconds behind the winning time. Her Blue Streaks teammate, sophomore Sam Goodnough (Olmsted Falls, OH/Olmsted Falls), was next up, finishing ninth after stopping the clock at 22:19.6. DePauw senior Grace Flores (Boerne, TX/Boerne-Samuel V. Champion) placed 12th at 22:24.1, while Ohio Wesleyan seniors Sophie Cotts (Granville, OH/Granville) and Zoe Ward (Columbus, OH/Worthington Christian) crossed the finish line consecutively in 17th (22:29.4) and 18th (22:30.9) place, respectively. Wittenberg senior Maddi Clark (Mentor, OH/Mentor) finished 21st at 22:34.3, and Denison first-year Maggie Jewell (Mercer, PA/Mercer Area Senior) rounded out the NCAC individuals with top-25 finishes with a 25th-place time of 22:36.5.
 
In the men’s 8k race, John Carroll placed sixth to lead all NCAC teams with 184 points. Denison followed closely behind in seventh (252), while DePauw placed 11th with 291 points. Kenyon (402) and Oberlin (426) finished back-to-back, placing 15th and 16th, respectively. Wittenberg took 19th (555), followed by Wabash in 21st (611). Ohio Wesleyan (762) and Wooster (836) rounded out the NCAC finishers in 26th and 27th, respectively.
 
Individually, John Carroll junior Sam Su (Akron, OH/Woodridge), the 2026 NCAC Runner of the Year, led the field with a winning time of 24:57.0. Wittenberg senior Lukas Rieben (Clayton, OH/Northmont) followed closely, finishing fourth in 25:20.6. Wabash sophomore Sam Vaught (Indianapolis, IN/Roncalli), the 2026 NCAC Newcomer of the Year, placed 11th in 25:31.8. Rounding out the NCAC’s top-25 finishers were Oberlin senior Piers Shirk (University Place, WA/Curtis Senior) and Denison sophomore William Jackson (Wayland, MA/Wayland), who crossed the line in 16th (25:34.3) and 17th (25:35.9), respectively.

The top team from each of the 10 regional championships advances to the Division III Championships; the NCAA will announce the 22 at-large teams for the Championships on Sunday, November 15. The top seven individuals from each region not on a qualifying team will also advance to the championships.

The 2026 NCAA Division III Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships will be held at Bill Huyck Championship Course in Northfield, Minnesota, with Carleton College serving as the host. The races will be held on November 21, with the women's 6k beginning at 10:00 a.m. and the men's 8k scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
 

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