The men’s and women’s cross country teams both came in second place at the NCAA Mideast Regional Race on Saturday, Nov. 16. The race took place at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA and both the men and women finished behind Johns Hopkins University. The second place finishes secure both teams a spot in the NCAA Championships next weekend.

The men ran some of their best times this past weekend and definitely showed they are peaking at the right time. Ryan Steinbock ’14 received his personal best time on the 8K, finishing the race in 24:46. This time sets him at a 5:00 minute mile pace throughout the entire race. With 400m left in the race, Ryan Steinbock was in eighth place and he pushed it out and ended up finishing in fourth place. Greg Clark ’14 finished in fourteenth place with a time of 25:09. Mark Weinhoffer ’15 and Alex Strenta ’14 finished together, earning themselves twenty-first and twenty-second place. Shortly after Hunter Smith ’15 came in twenty-seventh place with a time of 25:29.

The women also proved to be hitting their stride. Sara Patterson ’14 had another successful race, receiving sixth place with a time of 21:39. Sarah Rutkowski ‘15 followed her, earning herself seventeenth place with a time of 21:53. Finishing with a time of 22:01 was Mary Thorne ‘15, who ended up receiving nineteenth place. Shortly after, Mackenzie Shelgren ’16 crossed the finish line earning her twenty-third place with a time of 22:10. Emily Miller also ran the 6K very quickly and earned herself a place in the top thirty, with a time of 22:14.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams both automatically earned themselves spots in next week’s NCAA Championship Race by finishing second in the NCAA Mideast Regional Race. On Saturday, Nov. 23, the Red Devils will travel to Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana to compete in the NCAA Championships. The meet starts at 11 AM.