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Women's Cross Country Look to Secure NCAA Bid as it Hosts Regionals
November 12, 2015 | Women's Cross Country
The Official Mid-Atlantic Regional Website
The reigning Ivy League Heptagonal Champion, Princeton women's cross country team looks to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships as it hosts the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Nov. 13
The women's 6k race will be at noon on Friday. The top two teams in the regional will advance to the NCAA championship meet, which will be held Nov. 21 in Louisville, Ky.
Four ranked teams will race for those two spots, including: No. 10 Penn State, No. 14 Georgetown, No. 23 Princeton and, No. 26 Villanova. West Virginia is receiving votes.
The regional title has been claimed by one of those five teams every year since the arrangement began in 2005. Princeton won in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Villanova has also won four times, the last time in 2013. Georgetown has two wins - including last years.
Other squads competing include Bucknell, Delaware, Duquesne, FDU, George Washington, La Salle, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola, Marshall, Maryland, UMES, Monmouth, Navy, NJIT, Penn, Pitt, Rider, Rutgers, St. Francis (Pa.), Seton Hall, St. Joseph's (Pa.), Temple, Towson, UMBC and West Virginia.
It will still be possible to advance as a team to the NCAA championships without finishing in the top two and grabbing one of the at-large bids that are awarded through a complex formula.
Additionally, the top four runners on non-qualifying teams will earned at-large bids to the NCAAs.
Leading the Tigers out on the course will be Heps champion, junior Lizzie Bird. She will be joined by seniors Emily de La Bruyere and Kathryn Fluehr, who placed in the top 10 at Heps. Freshman Brighie Leach and senior Kathryn Little were both scorers at Heps, while sophomore Melinda Renuart and junior Ally Markovich provided backup as the pushers. Joining those seven on the course Friday will be sophomore Natalie Rathjen and freshman Allie Klimkiewicz.