Middlebury Women Win NCAA Cross Country Championship

Courtesy Middlebury Athletic Communications

WAVERLY, Iowa – The Middlebury women's cross country team won its sixth NCAA championship on Saturday, the 31st for the College since 1995. Panther head coach Terry Aldrich ends his 36-year career in style, going out as a national champion. Races were held at Wartburg College in Iowa. The Middlebury women previously won NCAA crowns in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2008. On the men's side, Williams College was the top NESCAC team, coming in 18th overall.

The women won the title with 185 points, besting second place Washington (Mo.) by eight points. M.I.T. was third (214), followed by Wis.-Eau Claire (218) and Williams (230). First-year racer Collette Whitney (High Bridge, N.J.) led the women with a 24th place finish overall, earning a time of 21:52. Next for the Panthers was sophomore Addie Tousley (Kensington, Md.) in 29th place, followed closely by junior Margo Cramer (Seattle, Wash.) in 31st (21:58). Senior Hannah Meier (Charlotte, Vt.) finished the race in 47th place (22:12), with junior Claire McIlvennie (Ithaca, N.Y.) rounding out the scorers in 22:18, good for 54th place. Also racing for the Panthers were first-year racers Maddie Hubbell (Des Moines, Iowa) and Katie Rominger (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Hubbell finished 66tth (22:27), while Rominger came in 118th (22:55).

The top NESCAC men's individual finish went to Hamilton senior Peter Kosgei, placing sixth with a time of 24:31.2. For the women, Williams sophomore Jennifer Gossels came in second, as her time of 21:00.8 was 13 seconds behind the leader.