HOLLAND, Mich. - The Allegheny women's cross country team placed second at the 2016 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship to earn an automatic berth into the NCAA National Championship.

Four Gators placed in the top 17 of the 232-runner field, led by senior S.J. Guillaume's eighth-place finish, as Allegheny edged third place Hope College by eight points and seal the Gators' second consecutive trip to the National Championship, scheduled for Sat., Nov. 19 in Louisville, Kentucky.

After using a balanced effort to capture the North Coast Athletic Conference title two weeks earlier, the Gators used a similar formula, as the team's top four runners were separated by just 19 seconds.  Following Guillaume's time of 21:56 in the 6-kilometer race, sophomore Sarah Hevener placed 12th in a time of 22:08, running stride-for-stride for the duration of the race with senior teammate Monica Patrick, who took 13th at 22:09. 

Sophomore Emily Forner was a fourth Gator to earn All-Region accolades after placing in a 17th in a time of 22:15.  

Junior Ariel Rittenhouse turned in her second-best time of the season at 23:42 to place 70th and round out the Gator scoring five.

In her final regional championship race, senior Darby Anderson finished 100th with a time of 24:13, while junior Olivia Mamula rounded out the team's top-seven with a time of 24:39.

The second-place regional finish is the team's best since the Gators won the 2004 Mideast Region title, while the team clinched its second straight NCAA berth, and 14th in program history.

Individually, Guillaume is now a three-time All-Region honoree, with her eighth-place finish a career best.  Patrick earned her second consecutive All-Region honor after finishing 23rd a season ago, while Hevener and Forner are each first time All-Region recipients.

Calvin College won the team championship, placing four runners in the top-18, while Hope College's Erin Herrmann won the individual title with a time of 21:10.

The Gators will now prep for the National Championships, hosted by Spaulding College in Louisville, Kentucky next Saturday, Nov. 19.