INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The NCAA has announced the participants for the upcoming Division III Cross Country Championships, and the Gators will be well-represented. The Allegheny women's team has earned an at-large selection to the Championship, while on the men's side, senior John Hughes and junior Matt Svetz will compete as individuals.
The 2017 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships will take place on Saturday, Nov. 18 at the North Farm Facility in Elsah, Illinois, with the men's race starting at 12 p.m., followed by the women at 1:15 p.m.
The Gator women will compete at the National Championship for the third straight season, and 15th time in program history. Head coach
Ben Mourer's squad received an at-large berth from the NCAA selection committee after its third-place finish at Saturday's NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships. At the regional race, the Gators boasted a trio of runners in the top 20, including Sarah Hevener, who placed ninth, Emily Forner, whoo took 13th, and Olivia Mamula, who finished 15th.
The team's solid performance at regionals came two weeks after the Gators won their third consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference title. Mourer was tabbed NCAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season, while six runners earned All-NCAC accolades by finishing in the top-20, and three in the top five, including Hevener (second place), Mamula (fourth), and Forner (fifth). Last season, the Gator women finished 13th at the NCAA Championship, their best finish at the national race since 1992.
Hughes and Sevetz qualified for nationals via their performance at the Mideast Regionals, as they were two of the top seven individual finishers from teams who did not qualify for the national meet, with Hughes finishing 12th overall in a 234-runner field, and Svetz 14th.
The veterans were the Gators' top two runners throughout the season. Hughes was Allegheny's top finisher in all six races, including four top-five finishes, highlighted by wins at the Chatham Cougar 5K (Sept. 1) and the Allegheny Classic (Sept. 16). At the NCAC Championship, Hughes placed third to earn First Team All-NCAC honors for the first time in his career, while his 12th place effort at the regional race also marked a career-best. This will mark Hughes' third trip to the NCAA Championship.
Svetz enjoyed a breakout 2017 campaign, as he placed in the top 10 in four of six races, highlighted by his win at the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble on Oct. 14. Two weeks later at the NCAC Championship, Svetz placed fourth to take home his second career All-NCAC accolade. His other top efforts on the season include a third-place finish at the Chatham Cougar 5K and a ninth-place finish at the Allegheny Classic. Svetz will race at the NCAA Championship for a second straight season, as he was part of a Gator team that placed 16th last season.
Saturday's championship races, which will be hosted by Principia College, will be aired live at
http://www.flotrack.org.
