ELSAH, Illinois - A career performance from junior
Emily Forner helped lift the Gators to an 18th place finish at the 2017 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship, hosted by Principia College.
Forner was one of three Gators to place in the top third of the 280-runner field, as she finished 43rd with a time of 21:40.6, just three seconds outside of a top-40 finish and All-America honors.
"Emily ran the best race of her career," said Gator head coach
Ben Mourer '07. "The team got off to a slow start off the line, but we certainly had a respectable finish. I'm happy with the effort, and it closed out another good season for us."
Fellow junior
Sarah Hevener closed out her strong junior season by placing 80th in a time of 22:08.2, while senior
Olivia Mamula wrapped up the best season of her cross country tenure by placing 93rd in 22:10.7.
A pair of Gators running in their first career NCAA Championship race occupied the Gators' fourth and fifth spots, with rookie
Mica Hanish covering the 6-kilometer course in 22:59.6, and sophomore
Emma Himelein-Wachowiak in 23:04.0, as they placed 205th and 215th, respectively. Two other rookies rounded out the Allegheny seven, with
Jesse Margraf turning in a time of 23:43.0, and
Maggie Malley 24.57.7.
University of Chicago's Khia Kurtenbach was the individual champion, posting a time of 20:39.2 to finish six seconds ahead of runner-up Bryn McKillop of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. With each of their top five runners finishing in the top-30, Johns Hopkins University was crowned the 2017 NCAA Division III National Champion, turning in a team score of 96, 95 points ahead of second-place Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
The NCAA Championship closed the book on another immensely successful season for the Gator women, who earned their third consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference title, before placing third at the rigorous NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship. This marked Allegheny's third straight trip to the NCAA Championship, and second consecutive top-20 finish, after placing 16th in 2016. Overall, the Allegheny women's cross country team has now appeared in 15 NCAA Division III Championships, with 11 top-20 finishes.
Individually, Forner, Hevener, and Mamula each closed out the season as First Team All-NCAC and All-Great Lakes Region honorees, while Hanish and Himelein-Wachowiak were both Second Team All-NCAC recipients, and Margraf an Honorable Mention All-NCAC selection. Mourer was named the NCAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season.
The Gators will now turn their attention to the indoor track and field season, which kicks off on Dec. 2 at the Case Western Reserve Holiday Classic.
