POWELL, Ohio – The Allegheny men's cross country team placed ninth at the 2017 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships, hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University.
 
While the ninth-place finish dashes the team's hopes of advancing to the NCAA Division III National Championship for a third consecutive season, three Gators earned All-Region honors, while a pair could be in line to receive an at-large selection to next Saturday's national meet.
 
Competing in his final regional championship, senior John Hughes led the Gators with a 12th-place finish in the 234-runner field, as he covered the 8-kilometer course in 25:47.8.  It marked Hughes' top regional performance of his career, while he now earns his first cross country All-Region honor, after previously being earning the laurels in the 2017 indoor track season in the mile run.
 
Following closely behind Hughes, Matt Svetz continued his breakout junior season by placing 14th overall in a time of 25:56.5.  Fourteen days after picking up First Team All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors with a fourth place finish at the conference championships, Svetz, who has placed 14th or higher in four of the team's five races this season, now earns his first career All-Region accolade.
 
Competing in his final career cross country event, senior Carter Smith was the Gators' third runner on the morning, placing 34th overall with a time of 26:24.7.  His performance clinched his second All-Region honor in as many seasons, while he closed his cross country tenure as a two-time All-NCAC recipient.
 
Taking part in his first career Regional Championship race, senior Ben Evans held down the Gators' number four spot, as he placed 88th overall with a time of 27:18.7 to close his cross country career.  Also competing in his first regional race, sophomore Benjamin Slack-Foust closed out the Gators' scoring five, posting a time of 27:31.7 to place 102nd. 
 
Also competing for the Gators, freshman Adam Cook, the NCAC Newcomer of the Year, ended his season with a time of 28:17.0, while sophomore Seth Conard turned in a time of 28:24.3.
 
With four runners in the top 16, Calvin College won the team title, posting a meet-low score of 61 points, while DePauw earned the second NCAA automatic bid by placing second with 110 points, just ahead of Ohio Northern (123 points), who was bolstered by individual champ Ian McVey's winning time of 25:11.3.
 
With Calvin and DePauw each earning automatic berths into the national meet, the remaining at-large team selections will now be determined by the NCAA selection committee.  After teams have been determined, 56 additional individuals will be selected to compete at the NCAA Championship.  For those teams not selected to compete, the top seven finishers at each regional will earn a trip to the NCAA meet.  Should Ohio Northern earn an at-large team selection, both Hughes and Svetz will advance to the NCAA Championships via the aforementioned process.
 
The complete NCAA field will be announced on Sunday morning.