November 15, 2012

Women’s cross country earns first team bid to NCAA championship

The Lewis & Clark men’s and women’s cross country teams had strong showings at the NCAA West Regional Championships, with the women finishing second and earning their first ever team bid to the NCAA Championships in Indiana.

The Lewis & Clark men’s and women’s cross country teams had strong showings at the NCAA West Regional Championships, with the women finishing second and earning their first ever team bid to the NCAA Championships in Indiana.

The Pioneer men finished in sixth place, with two runners—Sam Smith ’13 and Jarrod Nixon ’14—earning All-West Region honors.

After three consecutive Northwest Conference (NWC) Championships, the women’s squad earned their first trip to the NCAA Cross Country Championships as a team. All six Pioneer women earned All-West Region honors and set new personal best times.

The Pioneers’ top runner, Emily Thomas ’13, was named NWC runner of the year. She took home eighth place with a personal best time of 21:31.40. The trip to Indiana will mark Thomas’ third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships.

Melissa Newton-Mora ’14, Kaitlyn Throgmorton ’14, Heather Spurling ’13, Emily Fagan ’14, and Katie Keith ’15 finished in the top 35, rounding out the All-West Region honors for the Pioneers.

UPDATE: The Lewis & Clark women’s cross country team continued its season on Saturday with a 20th place finish at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship in Terre Haute, Ind. Senior Emily Thomas finished her career with a 46th place finish, her best place in her three trips to the national race. See all the race results.

Pioneer Athletics