XC Qualifies for NCAA Championship
November 14, 2014 01:50 PM | General
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| Freshman Maggie Drazba placed ninth overall in 20:43 at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. |
| Nick Arthur photo |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 7 West Virginia University cross country team raced to a second-place finish, today, at the 2014 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in University Park, Pennsylvania.
The Mountaineers earned an automatic qualification for the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships, marking their seventh qualification in eight years under coach Sean Cleary.
“They ran really hard today,” Cleary said. “To go and score 42 points against the second-ranked team in the country, is a great feat. We’re really proud of our girls.”
West Virginia runners accounted for five of the top 15 finishers overall. No. 2 Georgetown won the region with a team score of 38.
Sophomore Jillian Forsey led the way for West Virginia, placing second overall in 20:18. Senior Kaitlyn Gillespie followed directly behind Forsey in third place, completing the 6k course in 20:22.
“Having a nice, one-two punch at the front of our group really alleviates some pressure off the others,” Cleary said. “Katie Gillespie has been here for a while and has been through so much. She really controlled a lot of the front. Katie is back where she belongs.
“Jillian is in a great spot right now. She was focused and made great improvements over the last couple weeks.”
Freshmen Brynn Harshbarger and Maggie Drazba finished ninth (20:43) and 13th (20:58), respectively, while Sydney Scott placed 15th in 21:01.
Gillespie, Forsey, Harshbarger, Drazba and Scott earned NCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors for finishing in the top 25 overall at the meet.
“We ran a second-half race today,” Cleary said. “It was just a great way to wrap up this portion of the season.
The Mountaineers return to action for the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana, on Saturday, Nov. 22. West Virginia finished 24th overall at the NCAA Championships last season.
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