Women's Cross Country Takes Best-Ever Third at NCAA Regional

Awaits Word on Spot in NCAA National Championship Race

Kanarkiewicz' performance helped lead the Violets to their best-ever finish at the NCAA Atlantic Regional.

The New York University women's cross country program reached new heights on Saturday, finishing a best-ever third at the NCAA Division III Atlantic Region Championship in Geneseo, NY.

The Violets, who now must wait to hear if they'll receive at at-large bid to next Saturday's NCAA Division III National Championship race in Berea, OH, posted a team total of 138 points. NYU finished behind only St. Lawrence University (43 points) and host SUNY Geneseo (74 points).

"Most, if not all, of the third-place teams in the eight regions will get a bid," said NYU head coach Nick McDonough. "We've been racing against tough competition all year long and have finished ahead or just behind some of the top teams in the country. I'd be shocked if we didn't get in."

NYU's Joan Kanarkiewicz, who qualified individually for the NCAA National Championship last season, was the Violets' top finisher on Saturday. She placed 10th overall with a time of 22:30.9 over Letchworth State Park's 6,000-meter course.

The Violets had another top-20 finisher, as Kirsten Keller took 19th place with a time of 22:49.9.

Next across the finish line for the Violets, who finished 10th in the race last year, was Maeve Evans. She crossed the tape in 27th place with a time of 23:07.3.

The other scorers for NYU were Kerra Vick (35th place, 23:21.5) and Paige Zelinsky (47th place, 23:37.6).

"The team ran well, but not our best," McDonough explained. "It was a challenging course. But, the bottom line is we got the job done racing against great competition."

St. Lawrence's Wendy Pavlus won the race in a time of 21:22.

Automatic bids for the NCAA National Championship go to first and second-place finishers in the eight regional races. The 16 at-large bids will be announced on Sunday afternoon.