2018 XC Nationals: Women’s Individual Preview
November 8th, 2018
The reign of Katelyn McCracken from Duke comes to an end, but familiar faces battle it out for the supremacy.
We are in for a showdown this weekend in Lexington with four of the top ten returning and nine of the top 20 returning, but don’t be fooled into thinking they are all a lock for a top-ten finish. There have been some extremely fast times put up this year by some runners who either did not race at Nationals last year or did not place inside the top 100, and that should add to the excitement.
Let’s start with the runner featuring the highest returning time, Suzanne Stein of Penn State. Suzanne has finished in the top 15 each time she has raced at Nationals, 14th in 2016 and second last year, and has finished in first in every other race she has participated in during the 2017 and 2018 season. She posted a sub 22:00 time at the Mid-Atlantic Regional last year and this year, making her no stranger to the biggest stages. Expect her to become a three-time All-American and be at the front of the pack all race. Second place at the Mid-Atlantic Regional was teammate Baylee Robey, who finished with a time of 22:27, her fastest time over the last two years. She and Stein will look to place first and second on the day, giving them the top two spots and hopefully a shot at the team championship as well.
Perhaps the best chance at preventing Stein from finally finishing first is Anna Piccione of Michigan. Anna has also finished first in every cross country race she has participated in during the 2017 and 2018 season, except for her fourth place finish at Nationals last year. She is also the reigning 5,000 meter champion at the Spring Track & Field National Championship in Shelbyville, IN. Purdue sends a pair of runners who are looking to make a splash and finish in the top ten after a strong showing at the Great Lakes Regional. Lucy Hilarides, second at Regionals, finished outside the top 100 last year but posted the fourth fastest time of all regional runners and looks to keep up her good form. Sophomore Lauren Orr is experiencing her first NIRCA season and looks to be a threat for years to come after finishing third at Regionals and running a sub 23:00 time.
The Mid-Atlantic will send equally as much talent to Lexington as the Great Lakes Region. Shannon MacMaster from Maryland finished third at Regionals with a time of 22:46, but has slowed down as the season progressed, so keep an eye out for her returning to form and pushing for a top ten finish after 33rd at Nationals in East Lansing. Barrett Gray of Princeton finished 15th last year and posted a time of 22:56 at Regionals, good for fourth place. Pittsburgh will be represented by Jessica Uhrin as she looks to wrap up a nice season. After finishing 36th at Nationals last year, she pushed harder and finished fifth at Regionals this year and will be seeking a top ten finish.
A couple of dark horse candidates from the Mid-Atlantic are Elizabeth Buckley from Virginia Tech and Audrey Corbet of James Madison. Buckley did not run cross country last year, but finished fourth at the 2016 Nationals in Hershey, PA, and returned this year without losing a step, posting a time of 23:08 during Regionals. Audrey is a freshman from James Madison who shocked many by placing seventh at Regionals and will look to finish as an All American in Lexington. Audrey Ladd of Michigan is about as consistent as they come, running 23:01 at Nationals last year and 23:04 at Regionals this year, and should be a strong candidate to finish top ten. Also from the Great Lakes is Charlotte Etienne, who finished fifth at Regionals and will look to crack the top ten after finishing 12th at Nationals last year.
Moving out of the Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes, Illinois has a trio of runners looking to join the mix and earn All-American honors. Emma Burkhardt, Anneliese Schulz, and Julia Schultz, who finished second, third, and fourth at the Great Plains Regional, will lead the Illini. Great Plains champion, Hannah Anderson from Northwestern is not running at Nationals. After battling for 5.9k at the Southeast Regional, Jennifer Mohler from NC State edged out Bridget Sullivan from North Carolina for first place. They look set to duke it out in Lexington and improve upon their 56th and 90th place finishes last year. Similarly, at the Pacific Regional, Megan MacGregor of UC Davis bested Nicole Ticea of Stanford by 0:11 seconds to claim her first Regional title. Neither raced at Nationals last year and will hope to make their mark in their first race.
Other names to watch for are Allison McLean and Amberlee Kreis of Michigan, Leah Narkevic of Penn State, Katrina Hrabinski of Maryland, Alice Wistar and Jesse Brewer of Princeton, May Robison of Virginia, Anna Bouillet of Indiana, Abby Verchick of NC State, Danika Newlin of UC Davis, Anna Staats of UMBC, and Emily Stava of Washington.
Prediction:
Suzanne Stein finally completes her rise to stardom and finishes first followed by rival Anna Piccione (Michigan), and Baylee Robey (Penn State). Don’t be surprised to see one of Purdue’s top runners or someone who did not run or finish top 100 last year push for a top five spot.
Highest Returning Finishers from 2017
Suzanne Stein, Penn State, 2nd
Anna Piccione, Michigan, 4th
Baylee Robey, Penn State, 5th
Audrey Ladd, Michigan, 8th
Charlotte Etienne, Michigan State, 12th
Yuzki Oey, Princeton, 13th
Alison McLean, Michigan, 14th
Barrett Gray, Princeton, 15th
Amberlee Kreis, Michigan, 18th
NIRCA Women’s National Champion
Year |
Champion |
College/University |
Time |
Course |
2017 |
Katelyn McCracken |
Duke |
22:04 |
Forest Akers Course, East Lansing, MI |
2016 |
Katelyn McCracken |
Duke |
22:10 |
Parkview XC Course, Hershey, PA |
2015 |
Kaitlyn Johnson |
Georgetown |
22:00 |
Masterson Station Park, Lexington, KY |
2014 |
Cara Donohue |
Minnesota |
22:24 |
Forest Akers Course, East Lansing, MI |
2013 |
Betsy Suda |
Florida |
22:22 |
Parkview XC Course, Hershey, PA |
2012 |
Becky Boyle |
Indiana |
22:31 |
Parkview XC Course, Hershey, PA |
2011 |
Betsy Suda |
Florida |
21:27 |
McAlpine Creek Park, Charlotte, NC |
2010 |
Danelle Woods |
Illinois |
21:54 |
IU XC Course, Bloomington, IN |
2009 |
Lauren Philbrook |
Penn State |
21:59 |
Eagle Crest Golf Course, Ypsilanti, MI |
2008 |
Kelsey Armstrong |
Clemson |
22:30 |
Penn State Golf Course, University Park, PA |
2007 |
Jen Laser |
Indiana |
23:45 |
IU XC Course, Bloomington, IN |
2006 |
Ruth Mick |
Penn State |
22:35 |
Lock Haven XC Course, Lock Haven, PA |
All-Time Top 25 6k Performances at NIRCA XC Nationals
1 |
Besty Suda |
Florida |
21:27 |
McAlpine Creek Park |
2011 |
2 |
Becky Boyle |
Indiana |
21:42 |
McAlpine Creek Park |
2011 |
3 |
Danelle Woods |
Illinois |
21:54 |
Indiana XC Course |
2010 |
4 |
Lauren Philbrook |
Penn State |
21:59 |
Eagle Crest Golf Course |
2009 |
5 |
Kaitlyn Johnson |
Georgetown |
22:00 |
Masterson Station Park |
2015 |
T6 |
Cassi Knight |
Penn State |
22:04 |
Indiana XC Course |
2010 |
T6 |
Katelyn McCracken |
Duke |
22:04 |
Forest Akers Golf Course |
2017 |
8 |
Katelyn McCracken |
Duke |
22:10 |
Hershey Parkview Course |
2016 |
T9 |
Lauren Philbrook |
Penn State |
22:13 |
Indiana XC Course |
2010 |
T9 |
Suzanne Stein |
Penn State |
22:14 |
Forest Akers Golf Course |
2017 |
11 |
Kristen Mohrer |
Oregon |
22:15 |
Eagle Crest Golf Course |
2009 |
12 |
Megan Mocogni |
Illinois |
22:21 |
Masterson Station Park |
2015 |
T13 |
Betsy Suda |
Florida |
22:22 |
Hershey Parkview Course |
2013 |
T13 |
Mollie Pozzolo |
Michigan |
22:22 |
McAlpine Creek Park |
2011 |
15 |
Ganna Bowen |
North Carolina |
22:23 |
McAlpine Creek Park |
2011 |
16 |
Cara Donohue |
Minnesota |
22:24 |
Forest Akers Golf Course |
2014 |
17 |
Kristen Mohrer |
Oregon |
22:25 |
Indiana XC Course |
2010 |
18 |
Maddie Stark |
Penn State |
22:26 |
Eagle Crest Golf Course |
2009 |
19 |
Emma Grimes |
Illinois |
22:29 |
Forest Akers Golf Course |
2014 |
T20 |
Kelsey Armstrong |
Clemson |
22:30 |
Penn State Golf Course |
2008 |
T20 |
Sally Keating |
UC Davis |
22:30 |
Forest Akers Golf Course |
2017 |
T22 |
Sarah Brewer |
Michigan |
22:31 |
Eagle Crest Golf Course |
2009 |
T22 |
Becky Boyle |
Indiana |
22:31 |
Hershey Parkview Course |
2012 |
T22 |
Liz Novack |
Pennsylvania |
22:31 |
Hershey Parkview Course |
2016 |
25 |
Amanda Zamora |
Illinois |
22:32 |
McAlpine Creek Park |
2011 |
Michael Potter, NIRCA