MEDFORD, MA (November 13, 2024) - The Tufts University women's cross country team will be seeking its first team berth into the NCAA Championship meet since 2021 on Saturday when the Jumbos run at the NCAA East Region Championship at Hopkinton Fairgrounds in New Hampshire. Race time is 11:00 AM.
Championship Meet Details
2024 NCAA East Region Women's Cross Country Championship
Date: Saturday, November 16, 2024
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: Hopkinton (NH) Fairgrounds - (539 Park Ave, Hopkinton, NH 03229 /
Course Map)
Live Coverage:
LIVE RESULTS
The Jumbos have sent individuals to the last two NCAA national meets, but the team in full narrowly missed berths. The winner of the NCAA East Region race earns an automatic berth into Nationals, while other top-finishing squads are considered for at-large berths. The Jumbos have been fourth at the last two NCAA East Region meets and did not receive NCAA national invitations.
They will be looking to change that this year. Tufts is ranked second behind MIT in the November 5 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association East Region poll. The Jumbos are coming off a good third-place showing at the NESCAC meet two weeks ago. They were ahead of all of the conference schools with whom they share a NCAA East Region affiliation, including a Bates College squad that has been in front of the Jumbos at the last two NCAA East Region races.
The probable starters for the Jumbos on Saturday will be juniors
Lexi Dean, Liz Donahue,
Grace Ogden and
Jaclyn Turner, sophomores
Sophie Carpenter and
Katya Henisz and first-year
Zoe Margolies. Sophomore
Sonia Olson and first-years
Phoebe Bryar and
Logan Elie will be on hand as alternates.
Though the Jumbos remain a relatively young team with no seniors competing this weekend, there's plenty of Regional race experience in the line-up. Dean is two-time All-Region (top 35) performer. Carpenter was All-Region in her first season last year with a 31st-place finish. Donahue, coming off an All-Conference finish of 11th at the NESCAC Championship, was All-Region in 2022 and narrowly missed the honor last year. Ogden has run in the last two Regional Championships, while Turner was among the Jumbo starters in 2022 and Olson started for Tufts a year ago. This will be the first East Region race for Margolies, who has been a leading scorer for the Jumbos all fall.
The highest-finishing individuals from non-qualifying teams at the NCAA East Region Championship receive NCAA national berths, but that's not what the Tufts team has in mind this year. The at-large teams and individual berths will be announced on Sunday (Nov. 17). The NCAA Division III National Championship Race will be held on Saturday, November 23 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.
"We're in a strong position as a group right now that if we finish top two in the race we expect we should be competitive for a selection to Nationals," Director of Track & Field/Cross Country
Jamie Norton said. "We know what to do. We've raced well every week this year. We've gotten better a little bit every week. Our message to the team has been don't overthink it. Go out there and do what you've proven to yourselves consistently you're capable of doing."
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