HOPKINTON, NH (November 16, 2024) -- Junior
Elizabeth Donahue continued her fantastic running in 2024 for the Tufts University women's cross country team, as she finished second overall to help lead the Jumbos to an impressive second-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country East Regional, hosted by Suffolk University at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds.
The Jumbos finished with 67 points, only 11 points behind the most recent No. 1 team in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national poll in MIT. The Jumbos five-person gab was just 55 seconds on the day, while the team time of 1:52:11 was only 26 seconds behind the Engineers.
Donahue was one of the reasons for the successful day on Saturday for the women's squad, as she finished second overall with a time of 21:51.97. The finish guarantees a spot in the NCAA Championships next weekend in Terre Haute, Indiana, as the top seven finishers outside of qualifying teams from each region are invited. Donahue is hopeful though that her squad will be picked as one of the NCAA Championships at-large selections, which seems likely after Saturday's strong performance.
Tufts also saw first-year
Zoe Margolies also had a strong race for the Jumbos, as she just missed automatic qualification into the NCAA Championships after taking eighth place with a time of 22:12.9. Junior
Lexi Dean helped lead a strong pack of four runners with a time of 22:37.7 for 19th place, while sophomore
Katya Henisz was right behind Dean in 20th place with a time of 22:41.3.
Junior
Jaclyn Turner also scored for the Jumbos in 22nd place after running a 22:46.31, while sophomore
Sophie Carpenter sprinted in just behind Turner in 23rd place with a 22:48.19.
Junior
Grace Ogden also earned 31st place with a 23:03.62 for the Jumbos. The Jumbos second-place finish is their best since the 2021 season when they won the East Regional at Franklin Park in Boston.
Tufts will find out Sunday at 3 p.m. if it earned a spot in the NCAA Championships as a squad, which will be run Saturday, November 23 at the Lavern Gibson Championships Course at 11 p.m. in Terre Haute, IN.
--JUMBOS--
