SOUTH PORTLAND, ME (November 14, 2026) – The Tufts University women's cross country team won its second straight NCAA Division III Northeast Region title on Saturday, placing all five scorers in the top 14 to finish with 42 points at the Wainwright Recreation Complex.
The Jumbos outdistanced a 30-team field, finishing 26 points ahead of runner-up MIT (68). Bates took third with 75 points, followed by Bowdoin (123) and Colby (126).
Sophomore
Lily Simmonds led Tufts with a strong third-place finish in 21:23.06, just 15 seconds behind the winner, Bates first-year Charlotte Crum (21:08.19). Jumbo sophomore
Zui Chinchalkar followed in fifth (21:25.73), and senior
Katya Henisz was seventh (21:28.85). Juniors
Deirdre Flanagan (13th, 21:41.42) and
Zoe Margolies (14th, 21:44.91) rounded out the scoring five.
All five of Tufts' scorers earned All-Region awards for finishing among the top 35 individuals. All five earned the All-Region honor for the second straight year, after helping the Jumbos win last year's Regional in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, as well.
Simmonds' third-place individual finish is Tufts' best in the Region since current assistant coach
Liz Donahue was the runner-up at the 2024 Regional. Simmonds improved 10 spots from her 13th-place finish last year, while Chinchalkar moved up seven positions after placing 12th a year ago and Henisz was eight spots better than her 15th-place finish in 2025.
Tufts' top five were separated by just 21.85 seconds, the tightest scoring pack in the field. The Jumbos averaged 21:32.79 as a team over the 6,000-meter course.
First-years
Addison Julian (42nd, 22:48.27) and
Claire Palmer (46th, 22:57.88) ran sixth and seventh for Tufts.
With the victory, Tufts earns the Region's automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Championship next Saturday (Nov. 21) in Northfield, Minnesota.
--JUMBOS--
