KENTWOOD, Mich. – The No. 23 nationally-ranked Baldwin Wallace University women's cross country team competed in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championships, hosted by Calvin (Mich.) University in the Gainey Athletic Complex.
In a 5.6-kilometer event that was composed entirely of schools within the Great Lakes Region, the Yellow Jackets managed to narrowly place second out of 34 eligible teams, scoring 84 points. Crosstown rival and Ohio Athletic Conference member school, John Carroll University barely edged out BW with 83 points to take home the Great Lakes Regional team title. Both John Carroll and the Yellow Jackets secured the two regional automatic bids to the NCAA Division III National Championships next weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. This marks the second consecutive season that BW has punched its Nationals ticket via a top-two regional finish and automatic bid.
BW's performance was highlighted by its four top runners of senior Kelly Brennan (Akon/Walsh Jesuit), sophomore Alyssa Laughner (Howard, Pa./Central Mountain), and juniors Madison Kile (North Canton/Hoover) and Hastings Marek (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial), who all earned All-Great Lakes Regional honors by placing in the race's top 35 finishers. Their efforts feature Brennan's fourth, Kile's third, and both Laughner and Marek's second career regional honors.
For the fifth race this season, Brennan led the way for BW as she impressively placed fourth with a final time of 21:17.8. She was followed closely behind by Laughner who finished 10th with a time of 21:45.3. Next up to cross the finish line for the Yellow Jackets were Kile and Marek, who placed 14th and 19th, in 21:52.1 and 22:03.1, respectively. Rounding out the scored runners for BW in the crucial fifth spot was junior Molina Otte (Omaha, Neb./Millard West), finishing 37th in 22:31.1.
The Yellow Jackets will return to the racecourse on Saturday, November 23, when they will compete in the NCAA Division III National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky's Tom Sawyer State Park, and hosted by Spalding (Ky.) University.