Wellesley Cross Country Finishes Sixth at NCAA Regionals, Three Named to All-Region Team

BRUNSWICK, Maine - Wellesley College cross country finished in sixth place with three top-20 finishers in a crowded field of 35 teams on Saturday at the NCAA Division III East Regional Championship at Bowdoin College.

Seniors Claire Anderson (Denver, Colo.), Ellie Murphy-Weise (San Francisco, Calif.), and first year Ella Whinney (Madison, Wis.) each made the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region team for their performances, with Murphy-Weise and Whinney running personal bests in the 6k race.

MIT won the overall team competition with a score of 36. MIT was followed by Bates (64), Brandeis (142), Tufts (145), Bowdoin (172), and then Wellesley (186) in sixth place. Bates senior Jillian Richardson (Auburn, Maine) was the individual winner with a time of 21:41.02.

Anderson was only three seconds off of her 6k personal best with a blazing 22:27.95 to finish third overall. Following Anderson was classmate Murphy-Weise, who finished in 12th place with a time of 22:49.42. Joining the pair of seniors in the top 20 for the Blue was Winney with a time of 23:07.41, good for 20th place.

Rounding out the scorers for the Blue were first years Emily Brydges (Suffield, Conn.) and Claire Peng (Chapel Hill, N.C.). Brydges ran a 24:37.16 to finish in 67th place while Peng's time of 24:58.41 put her in 84th place.

Also racing for Wellesley were first years Elise Lanahan (Greenville, S.C.) (25:26.29) and Megan Cunningham (Portland, Maine) (26:40.89). Lanahan's time was a personal collegiate best for a 6k race.