Whinney Represents Blue Cross Country at 2023 NCAA Division III Championships

NEWVILLE, Pa. – Wellesley College cross country sophomore Ella Whinney (Madison, Wis.) finished 155th out of 292 runners on Saturday at the 2023 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, hosted by Dickinson College at Big Spring High School. 

Whinney finished the 6k course with a time of 22:52.7 in her first NCAA cross country nationals appearance. Whinney was in 164th place at the 5K mark before moving up nine spots over the final 1K of the race.

Carleton edged out NYU for the NCAA Division III women's team championship, finishing with 151 points. NYU totaled 154 points, Chicago was third with 156 points and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps was fourth with 158 points. 

St. Benedict senior Fiona Smith (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia) was the individual NCAA Champion with an NCAA Division III championship record time of 19:54.1. Smith finished over a minute faster than runner-up Natalie Bitetti (La Crescenta, Calif.) of Claremont Mudd-Scripps.

Saturday's race concludes the 2023 season for the Wellesley cross country program. The Wellesley track & field season opens on December 3rd at Smith College's Mary Grinaker Indoor Invitational.