Blue Cross Country Fifth at NCAA East Regional; Marks Claims First Regional Title in Program History

BOSTON – Wellesley College cross country senior Ari Marks (Eagle Point, Ore.) finished with a personal record time of 21:16.5 to win the 6k NCAA Division III East Regional Championship, earning a spot at this year's NCAA Division III Championships and leading Wellesley to a fifth place team finish on Saturday afternoon at Franklin Park. 

With the victory, Marks became the first NCAA Regional Champion in Wellesley program history, claiming the top regional finish for the Blue since Randelle Boots '13 took second in 2011. Boots was previously tied with Wellesley Hall of Famer Paula Andres O'Brien '90 for the top regional finish in program history. Andres O'Brien was the runner-up at the 1989 NCAA regional.

Wellesley's fifth place team finish was the best at the Regional Championships since the Blue placed 5th in 2015. All five Wellesley scoring runners earned All-Region honors, finishing in the top-35 on Saturday. Junior Claire Anderson (Denver, Colo.) took 14th in 23:36 and senior Maya Bradbury (Freeport, Maine) was 18th in 23:46. Junior Ellie Murphy-Weise (San Francisco, Calif.) was 27th in 24:13 and senior Lily Herold was 33rd in 24:21. 

The 2021 NCAA Division Championship will take place on Saturday, November 20 at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky hosted by the Louisville Sports Commission and Spalding University. The 2021 Division III men's and women's cross country championship selections will be released Sunday, Nov. 14 on NCAA.com.