No. 20 Women’s Cross Country Finishes Third, Men Place Fifth at NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 20 Penn State women’s cross country team finished third overall at the 2024 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, hosted at home in Happy Valley, while the men’s team finished in fifth.

It marked the second season in a row in which both Penn State’s men’s and women’s teams finished top-five in the region. The Nittany Lions collected seven total All-Region honors in a phenomenal outing on their home course.

WOMEN’S 6K RACE 

The No. 20 Penn State women finished third overall at the 2024 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships behind another top-five performance from Florence Caron. The senior led Penn State through the line in 19:41.7, her third consecutive meet significantly below the 20-minute mark. Distance standout Sophia Toti placed 12^th overall while the trio of Hayley Kitching, Claire Daniels, and Maddie Ullom closed hard and finished together, taking spots 22-24 in order.

Each one of Penn State’s top five finishers earned All-Region recognition by finishing inside the top 25 overall. Caron, Toti, and Ullom each repeated their All-Region performances from last season while Kitching and Daniels each received the honor for the first time.

No. 5 West Virginia took the top team spot with 41 points while No. 8 Georgetown finished second in the region with 58, ahead of 20^th-ranked Penn State and its 85.

Penn State Women’s Top Seven Results (3^rd – 85 pts): 

Place (Points)  Runner                        Time

4 (4)                 Florence Caron           19:41.7

12 (12)             Sophia Toti                  20:09.3

22 (22)             Hayley Kitching           20:34.9

23 (23)             Claire Daniels              20:35.6

24 (24)             Maddie Ullom             20:39.4

28 (28)             Allison Dougherty       20:44.8

34 (34)             Lea Hatcher                 20:52.6

MEN’S 10K RACE 

The Nittany Lion men, led by Brian DiCola and his herculean effort through the finish line, finished fifth overall in the region. The sophomore posted a 29:37.1 in the 10K race. Jake Allen placed 20^th overall with a 30:13.4, while Nick Sloff finished just outside the top 25 in 26^th place with a 30:21.5. Ryan Watson (30:45.0, 35^th) and Brendan Flynn (30:56.8, 44^th) rounded out the Nittany Lion top five.

DiCola collected the second All-Region nod of his young career, while Allen’s 20^th-overall standing earned him All-Region recognition in his graduate season with Penn State.

No. 14 Villanova earned the top team spot, finishing with 50 points. No. 18 Princeton topped Georgetown in a tiebreaker to take second place, as each school posted 80 team points. Navy finished just one point behind them with 81 points in fourth. Penn State finished fifth with 129 points.

Penn State Men’s Top Seven Results (5^th - 129 pts): 

Place (Points)  Runner                        Time

4 (4)                 Brian DiCola                29:37.1

20 (20)             Jake Allen                    30:13.4

26 (26)             Nick Sloff                     30:21.5

35 (35)             Ryan Watson              30:45.0

44 (44)             Brendan Flynn             30:56.8

67                    Justin Healey               31:31.1

81                    Caiden Leen                31:49.7

WHAT’S NEXT 

At the NCAA Regional level, the top two finishing teams in each gender at each of the nine regional sites earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, while 13 additional teams from around the country earn at-large qualification. Then, the top four runners who also placed top 25 at each regional location who are not on an advancing team, earn individual qualification. The NCAA will formally announce this information at the NCAA Cross Country Championships selection show on Saturday, November 16 at 5 p.m.

The Nittany Lion women have put themselves in excellent position to earn an at-large bid to this year’s NCAA Cross Country Championships. Regardless if the team qualifies or not, Caron’s fourth-place finish on Friday will earn her a spot in the NCAA Championship meet. On the men’s side, Brian DiCola will be announced as an individual NCAA Championships qualifier. The Penn State contingent will make its way to Wisconsin for the NCAA Cross Country Championships on November 23.

FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS 

Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and X/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc).

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Penn State Track & Field (@pennstatetfxc)