It has been a successful weekend for women’s cross country at Hopkins. In the NCAA Regional meet, the Lady Jays had four of the top five finishers, finishing with 26 points overall and a sixth straight regional championship. They also remained the top-ranked team in the nation for the 12th straight week.
All seven of Hopkins’ runners finished inside the top-35 at the meet and were named All-Region Runners. This is the first time in program history that the Blue Jays have placed seven runners on the all-region team. This makes Hopkins one of three teams nationwide with seven honorees.
Sophomore Hannah Oneda once again led the team, finishing second with a time of 21:11. Senior Holly Clarke, junior Frances Loeb, and senior Annie Monagle were a close third, fourth and fifth with times of 21:16, 21:23, and 21:25, respectively.
Hopkins beat second-place Dickinson by a 68-point margin. At last year’s NCAA Regional Meet, Hopkins won with a team score of 67 points, which makes this year’s result of 26 points that much more impressive.
The Hopkins pack gained a nice lead from the start, with Oneda and Clarke leading early. Oneda’s time of 21:11 was her third fastest time ever as a Blue Jay. It was 23 seconds faster than her finish in last year’s Mideast Regional. This was Clarke’s third fastest career time as well, and it was her quickest ever at the Mideast Regional.
This is the third straight season Clarke has been selected as an All-Region runner. Oneda, Loeb, and Monagle each earned their second career All-Mideast Region selections after they each finished in the top-5.
“I think we proved the depth of our team after winning the Regional Championship this past Saturday,” Clarke said. “We had to sit two girls out due to injury and sickness and the two we raced ended up having the races of their careers. It is inspiring to be on a team that is so dedicated and willing to make sacrifices for each other. I believe that we will win the National Championship this Saturday for a second year in a row.”
She went on to say, “Our coach, Bobby Van Allen, has been the biggest part in getting us ready for Nationals. The work that we've put in since the beginning of the summer until now has already proven to pay off. As a senior this is the last cross country race I will ever run so I am ready to go through hell to win the race as a team. As for individually, I think we could have our top five be All-Americans this year (that means placing in the top 35). It's going to be an exciting day!”
Oneda echoed her sentiments, saying, “It's been really exciting this year to be ranked 1st because we have worked hard this season to stay that way, and to finish that way. Our goals this season are to win again, and to make history.”
Loeb’s time of 21:23 was her best ever as a Blue Jay, nearly 30 seconds faster than her previous career best at the Penn State University invite. Monagle also ran her fastest 6k ever, setting a personal record.
Loeb said, “Our team’s incredible depth, work ethic, love, and trust in each other is what makes us so successful. It is why we are the top ranked team in the country. I also don’t think any other team has more fun than us come race day. We laugh and stay relaxed even in big, important races. Still, we have high expectations for ourselves and are excited to race on Saturday to defend our title.”
Freshman Tess Meehan, senior Abby Flock, and junior Grace Hancock earned their first all-region selections after finishing 12th, 13th, and 22nd, respectively. Hancock also set a personal record, finishing with a career-best time of 22:05.
Hancock said, “We're all really excited for Nationals this weekend and are definitely hoping to bring home another title. I feel like there's a ton of positive energy between all of us right now, and that each of us is doing whatever we can to help the team as a whole reach our goal. It's also just been a ton of fun this entire season and I think that attitude helps us stay focused.”
Hopkins received an automatic bid to the Division III NCAA Championship Meet on November 23 in Hanover, Indiana. The Blue Jays are the favorites to repeat as the NCAA National Champions.
