Cross Country: UVA men finish first, women second at NCAA Southeast Regional

Photos: UVA Athletics

The Virginia men’s and women’s cross country teams dominated the competition at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, where both teams earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships as the Cavalier men finished first and the women finished second on Friday  in Rock Hill, S.C.

The No.15 women’s cross country team kicked things off with a 6k race in which four Cavaliers ran away with All-Region honors. For the second competition in a row, Margot Appleton and Jenny Schilling were Virginia’s top finishers in fifth and sixth place respectively. Appleton completed the course in 20:32.1 just ahead of Schilling’s 20:34.6. Gillian Bushee (21:14.1, 21st), Sophie Atkinson (21:18.4, 24th) and Tatum David (21:22.0, 30th) rounded out the top thirty finishers in a field of 251 runners.

The Virginia women finished second in the team standings with a total of 85 points. The ACC took the top four spots in the team standings as the NC State (60) Wolfpack secured the victory followed by Virginia (85), North Carolina (119) and Wake Forest (126).

On the men’s side, the No.13 Cavaliers bested the field in the team standings with a total of 79 points. Leading the way for the Cavaliers was Gary Martin and Will Anthony. Martin completed the 10k course in a new personal best time of 30:00.3 to finish in eighth place. Just 0.3 behind his teammate was Anthony in ninth place with his time of 30:00.6.

The trio of Cavaliers in Andrew Jones, Nate Mountain and Wes Porter finished among the top thirty runners in the 240 athlete field. Jones notched a new personal best of 30:27.3 to finish 17th overall. Not far behind was Mountain in 19th place clocking 30:30.0. and rounding out the top finishers was Porter in 26th place with his time of 30:37.8.

The top-25 runners from each race were awarded All-Region honors. A total of eight Cavaliers made the cut including Margot Appleton, Jenny Schilling, Gillian Bushee, Sophie Atkinson, Gary Martin, Will Anthony, Andrew Jones and Nate Mountain. Of Virginia’s All-Region honorees, five earned All-ACC accolades at the 2024 ACC Championships including Appleton, Schilling, Martin, Anthony and Mountain.

With a top two finish in the team standings, both the Virginia men and women automatically qualify to the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships next weekend, Saturday, Nov. 23 in Madison, Wisc.

Next stop ➡️ Madison, Wis. !!!#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/f9O08wQnyy

— Virginia Track & Field and Cross Country (@UVATFCC) November 15, 2024

FROM DIRECTOR OF CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD VIN LANANNA

“The key to a regional championship is qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Both teams, all 14 athletes that participated did a great job staying poised throughout the race and difficult conditions. On the women’s side, the team got done what they had to get done. They knew they needed to be in the top two and put themselves in position from the beginning. The men with the upset performance to finish first in a good competition. While tough to pick out one person, we saw big time performances from Andrew Jones and Wes Porter stepping up when we needed them to step up. Now on to Madison.”

NCAA SELECTION SHOW

With a top-two finish at nine regional meets, a total of 18 teams will secure automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships by the end of the day. The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country selection committee will announce 13 at-large selections to the NCAA Championships via a selection show on Saturday (Nov. 16) at 5 p.m. ET.

2024 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships
Winthrop Farm Course
Rock Hill, S.C.

𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗕𝗔𝗚𝗦 😎

With 85 points and a 2️⃣nd place finish, the Virginia women punch their ticket to the 2024 NCAA Championships! #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/TVV7ELXjfW

— Virginia Track & Field and Cross Country (@UVATFCC) November 15, 2024