Cross Country: UVA women finish third, men fifth at NCAA Southeast Regionals

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia men’s and women’s cross country teams finished competition at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, where the Cavalier women recorded a third-place finish while the men placed fifth on Friday afternoon at the Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, S.C.

The No. 10 Virginia women led things off with a 6k race in which Margot Appleton put forward an impressive performance to lead the pack following an All-ACC performance two weeks prior.

In a tight race with the Cavaliers battling reigning NCAA champions, NC State, and 25th-ranked Furman, Appleton was the first Cavalier to cross the line placing third overall as an individual with a time of 19:48.9. The individual finish marked the first time a Cavalier has cracked the top-three at the women’s southeast regional since 2014 when Iona Lake accomplished the feat.

Following Appleton was Jenny Schilling, who logged a seventh-place finish with her time of 19:56.5, and Caroline Timm, who placed 23rd with a time of 20:28.0. Camryn Menninger (20:55.5) and Cate DeSousa (21:01.3) rounded out the scoring positions going 39-51.

The No. 13 Virginia men were led to the finish line by Will Anthony for the second consecutive race after his All-ACC performance in Tallahassee, Fla.

In Virginia’s first 10k of the season Anthony raced to a seventh-place finish with his time of 29:03.7. He was followed by Nate Mountain (29:29.4) and Yasin Sado (29:38.8), who went 14-24 to come in under the half-hour mark. Justin Wachtel (30:16.5) and Jacob Hunter (30:17.3) went 46-49 to round out the scoring positions.

The top-25 runners from each race were awarded all-region honors. A total of six Cavaliers made the cut including Margot Appleton, Jenny Schilling, Caroline Timm, Will Anthony, Nate Mountain and Yasin Sado. Each of UVA’s six all-region selections earned All-ACC honors at the 2023 ACC Championships. Appleton, Anthony and Sado earn all-region honors for the second-consecutive season.

FROM DIRECTOR OF CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD VIN LANANNA:

“We came into this weekend knowing that the southeast region is one of the toughest in the country and that we would have a difficult task on our hands. I am hopeful that we have done enough over the course of the season to have a chance to compete at the NCAA Championships at Panorama Farms next week.”

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. 11) at 5 p.m.

PANORAMA FARMS & XC23

Virginia will host the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 18 at Panorama Farms. The 2023 championships will mark just the second time Virginia has hosted the event and the first time since the 1987 championships.

2023 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships
Roger Milliken Center
Spartanburg, S.C.

Women’s Top-15 Results (6k)

1. NC State — 52
2. Furman — 82
3. Virginia — 123
4. Wake Forest — 147
5. North Carolina — 154
6. Duke — 180
7. Virginia Tech — 265
8. Elon — 299
9. Louisville — 308
10. Charlotte — 333
11. South Carolina — 343
12. EKU — 359
13. Clemson — 372
14. High Point — 398
15. William & Mary — 416

Men’s Top-15 Results (10k)

1. North Carolina — 38
2. EKU — 72
3. NC State — 106
4. Wake Forest — 137
5. Virginia — 140
6. Charlotte — 165
7. Duke — 232
8. Furman — 252
9. Charleston Southern — 274
10. Liberty — 335
11. App State — 346
12. Virginia Tech — 348
13. William & Mary — 367
14. Kentucky — 369
15. Clemson — 396