Allegheny wins PAC women's cross country title

Franciscan's Claire Walters earns runner of the year honors

10/29/2022 6:50:00 PM

LATROBE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--Allegheny College claimed its first-ever Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) women's cross country team title Saturday. 

Saint Vincent College hosted this year's men's and women's championship races. Saint Vincent last hosted the PAC Championships in 2016.

This year's championship race was the 39th for the women. 

Allegheny posted 41 points in this year's six-kilometer event (6K) and saw its five scoring runners finish in the top 14 of the 11-team, 107-runner field.  

Geneva College was the runner-up with 83 points. 

Saint Vincent was third (93) and was followed by Grove City College in fourth (104) and Franciscan University in fifth (144). Waynesburg University, winners of six-straight PAC team titles, finished sixth with 149 points. Washington & Jefferson College was seventh (151), Chatham University was eighth (172), Thiel College was ninth (270), Westminster College was 10th (283) and Bethany College was 11th (320). 

Franciscan junior Claire Walters (Manlius, N.Y. | Fayetteville-Manlius) earned the event’s individual title and PAC Runner of the Year honors after posting a winning time of 22 minutes, 00.05 seconds. 

Walters is Franciscan's third-straight PAC Runner of the Year honoree (Alison Bryant, spring 2021 and fall 2021). 

W&J junior Cassie Carr (Girard, Pa. | Girard) was the runner-up after registering a time of 22:37.38. She was third a year ago.  

Saint Vincent freshman Kristen Prince (Prince Frederick, Md. | Calvert) was recognized as the PAC Newcomer of the Year. She finished in third place with a time of 22:58.45. She is Saint Vincent's first female to earn Newcomer of the Year honors. 

Allegheny's Ben Mourer was voted the league's Coach of the Year. 

The top seven finishers receive All-PAC First Team recognition, while runners finishing eighth through 14th earn All-PAC Second Team honors. Runners finishing 15th through 21st receive All-PAC Honorable Mention recognition.
 
The 10 NCAA Division III regional championships are scheduled for Saturday, November 12. Bethany, Chatham, Geneva, Grove City, Saint Vincent, Thiel, W&J, Waynesburg and Westminster will compete in the Mid-Atlantic region, while Allegheny and Franciscan will compete in the Great Lakes region. Susquehanna will host the Division III Mid-Atlantic Championships at Lock Haven's West Branch Cross Country Course. Hope will host the Division III Great Lakes Championships at the West Ottawa Golf Club in Holland, Michigan.

The Division III Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 19 in Lansing, Michigan. Olivet will host the national championships at Forest Akers East Golf Course.