GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Led by five runners who placed in the top 19, Grove City College won the 2023 Presidents' Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country Championship at the conference meet hosted by Thiel College at the Greenville Airport Saturday afternoon.

This is the first PAC crown since 2015 for the Wolverines, who ran off a streak of 27 consecutive conference championships from 1989-2015. Grove City has now captured a PAC-best 28 conference titles in the 40 years the women's cross country championships have been held.

Led by their five all-conference runners, Grove City compiled 61 points to edge defending PAC champion Allegheny College, who scored 67 points to place second. Earning third place was Geneva College with 82 points, followed closely by Washington & Jefferson College in fourth place with 85. Taking fifth was Saint Vincent College with 109 points, followed by Franciscan University in sixth (118), Waynesburg University in seventh (193), Chatham University in eighth (258), Westminster College in ninth (259), Thiel College in 10th (299) and Bethany College in 11th (333).

The top individual finisher in the race was W&J's Claire Anderson (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown). The sophomore, who placed 15th at last year's conference meet, was the first to the finish line this season in a time of 21:51.02 to earn PAC Runner of the Year, as well as First Team All-PAC. In the process, she became the first President to win Female Runner of the Year since Kristen Galligan in 2021.

A pair of Geneva runners claimed the next two spots and earned First Team All-PAC accolades for their efforts. Sophomore Carmen Medvit (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) was the runner up, taking second place with a time of 22:05.97, while her sophomore teammate Hailey Carroll (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap) took third place when she crossed in 22:23.37. 

The top runner in Grove City's championship performance was Wolverine junior Lydia Bennett (Bethel, Maine/Gould Academy), who earned fourth place overall to garner First Team All-PAC honors. Taking fifth place was another W&J runner in senior Cassie Carr (Girard, Pa./Girard), who earned her third consecutive First Team All-PAC award with her finish.

In sixth place was Franciscan freshman Lauren Dosch (Grand Forks, N.D./Red River) and as the highest placing freshman, she earned PAC Newcomer of the Year in addition to First Team All-PAC, becoming the first Franciscan runner to receive that newcomer honor.

Rounding out the First Team All-PAC runners was Allegheny junior Nelly Stafford (Middletown, Md./Middletown), who took seventh place overall.

The PAC Coach of the Year was awarded to Grove City's Laura Rybka. The second-year Wolverine head coach became the first Grove City coach to receive the distinction since Sean Severson in 2015. 

The top seven finishers in both the men's and women's races received All-PAC First Team recognition, while runners finishing eighth through 14th earned All-PAC Second Team honors. Runners finishing 15th through 21st received All-PAC Honorable Mention recognition. 

The PAC also released its 2023 PAC Sportsmanship Team Saturday. The PAC Sportsmanship Teams were established to recognize student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior and are an ongoing effort to recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among all PAC teams.

The 10 Division III regional championships are scheduled for Saturday, November 11. 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. The Division III Mid-Atlantic Championships will be hosted by Susquehanna University at Lock Haven University's West Branch Cross Country Course, while John Carroll University will host the Division III Great Lakes Championships at Silver Creek Metro Park in Norton, Ohio near Akron. 

The Division III Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 18 in Newville, Pa. Dickinson College will host the national championships at Big Spring High School.