NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region XC Championships
Bethlehem, PA - November 13, 2026: The NCAA Division I Mid-Atlantic Region Cross Country Championships were held today at Lehigh University’s Murray H. Goodman Campus. There were 32 women’s teams and 30 men’s teams that competed on a chilly and wet day (40° and rain) in the Lehigh Valley. A total of 535 runners competed for a chance to advance to Nationals.
The top two teams in each of the nine regions automatically qualify for the NCAA Division I Championship and the top 25 finishers in each race earn All-Region Honors. The first four runners, which are not on a qualifying team, from each region earn automatic berths, provided they finish in the top 25.
The fourteen at-large bids and the rest of the qualifying process can be complicated when you factor in the Kolas-Point system. We’ll let you look that one up but Kolas points, named after a Butler runner who developed the system, are awarded based on head-to-head wins at any time during the season. It’s a complex criteria with many facets but luckily it’s all done by a computer, compared to the old way when it was done by hand.
The NCAA Division I Championships are on November 21 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Third ranked West Virginia, the defending Mid-Atlantic region champion, came in as the women’s favorite with Penn State and Princeton poised for an upset. West Virginia was runner-up to BYU at the Big 12 Championships. BYU is ranked the No. 1 women’s team in the country. Penn State was third at the Big Ten Championships while Princeton won the Ivy League title.
On the men’s side, Villanova and Georgetown came in as the favorites, with Princeton highly ranked as well. Princeton, Georgetown, Villanova finished in that order in 2025 at Lehigh. Georgetown edged Villanova on October 30 at the Big East Championship in Virginia while Princeton placed third at the Ivy League Championships on October 31 in Massachusetts.
In the women’s 6 kilometer race today, which started at 11 AM, West Virginia captured the team title. They were followed by Penn State in second place and Princeton in third place.
West Virginia took 1st through 4th places, followed by 9th and 16th places. Joy Naukot finished in first place overall in a time of 19:19.1. Mercy Kinyanjui (19:20.7), Sheila Chepkirui (19:22.8), and Alexis Lamb (19:25.3) were right behind Naukot.
It has been a long time since Keystone Sports Extra saw four runners from the same team, at a championship event, all run within a few seconds of each other. It was an amazing day for the Mountaineers.
Villanova’s Rosemary Shay was the first finisher for the Wildcats, and 7th overall, in a time of 19:36.1. Villanova came in fourth as a team with Till O’Connor (8th), Maeve Smith (17th), Isabelle Walsh (39th), and Zoe Mosher (49th) following Shay.
Penn State’s Claire Zubey was the first finisher for the Nittany Lions, and 10th overall, in a time of 19:54.8. Zubey was followed by teammates Katie Dallas in 12th place, Fancy Chepkoech in 15th place, Charlotte Costich in 22nd place, and Vivian Kipruto in 24th place.
Lehigh’s Kaitlyn Highduch finished first for the Mountain Hawks, and 52nd overall, in a time of 21:03.1. As a team, Lehigh finished 14th overall with Grace Hughes, Ella Blanco, Devon Sutton, and Keira Arenholz finishing behind Highduch.
In the men’s 10 kilometer race today, which started at 12 PM, Villanova captured the team title. They were followed by Georgetown in second place and Princeton in third place.
Villanova took 1st and 2nd places, followed by 5th, 15th, and 16th places. Bailey Habler finished in first place overall in a time of 29:47.7. CJ Sullivan was right behind Habler in 2nd place in a time of 29:49.5. Following Sullivan were Thomas McMahon in 5th place, Jack Fenlon in 15th place, and Charlie Moore in 16th place.
Penn State’s Nick Sloff was the first finisher for the Nittany Lions, and 7th overall, in a time of 29:54.6. Sloff was followed by teammates Ryan Watson in 20th place and Adam Kingston in 46th place.
Lehigh’s Ryan Baker finished first for the Mountain Hawks, and 53rd overall, in a time of 31:10.9. As a team, Lehigh finished 15th overall with Will Mrozinski, Noah Zahn, and Thomas Smigo finishing behind Baker.
