PREVIEW: D3 Mid-Atlantic Region

The championship portion of the NCAA season is here! Division III Regional Championships will take place on Friday, the 11th.

Contributors' Picks

Women - 12:00 PM
Qualifying - 1 Team and 7 Individuals

The Team Race

Mid-Atlantic Region No.2 and US No.34 Carnegie Mellon (Ranking via USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll) is the top PA team competing on Saturday. Team frontrunner Orit Shiang will lead the Tartans as they attempt to face a formidable squad from Johns Hopkins. Even if Carnegie Mellon doesn't snag the auto team qualifying spot, their national rank should help them receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.

Standout Individuals

Geneva's Carmen Medvit and Hailey Carroll have the potential to be individual qualifiers. The duo finished 2-3 at the PAC Championships. Medvit is one of the top returners from last year's regional meet, where she finished 10th.

Regarding the PAC Championships, Claire Anderson (Washington and Jefferson) won the conference title over Medvit and Carroll. Expect to see Anderson continue to excel this season at the regional meet.

Lydia Bennett (Grove City) and Cassie Carr (Washington and Jefferson) are other PAC individuals who have the potential to mix things up with the top runners.

Misericordia duo Grace Gallagher and Brianna Wagner, along with Katie Anthony (Messiah) and Coyla Bartholomew (Lebanon Valley), are some of the top MAC runners to look out for.

Myra Naqvi (Dickinson) and Kathryn Hopkins (Gettysburg) finished 6th and 8th at the Centennial Championships. Both runners will be in the mix on Saturday.

Kelty Oaster (Elizabethtown) will be a name to note. Oaster was just out from an individual qualifying spot last year, finishing 14th at the regional meet. Since then, she has had a promising season, placing 19th at the Pre-Nationals meet and winning the Landmark Championship. If Oaster can keep this momentum going, time will tell what she will accomplish during the postseason.

Olivia Tullman (Scranton) and Emma Myers (Susquehanna) are other solid runners out of the Landmark Conference.

Top out of State Competition

Mid-Atlantic Region No.1 and US No.9 Johns Hopkins (Ranking via USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll) is the clear favorite in the team race. The Johns Hopkins women are the returning NCAA Division 3 National Champions. This historically dominant team shows no sign of slowing down as one of the nation's best. Sara Stephenson will lead the Blue Jays as the favorite for the individual title. Stephenson finished 9th at the National Championships in 2022.

Men - 11:00 AM

Qualifying - 1 Team and 7 Individuals 

The Team Race

Mid-Atlantic Region No.1 and US No.5 Carnegie Mellon (Ranking via USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll) should defend their regional title from last year. Carnegie Mellon must hold off Mid-Atlantic Region No.2 and US No. 16 Johns Hopkins (Ranking via USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll). Matthew Porter and Matthew Coyle will lead the way for the Tartans. We should also mention Ryan Podnar, Jacob Hsu, and Colin McLaughlin. These five, along with Alesksei Seletskiy, all finished in the top 10 at the UAA Championship for Carnegie Mellon. They should secure the team title if they can run with this tight of a pack on Saturday.

 The Marywood men have a deep squad that you should keep on your radar. The team race may not be in the conversation for them, but runners like Jack Baronski, Bryce Ryder, and Ben Devine could surprise us.

Standout Individuals

Misericordia's Stephen Rowley will be in the mix for an individual qualifying spot. Rowley was 20th last year at the regional meet and has since had a strong season, winning the MAC Championship.

Matthew Santana (Lebanon Valley) and Louka Fetter (Messiah) are other top athletes from the MAC Conference who can earn individual qualifying spots.

Dickinson's Brock Overlander and Alexander Kane could do some damage. Both men have made significant improvements from last season and should be able to toss their hats in the ring on Saturday.

Top out of State Competition

Mid-Atlantic Region No.2 and US No. 16 Johns Hopkins (Ranking via USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll) will go after Carnegie Mellon. Johns Hopkins' Emmanuel Leblond is the favorite for the individual title. Leblond was an All-American, placing 26th at last year's NCAA Championship. He has since had a strong season, finishing 51st in the Paul Short Gold race and winning the Centennial Conference. We should also note that Leblond's teammate Gavin McElhennon is the returning individual regional champion from last season and will be in contention to defend his title.

2022 Winners - Individuals | Teams

Women: 21:42.8 (6k) - Alex Ross (Johns Hopkins) | Johns Hopkins

Men: 25:02.3 (8k) - Gavin McElhennon (Johns Hopkins) | Carnegie Mellon