BOSTON – Following up on their Commonwealth Coast Conference Championships success, the Suffolk women's cross country team took their talents to Franklin Park Saturday afternoon where the Rams hosted the 2021 NCAA Division III East Regional Championships. The blue-and-gold turned in a 12th-place showing against the best-of-the best in the region.
Suffolk garnered its first-ever NCAA hosting gig, not just in cross country, but across any sport in the University's Athletic program history, which spans over 75 years, after a region realignment and expansion of NCAA DIII cross Country.
With the new-and-improve 10-region model, the East was one of the most competitive in the nation with six nationally ranked program in the mix. The race for the team title promised to be exciting and was as No. 14 Tufts edged No. 11 MIT for the team win, 59-65. The Jumbos put three runners in the top-7 and then two more in the top-30, as they overcame the Engineers placing their entire scoring lineup in the top-20. Each of the next two teams – No. 16 Bates (87) and No. 26 Brandeis (89) – had two top-10 finishers, while No. 24 Wellesley ended up fifth with an individual champion to show for it in Ari Marks.
When it came to Rams' runners, all, but one of Suffolk's eight student-athletes on the familiar Franklin Park 6k course were regional newbies.
Freshman Gwen Koziara crossed the line first for Suffolk in her regional debut. She completed the run in 24:47.2. Not only was the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania local the fast Ram, but the first CCC student-athlete to come through the finisher's chute.
Koziara was followed by sophomore Sydney Fogg, who completed her first regional race in 25:20.1, to take 61st.
Senior Skyler Spanbauer was the only Suffolk regional veteran on the course. The Guilderland, New York, product saved her best regional run for her senior season with a 102nd-place showing behind a time of 26:42.9.
Sophomore Sarah Roberts and freshman Christina Baggitt rounded out Suffolk's scorers. The former clocked a 27:04.9, good for 114th, while the latter logged a 27:32.5 to capture 123rd in the 220-runner field.
As a unit, Suffolk scored a 421 to claim 12th in the 29-team field to finish behind its CCC counterpart Endicott (10th) and ahead of league rivals the University of New England (13), and Gordon (15).
The Jumbos of Tufts secured the East's automatic qualifier to the 2021 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, which are set for next Saturday, Nov. 20 at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky. The entire field for the national championship, which will feature 22 at-large programs and 70 individual at-large bids in addition to the regional AQs, will be released tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 14 on NCAA.com.
