JOPLIN, Mo. – The Charleston and Davis & Elkins women’s cross country teams wrapped up their 2023 campaigns at 2023 NCAA Division II National Championships on Saturday morning.
In the 6k race, Charleston finished 29
th in the team standings, while Davis & Elkins finished 34
th.
Charleston’s Julie LaFare (21:16.4) was the first MEC runner to cross the finish line in 74
th place, while teammate Lily Dowdell finished 125
th. Mercy Jepleting and Madison Woolwine also finished in the top 200, placing 191
st and 198
th, respectively.
Davis & Elkins was led by Savanna Hardman in 223
rd place and Lydia Falkenstein in 231
st.
Grand Valley State won the 2023 NCAA National Championship, placing four runners in the top 12. GVSU finished with 59 points in the team scoring. Adams State (86) finished second, followed by Colorado School of Mines (121), Western Colorado (150) and Winona State (219).
Winona State’s Lindsay Cunningham won the individual national championship with a time of 19:30.1, while West Texas A&M’s Eleonora Curtabbi finished second. Natalie Graber from Grand Valley State rounded out the top three.