SAINT LEO, Florida -- The Mississippi College men's and women's cross country programs wrapped up their 2021 season Saturday morning, with both teams placing. in the top. 25 at the NCAA Division II Nationals.
For the first time in their program's history, both teams competed in NCAA Division II National Championships as they posted third-place finishes at the NCAA Division II South Regional also at Saint Leo.
On Saturday, the women finished 24th overall with
Jazmin Hernandez pacing the way for the Choctaws with a 68th overall finish in a time of 21:50.7. Freshman
Josie Whipp placed second on the Choctaws team, running in a time of 22:21.8.
Madeline Campbell averaged a split time of 3:42.9 for an overall time of 22:37.2
On the men's side of competition, the Choctaws finished 23rd overall the leaderboard in the Men's 10K. The Choctaws had two top 100 finishers with
Gabe Poulin placing 91st with a time of 32:25.4 and Evan Del Rio with a time of 32:29.3. Rio went on to place 97th overall at Saturday's National Championship event.
Cole Benoit had an impressive outing, running a time of 32:43.0, which was good for 113th overall. Junior
Hunter Kurz also finished just outside the Top 100, placing 124th with a time of 32:50.6 on the morning.
Coming into Saturday's Championship event, the men ranked 18th overall in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Poll while the women were receiving votes. Eight Choctaws also earned USTFCCCA All-South Region during the regional. Both programs wrap up an impressive season, finishing in the top 25 at the NCAA Nationals.
