Women’s cross country earns trip to NCAA Division III championships

Amelia Lundkvist '14 running at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth meetPhoto/Jan Volk, Sportspix

Amelia Lundkvist '14 competes in a meet at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

The Brandeis women's cross country team finished fifth at the New England Division III regional championships on Nov. 16 at the University of Southern Maine, paving the way for the program's first NCAA championship berth since 2001.

Competing against a 53-team field that included six nationally ranked squads, the 22nd-ranked Judges edged No. 21 Bates College for fifth place with 168 points to the Bobcats’ 197. The finish is Brandeis' best since the 2001 campaign, when they finished fourth overall. Last year, the team placed 16th.

Individually, three Brandeis runners earned All-New England honors, the highest number the squad has collected since 2001.

Senior Amelia Lundkvist, of South Portland, Maine, led the way for the Judges, covering the six-kilometer course in 21:28.85 to finish sixth overall. The Judges have not had a top-10 finisher at the regional championships since 2002. Lundkvist placed 41st at last year’s meet.

Freshman Maddie Dolins, of Highland Park, Ill., finished in 21:53:20, good for 20th place. The University Athletic Association Rookie of the Year, Dolins was third among first-year finishers at regionals and earned Brandeis' best finish by a newcomer since 1998.

Also claiming All-Region honors for the Brandeis women was senior Victoria Sanford, of LaGrangeville, N.Y., who came in 31st overall with a time of 22:11.10.

Sophomore Kelsey Whitaker, of Kingston, Mass., finished in 38th place with a time of 22:19.68, less than three seconds out of a top-35 placement, which would have earned her a spot on the All-Region team. Freshman Ashley Piccirillo-Horan, of North Granby, Conn., rounded out Brandeis' scorers, coming in 73rd with a time of 22:56.19.

The NCAA Division III cross country championships will be held at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind., on Nov. 23.

For more information about Brandeis women’s cross-country, visit the Athletics site.

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NCAA championship update

The women’s cross country team finished in 22nd place, out of 32 teams, at the NCAA Division III championship. Amelia Lundkvist led the Judges, finishing 21st overall out of 280 runners, which earned her an All-America honor. She is Brandeis’ first All-American in women’s cross country since 2002.

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