Case Western Reserve University first-year Francesa Taracila unofficially qualified for the NCAA Championships and helped lead the Spartans to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Region Championship on Saturday morning at Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
Team Results
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The Spartans placed sixth out of 37 teams at the meet, finishing with a score of 161.
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Trine, ranked eighth in Division III, won the women's team title with a score of 58.
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Placing behind Trine were 26th-ranked Calvin (91), 25th-ranked Hope (122), John Carroll (135), and Ohio Wesleyan (152).
Individual Results
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Taracila recorded a career-best time of 22:28.8 to place ninth out of 260 finishers in the women's 6K race. She earned a spot in the NCAA Championship next weekend by virtue of finishing among the top-seven individuals in the region not part of a nationally-qualifying team. Taracila also claimed the first All-Region honor of her career with the finish.,
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Also claiming an All-Region honor was first-year Halina Tompkins, who recorded a 26th-place finish in a time of 22:53.6.
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Senior Arianna Holbrook was the third Spartan to cross the finish line, placing 41st in a time of 23:13.8, while senior Ayla Grabenbauer was close behind, finishing 42nd with a mark of 23:14.8.
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Completing the team's top-five scorers was first-year Reid Smith, who was 46th with a time of 23:18.9.
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Senior Lauren Iagnemma placed 54th with a season-best mark of 23:24.2, while sophomore Cecilia Postma was the seventh finisher for CWRU, notching a time of 23:37.5 to place 63rd overall.
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Calvin's Sophie Bull was the top finisher in the women's 6K race, crossing the finish line in a time of 21:40.9.
Spartan Notes
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Taracila's time was a 9.8-second improvement on her previous career-best mark. Saturday marked the second time in her career that she has been the team's top finisher in a race.
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The Spartans' finish was a three-spot improvement from their ninth-place finish at last year's Great Lakes Championship.
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CWRU entered the meet ranked fourth in the Great Lakes Region.
Up Next
The Spartans will now await the official announcement of the field for the 2025 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, which is slated to be posted no later than 3:00 p.m. on ncaa.com. The 2025 NCAA Division Championships will be held in Spartanburg, South Carolina, at the Roger Milliken Center on Saturday, November 22. The men's 8K race is scheduled for a 10:00 a.m. start, followed by the women's 6K race at 11:00 a.m.
