BIG EAST teams will race in four different NCAA Division I Cross Country Regionals on Friday. The results from the regional races help determine who advances to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
The top two teams at each regional automatically qualify for the championship. The NCAA DI Cross Country Subcommittee will then choose 13 at-large teams to fill out the 31-team field. The championship is Nov. 23 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Verona, Wis.
The Mid-Atlantic Regional, hosted by Penn State University, features men’s and women’s teams from Georgetown, Seton Hall and Villanova. The women’s 6K race starts at noon while the men’s 10K race starts at 1 p.m. ET.
The Georgetown women and Villanova men enter this weekend as the reigning BIG EAST champions.
Georgetown had three women finish in the top 10 during the championship. Last year at regionals the Georgetown women finished first while the men finished four points out from second.
Villanova had four men in the top 10 helping lead them to this year’s BIG EAST title. In first place was Liam Murphy who will look to defend his individual title yet again as he has taken first place in the Mid-Atlantic Regional the last two years. On the women’s side, the Wildcats are led by senior Sadie Sigfstead who placed fourth in the conference championship.
Butler, Marquette and Xavier will compete in the Great Lakes Regional in Norton, Ohio. The women’s race starts at 11 a.m. ET and the men’s race starts at noon.
Following a second-place finish at the BIG EAST Championship, the Butler men, led by redshirt sophomore William Zegarski, will look to secure their spot in the NCAA Championships. In 2023 the Butler men won the Greak Lakes Regional for the first time in program history.
The Northeast Regional, hosted by UMass Lowell, will feature women’s teams from Connecticut, Providence and St. John’s and the men from Providence. The women’s race starts at 11 a.m. ET and the men’s race starts at noon.
The Friar women, who finished just one point behind Georgetown at the conference championship, earned an at-large selection to the NCAA Championship last season after placing third at regionals.
UConn’s Chloe Thomas enters regionals after taking first place individually at the BIG EAST Championship. She had a 14.01 second edge over Alex Millard of Providence who took second.
Creighton and DePaul are competing in the Midwest Regional, hosted by Bradley University. The women’s race starts at noon while the men’s race starts at 1 p.m. ET.