WASHINGTON – Georgetown's men's cross country program punched its ticket to nationals after placing second at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Friday at Lehigh University's Goodman Campus Cross Country Course in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. GU's five point scorers placed within the top 14 with a razor-thin 0.6-second spread as the Hoyas totaled 56 points.
Barrett Justema led the Georgetown women with a fifth-place finish in a cross country personal best of 19:25.7, helping the Hoyas secure fifth as a team with 165 points.
"The goal is always to be at your best when the postseason arrives. Both teams seemed to exhibit that today, with our women's team finishing fifth, with
Barrett Justema earning an impressive fifth place individually, which will get her into the national championship field. Our men showed composure and stuck to their race plan. Five finishers within a second of each other bodes well for us heading into the national championships next weekend. Tremendous performance to secure an automatic bid, and we're excited to see our men line up next weekend in Terre Haute." -Director of Cross Country
Alton McKenzie
"I thought the men executed perfectly. The job was to get an automatic qualifying spot and we did that with ease. I asked them to run as a pack and they all finished within half a second of each other. I feel that this group is very well prepared to run their best race of the year at NCAAs." -Head Men's Cross Country Coach
Brandon Bonsey
MEN'S 10K CHAMPIONSHIP
- The No. 14 Hoyas finished second with 56 points behind BIG EAST rival No. 17 Villanova, which recorded just 39 points. This is the second-consecutive season that the Blue & Gray have earned an automatic bid to the NCAA championships.
- Joe O'Brien led the Hoyas across the finish line, placing ninth in the men's 10K with a time of 29:57.8.
- Quinn Parrish (10th) followed right behind in 29:57.9, ahead of Luke Ondracek (11th, 29:57.9), Birhanu Harriman (12th, 29:58.0) and Daniel Winter (14th, 29:58.4), giving Georgetown all five scorers inside the top 14 separated by just 0.6 seconds.
- GU Point Scorers: Joe O'Brien, 29:57.8 [9]; Quinn Parrish, 29:57.9 [10]; Luke Ondracek, 29:57.9 [11]; Birhanu Harriman, 29:58.0 [12]; Daniel Winter, 29:58.4 [14]
- Team Results (Top Five): 1. Villanova, 39; 2. Georgetown, 56; 3. Princeton, 75; 4. Pittsburgh, 90; 5. Navy, 217
WOMEN'S 6K CHAMPIONSHIP
- Georgetown (165 points) finished fifth behind No. 3 West Virginia (19 points), No. 24 Penn State (83 points), No. 29 Princeton (105 points) and BIG EAST foe Villanova (120 points).
- Barrett Justema led the Hoyas across the finish line in fifth overall, shaving nearly six seconds off her personal best with a time of 19:25.7.
- Audrey Suarez (33rd) was the next Hoya to finish in 20:46.4, followed by Lauren Banovac (36th, 20:49.9), Charlotte Bell (40th, 20:55.2) and Olivia Williams (51st, 21:03.0).
- GU Point Scorers: Barrett Justema, 19:25.7, [5]; Audrey Suarez, 20:46.4 [33]; Lauren Banovac, 20:49.9 [36]; Charlotte Bell, 20:55.2 [40]; Olivia Williams, 21:03.0 [51].
- Team Results (Top Five): 1. West Virginia, 19; 2. Penn State, 83; 3. Princeton, 105; 4. Villanova, 120; 5. Georgetown, 165
UP NEXT
The Hoyas return to action on November 21 in Terre Haute, Indiana for the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
