D3 XC Regionals Preview Pt.2

Regional Preview covering the Mideast, Niagara, North, South, and West Regions. Sponsored by LEVER.

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Mideast

Women

For the women’s individual title, we think it will be a race with Middlebury’s Audrey MacLean, Vassar’s Haley Schoenegge, and RPI’s Jules Bleskoski. That said, keep a tab on Wesleyan’s Stephanie Ager, who will likely make her case as well. MacLean and Schoenegge’s track speed will no doubt be threats, but Bleskowski has only begun with her XC career, so her untapped potential will be an x factor.

From a team perspective, Williams looks to be the favorite for the title. They’ve racked up several team victories en route to this point, including the NESCAC championship. That said, Amherst will be right up there and probably has the best shot at contending with them for that title (they beat Williams at Little 3 earlier in the year and were Paul Short White race champions). 

The REAL hard part will be advancing. Expect the battle between 2 through 5 will be close. There is no wiggle room for failure or any vulnerabilities as there are 7 nationally ranked teams in the mix. 

With that in mind, there’s an opportunity for a non-NESCAC school to break up the parade, especially with Vassar and RPI. Both teams have strength up front, particularly with their number one runners, but the postseason can amplify vulnerabilities, and Vassar took advantage of that over RPI in their conference championship. Ultimately, we could see a “deserving” team that won’t advance. 

Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (7)

1. Williams (Q)

2. Amherst (q)

3. Middlebury (q)

4. Wesleyan (q)

5. Vassar (q)

6. Conn College (q)

7. RPI (q)

Individual Qualifiers 

1. Paige Phillips (Coast Guard)

2. Claire Semerod (Coast Guard)

3. Catherine Dacey (Union)

4. Charlotte Blake (St Lawrence)

5. Pria Parker (Smith)

6. Lyda Martin (Smith)

7. Haley Oliver (RIC)

Men

In the men’s team race, this will also be a relitigation of NESCAC rivalries. The hard part will be winning in this case. If you can believe it, we are talking about airtight margins. Williams held off Amherst by a single point at the NESCAC championship and there were ten points separating them and third place, Middlebury. And to make it even more intense, expect RPI to bring the pack running that they have been developing all season. At Paul Short, RPI showed the ability to make up a lot of ground in the second half of the race. Don’t be surprised if they take the wheel in the final kilometers. 

In the men’s individual race, Nathan Tassey looks to be the favorite as he is currently undefeated and has shown himself to handle the big stage well as we saw at the John McNichols Invite. Look for Chuckie Namiot to be a contender as he has won all but one race this season. Let’s also keep an eye on Conn College’s Matt Scardigno and RPI’s 1-4 pack in the chase for the title. 

Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (4)

1. RPI (Q)

2. Williams (q)

3. Amherst (q)

4. Middlebury (q)

5. Wesleyan (q)

Individual Qualifiers 

1. Nathan Tassey (Roger Williams)

2. Nicholas Lyndaker (St. Lawrence)

3. Matt Scardigno (Connecticut College)

4. Ryan Russell (Union)

5. Sean Miller (Vassar)

6. Benjamin Neff (Union)

7. Jose Magana (Vassar)

Niagara

The state of New York truly has a little bit of everything, from Great Lakes shorelines, to the continent’s largest waterfall, to mountain ranges, to the most populous city in the U.S. As such, it comes as no surprise that the fourth largest state in the US by population would be split into three separate regions: Niagara, Mideast, and Metro. 

The Niagara region might have some of the strangest boundaries to come out of the 2021 regional realignment, spanning:

• As far north as Oswego, NY on the coast of Lake Ontario (but not so far north as to include Ontario-bordering Canton, whose surrounding schools are in the Mideast region)

• As far south as NYU in Greenwich Village, Manhattan (but not so far south as to cross the Brooklyn Bridge and include Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, part of the Metro region)

• As far east as SUNY Maritime in the Bronx (but not so far as to cross Little Neck Bay to the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY, part of the Metro region)

• As far west as PSU-Behrend, the lone Pennsylvania school in the Niagara region, probably owing to its 110-mile distance down the Lake Ontario shore from Niagara Falls, making North America’s largest waterfall by volume a perfect weekend trip for Behrend students.

Regardless of which part in the Niagara region D3 schools complete their daily training, all will come together in Fredonia, NY for a shot to secure their spot at the NCAA national meet. One is guaranteed to advance, few others will wait at the mercy of USTFCCCA, and the rest will celebrate the end of another season of cross country in the books.

Here are some of the headlining performances to watch for in the Niagara region this weekend. 

Women

The women’s race is sure to be exciting up front in a head-to-head battle between No. 4 NYU and No. 10 SUNY Geneseo. Last year, SUNYG secured the auto-qualifier with a 1-4 sweep, led by Penelope Greene. The Knights return all of their scoring squad from last year except for Rachel Hirschkind, the 24th-place cross country All-American. They’ve had a somewhat bumpy season up until now, having lost to four teams at Paul Short in early October in their first look at nationally ranked teams. The Knights did, however, bounce back to win their home meet against RPI, who previously beat them at Paul Short, and are coming off of a perfect-score victory at Empire 8s in their first year in the league, so they seem to be trending in the right direction at the right time. 

Consistently, their third through fifth runners have maintained a tight pack, but remain at a distance from their first and second. Their No. 2 runner Lily Fowler-Conner closed the gap on Greene from Mike Woods to conference and will need to keep her in sight this weekend to produce another low-stick for the Knights. The key for this team at nationals will be to continue closing the gap from two to three. 

NYU, on the other hand, comes off of a highly-competitive conference meet where they faced No. 5 UChicago, No. 6 WashU, and No. 8 Emory. They ended up second to UChicago by 22 points, struggling to keep their pack condensed. The biggest gaps existed from 1-2 and 4-5, but this team does have some top athletes currently sidelined, which, health pending, could help close this gap should they be able to run full strength this coming weekend. 

With such a stacked postseason lineup, the most important thing for the Violets is to survive and advance, not necessarily to post an impressive regional outcome. Last year, they conceded the regional victory to Geneseo before going on to place second in the nation behind Carleton. Both teams bring forth strong lineups and both are almost guaranteed a trip to Terre Haute, barring any major disasters, so their battle this weekend will be close and might even be a little tactical.

On the individual front, Greene once again returns as the favorite. Last year, she was third in the nation and has carried that same momentum into this season, having only lost to three individuals total this season. Look for teammate Fowler-Conner, NYU rival competitor Janie Cooper, and Hamilton freshman sensation Keira Rogan to join up front and be individuals to watch in contention for the regional crown.

Other individuals looking to punch their ticket to nationals this weekend include RIT’s Sierra Danieu, who has never made a national meet, but has had a breakout season, including two first-place finishes and an 11th place overall and top Niagara region finish at Liberty Leagues. Danieu’s teammate, Kathryn Arbegast, has also built some strong momentum, highlighted by her 8th place finish at the Yellowjacket Invitational, and will look to follow Danieu to a national-qualifying finish. 

Ithaca duo Jessica Goode and Kyla Eisman will look to employ similar tactics, and Cortland State’s Melissa Innocent will look to carry momentum from a SUNYAC victory. Hamilton’s Lily Murphy, who unfortunately appears to be battling some health issues per her Strava, could be a strong contender as well, should she be able to compete this weekend. Though it appears injuries have prevented her from postseason competition in the past, we hope to see her make a strong return. 

Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)

1. NYU (Q)

2. SUNY Geneseo (q)

3. Hamilton 

4. Ithaca

5. Rochester

Individual Qualifiers 

• Keira Rogan (Hamilton)

• Sierra Danieu (RIT)

• Jessica Goode (Ithaca) 

• Melissa Innocent (Cortland St.)

• Kathryn Arbegast (RIT)

• Ellie Ponko (Rochester)

• Noelle Linenfelser (Houghton) 

Men

The men’s race will be a treat to watch, as we will see a six-weeks-in-the-making rematch from Paul Short between No. 4 SUNY Geneseo and No. 10 NYU. In the Paul Short men’s White race, Geneseo nabbed the victory by a narrow 14 points. In fact, the Knights’ varsity team hasn’t lost head-to-head to a D3 program all season, forcing us to beg the question: will we see them on the podium in two weekends? Geneseo hasn’t seen a spread larger than 40 seconds all year, and their season-high 40-second spread was accomplished without their typical frontrunner Ryan Hagan. Though we might be getting ahead of ourselves just a little, a pack time this tight could be what it takes to rival top programs La Crosse, Wartburg, and Pomona-Pitzer. As such, some tactics may come into play this weekend as the Geneseo Knights prepare for the big dance.

NYU comes off some huge momentum after capturing the program’s first UAA title since 2009. En route, they beat No. 9 Carnegie Mellon, as well as No. 17 WashU and No. 22 Emory, indicating their ability to dominate some of the top teams in the nation. Led by Ryan Tobin, who took UAA runner-up, the Violets posted a 23-second spread to beat CMU by 17 points. They’ve been knocking time off of their pack each week and have been under 30 seconds two major races in a row. Whether attributed to an increase in team bonding time or just the natural late-season fitness gains that comes with the postseason, the Violets are starting to figure things out. One last look at top team Geneseo before nationals will be their perfect sharpener. 

Look for Geneseo trio Hagan, Charlie Wilson, and Alex Hillyard, NYU’s Tobin, Rochester’s James Catania, and Brockport State’s Jonathan Zavala to lead the race. Zavala will hope to lead the way to a national qualifying performance for Brockport, who has had a strong season, however, a team seventh place finish at Mike Woods likely hurts their qualifying odds in the eyes of the selection committee. They will have to post a strong performance this weekend and await results from across the country to see if they have enough to receive one of the coveted 32 at-large bids. 

Other individuals to watch include Utica’s Bennett Melita, who took fifth at Empire 8s, Hamilton’s Alexander Badami, RIT’s Derrick Koen, SUNYAC champion Jonthomas Bierman, and Brockport’s Jared Smith, who punched his ticket to nationals last year. 

Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (2)

1. SUNY Geneseo (Q)

2. NYU (q)

3. Brockport St. 

4. Hamilton

5. Rochester

Individual Qualifiers 

1. James Catania (Rochester)

2. Jonathan Zavala (Brockport St.)

3. Bennett Melita (Utica)

4. Alexander Badami (Hamilton)

5. Derrick Koen (RIT)

6. Patrick Klinger (Brockport St.)

7. Jared Smith (Brockport St.)

North

Women

UW-La Crosse and St. Olaf women will have a solid battle for the regional crown, but UW-La Crosse will likely edge out the Oles. Fresh off another WIAC title, the UW-La Crosse women are a common fixture at the national meet. Given the history of the program and consistent results they put up, it is hard not to see them taking the regional title. As stated, St. Olaf should come away with a runner-up finish with a little bit of a tighter pack than their MIAC constituents Carleton, last year's national champions. While the defending champs are having a solid year, they have not ranked higher than 10th all season*. However, a good amount of pieces from last year’s team are still there, and we shouldn’t be surprised if they close out the season on a high note and out-place their ranking. 

The big story of the women’s side is going to come from another likely at-large qualifying team. The UW-Stout women have been a team on the rise over the last few years and they are ready to dance at the national meet. Led by a strong top three, the Blue Devils should place within the top four teams and become the first UW-Stout women’s team to qualify in program history.

Look for Hannah Preisser of Carleton to lead the field and take the individual title. Preisser has yet to lose to D3 competition this season. Preisser will likely be going to nationals with the team, so here are some people we think you should be looking out for to take the individual qualifying spots: Amelia Lehman of UW-Oshkosh, Cristyn Oliver of Lawrence, Keeley Behr of UW-Eau Claire, Molly Liston of Gustavus Adolphus, Ari De La Cerda of UW-Whitewater, Ainara Saiz De Rozas of Concordia Wisc., and Hannah Fliss of UW-Platteville.

Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (4)

1. UW-La Crosse (Q)

2. St. Olaf (q)

3. Carleton (q)

4. UW-Stout (q)

5. UW-Eau Claire

Individual Qualifiers 

1. Amelia Lehman (UW-Oshkosh)

2. Cristyn Oliver (Lawrence)

3. Keeley Behr (UW-Eau Claire)

4. Molly Liston (Gustavus Adolphus)

5. Ari De La Cerda (UW-Whitewater)

6. Ainara Sainz De Rozas (Concordia Wisc.)

7. Hannah Fliss (UW-Platteville)

*USTFCCCA Rankings

Men

The men’s race in the North should be boring, at least up front, and that’s not a bad thing! Since 2021, UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater have gone 1-2, and that should be no different this year. The UW-La Crosse Eagles should take the crown with the Warhawks of UW-Whitewater placing second. UW-La Crosse has an unmatchable depth on their team that is hard to beat. They will likely substitute a few runners out of their regional squad at the national meet like they have done historically. 

St. Olaf should place third and lock up another at-large bid. Along with UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater, the Oles are likely looking to take care of business by doing what they need to do to advance to Terre Haute without leaving too much on the course. This brings us to UW-Eau Claire. The Blugolds have had a solid season and should take another at-large bid getting them back to the national meet after not qualifying the last two seasons. MSOE is another program having a standout year and one to watch. 

People may look to this region as a pre-national meet on the men’s side. Grant Matthai, Christian Patzka, and Gunner Schlender will be near the front, and they are going to be more worried about nationals instead of an individual regional title. Joining them up front should be Mohammed Bati of Augsburg, who could be your individual winner and a potential spoiler next week.

Along with Bati, be on the lookout for Caden Schneider of UW-Platteville, Calvin Boone of St. Scholastica, Logan Murphy of UW-Stevens Point, Craig Hundley and Jacob Curulewski of Carthage, and Gabe Nichols of Carleton to lock in individual qualifying spots. Hundley has returned back to Carthage from a brief stint at Whitewater and made his season debut with a bang at the CCIW. His presence for Carthage could shake things up in the team placing. 

Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (5)

1. UW-La Crosse (Q)

2. UW-Whitewater (q)

3. St. Olaf (q)

4. UW-Eau Claire (q)

5. MSOE (q)

Individual Qualifiers 

1. Mohammed Bati (Augsburg)

2. Caden Schneider (UW-Platteville)

3. Calvin Boone (St. Scholastica)

4. Logan Murphy (UW-Stevens Point)

5. Jacob Curulewski (Carthage)

6. Craig Hundley (Carthage)

7. Gabe Nichols (Carleton)

South

Since the south lacks a high concentration of D3 schools compared to the north and northeast and Kentucky for some odd reason not explained by geography has moved to the Great Lakes, the South region is comprised of more states than any other region. Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Washington D.C. will all come together in Clinton, Miss. for the South Regional Championships. The forecast calls for sun and a high of 70 degrees, which will likely be a stark contrast to the weather to come in Indiana the following week. 

Though this region has long been dominated by south powerhouses Lynchburg and Emory, this year, a new contender arises on both sides: the Generals from Washington & Lee. Here’s what to watch for out of the south region this coming weekend. 

Women

No. 8 Emory is the team to watch. They come off of a fourth place finish at the highly competitive UAA conference meet, led by the 1-2 punch from Brigid Hanley and Liesl Scherrer, who took down a strong field of NYU and UChicago runners. In fact, Hanley and Scherrer might be the strongest duo in women’s D3 XC right now, deserving of the D3GD “Pocket Ace” title we have awarded to duos in the past. Look for them to run strong up front in attempts to lead their team to an automatic qualifying win. 

The Eagles have had a strong year. Most notably, they were Paul Short runners up to Amherst mid-season ahead of several top-ranked teams. With two low sticks in Hanley and Scherrer, the biggest challenge will be keeping their 3-5 as close as possible, not allowing too many scorers from challengers Lynchburg and Washington & Lee to sneak through. 

Lynchburg will be a notable rival. Expect frontrunner Kayla Werner to hang up front with Hanley and Scherrer, ready to take the regional title should either Eagle falter. Werner beat Hanley at Paul Short, and will bring this confidence with her to the starting line. She is joined in company by ODAC runner-up Allison Dell, newcomer Adelynn Carpenter, sister Kristen Werner, Hannah Edwards, and Delaney Saulsbury. This crew will need to keep Werner in sight for the best chance at a top finish.

The come-up team from Washington & Lee will perhaps be the most formidable opponent to both Lynchburg and Emory. They come off of a somewhat surprising ODAC upset victory over Lynchburg following their impressive fourth place finish at Conn College behind ranked MIT, NYU, and Williams. They beat Amherst, who upset everyone at Paul Short by clinching the win in the White race. Led by ODAC champion Olivia Warr, W&L’s 2-5 have a solid pack time. At Conn College, they were separated by 36 seconds. In their ODAC win, they placed 9 in the top 20 and had a 2-5 pack time of 26 seconds.

Emory has an advantage by having Scherrer up with Hanley to give them two low sticks. However, depth like that of Washington and Lee’s could be lethal to teams without a tight pack from their 3-5. 

Other teams you can expect to see gunning for top-5 finishes are SAA champs Berry and third place ODAC finishers Bridgewater, who know what to expect out of Lynchburg and W&L after racing them two weekends ago. 

Individual qualifiers could run deep in this field with three teams stacking up the front of the race. Look for Catholic’s Kate Inglis, who was ninth overall at Rowan, and Bridgewater’s Taylor Myers, who was third at ODACs, to make their way toward the front early. Berry Anna duo Anna Ayers and Anna Rose, Bridgewater’s Mackenzie Young, and Mary Washington’s Lily Hoffman are also ones to watch. 

Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (3)

1. Emory (Q)

2. Washington & Lee (q)

3. Lynchburg (q)

4. Berry

5. Bridgewater

Individual Qualifiers 

1. Taylor Myers (Bridgewater)

2. Kate Inglis (Catholic)

3. Anna Ayers (Berry)

4. Mackenzie Young (Bridgewater)

5. Anna Rose (Berry)

6. Emily Smeds (Bridgewater)

7. Lily Hoffman (Mary Washington)

Men

No. 11 Lynchburg could be on their way toward something special starting this weekend. Known arguably as America’s best D3 middle distance squad, this group of MidDs is covering 8k at blazing fast times because they know the faster they run, the faster they get to track season. 

The Hornets’ most recent accomplishment was securing their fourth consecutive ODAC title. The squad of Chasen Hunt, Tor Hotung-Davidsen, Cooper Hurst, and Sam Llaneza led the way, sweeping first through fourth en route to victory. (Speaking of Mid-D talent, 800m specialist Hotung-Davidsen darn near beat Hunt in an almost-upset for the ODAC crown. After missing his entire outdoor season last year, it was nice to see the 1:49 half miler come within less of a second of the 14:00 5ker.) The name of the game for Lynchburg this coming weekend will be to survive and advance. A strong regional performance is the first step toward a shot at a top finish at nationals. 

No. 13 Washington & Lee will take the start line with Lynchburg for the second race in a row following their runner-up finish at ODACs. The Generals bring forth a strong trio up front in Keaton Rush, Row Sterne, and Robert Cooper, who all finished ahead of Lynchburg’s fifth, but they will need a strong performance from their fourth and fifth runners to stay as close to Lynchburg as possible. They will face No. 22 Emory, who comes off of a fourth place finish at UAAs and should advance to nationals as the third team from this region, barring any disaster. The Eagles’ UAA pack time of 30 seconds works in their favor, though they will need their frontrunners to hang tough in the front of this race. Other teams to watch for are SAA top two squads Berry and Oglethorpe.

Similarly to the women’s race, individual qualifiers in this race could run deep. Oglethorpe’s Ashton Deriso and Zachary Benner, Berry’s Tucker Wright, Randolph’s Tanner Cochran, EMU’s Bellamy Immanuel, Southern Virginia’s Kaelen Ruder, and Pfeiffer’s Sawyer Helms have all consistently been top South region finishers and are ones to watch.

Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (3)

1. Lynchburg (Q)

2. Washington & Lee (q)

3. Emory (q)

4. Berry

5. Oglethorpe

Individual Qualifiers 

1. Ashton Deriso (Oglethorpe)

2. Tucker Wright (Berry)

3. Zachary Benner (Oglethorpe)

4. Tanner Cochran (Randolph)

5. Bellamy Immanuel (Eastern Mennonite)

6. Kaelen Ruder (Southern Virginia)

7. Sawyer Helms (Pfeiffer)

West

After years of competing in either California or Washington for a bid to the national meet, the D3 West Regional Cross Country Championships are returning to Oregon! The last time the meet was hosted by Lewis and Clark in Estacada, Oregon was in 2007. This weekend, on November 23rd, teams will compete rain or shine (knowing Oregon, it will most likely be in the rain AND the mud) at Milo McIver State Park to see who receives the automatic bid to the national meet.

The West Region is historically deep, often sending multiple at-large teams to the national championships. In 2023 on both the men's and women's side, we saw THREE additional at-large teams qualify. In 2024, the depth of California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, and Colorado teams is once again on full display.

Women

The women's competition promises a preview of the national meet, with No. 2 Colorado College, No.15 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer, No. 25 UC Santa Cruz, and No. 28 George Fox all vying for glory. The women's side also has a deep individual battle, with at least five women capable of placing top 15 at the national meet.

No. 2 ranked Colorado College enters as the clear favorite, still undefeated against D3 competition this season. Their dominance starts up front with the dynamic duo of Isabel Olson and Sydney Rankin, who placed 1st and 4th respectively at the Augustana Interregional. With Mueller-Hickler and Singer both notching top-20 finishes at Augustana, and their fifth runner closing the gap in recent races, the Tigers look nearly unstoppable. 

However, defending West Region champions Claremont-Mudd-Scripps won't give up their crown without a fight. The Athenas have their own formidable front-running duo in Riley Capuano and Sadie Drucker, who went 1-2 at the recent SCIAC championships. Capuano, who was third at this meet last year and finished 11th at XC nationals in 2023, knows what it takes to perform on the big stage. But for CMS to have a shot at the upset, they'll need exceptional performances from Angela Gushue and Revere Schmidt to counter Colorado College's depth. They will also need a breakthrough performance from their fifth runner, who has been rotating all season - if they can close the nearly one-minute gap from fourth to fifth that we saw at SCAICs, they might just have a chance of surprising the Tigers.

Although all eyes are on the Colorado College-CMS battle, this region is too deep for certainties. No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer brings a tight pack led by Mira Terdiman and Katie Cline, while No. 25 UC Santa Cruz features breakthrough star Kenzie Seymour, who stunned the D3 world with a second-place finish at Pre-Nationals. No. 28 George Fox, led by sophomore Breanna Schmitt (9th at Pre-Nats), rounds out our top five team predictions. 

The individual race is equally compelling. Olson enters as the favorite after her breakthrough win at Augustana, but she'll face stiff competition from teammate Rankin, fresh off her SCAC Conference title. Capuano will be hungry to improve on last year's third-place finish and continue CMS's tradition of individual champions (her former teammate Natalie Bitteti won by over 20 seconds in 2023). Meanwhile, Seymour from UC Santa Cruz (second at Pre-Nats) and Lewis & Clark's Riley Buese (6th at Pre-Nats and recent conference champion) could play spoiler. Will Colorado College claim their first-ever individual regional title? Can Seymour turn her Pre-Nationals performance into regional gold? Or will Capuano keep the individual crown with CMS? We'll find out Saturday on what promises to be an exciting morning on the womens side in Estacada!

Top 5 Women’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (5)

1. Colorado College (Q)

2. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (q)

3. Pomona-Pitzer (q)

4. UC Santa Cruz (q)

5. George Fox (q)

Individual Qualifiers:

1. Riley Buese (Lewis & Clark)

2. Annika Carlson (Chapman)

3. Jenna LeNay (Occidental)

4. Chloe Bullock (Redlands)

5. Breanna Steele (Southwestern)

6. Abby Staley (Whitworth)

7. Kylah Holland (Harden Simmons)

Men

Pomona-Pitzer men have dominated the West Region for as many years as we can count. Last year, they claimed victory with an impressive 45 points, more than doubling the score of runner-up CMS (93 points). This weekend, they look poised to continue their regional dominance. 

The defending champions are led by senior Cameron Hatler, who took 3rd at D3 Pre-Nationals and looks to improve on last year's 11th place regional finish. The Sagehens' depth is simply overwhelming - sophomore Quinn White and junior Jack Stein (13th at regionals last year) form a formidable 2-3 punch, while seniors Owen Kobett and Peter Neid round out a top 5 that could all finish in the top 15. It’s hard to imagine anyone challenging PP for the automatic qualifier.

The battle for second place between No.24 CMS and No.16 George Fox will determine who gets the best shot at an at-large bid to nationals. CMS has been steadily improving all season, and though they haven't managed to take down Pomona-Pitzer yet, they kept things close at the PP Invite. The Stags should have gained more confidence after SCAICs, where Adam Sage claimed an impressive individual victory over PP's Cameron Hatler. With Oliver Pick backing up Sage, CMS could be peaking at just the right time.

George Fox turned heads early in the season with a stunning third-place finish at D3 Pre-Nationals, but they've been something of a mystery since then. After a mid-season stumble at the Lewis & Clark Invite and no major competitions since Pre-Nats, it's hard to know exactly what to expect from the Bruins. However, their dominant performance at the Northwest Conference Championships - where they scored just 28 points and put six runners in the top 14 - suggests they're rounding back into form. Led by Austin Gappa, who placed 8th at Pre-Nats, the Bruins certainly have a shot at that second place spot. 

Unranked teams like UC Santa Cruz, led by conference champion Luke Holland, and Colorado College, led by Will Shufflit, could shake things up in the team battle. The depth of talent also suggests we could see some surprising individual qualifiers emerge, depending on how many teams are chosen in the at-large bid selection. 

While Pomona-Pitzer might have the team title locked up, the individual race promises plenty of drama. PP's Cameron Hatler enters as the favorite after placing 3rd at D3 Pre-Nationals, but he'll face serious challenges from Colorado College sophomore Will Shuflit and CMS senior Adam Sage. Shuflit has made massive strides this season, placing 6th at the competitive Augustana invite after finishing 30th at regionals last year, while Sage recently proved he can challenge Hatler by upsetting him for the SCIAC title.

 Behind this leading trio, several other runners could shake up the podium spots: Trinity's Will Salony (17th at Augustana, 9th at last year's regionals), Puget Sound’s Austin Gappa (8th at Pre-Nats and Northwest Conference champion), Puget Sound’s Ben Kerr (10th at last years regionals and 2nd to Gappa at NCC Conference), Lewis & Clark's Evan Markelz (14th at Pre-Nats, 19th at regionals last year), and UC Santa Cruz's Luke Holland (recent Coast to Coast conference champion) all have the potential to make moves at the front of the race.

Top 5 Men’s Teams + D3 Glory Days’ Qualifying Team Prediction: (3)

1. Pomona-Pitzer (Q)

2. George Fox (q)

3. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (q)

4. Colorado College

5. UC Santa Cruz

Individual Qualifiers:

1. Will Shuflit (Colorado College)

2. Will Salony (Trinity)

3. Ben Kerr (Puget Sound)

4. Evan Markelz (Lewis & Clark)

5. Stian Asper (Redlands)

6. Luke Holland (UC-Santa Cruz)

7. Alex Peters (Whitworth)