For the first time since 2016, a women’s team at WVU has earned a runner-up finish at an NCAA National Championship event. The West Virginia University cross country team finished second in the NCAA finals Saturday morning at the Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Mountaineers (164 points) finished second behind fellow Big 12 member BYU (147 points).
“If I had one word to describe today’s performance, I would choose spectacular,” WVU coach Sean Cleary said. “I am so very proud of this team, and all that they have accomplished. As we watched the team move through this field to finally emerge with a second-place finish, it completes the finest season in program history. We watched this team finish with incredible poise and tenacity.”
In her final NCAA cross country race, graduate student Ceili McCabe led the WVU contingent with a sixth-place finish (19:41.2). Freshman Joy Naukot finished 17th overall at 19:50.3.
Sarah Tait (34th), Emily Bryce (69th) and Parkersburg High School graduate Madison Trippett (89th) posted the top five finishes for WVU.
“Moments like this should not be taken for granted, nor not met with incredible fanfare,” Cleary said. “While it would have been fantastic to have clawed back a few more points and stolen this championship, we feel incredibly satisfied with this result. In my opinion, this is the hardest running team championship in the world to complete.”
The WVU women’s soccer team was the last Mountaineer team to post a national runner-up finish eight years ago.