LOCK HAVEN, PA – The Susquehanna University men's and women's cross country teams will look to parlay their successful 2026 seasons with strong showings at the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Region Championships on Saturday, November 14, at the West Branch Cross Country Course in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.

The women's 6K championship race is scheduled for 11 a.m., followed by the men's 8K race at noon. Both teams will look to carry their momentum from the Landmark Conference Championships into one of the region's premier postseason competitions.

Men's Preview

• The Susquehanna men enter the regional championships following a fifth-place team finish at the Landmark Conference Championships on October 31. The River Hawks finished with 107 points in the 10-team field, just one second behind fourth-place Scranton in total team time.
• Junior Derick Blair will headline the Susquehanna lineup after another outstanding championship performance. Blair captured his second consecutive Landmark Conference individual title, crossing the finish line in 24:44.4 to win the men's 8K by more than 14 seconds. His performance also earned him Landmark Conference Men's Cross Country Performer of the Year honors.
• Senior Hunter Valentino also earned Second Team All-Landmark recognition after finishing 13th overall in 26:09.7. Evander Lackman added a 22nd-place finish in 26:35.7, while Andrew Hilke placed 36th in 27:12.4. Thomas McGann rounded out the River Hawks' top five with a 40th-place finish in 27:16.1.
• Blair's back-to-back conference championships and the team's depth will be important as Susquehanna takes on a competitive Mid-Atlantic regional field.

Women's Preview

• The Susquehanna women will also look to build on a fifth-place finish at the Landmark Conference Championships, where the River Hawks totaled 151 points.
• Senior Alison Sponseller led the way with an eighth-place individual finish in the women's 6K, recording a personal-best time of 22:41.9. Her top-10 performance earned her Second Team All-Landmark honors.
• Senior EmmaLia Ciccarello was the next River Hawk across the finish line, placing 32nd in 24:10.2. Sophomore Jessica Askins followed closely in 33rd with a time of 24:10.4, finishing just two-tenths of a second behind her teammate.
• Aubrie Berwager finished 41st in 24:49.0, while Julianna Sobocinski rounded out the scoring five with a 55th-place finish in 25:22.2. The River Hawks also received contributions from Sydney Querry, Caroline Bates, Rylee Conover, Hope Schafer and Katie Wojton.
• Sponseller's recent personal best and the team's strong group performance at the conference championships will provide momentum heading into Saturday's regional competition.

Championship Information

• Saturday's races will take place at the West Branch Cross Country Course at Lock Haven's Stern Athletic Complex. The women's 6K begins at 11 a.m., with the men's 8K following at noon.
• The top team in each regional championship race will automatically qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships. Additionally, the top seven individual finishers who are not members of qualifying teams will earn automatic individual berths. The top 35 finishers in each race will also earn USTFCCCA All-Region recognition.