Terre Haute, Ind. – Allison Dell and Chasen Hunt led their respective squads and captured All-American accolades at the 2024 DIII Cross Country National Championships.
Despite a chilly morning in the Hoosier State, runners heated the course with blistering starts for both races. Each championship fielded 32 teams and an additional 70 individuals, setting the stage for large packs and close finishes.
In the women's 6k, Wilmington's Faith Duncan immediately separated from the field and won by 42 seconds with a 20:16.5 finish, the fifth-fastest time in DIII history.
Allison Dell led the Hornets crew from the gun, moving as high as 19th place at the 3k mark. Despite separating from the rest of her squad, the senior maintained pace down the stretch to earn 26th place with 21:35.3.
With Dell's All-American performance, she became the highest women's finisher at a national meet in Lynchburg distance history. She is the just the third All-American for the Lynchburg women's team.
Adelynn Carpenter overcame a slow start by gaining 54 spots in the final 3k to earn 104th place (22:23.2). Kristen Werner crossed the line in 23:11.7 for 217th place after moving forward 13 positions in the last kilometer.
To close out the scoring, Delaney Saulsbury crossed the line in 23:23.8 for 234th, and Hannah Edwards followed closely behind in 23:30.3 for 243rd.
The Lynchburg women's squad finished 29th out of 32 teams competing at the championships and boasted All-American finishers in back-to-back seasons. Kayla Werner, who did not compete in the 2024 championships due to injury, placed 40th in 2023.
UW-Whitewater's Christian Patzka took the lead in the final 200 meters of the men's 8k to claim the crown in a time of 24:01.6.
Chasen Hunt led the charge on the men's side, running tightly with the front pack for most of the 8k. Though the field began separating almost 6k into the race, the racers committed to a lightning-quick opening mile. Rolling through in 5:42 through two kilometers, Hunt averaged 4:35 mile pace through the opening portion.
The junior crossed the finish line in 24:24.3 for 14th place, his third All-American accolade as a Hornet and the 11th in men's cross country program history. He won the indoor men's DMR championship and placed third in the outdoor men's 5k during his sophomore season.
Tor Hotung-Davidsen made up ground late in the race to earn 61st with a 24:58.4 performance. Cooper Hurst (25:05.4) and Sam Llaneza (25:06.7) finished 67th and 69th, respectively. The trio behind Hunt stayed intact throughout the middle portions of the race before separating in the final mile.
Corbin Green closed the scoring with a 25:25.6 performance for 140th in the field.
Lynchburg's men placed 12th in the field of 32, the team's second-highest finish in program history. 2024 also marks the second-consecutive year in which the distance squad has produced an All-American on the men's and women's sides.
Upon the season's conclusion, Lynchburg now looks forward to the indoor track campaign, which begins in December.
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