Cross Country at the NCAA East Regional
Saturday, November 16 |
Women's 6k – 11 a.m. | Men's 8k – 12 p.m.
Hopkinton Fairgrounds | Hopkinton, N.H.
WHAT TO KNOW
• The Babson men's and women's cross country teams travel Hopkinton, N.H., for the second year in a row to compete in one of 10 regional championship meets across the country on Saturday.
• The men get the day started with an 8k race on the Hopkinton Fairgrounds Course, which will be followed by the women's 6k meet.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
• The men's and women's team winners along with the top seven individuals from non-qualifying teams will earn the opportunity to compete at the NCAA Division III Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday, November 23.
• In addition to the automatic team qualifiers, the NCAA will announce its 22 men's and women's at-large teams and top seven individuals from each region on Sunday.
2023 EAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
• Graduate student
Anthony Rodriguez and senior
Julian Ivarra both earned all-region accolades to help the Babson place ninth, while the women's team came in 20th at the NCAA East Regional meet on November 11 in Hopkinton, N.H.
• Rodriguez finished a career-best 15th with a time of 25:09 and became the first male in program history to claim three consecutive all-region accolades, while Ivarra finished 27th in a time of 25:35 as the Beavers finished with their third lowest point total (273) at the regional meet in program history.
• Senior
Ali Thomas crossed the finish line with a career-best time of 24:30 as the Green and White posted its second lowest point total (564) and third highest finish (20th) in regional history.
ABOUT THE BABSON MEN
• The Beavers totaled a program-low 73 points on the way to finishing third at the NEWMAC Championship for the fourth year in a row back on November 2 and Nehoiden Golf Club in Wellesley, Mass.
• Rodriguez recorded the best individual finish in school history by coming in second with a time of 24:42, Ivarra finished fifth with a career-best time of 25:06 to earn his first all-conference honor and first-year
Nick Yacoub placed 13th overall with a time of 25:38 to give the Beavers three All-NEWMAC performers for the first time.
• Graduate student
Ryan Wilson ran 25:58 to place 40th, while sophomores
John Hanscom and
Brian Gall were 41st and 42nd, respectively, with a time of 26:59.
• Hanscom, Gall and graduate student
Matthew Campbell (27:09) all recorded the top times of their respective careers at the conference championship meet.
ABOUT THE BABSON WOMEN
• The Beavers recorded their lowest score (209 points) since 2018 on the way to finishing seventh at the NEWMAC Championship on November 2 at Nehoiden Golf Club in Wellesley.
• First-year
Shriya Peddi was the team's top finisher playing 39th with the a time of 23:54 on the 6k course, junior
Chloe Clifford placed 45th in a time of 24:25 and classmate
Alexandra Kirkpatrick crossed the finish line in 24:39 to finish 53rd.
• Thomas (24:48) and first-year
Sophia Draxler (24:48) came in 58th and 59th, respectively, while first-year Annabelle Svenson logged a time of 26:01 in her conference championship debut.
• The Green and White has placed among the top 10 in three consecutive races and will have five members of the squad making their regional championship debut on Saturday.
HISTORY LESSON
• Rodriguez, who placed 16th in both 2021 and 2022 before coming in 15th last November, has a chance to become the Beavers' only four-time all-region honoree on Saturday.
• The top men's finish at the regional championships when Babson Hall of Famer Joey Curtis '92 placed eighth at the 1991 New England regional.
• The Beavers' top women's finish came in 2012 when another Babson Hall of Famer, Marina Capalbo '15, placed 20th.
TOP TIMES
• Rodriguez's time of 25:09 in last year's meet at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds was the best in Babson history at the NCAA regionals surpassing the time of 25:26 set by Mark Gulesian '15 at the 2012 New England Championship in Westfield, Mass..
• The top Babson 6k women's time at the NCAA regionals was achieved in 2013 when Marina Capalbo '15 ran 22:04 in Gorham, Maine.
BABSON'S BEST FINISHES
• The Beavers have achieved some of the top regional finishes in men's and women's program history since 2021 when the NCAA moved from eight to 10 regional championships.
• The Babson men came in seventh in both 2021 (Brunswick, Maine) and 2022 (Boston) before last year's ninth-place showing and recorded the lowest point total in school history (2026) at the 2022 race hosted by Bowdoin.
• The Babson women recorded their best finish (16th) and lowest point total (490) at the 2022 East Regional Championship at Bowdoin before posting their third highest finish (20th) last year at Hopkinton Fairgrounds.
