Cross Country at the NCAA East Regional 
Saturday, November 15 | 11 a.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 third 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 at 11 a.m., which will be followed by the women's 6k meet. 

WHAT'S AT STAKE
•    The men's and women's winner in each of Saturday's 10 regions will secure their spot at the NCAA Division III Championship meet on Saturday, November 22, in Spartanburg, S.C. 
•    The 32-team championship field will be filled out with 22 men's and women's at-large selections, as well as the top seven individuals from non-qualifying teams on Sunday afternoon. 
•    The top 35 men's and women's competitors at Saturday's meet will earn All-East Region honors.

2024 NCAA EAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
•    Both teams recorded their lowest point totals in school history as the Beavers finished a program-best sixth in the men's 8k race, while the women matched their best result of all-time by placing 16th overall in the 6k on the Hopkinton Fairgrounds course. 
•    Anthony Rodriguez '24 M'25 came in 10th with a time of 25:03, Julian Ivarra '25 placed 13th with a time of 25:15, and sophomore Nick Yacoub finished 32nd (25:53) to give the Babson men three All-East Region honorees for the first time in program history. 
•    Senior Chloe Clifford posted a time of 24:20 to finish 67th and Ali Thomas '25 finished 91st with a time of 24:59 to lead the Babson women. 

ABOUT THE BABSON WOMEN
•    The Beavers are coming off a seventh-place finish in the NEWMAC Championship at Highland Park in Attleboro, Mass., back on November 1. 
•    Sophomore Sophia Draxler placed 34th with a time of 24:17 on the 6k course, Clifford finished 42nd in a time of 24:33 and first-year Ali Meyers recorded a season-best time of 24:59 to come in 54th overall. 
•    First-year Sophia Nakakura (25:10), junior Taijah Harvey (25:35) and senior Alexandra Kirkpatrick (25:37) also posted top-70 finishes for the Green and White, which recorded its lowest point total at the league meet since 2018. 
•    Senior Avery Butt (26:59) and first-year Angelina Widmer (26:33) both made their season debut at the NEWMAC Championship two weeks ago. 

ABOUT THE BABSON MEN
•    The Beavers, who are ranked sixth in the East Region, totaled their second lowest point total since 1998 at the conference meet (83) on the way to recording a fifth straight third-place finish at the NEWMAC Championship on November 1. 
•    Yacoub crossed the finish line in 25:37 to earn all-league honors for the second year in a row by finishing seventh, while sophomore Brian Ronayne narrowly missed joining him on the all-conference squad after placing 17th with a time of 26:29 on the 8k course at Highland Park. 
•    First-year Arthur Boulot came in 23rd with a time of 26:42, junior John Hanscom was two seconds behind him in 24th position and first-year Oliver Jones finished 26th with a time of 26:53. 
•    First-year Connor Andrews (27:16) and sophomores Ethan Jina (27:22) and Daniel Garcia (27:35) gave the Green and White eight top-40 finishers at the league meet for the first time.

EAST REGION SUCCESS
•    Since the NCAA expanded from eight regions to 10 prior to the 2021 season, the Babson men have recorded four consecutive top-10 finishes at the East Regional meet coming in seventh in 2021 and 2022 and ninth in 2023 in addition to last year's sixth-place showing. 
•    The Babson women have recorded three straight top-20 results and have finished with their three lowest point totals at regionals over the last three seasons – 444 (2024), 564 (2023), 490 (2022). 

TOP TIMES AT HOPKINTON FAIRGROUNDS
•    Rodriguez owns the top two men's times at Hopkinton running 25:03 last year and 25:09 at the 2024 NCAA East Regional, while Yacoub's mark of 25:35 at the Hopkinton XC Fest back on October 10 is tied with Ivarra's mark at last year's regional meet for the fifth fastest at the venue for the Babson men over the last three seasons. 
•    Clifford's time of 24:20 in the 6k at last year's NCAA East Regional is the best time at Hopkinton for the Babson women. 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
•    The Babson men had four competitors break the 26-minute mark on the way to finishing first out of 12 teams at the Hopkinton XC Fest back on October 10. 
•    The Babson women placed third among 12 teams in the 5k at Hopkinton Fairgrounds on October 10 with five runners finishing under 21 minutes. 
•    Yacoub is looking to join Rodriguez (2021-24) and Ivarra (2023-24) the only Babson men to earn NCAA all-region accolades in multiple seasons.