Repeat team champions shine in return of Division 3 finals to Kentucky, with Johns Hopkins women securing seventh crown to match success of SUNY Cortland from 1989-97; Pomona-Pitzer runs away with second title, as Phillip of John Carroll and Rosenbum Parker of Loras secure first championships

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Johns Hopkins remained the standard in NCAA Division 3 women’s cross country, and, in doing so, matched the decade of dominance achieved by SUNY Cortland in the 1990s by winning its seventh national title in the past 10 years.

And the Pomona-Pitzer men’s team is developing into the division’s next elite program, repeating as champion with an exceptional performance in the return of the championship meet at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky.

RESULTS

Following a year's absence as a result of the Division 3 final being canceled last season during the COVID-19 pandemic, the same teams that triumphed in Kentucky in 2019 were again standing atop the podium Saturday.

And a pair of runner-up performers from the Division 3 outdoor track finals in May captured their first individual cross country championships, with Kassie Rosenbum Parker of Loras winning the women’s 6-kilometer title and Alex Phillip of John Carroll capturing the men’s 8-kilometer crown.

Johns Hopkins matched the success of SUNY Cortland from 1989-97 by winning its seventh women’s championship since 2012 with a 130-132 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. SUNY Geneseo took third with 168 points and Wartburg was fourth with 179 points.

Ella Baran led Johns Hopkins with a ninth-place finish in 21:03.1 and was supported by Alex Ross (21:33.4) placing 20th and Paloma Hancock (21:35.5) taking 21st. Ashley Heidenrich was 46th in 21:54.1 and Diana Vizza placed 54th in 21:59.6 for the Blue Jays.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps kept the pressure on Johns Hopkins throughout, with Meredith Bloss placing 13th in 21:17.4, Natalie Bitetti (21:24.5) finishing 16th, Riley Harmon (21:32.9) earning 19th and Emily Clarke (21:38) securing 26th to lead through four scorers.

But Johns Hopkins had its fifth scorer finish 25 spots ahead of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to decide the final outcome.

Rosenbum Parker, who finished fifth at the 2019 cross country final, clocked 20:11.1 to complete an unbeaten season against Division 3 competition. Her only setback in seven races came against Notre Dame athletes Sept. 17 at the National Catholic Invitational.

Five female athletes ran under 21 minutes, with Ari Marks of Wellesley placing runner-up in 20:28.6, Danielle Page of Tufts taking third in 20:30.1, Evie Bultemeyer of Trine finishing fourth in 20:43.7 and Fiona Smith of St. Benedict securing fifth in 20:58.4.

Pomona-Pitzer was looking to avenge a seven-point loss Oct. 16 to top-ranked Wartburg at the Augustana Interregional Invitational, but the Sagehens turned the rematch into a mismatch.

Following an efficient early presence in the race, Pomona-Pitzer gained the advantage at the 5-kilometer mark and never relinquished control to produce an 80-112 victory over MIT. Williams took third with 167 points and John Carroll finished fourth with 179 points.

Pomona-Pitzer had a 16-second gap among its five scorers and spread 31 seconds among all seven athletes, led by Colin Kirkpatrick taking 10th in 24:01.8.

Derek Fearon was 12th in 24:02.5, Lucas Florsheim finished 14th in 24:04.9, Ethan Widlansky placed 24th in 24:10.3 and Dante Paszkeicz grabbed 30th in 24:17, with Paul McKinley right behind in 31st in 24:18.5 and Jack Rosencrans earning 56th in 24:32.9.

MIT also achieved an outstanding compression among its five scorers, but couldn’t match the strength of Pomona-Pitzer up front.

Sam Acquaviva was 13th in 24:03, with Finn Jacobson-Schulte (24:16.4), Matthew Kearney (24:16.6) and Ryan Wilson (24:16.9) crossing the line in 27th, 28th and 29th. Andrew Mah took 33rd in 24:19.6 for MIT.

Williams was the only program to place two athletes in the top five, with Elias Lindgren securing runner-up in 23:30.3 and Aidan Ryan finishing fourth in 23:42.8.

Phillip, who finished 15th at the 2019 national final, celebrated the first individual title for John Carroll in 23:27.6. He was second in May in the Division 3 outdoor 5,000 and fifth in the 10,000.

Eight athletes covered the 8-kilometer layout in under 24 minutes, with Henry Pick of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps taking third in 23:40.4, Simon Heys of Wilmington in Ohio finishing fifth in 23:57, David Fassbender of Wisconsin Whitewater securing sixth in 23:57.1, Tyler Morris of Colby placing seventh in 23:58.4 and Joe Freiburger leading Wartburg – which finished ninth with 306 points – by earning eighth overall in 23:58.7.