WHEELING, W. Va. – The Davis & Elkins Cross Country teams each had strong showings at the MEC Cross Country Championships on Saturday. Nine Senators were also recognized by the Mountain East Conference for making the All-MEC teams, with two making the First-Team and seven on the Second-Team.
In Saturday's race, the D&E women raced to a runner-up team finish, behind only Charleston. The D&E squad handily distanced themselves in front of rest of the 10-team championship field.
Team scoring for the top 5 teams: UC (18), Davis & Elkins (66), Concord (102), Wheeling (121) and West Liberty (136).
Leading the way was Senior Anya Miller who finished 10th overall to pick up First-Team All-Conference honors. The rest of the D&E top 5 scorers all finished in the Top 20 to pick up Second-Team All-Conference honors: Kloe Littleman (11th), Lauren Twyman (12th), Ella Hesson (16th), and Savanna Hardman (17th). Just missing the top 20 all-conference team was Winnie Mayes (22nd) and Hannah Moore (24th).
Four D&E Seniors (Miller, Littleman, Moore, and Madi Michels) running in their last MEC Championships race finished a 4-year MEC Championship run with 1 conference team championship and 3 runner up team finishes. Success the women's team had never seen before in the history of the program.
On the Men's side, in what was an early regional preview featuring the #1, #3, and #4 ranked teams in the region – the D&E men finished in 3rd out of 10 MEC competing programs. The UC men led the way scoring (29 points) followed in the final men's team standings by Concord (55), Davis & Elkins (70), West Liberty (124) and West Virginia Wesleyan (147) to round out the top five.
Emeric Arnaud, the 2021 (winter XC season) MEC Champion, helped lead the way for the Senators with an individual runner-up finish to 2-time MEC Champion Isaac Prather from Concord. Arnaud was recognized by the MEC with First-Team All-Conference honors.
Following Arnaud, three more D&E men picked up Second-Team All-Conference honors: Gabe Conder (12th), Scott Barker (15th), and Jackson Gibson (20th).
Just missing all-conference honors in the deep men's field was a pack of D&E runners: Pablo Velt (22nd), Nizar Sweileh (23rd), Konnor Allison (25th), and Henry Schmidt (26th).
The D&E men and women combined for 9 all-conference honors on the day, the second most of any conference school at this years championships.
Both squads turn their attention towards the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships which will be run on November 18th in Mansfield, Pa. The top 3 finishing programs and top 2 finishing individuals (not on the top 3 teams) will automatically qualify for the National Championships hosted in Seattle, Washington.
The D&E men will enter the regional championships ranked fourth in the region while the women will enter ranked eighth. Emeric Arnaud will again battle with Concord's Isaac Prather as two of the favorites to individually win the region.
Results
Full Men's results
Full Women's results
