Men's Cross Country 11.09.24

D&E Cross Country Teams Make History As Men and Women Win NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship, Thewes Individual Champion

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- The Davis & Elkins College cross country teams celebrated a historic day at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships, with both the men's and women's teams capturing regional titles. This remarkable dual victory solidifies the Senators' standing as a powerhouse in the Atlantic Region and builds momentum for the upcoming NCAA National Championships.

On the men's side, Jan Thewes led the way with an individual title, finishing the 10K course in 29:51.0. Thewes established a commanding lead early on and maintained a strong pace throughout. Teammates Carter McKenna and Gabe Conder contributed crucial finishes, placing 5th and 7th, while Konnor Allison and Charlie Stephenson rounded out the scoring with top-20 finishes. This depth helped the men's team secure their title with a dominant team performance.

The women's team also showed exceptional strength and consistency. Lauren Twyman led the women with a stellar 6th-place finish, completing the 6K course in 21:02.3. Lydia Falkenstein and Savanna Hardman followed closely, placing 10th and 12th, respectively. Ella Hesson and Zoe Belshan's strong finishes in the top 50 sealed the victory for the women's team. Their impressive total of 93 points and consistent splits across the race propelled them to first place.

"Not many times I'm speechless. But I'm speechless right now just because of… beyond proud of this group, beyond proud of these men and women that they had a goal," said Head Coach Jason Pyles. "They put in all the work to get themselves here. They bought into what we wanted to do. I dreamed about a team like this, that it was always more about results, and in the buy in and the build up to get here and and to get two NCAA regional crowns to go with it and have flights to California, beyond proud of this team."

The top-25 finishers in each race are named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country All-Region Team. For D&E on the women's side, Lauren Twyman, Lydia Falkenstein, and Savanna Hardman were honored. On the men's side, all of the competitors from the Senators team were honored: Jan Thewes, Carter McKenna, Gabe Conder, Konnor Allison, Charlie Stephenson, Jackson Gibson, and Jordan Thomas.

Davis & Elkins' triumph at the Atlantic Regional Championships underscores their outstanding season and sets the stage for a promising showing at Nationals on November 23 in Sacramento, California.