CAMBRIDGE, Mass- Boston University’s Andrea Walkonen placed second out of a field of 247 runners at this year’s NCAA Northeast Championship at Van Cortlandt Park in New York, qualifying her to advance to the NCAA Championship on November 24, in Terre Haute, Ind. Joining Walkonen is junior teammate Erin Lagasse who finished in eighth place and also received an automatic bid. The Stony Brook women’s cross country team, which finished fourth out of 34 teams, missed out on an automatic bid, but after an extraordinary regular season during which the squad was nationally ranked for seven consecutive weeks, the Seawolves were chosen as an at-large for the opportunity to advance.
Walkonen, a two-time performer of the week this season, finished the 6k course in 20:57.8, just one second behind race leader Danette Doetzel of Providence. The senior entered the Regional Championship undefeated in her 3 attempts this season, winning the New England and America East Championships in the weeks prior.
Lagasse has been a standout for the Terriers this season, earning Performer of the Week once and tallying a first place finish at the Dartmouth Invitational on September 13. Lagasse finished the 6k in 21:46.8.
Stony Brook, who had been ranked first regionally for five consecutive weeks and as high as No. 12 nationally, will head to the NCAA Championship for the second year in a row. The Seawolves finished eighth at the Pre-NCAA meet this year and will look to improve on last year’s 31st-place finish at nationals.
For the men, Stony Brook’s Tim Hodge led the conference across the line, finishing the 10k course in 32:18.8. Hodge, this year’s America East individual champion for the men, was edged out from an individual birth by a single slot, but will be returning as a junior next year.
New Hampshire finished in ninth-place overall, the highest of the America East men’s teams. Leading the Wildcats was senior Nicholas Decrescenzo who finished 37th with a time of 33:07.4.
Complete Results