CHARLOTTE, N.C. – McAlpine Creek Park was the site for the 2013 Division II Cross Country Southeast Regionals as men's and women's cross country runners competed for a chance to go to Spokane, Wash., the location of the NCAA National Tournament.
 
The women's 6K was won by Hannah Witt of King, while the men's 10K run saw Dylan Lafond of Mount Olive take the individual title.
 
The women's race featured seven different runners finishing in the top seven. Witt dominated the race from the start and never relinquished her lead as she finished in a time of 21:46. Cheyenne Thompson of Montevallo captured second place in a time of 22:11. She will advance to the NCAA Nationals along with third place finisher Ashly Sutherland of Converse. Rounding out the individual qualifiers was Jessica Viscusi of Mars Hill who finished the race fifth in a time of 22:20.
 
For the Royals Andrea Guerra just missed out on a chance to make the trip to Spokane as she crossed the line in seventh place with a time of 22:24. Katharina Seelos was the Royals next highest finisher, coming in 23rd in a time of 23:10. Summer McFadden finished the race in a time of 24:48, good for 78th overall position. Audrey Sizemore, Megan Delamer, Oh So Young, and Chelsea Reikie completed the classification for the Royals. As a team the Royals finished in ninth place.
 
South Atlantic Conference Champion Wingate finished in first place in the team competition on the women's side with a final score of 75 points. They will advance to the national meet along with Flagler and Columbus State who finished second and third respectively.
 
On the men's side the race was controlled throughout by the outstanding squad of Mount Olive. They were the clear cut winners of the team event finishing with a score of 53 points. After that, the race for the other two automatic spots came right down to the wire. King, GRU Augusta, and Mars Hill battled it out on the final loop around McAlpine Creek Park. In the end King and GRU Augusta claimed the final two team spots. Mars Hill came in fourth, only six points behind the third place GRU Augusta team.
 
Individually Dylan Lafond led from start to finish and crossed the line comfortably ahead with a time of 30:51. Following him there was a close sprint for runner up as Jaiden Brandt of GRU Augusta was able to just beat out Job Kemboi of Clayton State. Finishing in fourth place and qualifying individually for the national championship was Felix Duchampt of the Royals. Duchampt was in the top four all race long and finished in a time of 31:14 guaranteeing him a spot in Spokane, Wash. Corey Mundy of Flagler was the third and final individual to qualify.
 
The Royals' Jake Betancourt was the next highest finisher for Queens as he placed 40th with a time of 33:18. Crossing the finish line in a time of 34:27 was James Hollingsworth for Queens. Chris Vilela and Alex Guilluame raced together all day long as they finished with times of 35:04 and 35:14 respectively. Overall the Royals men's squad finished in ninth position.
 
Following the races, the top-25 finishers were given a medal and honored on the all-region team. From Queens, Guerra, Seelos and Duchampt earned the recognition.
 
The national meet will take place on November 23.