SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In the first NCAA Cross Country Regional Championship since 2019, the Queens University of Charlotte programs were successful with the women taking the crown and the men placing second. The Royals women have now won the Southeast Regional Championship in four consecutive years dating back to 2017.
After a second-place finish in the South Atlantic Conference Championships on Oct. 23, the Royals were determined to get back on top. The morning opened with the women's six kilometer run through the chilly course. Similar to the SAC Championships,
Fatima Alanis and
Cherise Carreira battled with Lara Orrock from Wingate for the duration of the race. Orrock made one final push down the stretch and took the individual crown on the afternoon, however the Royals managed to place five in the top ten.
Fatima Alanis and
Cherise Carreira continued their incredible years taking second and third while
Madison Synowiec recorded her best finish and took fourth. The Royals were not done yet as
Stevie Lawrence tied her best run of the season with a sixth-place finish before
Anna Janke rounded out the top ten with a tenth-place finish. Queens also earned great runs from
Madison Webster who finished No. 17 and
Natalie Bash who finished No. 32 playing a critical role in the total score of 25 and first place finish.
Following the women's race, the men kicked off the 10-kilometer trek through the course. The Royals would match up with conference rival Wingate and go head-to-head with the Bulldogs. SAC Runner of the Year and First-Team All-Conference selection
Jan Lukas Becker notched his third consecutive individual first place finish with a time of 30:18.5. First-Team All-Conference and SAC All-Freshman Team honoree
Eric Keogh ran another great race and took fifth place with a time of 31:00.3. Third-Team All-Conference selection
Erick Sanchez came in at No. 11 with a time of 31:19.0. Rounding out the Royals race were Mitchell Cox who placed No. 27 and
Adam Wright finishing No. 32. The Royals placed second behind Wingate with a total score of 73 and a time of 2:37.21.
Following both races, it was announced that the Royals landed nine athletes on the All-Region list. On the women's side,
Fatima Alanis,
Cherise Carreira,
Anna Janke,
Stevie Lawrence,
Madison Synowiec and
Madison Webster were tabbed All-Region honorees. On the men's side,
Jan Lukas Becker,
Eric Keogh, and
Erick Sanchez received All-Region honors.
Queens will now turn their attention to the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships in St. Leo, Florida on Saturday, Nov. 20. Be sure to follow the Royals on Instagram @queens_cross_ and Twitter @Queens_Track1 to stay up to date on the latest news and updates.
