NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The No. 18-ranked Carleton College women's cross country team finished third out of 31 teams at the NCAA North Region Championships. Junior Hannah Preisser won the individual title in convincing fashion, posting a 35-second margin of victory.
 
"This team gave their best today," said Carleton head coach Donna Ricks. "I am very proud of the performances by this team today! It wasn't about times, rather finishing positions and this team competed with heart on their home course and demonstrated they are one of the best teams in the region."
 
Preisser posted a winning time of 21:24.1. She is the fifth Knight to claim a region individual title (see chart below).
 
"Hannah is having a tremendous cross country season," said Ricks. "She has established a solid race structure and competes with confidence. As the race goes on, Hannah gets stronger. I am impressed with her mental toughness during races."
 
She was joined on this year's All-Region squad by three of her teammates: senior Sophie McManus, who placed sixth at 22:14.6, sophomore Nora Daley, who finished 23rd at 22:48.7, and junior Aliya Larsen, who crossed the line in 33rd place with a time of 23:05.4.
 
"Sophie looked great early on," said Ricks. "I could tell by her running form she was going to do well. She got into position early on, which set her up well and she came up big with a strong finish kick.
 
"Nora had the best race of her college career. She finished 25th in the MIAC race and was 23rd today. The past few weeks it has been evident with Nora's workouts that she was ready to break out a big race.
 
"Aliya has provided stability in our top 5 throughout the season," Ricks said. "She has endured sickness and injury and found a way to earn All-Region status."
 
Libby Rowland rounded out the scoring as she placed 52nd after covering the six-kilometer distance in 23:30.1.
 
"Libby fought hard out there today and finished in our top 5," said Ricks. "Her work ethic in practices and determination definitely guides this team."
 
Lara Erickson and Maggie Votruba also raced for the Knights, finishing in 90th and 132nd place, respectively, as they posted times of 24:29.1 and 25:17.1.
 
"These two seniors have provided great leadership on this team," Ricks said. "They have made a positive impact on this team." 
 
First-year Kayla Marx was the Knights' alternate for the regional meet but did not run in this race.
 
No. 11 UW-La Crosse captured the team title with a score of 63 points and claimed the region's automatic berth to next week's NCAA Championships. No. 14 St. Olaf was the runner up with a score of 99 points, while Carleton posted a score of 114 to edge UW-Eau Claire (118 points) with No. 21 UW-Stout (125) rounding out the top five teams.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will have to wait and see if the Knights receive 1 of 22 at-large spots in the national meet. Additionally, the top-7 finishers at the regional meet that not on a team that advances to the NCAA Championships will be individual qualifiers. The full field will be posted on NCAA.com on by 2:00 p.m. CST on Sunday, Nov. 17.
 
Carleton Individual Region Champions
1987   --   Shelley Scherer (Central Region)
2014   --   Ruth Steinke (Central Region)
2015   --   Ruth Stienke (Central Region)
2017   --   Meg Mathison (Central Region)
2024   --   Hannah Preisser (North Region)