For the first time in seven years, the North Carolina women's cross country team was selected to run at the NCAA Cross Country Championship meet as a team.
The women’s team was narrowly eligible to compete at the event in Stillwater, Oklahoma — home of Oklahoma State University — after the NCAA committee selected it as the final team.
For the men’s team, junior John Tatter qualified as an individual, the first men's runner to do so for the Tar Heels since 2015.
The women’s team consisted of seven runners and one alternate, including fifth-years Paige Hofstad and Mady Clahane; senior Emmeline Fisher; and first-years Sasha Neglia, Ava Dobson, Kelsey Harrington, Taryn Parks and Sarah Trainor.
The Tar Heel women finished 14th in the team score, their highest placement since 2010, while Tatter finished 194th overall in the men’s race, running a 32:43.9 in the 10k.
Neglia, who was named ACC Freshman of the Year in the fall, said she enjoyed the opportunity to compete in the championship meet, but kept in mind that she and her fellow runners were there to compete.
“It was a really good experience,” Neglia said. “It was just amazing being there as a team, and we definitely exceeded most people’s expectations, but we believed in ourselves and worked really hard as a team.”
Due to COVID-19, the cross country national championships were pushed from their usual fall date to March, coinciding with when most runners are preparing for outdoor track.
Hofstad, who transferred to North Carolina from Georgetown for her senior and fifth-year seasons, earned All-American honors, placing 29th for the highest finish by a Tar Heel woman since Annie LeHardy in 2013.
